GAUTIER, MS - Officials say a 21-year-old Tulane student standing at a rest stop in Mississippi was killed after dual-wheel tires broke free from an 18-wheeler on I-10 and struck her.

WLOX reports Margaret Mauer was with two other college students from the New Orleans area when they pulled over at a rest stop along the interstate near exit 61 in Mississippi.

Officials said the women had stopped to use the restroom and were getting back in their car when the tires, still connected to one another, popped loose from a tractor-trailer traveling westbound and barreled through eastbound lanes, toward the rest stop. Police said the tires smashed into their vehicle, killing Mauer.

The dual tires, estimated to weigh around 1,000 pounds, traveled more than 850 feet before striking Mauer, officials said.

Officials said the women were not originally from Louisiana or the Gulf Coast area.

The truck driver reportedly pulled over after realizing he lost a tire and has made contact with police. He was not detained after the incident.