Well this guy is brilliant! LiveLeak.com - Changing A Truck Tire fail
then he plays it cool...

 

Man, he was lucky.

 

He is lucky he isn't dead. Semi truck tires that size have a lot of for e built up in them. He is lucky that tire was hot, it would of did more. I had a tire safety class at work, and a semi tire that size an have 100,000 FTlbs of pressure release when they blow. That's enough to cut you in half if hit by the tire or wheel as it explodes.

 

He is lucky to not get hurt anymore.
That is called a zipper rip, because the tire was run flat and it brakes the cords in the sidewall. Then with it weekend it will explode the rip in the tire looks like a zipper. Rarely if ever has a zipper rip killed anyone because it isn't like when the old splint ring wheels would come apart. Shooting the ring and cutting guys in half.

What doesn't make sense about the wheel is that it should have been airing down. Zipper rips typicaly happen around 80 psi wile the tire is airing up. The only thing I can guess is it was airing down and just happen to blow at a lower pressure. Wile waiting for a tire airing down you often stand on or near them. I would never do so when the tire is nearly full like this must have apparently been.

After all that the video is funny.

 

gotta respect tires man...there's a lot of energy stored up in them and it comes out in a hurry when they let go. i've been around a few semi tires that blew, a couple were airing up and one blew when it was still on the truck shortly after it pulled up.