outdated trailer standards increase accident rates

[Ron Melancon]

To the people who have made fun of me in this posting

It has happend again.

Do you accept this??
Do you still think I am not trying to make a difference??
Where is the outrage???
How many more people need to suffer before something is done??

Do you think her 6 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER SHOULD WITNESS HER MOTHER
GETTING HURT???

But you still keep making fun of me.... If this happend to your wife would you change your
mind?

Where is the Insurance Indusry???


By John B. Carpenter
HERALD-NEWS EDITOR
A Spring City woman was seriously injured and had to have part of her right leg amputated after a runaway trailer crashed into her car Saturday afternoon.
Lori Overton, 43, of Spring City, was headed southbound in her 1994 Chevrolet pickup truck on Watts Bar Highway Saturday at about 3:40 p.m. Overton’s 6-year-old daughter was seated beside her in a secured booster seat.
Michael Allen Garrison, 28, also of Spring City was driving an Isuzu pickup truck north on Watts Bar Highway towing a large, double-axle trailer, about 16-18 feet long. The empty trailer’s tongue came off the truck’s ball hitch, and the trailer, which was not secured by safety chains, crossed the center line and crashed into Overton’s truck, according to Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Phillip Dunn.
The trailer’s tongue penetrated the driver’s side of Overton’s truck and badly damaged her right leg. Her truck came to rest against the guardrail, with the trailer in the middle of the road.
Garrison stopped his pickup, got out and checked the damage, then got back in his truck and drove away, Dunn said.
Neither Garrison, nor his passenger, Jennifer McCampbell, 22, of Spring City, was injured in the crash.
Overton and her daughter were both transported by LifeForce medical helicopter to Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga where surgeons were forced to remove part of Overton’s right leg. She was in serious but stable condition Monday, and her daughter was scheduled to be released after receiving treatment for minor injuries, Dunn said.
Garrison turned himself in at the Rhea County Jail Sunday evening. Dunn arrested him and charged him with driving on a suspended license and leaving the scene of an accident with injuries. Garrison’s arraignment was scheduled for March 30, and he was released from the Rhea County Jail on a $13,000 bond.
John Carpenter can be reached at [email protected].

 

[Ron Melancon]

Father, Son Killed in Horrific Bay Bridge Crash

Father, Son Killed in Horrific Bay Bridge Crash

SUV Loses Trailer on Bay Bridge, Causing Chain Reaction

By Philip Rucker and Raymond McCaffrey
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, May 11, 2007; 2:46 PM

Authorities continued to investigate yesterday's horrific seven-vehicle crash on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge that left three dead, five injured and snarled traffic for hours around Annapolis and Maryland's Eastern Shore.

The two-way traffic on the westbound span of the bridge does not appear to have contributed to the crash, Maryland Transportation Authority Police Chief Marcus L. Brown said at a news conference today in Baltimore.



All three lanes of the bridge's westbound span and one of the two eastbound lanes were closed after the accident, which happened shortly after 4 p.m.
All three lanes of the bridge's westbound span and one of the two eastbound lanes were closed after the accident, which happened shortly after 4 p.m. (Courtesy Of Wrc-tv)
Graphic
Major Detour
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is the only way to cross the bay from Maryland's Eastern Shore to the Annapolis area and points west. Yesterday's seven-car collision caused all westbound lanes to be closed, forcing some drivers to detour about 150 miles.
Video
Views of Fatal Crash on Bay Bridge
Posted at 5:45 p.m. ET A seven-vehicle collision on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge today killed at least three people, injured at least three others and closed the western span of the bridge, snarling rush-hour traffic for several hours and trapping motorists, authorities said.
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The accident was caused when a four-by-six foot trailer came loose from a sport-utility vehicle, causing a chain reaction involving six other vehicles, including a tanker truck, Brown said.

The driver of the SUV, whom police identified only as a male from Maryland, survived the accident, Brown said. Authorities have not decided whether to ticket or charge him with any crimes. Maryland law requires drivers to have their trailers securely fastened to their vehicles, Brown said.

Police tested the driver for drug or alcohol use yesterday, but have not received results. "The driver exhibited no symptoms of being under the influence," Brown said.

The seven-vehicle collision just after 4 p.m. led to the closure of all westbound lanes of bridge traffic--and one eastbound lane--for nearly eight hours, spawning huge backups and a run on motel rooms for those who were stranded.

Police identified the dead as Randall R. Orff, 47, and his son, Jonathan R. Orff, 19, both of Millington, and James H. Ingle, 44, of Preston.

Traffic moved smoothly this morning on both spans of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, but at least some motorists remained jittery in the wake of the crash.

"I was a little concerned going over the bridge, concerned about the structure, how it'd hold up," said Doug Wallop, 46, a physical therapist who lives on the Eastern Shore and crossed the bridge to work in Annapolis. "It's just a little disconcerting to realize how vulnerable you are living across the shore."

On the drive home to Kent Island last night, Wallop said, he saw the pile of charred totaled vehicles on the side of the road. They looked like a "mess of metal," he said.

"That was freaky, seeing all that stuff," Wallop said. "It looked like an explosion of vehicles. It was dramatic."

Cpl. Jonathan Green, a spokesman for the Maryland Transportation Authority Police, said engineers had examined the bridge at the accident site and found no structural damage.

Father, Son Killed in Horrific Bay Bridge Crash

The accident was set in motion when a trailer came loose from a sport-utility vehicle. That caused a chain-reaction crash involving a tank truck, a flatbed tow truck, two pickups, a van and a car on the westbound span shortly after 4 p.m., said Marcus L. Brown, chief of the MTA police.

The tank truck was carrying nonhazardous animal fat. Although preliminary reports said the fat spilled into the bay, police later said the tanker remained intact and its contents did not escape. However, there was some spillage of anti-freeze and fuel.

Vehicles on the three-lane span, which at the time was carrying traffic in both directions, had been traveling faster than the posted 50 mph limit immediately before the crash, a motorist said. The span has no median divider.

Police said no charges have been filed as yet, but an investigation by an accident reconstruction team is continuing.

The crash caused hours-long delays, with all westbound lanes closed and only one lane open for motorists heading to the Eastern Shore. Another eastbound lane was closed except to emergency vehicles. Those headed west were told they had the choice of taking a 150-mile detour around the top of the Chesapeake Bay or waiting for the span to reopen.

"It's devastating," Sgt. Louis Reichart of the MTA Police said last night. "Traffic is backed up for miles."

Scores of westbound cars, backed up for nine to 10 miles late in the afternoon, were turned around and pointed toward a route that snaked up the Eastern Shore to Elkton, where drivers could get on Interstate 95. For a traveler heading to Washington, that would add two hours to the trip, under normal conditions.

Once the cars were turned around, one by one, chaos ensued on the Eastern Shore, as a mad rush of motorists searched for gasoline stations to fill up for the drive home.

As late as 10 p.m., eastbound traffic on the bridge was moving at a snail's pace, witnesses said.

"I can see that the traffic is not moving. It's at a standstill," said Lisa Haynie, manager at a restaurant on Kent Island that has views of the bridge.

The bridge was fully reopened by 11:30 p.m., and authorities reported no problems this morning save for a thick rolling fog that slowed the early commute.

The scene on the bridge, as seen from helicopters on television and described by witnesses, was horrific, with charred wreckage and smashed debris strewn across all three lanes.
Father, Son Killed in Horrific Bay Bridge Crash

Many motorists decided to wait out the night at restaurants and bars on Kent Island, near the foot of the bridge on the Eastern Shore. At Big Bats Cafe, about 50 motorists were dining after leaving their cars on the side of the road.

One of them, Larry Cartrette, was heading home to Baltimore after fishing at Ocean City. About a mile from the bridge, Cartrette drove onto a ramp and was stuck in traffic. So he left his car there and walked to Big Bats.

"I've been parked on the road since 4 o'clock. I'm at the bar. What else am I supposed to do?" Cartrette, 50, said late last night.

Another motorist, Dan Beall, was trying to get across the bridge after spending the day paving a driveway on the Eastern Shore. About a quarter-mile from the bridge, he turned on the radio, heard the news of the crash and decided to make his way to the bar.

Beall tried to book a motel room but found no vacancies about 9 p.m. So he made plans to stay with his best friend.

"Now I'm stuck here with my dog," he said. "I guess we're staying on the Eastern Shore tonight."

Brown, the MTA Police chief, said six of the vehicles involved in the crash were traveling east and a pickup was going west.

The two people hospitalized after the crash were being treated for injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, Green said.

The driver of the SUV survived the crash and was "very upset" and "shook up" but had no major injuries, Brown said. He added that it was too early in the investigation to say whether charges would be filed.

Traffic on Route 50 in Anne Arundel County was backed up for miles last night for eastbound motorists, many of them commuters traveling from work in the Washington and Baltimore areas.

"I don't have a lot of choice," said Clarence Carter, a trucker from Greensboro, N.C.

Yesterday's accident brought back memories of another Bay Bridge crash, in November 1996, in which an 18-wheel tractor-trailer slammed into a sedan on the westbound span, killing a man, a woman and her 10-year-old son.

About 25 million vehicles cross the bridge each year, with traffic particularly heavy during the summer months, when many Washington and Baltimore residents head to the beach on the weekend. The eastbound span opened in 1952, and the westbound span opened in 1973.

As traffic zoomed by this morning, motorists said they were somewhat unnerved by the crash, but not enough to alter their travel plans.

"I was a little bit concerned," said Sequaya Tasker, 32, of Edgewater, who stopped for gas before crossing the bridge en route to Delaware, where she is buying a home. "But I'm very spiritual, and if it's my time it's my time."

Staff writers Hamil R. Harris, Thomas Boswell, Eric Weiss, Debbi Wilgoren and Clarence Williams contributed to this report.

 

[Ron Melancon]

Maryland Firefighters Among Bay Bridge Victims

SUSAN NICOL KYLE
Firehouse.com News

CRUMPTON, Md.-- A volunteer fire department on Maryland's Eastern Shore is out-of-service as members mourn two firefighters killed Thursday in a multi-vehicle crash on the bay bridge.

The victims -- a father and son -- identified as Randy Orff, 49, and Jonathan Orff, 19, were active members of Crumpton Vol. Fire Department.

A vigil will be held at 7 p.m. Friday at the volunteer fire company in Queen Anne's County. Funeral services have not been set.

The crash occurred on the westbound span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge as vehicles swerved to avoid a utility trailer that broke loose.

As soon as members learned that the collision involved two of their own, the department was placed out-of-service. Volunteers from neighboring companies are standing by, said John Chew, Queen Anne's Emergency Services Director.

"The transfers are set up through Sunday right now," he said. "We've had no problem getting people willing to help. All companies in the county are involved."

A critical incident stress counselor held a grief session for members at the fire company Thursday night.

Fellow firefighters and EMS personnel have erected a memorial to the two firefighters that include their turnout coats and pictures. The display sits just inside the station at the entrance to the meeting room.

Jonathan joined the company as a junior member about four years ago. He took firefighter training at the county's vo-tech center. "When he got involved, his father joined. They always did things together," said Chief Jim Hurlock. "They were involved in everything -- firefighting, fund-raising and other activities."

Black shrouds have been draped on the company's brick building. Chew said the men were very active in the company, and well-known in the community.

 

[Pilsnaman]

My Uncle was towing his race car on I-95 down to Atlanta last month when a woman TALKING ON HER CELL PHONE wasn't paying attention when merging. After his Suburban passed she just went over, never looked for a trailer. When she slammed into the trailer it swung around, broke off the truck, sheared the chains (I saw them, part of them were still connected to the truck), went off into the median, the nose dug in, and every tie down for the race car snapped. Luckily there were no injuries and both his race car and trailer are repairable, at the woman's cost. Ends up it broke where the ball bolts into the ball mount.

 

[Ron Melancon]

Letter to the Editor Today's Washington Post 5-16

Please take note that this problem affects every state in this nation. Today's Washington Post:
© 2007 The Washington Post Company
Safer Driving on the Bay Bridge

Wednesday, May 16, 2007; A14

The Bay Bridge accident is an example of our federal government's lack of oversight. I traveled to Washington more than 3 1/2 years ago and spoke to officials at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration with the help of my congressman, Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.). I passionately encouraged NHTSA officials to take action on utility trailers.

Several problems imperil public safety. The outdated federal guideline that deals with lighting standards, which has not been updated since 1969, does not require working taillights, inspections, and training on how to tow and how to avoid hitching problems.

The guideline permits anybody to build a homemade trailer. It provides oversight only on utility trailers weighing more than 3,000 pounds. By producing a trailer that is 2,999 pounds, a company can avoid federal oversight.

On average, 450 people are killed a year in accidents involving utility trailers. NHTSA should do something about this immediately.

RON J. MELANCON

Glen Allen, Va.

 

[begleytree]

Ron that was a tragic accident on the Bay Bridge for sure.......

.............but it has zero to do with Arboricultural Injuries and Fatalities and does not belong here.

agree. I took these posts and created another thread out of arb accidents. I feel its a worthy topic, but was in the wrong place.
-Ralph

 

[redprospector]

Ron,
Now don't take this wrong, I am not making fun.
What do you propose be done? Outlaw pulling a trailer? These accident's are tragic, on that we agree. But you haven't offered a solution. Or are you wanting someone else to figure it out for you?
You said that 450 people a year are killed in accidents involving utility trailers.
I agree that is terrible. But I'd be willing to bet that there are at the very least that many killed each year by people running stop sign's or red lights, yet you're not ranting about that.

The people who caused these accident's you posted didn't make sure they had a good connection between their trailer & vehicle, one of them was even driving on a suspended driver's license.
As Ron White so aptly put it, "You can't fix stupid".

Andy

 

[okietreedude1]

Does anyone know if the trailer brakes would have helped any and do they actually work like they should? You know, the break away brakes....

 

[redprospector]

If they are hooked up, and maintained properly they work fine.
But so do hitches and chains. The two incidents posted seem to be either negligence, or cheap (cast) trailer hitch balls.

Andy