Quote:
Originally Posted by 4X4
There are 12 pipes. This means that they were loaded up square instead of in a pyramid. The debris on the ground is likely pieces of wood to hold the pipes in place for loading and transport.
As Meth already reminded us, it was windy as hell yesterday, especially around that time, and since the wind was out of the north, it's reasonable to assume that as the driver came around that off ramp, the wind either dislodged the pipes from what was holding them in place and caused the load to shift dramatically, as it came around the final bend with a direct cross wind, or else the wind got into the pipes as it was getting out of the cross wind and turning head on into it and knocked the truck over by sheer force.
I think this is one accident where I'll give the driver the benefit of the doubt until I hear otherwise.
Thanks for the pic, Jayems.
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You are right! The cause of the accident was indeed the wind. The driver, a veteran and amazing driver, was doing under the speed limit when the 90+ kmph wind got her from the right side (NE wind). She did everything in her power not to let the truck enter the highway and as a result lay it down. There were actually 16 lengths of PVC pipe on the trailer. Amazaingly 4 lengths crossed the highway and didn't hit a thing. The pipe didn't actually come off until the truck was over and the straps were shred by the road.
Trust me, I am in the know, and have the police report in my hand. This was an unavoidable, no fault accident.
As a safety professional, and former driver with 28 years accident and violation free years of trucking under my belt, I wish more people stopped to think about possible causes of these accidents before screaming about lousy drivers. Also, to the jerk who commented, "Women Drivers," get a life. The driver of this unit, a woman, is one of the most safety conscious drivers I have had the pleasure of working with.
Great picture by the way.
Blown Away
