Jetway Tire Explosion at Fort Lauderdale

Two maintenance workers were critically injured Tuesday morning when a tire they were working on blew up at the international airport. The two men were rushed to Broward General Medical Center for treatment. Their injuries were described as very serious. The victims were not immediately identified, but Greg Meyer, airport spokesman, said both were veteran employees at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport in Florida. A third man on the maintenance crew was not injured.

    Broward Sheriff's Office spokesman Mike Jachles said the accident occurred around 10 a.m. on the Jetway and involved a tire change. The tire was not attached to an aircraft when it erupted. It's understood that Jetways often utilize old aircraft tires that have run out of retreadability for airplane use - but can still be refurbished for use on the jetways.

    Cause of the blown tire was not immediately known, but it does sound like a typical instance of a tire being left inflating and then forgotten, reaching very high pressures and exploding off (or out of) the split rims. Eyewitnesses said the 225-pound tire zoomed to around 80 feet up before crashing down into a wall. Many organizations inflate their tires within safety cages and/or have safety pressure relief valves to avoid this type of accident.