Student killed by flying tires at highway rest stop

Authorities say a Tulane University student was killed at an Interstate 10 rest stop in Mississippi when two tires came loose from a passing tractor-trailer and struck her.

News outlets report officials with the New Orleans school have identified the student as 21-year-old Margaret Maurer, of Forest Lake, Minnesota. Gautier police say the tractor-trailer was traveling westbound when it lost the wheels, which then crossed the eastbound lanes and entered the rest stop.

Authorities say Maurer and two friends were about to get back into their vehicle when the tires hit her and two cars. The rest stop was closed while the death was investigated. It’s unclear what caused the tractor-trailer’s tires to come loose.

Gautier lies just west of Pascagoula on the Mississippi coast.

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