HOUSTON — It's been nearly 24 hours since a man was killed by a loose tire on the Katy Freeway and deputies are still searching for the driver who lost the car part.
Originally, deputies said the tire came from an 18-wheeler but a day after the accident, deputies said the tire is suspected of coming from a small landscaping-style trailer. Investigators said witnesses reported seeing the driver of the trailer pull over after losing the tire but then drive off.
What happened
On Thursday evening, the driver of the trailer was traveling eastbound on the freeway when a tire flew off, according to Jeff Mcshan with Harris County Precinct 5. The tire bounced over the center wall, hitting a car traveling in the opposite direction in the HOV lanes.
The impact of the tire killed the passenger, who family members identified as Clayton Alexander Vaughn, 21.
The driver, who has been identified as Vaughn's girlfriend, lost control, veered across six lanes of traffic, and crashed into a wall, McShan said.
Vaughn's girlfriend was taken to a hospital in unknown condition, but deputies said her injuries were not life-threatening.
Deputies said witnesses posted to Facebook saying the driver of the trailer pulled over and then drove off. The driver has yet to be found.
Who was Clayton Vaughn?
Family members said Vaughn was a young father who had a long life ahead of him.
"He stopped in my driveway here just Tuesday and I hugged him," said Vaughn's uncle, Evan Richards. "I didn’t say goodbye. Like, I wish would have. Doesn’t matter now."
Vaughn had just become a new father, leaving behind a 4-month-old baby girl.
His family is working to pick up the pieces.
"I hug my children every day, but I tell you what I’m hugging my children a whole lot more these days because you can get on the Katy Freeway and you cannot get off of Katy Freeway," Richards said. "My nephew is proof of that."
Vaughn's family has set up a GoFundMe, asking for donations to help cover funeral costs.
Anyone with any information on the driver of the landscaping-style trailer is urged to call Harris County Constable Precinct 5.