Sunday, January 18, 2009

Man gets probation after pleads guilty to vehicular homicide


PELL CITY

Man gets probation after pleads guilty to vehicular homicide

By David Atchison
01-16-2009

PELL CITY – A man was given probation after pleading guilty to the vehicular homicide of a Cropwell woman.

St. Clair County Judge Charles Robinson sentenced Blake Alan Brown, 24, of Pell City to 2 years in prison for the April 18, 2007, vehicular homicide of Rosea Mae Beavers, 57, of Cropwell. Robinson suspended the 2-year prison sentence and gave Brown three years supervised probation.

Under Robinson’s order, Brown is also required to pay restitution in the amount of $1,250 to the Alabama Crime Victims Compensation Commission.

Robinson also ordered Brown to have his work trailer inspected every six months by state officials.

Beavers was killed when a trailer Brown was towing came loose from his vehicle and struck Beavers’ driver’s side door. The accident happened on U.S. 231, near CVS Pharmacy in Pell City.

“They were disappointed,” said Matt Abbott, a Pell City attorney who represented the Beavers family in a civil case. “It was very emotional for them. They will accept the judge’s order and move forward.”

Brown pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide in open court last month.

Shortly after Brown pleaded guilty, St. Clair County Assistant District Attorney Lamar Williamson said Brown made an open plea in court, which means there was no agreement between the state and the defendant.

“Our deepest sympathy goes out to the Beavers family and with their loss,” said Lyle Harmon, the defense attorney who represented Brown. “On behalf of Blake and his family, we hope that the healing process can begin. I can only imagine the grief and the struggle of the Beavers family.

“In regards to the sentence, I certainly feel Judge Robinson struggled with what to do and the Brown family is grateful for the sentence that was imposed,” Harmon said.

According to The Daily Home news account of the accident, Beavers had just turned out of the CVS parking lot in her Ford Focus, heading south on U.S. 231, when the trailer Brown was towing came lose from his vehicle, crossed the highway and struck her vehicle.

A Lifesaver helicopter was called to the scene and landed at Avondale Park on U.S. 78, but Beavers died while being transported by ambulance to the landing site.

“Mr. Brown’s irresponsible behavior resulted in the tragic and untimely death of Ms. Rosea Green Beavers,” District Attorney Richard Minor said Thursday. “The public needs to be aware that any reckless behavior on our roads and highways which result in serious injury or death can be prosecuted by the state of Alabama, as was done in this case. The judge’s sentence will never bring Ms. Rosea back to the family and friends who adored her, but perhaps it will help prevent another careless fatality.”


About David Atchison


David Atchison is Pell City news editor for The Daily Home.

Contact David Atchison
Phone:
E-mail:
205-884-3400
news@dailyhome.com

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

the wire handling aspects on most horse trailers is a black-eye



NOTE: Look at this quote:

Regretfully, the wire handling aspects on most horse trailers is a black-eye in the trailer manufacturing industry.”

So We addressed this issue back in 2004 by requiring reflector tape to be applied on trailers
under 3,000 pounds in Virginia so what does the industry do??
They tried to undo the law in 2005 because it cost $8.00 to comply. Why?

Here is the evidence.. Carry On Trailers

Pollard is also taking heat from transportation safety advocates who opposed his draft legislation to exempt mesh trailers under three thousand pounds from state inspection. Traditionally, Virginia legislation required that trailers weighing less than 3,000 pounds have either two or more reflectors of an approved type, or at least 100 square inches of reflective material, to outline the rear end of the trailer. In 2005, Pollard patroned legislation which would have redefined a utility trailer so as to exempt it entirely from the requirements of approved reflectors or reflectorized material to outline the trailer. Pollard’s bill (HB4290) defined a utility trailer as a device “whose body and tailgate consist largely or exclusively of mesh and whose end extends 18 inches or more beyond its tail lights.”

In 2005, the year of Pollard’s bill to reduce regulation of utility trailers, he received more than $3,200 in campaign money from Richmond and national lobbyists for transportation interests, including independent auto dealers and trucking interests, according to records maintained by the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP.org). Public safety crusader Ron Melancon, who successfully lobbied to remove Pollard’s definition of a utility trailer from the final bill, accuses Pollard of acting at the behest of the trucking and transportation industry to the detriment of public safety.

In an interview this week, Melancon noted that under Pollard’s attempted legal change, anyone could build a trailer under 3,000 pounds without any inspection requirement or trailer-outlining reflection. Campaigning on behalf of public-safety interests in 2005, Melancon convinced senators that under Pollard’s bill, one could have a mile-long trailer with only a single set of tail lights positioned 18 inches from the bumper. Melancon keeps a registry of all of the accidents involving defective utility trailers at www.dangeroustrailers.com, and his registry now includes the recent Bay Bridge accident that claimed three lives this spring. In 2005, the State Senate’s focus on examples of the evident danger doomed Pollard’s attempt to relax safety standards.




USRider Gives Tips for Proper Care of Breakaway Batteries

Release: December 11 2008

By USRider


Imagine what would happen if your trailer became disconnected from your tow vehicle, and your emergency breakaway battery was fully discharged. Disaster! However, when a breakaway system is working properly, it will lock the brakes automatically if the trailer becomes disconnected from the tow vehicle.

“Be a good steward—don’t take chances with the safety and welfare of your precious cargo,” said Mark Cole, managing member for USRider, the nationwide roadside assistance program for equestrians, which provides emergency road service to its members in the Continental United States, Canada and Alaska.

To ensure your breakaway system is in good working order, USRider offers the following safety tips:

· Have a qualified mechanic test the system for proper operation annually.

· Have your battery load tested to check the current in the battery. A qualified trailer mechanic or personnel at most auto parts stores can do this test. Replace old and weak batteries.

· Regularly inspect the cable and switch for the breakaway system. Replace the cable if it is showing signs of wear.

· Keep the top of the battery and the battery terminals clean. A small wire brush and dielectric grease will help maintain an excellent electrical connection. The battery should be removed from the trailer when the trailer is stored or not used for extended periods. If possible, store the battery in a warm area away from children.

· Be sure that the proper battery is being used for your breakaway system. Consult your owner’s manual, or check with the trailer manufacturer.

· If your battery has removable cell caps, maintain acid levels by adding distilled water. Take care when adding water. Be sure to wear protective eyewear and do not overfill.

· Maintain charge—do not allow a battery to remain discharged for extended periods. 12 volt batteries are considered totally discharged below 11.9 volts. Check voltage with a digital voltmeter.

To help maintain a battery’s charge, USRider highly recommends a built-in battery charger. These systems can be installed on your tow vehicle to charge your battery every time you tow. For rigs that are used infrequently, we recommend using a charging system that provides a “float” charge for extended times when your trailer is not in use.

“For frequent travelers, we especially like breakaway battery systems with built-in chargers and battery status LEDs,” added Cole.

In addition to maintaining your breakaway battery, be sure to keep your trailer’s brake and electrical system in good condition as well.

“We have seen numerous wiring issues with horse trailers,” said Cole. USRider has addressed this issue with a safety bulletin recommending that all horse owners have their horse trailers’ wiring checked by a competent mechanic. “Regretfully, the wire handling aspects on most horse trailers is a black-eye in the trailer manufacturing industry.”

USRider provides roadside assistance and towing services along with other travel-related benefits to its members through the Equestrian Motor Plan. It includes standard features such as flat-tire repair, battery assistance and lockout services, plus towing up to 100 miles and roadside repairs for tow vehicles and trailers with horses, emergency stabling, veterinary referrals and more. For more information about the USRider Equestrian Motor Plan, visit www.usrider.org online or call (800) 844-1409.

For additional trailer safety information, visit the Equine Travel Safety Area at www.usrider.org.

Man pleads guilty to vehicular homicide


PELL CITY

Man pleads guilty to vehicular homicide

By David Atchison
12-02-2008

PELL CITY — A 24-year-old man pleaded guilty Monday to the vehicular homicide of a Cropwell woman.

Blake Alan Brown of Pell City pleaded guilty to the April 18, 2007, vehicular homicide of Rosea Mae Beavers, 57.

St. Clair County Assistant District Attorney Lamar Williamson said Brown made an open plea in court, which means there was no agreement between the state and the defendant.

Williamson said he wasn’t surprised Brown pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide in open court.

“That’s what he was guilty of,” Williamson said.

Brown made his plea after jury qualification but right before jury selection was to begin.

“Blake remains today, as he did almost two years ago, remorseful and if he could go back in time and change things, he would,” said Pell City attorney Lyle Harmon, who represents Brown. “We hope this can give closure for the Beaver family, as well as for the Brown family.”

Circuit Court Judge Charles Robinson ordered a pre-sentencing investigation be completed before he sentences Brown.

Brown’s sentencing hearing is set for Thursday, Jan, 15, 2009, at 9 a.m.

Brown could be sentenced to up to five years in prison and required to pay a fine between $500 and $2,000.

Beavers was killed when the Ford Focus she was driving was struck by a runaway trailer Brown was towing. The accident happened on U.S. 231 near the CVS Pharmacy.

According to The Daily Home news account of the accident, Beavers had just turned out of the CVS parking lot, heading south on U.S. 231, when the trailer Brown was towing came lose from his vehicle, crossed the highway and struck her vehicle.

A Lifesaver helicopter was called to the scene and landed at Avondale Park on U.S. 78, but Beavers died while being transported by ambulance to the landing site.

Brown has remained out of jail since his arrest in June 2007, posting a $15,000 bond.


About David Atchison


David Atchison is Pell City news editor for The Daily Home.

Contact David Atchison

Phone:
E-mail:
205-884-3400
news@dailyhome.com

Omens disrupt highway commute


Omens disrupt highway commute

By Mike Seate
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, January 6, 2009

For pedal-to-the-metal fun, few areas of the city can beat the long stretch of East Ohio Street between the McKees Rocks Bridge and the North Shore.

Most of the road is elevated, with no place for police to stage a speed trap, so motorists treat the area like the Finish Line stretch at Indianapolis International Speedway.

I stopped speeding there after seeing an accident that could have been deadly for anyone driving close by. A few months ago, I noticed telltale signs of a crash involving a trailer towing hot tar and the Jersey barriers along this part of Route 65.

It's enough to scare a motorcyclist into riding the bus on future commutes. Hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention every time I ride past.

The accident scene announces itself with several small patches of black tar on the pavement. From there, moving inbound toward the city, a long streak of black unfurls along the pavement, snaking from side to side as the bubbling, hot tar splashed around like a rush-hour commuter's latte.

It's obvious from the marks that the tar wagon swayed and pitched. Hypnotized by morbid thoughts of what could have happened to anyone nearby unfortunate enough to be caught driving a convertible, motorcycle or open-window car, my thoughts are usually interrupted by that final, massive tar spill against the Jersey barrier where the trailer came to an abrupt stop.

As driver safety warnings go, this is pretty vivid, though I'm afraid most people traveling this stretch are too preoccupied with arriving at their destinations on time to notice.

Problems with trailers seem to continue.

On Dec. 16, Michelle Kott, 36, of Ellsworth was killed and her two passengers injured when a utility trailer broke loose from its truck and rolled out of control on Route 19 in Washington County.

In July 2007, a rig truck carrying tar spilled its load on Route 136 and closed the road for 11 hours. Miraculously, no one was hurt, but you don't need to be a coroner to imagine what could have happened if the crash occurred during a high-traffic period.

Enforcement of trailer safety has improved since the April 2006 crash in Richland, when a wood chipper detached from a truck and killed three members of a Cranberry family.

But as the telltale markings along East Ohio Street reveal each time I pass by, local work crews and commercial vehicle operators still have a long way to go before making sure the rest of us are safe from their negligence.

Monday, January 5, 2009

burning trailer carrying bales of hay came loose


Bizarre Interstate Fire
This article was posted Tuesday, December 30th, 2008 at 6:02 pm

A bizarre fire on Interstate 35 in Temple backed up traffic for miles late Tuesday afternoon.

It happened around 1:00 in Temple at the Midway exit.

Officials say a burning trailer carrying bales of hay came loose from a truck and stopped in the middle of the freeway.

The incident spawned several minor accidents. Crews blocked off the area so firefighters could put out the fire.

Firefighters aren’t sure how the fire started.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Route 66 bridge damaged, Loose Trailer From Pick Up



Note: If a loose trailer can cause this much damage... mind you... not from a 18 wheeler... but
from these UnRegulated Utility Trailers.. the one's that weigh just under 3,000 pounds then how do expect cars, houses and human beings to survive when you get hit with one of these?

Steve Logsdon of ODOT looks at damage to a steel truss bridge over the Verdigris River on Route 66 north of Catoosa. ODOT officials said the right hand lane of the bridge will be closed for several weeks.
PROGRESS PHOTO/Joy Hampton /
“The right lane southbound will be closed for several weeks,” said Kenna Mitchell of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. “A support beam was severed and other damage occurred.” By Joy Hampton
CLAREMORE DAILY PROGRESS

January 1, 2008

Southbound traffic on Route 66 between Verdigris and Catoosa will narrow to one lane over a steel truss bridge following an accident which severed a support beam earlier this week.

Tuesday afternoon a trailer got loose from a pickup and struck the steel truss bridge over the Verdigris River on SH 66 north of Catoosa according to Mitchell.

Southbound traffic along SH 66 was routed back to SH 266 while ODOT engineers inspected the damage. Following those inspections, one lane was reopened.

A speed limit of 45 mph will be strictly enforced along with a weight limit not to exceed 15 tons. Loads wider than 10 feet will not be allowed to cross the bridge.

Mitchell said ODOT has set up message boards in several places alerting motorists to the lane closure.