The or a
This morning a car ran over my foot. A/The wheel stayed on my foot for almost a minute because the driver freaked out and totally froze.

Should I use "a" or "the" for wheel?

I'm not sure because "A" can be any wheel of the car while "the" can be used because it belongs to the known car.

Question

The or a
This morning a car ran over my foot. A/The wheel stayed on my foot for almost a minute because the driver freaked out and totally froze.

Should I use "a" or "the" for wheel?

I'm not sure because "A" can be any wheel of the car while "the" can be used because it belongs to the known car.

Answer

You called the car "A car" in the first sentence because you didn't know the car before it ran over your foot.

You call the wheel "THE wheel" because once it rolled over your foot, it stopped being some random, unspecified wheel to you.

If you say "A wheel" it sounds like some other wheel—beyond the one that rolled over your foot—rolled in your foot.

Answer

Both "a" and "the" are valid here

Answer

Yes, "a" or "the" are both possible here - an uncommon situation.