Pedestrian hit by tractor-trailer tire at Bristol Welcome Center on I-81

A man was hit by a tractor-trailer tire near the Bristol Welcome Center on Interstate 81 Saturday, according to Virginia State Police.

At around 11:20 a.m., a man driving a tractor-trailer just inside the Virginia line on I-81 pulled to the right shoulder after driving over something. As he pulled onto the shoulder, one of the tractor-trailer’s tires broke loose and bounced off to the right and into the Welcome Center.

The tire rolled through the parking lot, hit a handicap sign and then hit a pedestrian walking out of the Welcome Center. The man hit was thrown against the front window of the Welcome Center. Marvin Owens, 26, of Marion, was brought to Bristol Regional Medical Center for treatment of serious, but not life-threatening injuries.

The driver of the tractor-trailer, Manuel Santos, 56, of Middleburg, Florida, was charged for having defective equipment.

The incident is under investigation.