Mo. Woman Dies After Tire Smashes Through Car, Hits Her in the Head: ‘Almost Impossible to Believe’

Emily Ludwig was reportedly traveling to Six Flags when she was struck by the loose tire on Interstate 44 on July 22

A Missouri woman has died after a loose tire smashed through her car and struck her in the head.

Emily Ludwig, 38, was traveling down Interstate 44 in St. Louis County on July 22 when a loose tire crashed through the windshield of her Kia Sorento, according to NBC affiliate KSDK and CBS affiliate KMOV.

Ludwig was on her way to Six Flags, where she planned to meet up with friends, when the deadly accident occurred, per KSDK’s report.

The tire fell off the back of a trailer traveling in the opposite direction on the highway before careening into the car, Eureka Fire Assistant Chief Scott Barthelmass said, according to Leader Publications.

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The Missouri State Highway Patrol did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

The tire hit Ludwig in the head, causing “catastrophic damage” to her brain, according to a GoFundMe campaign started by Ludwig’s friend Kelley Moulton.

Ludwig was rushed to a local hospital, where she died six days later, KSDK reported.

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Ludwig was able to donate five of her organs — heart, lungs, liver, left and right kidneys — to five people in need, giving them “a second chance at life,” Moulton wrote in an update dated Monday on the GoFundMe page. Ludwig’s pancreas was also donated to research.

“The parallel in her life and death is not lost on me.” Moulton said. “Emily was committed to supporting her clients to have life abundantly, and so too in her death she selflessly gave to five recipients."

She added, “Em, we are so proud of you.”

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Ludwig worked over 10 years as a social worker, according to KSDK. Moulton told the station that her late friend was "innately kind and generous," which "was evident with all the clients she worked with."

"She loved helping people," Betsy Clark, Ludwig’s sister, told the KSDK. She said the aftermath of the incident has been "traumatizing," adding, "It's almost impossible to believe,"

An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

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