Kristin Wright

Reporter

Unhitched trailer kills
woman

Updated: Tuesday, 25 Aug 2009, 5:36 AM EDT
Published : Monday, 24 Aug 2009, 10:54 PM EDT

TAMPA - A trailer came off of a truck in Tampa Monday afternoon and slammed into people at a hot dog stand on Hillsborough Avenue near Nebraska, killing a woman and seriously injuring the owner of the stand.

The stand was about to open for the first time. The owner was still setting up, when out of nowhere, everything stopped.

"We were inside the shop and we heard a loud screech. It sounded like two cars colliding," said James Harris, who was applying for a job inside a car repair shop where the vendor set up.

Police say the pick-up truck was headed west on Hillsborough when the trailer unhitched. Police say the trailer hit the owner of the stand and a friend of his wife's. She was visiting the area from Texas, and police identified her as 40-year-old Catalina Delcarmen Allmon.

"I said 'check her pulse.' He checked her pulse. And basically to tell you the truth, I probably saw her last breath," said James Harris, who saw the accident.

Police say the owner of the stand, 42-year-old Vicente Hernande Quintero, suffered life-threatening injuries.

"We just basically told him to 'relax, try to be calm, just don't move, don't move, wait for the paramedics to come' and we dialed 911," Harris said.

Investigators took measurements and pictures to try to determine what went wrong.

The driver of the truck is 16 years old. He said the trailer detached after he went over a large bump in the road on Hillsborough.

"If it's improperly attached, you can be liable and you can be charged, but again that's so premature," said Tampa Police Lt. Ronald McMullen. "It may have been a freak accident. That's the way it appears at this time, but like I said it's too early to make a determination without all the facts."

Passersby commented that no day is promised.

"They were going to open the stand up and just try to make a dollar in the economy the way it is. It's sad," Harris said.

The driver of the truck has not been identified, but police say he has been cited for failure to secure his trailer.

A state trooper talks to a woman about the wreck of a boat on state Route 3 Monday.
(Enterprise photo — Jessica Collier)

Boat flips onto highway (update)

By JESSICA COLLIER, Enterprise Staff Writer

POSTED: August 17, 2009

SARANAC LAKE - A still-wet boat and the trailer it was being towed on behind a truck flipped onto state Route 3 Monday afternoon.

Police said Elizabeth Killenbeck, of Mannsville (south of Watertown), was towing the boat from her campsite near Tupper Lake to gas it up in Saranac Lake when the trailer became dislodged from the truck as it slowed coming down a hill. The trailer hit the back of the truck, slammed into guard rails and flipped onto the road.

The boat, a blue and white American Skier, was upside down on the western shoulder of Route 3 just west of Saranac Lake, with broken seats and shattered glass trailed behind it as Killenbeck, still clad in a damp bathing suit and a tank top, searched the sides of the road for missing items. The trailer righted itself and was moved to the eastern side of the road, said Trooper Eric LaValley.

There were no injuries, and no other vehicles were hit. The wrecked boat, which LaValley said was unsalvageable, lay in part of the southbound lane, and fire volunteers directed vehicles passing through as one lane of traffic remained open.

"It was more of a mess than anything else," LaValley said.

State police received the call at 1:41 p.m., and LaValley said the debris was cleaned up about an hour later.

Killenbeck was ticketed for inadequate equipment.

---

Contact Jessica Collier at (518) 891-2600 ext. 25 or jcollier@adirondackdailyenterprise.com.

Man dies in accident when trailer detaches from SUV

Katie Shands Updated: 8/23/2009 1:13:39 PM Posted: 8/23/2009 1:11:04 PM

An Indiana man was killed after an accident involving a camper Friday.

According to Tennessee Highway Patrol, Wade P. Shindlebower, Jr., 45, of Bellbrook, Ohio was pulling a camper behind his SUV. He was driving southbound on Interstate 75 near mile marker 145 in Campbell County.

When the vehicle reached a steep hill, the trailer began to sway out of control. It then separated from the SUV, causing the vehicle to flip. The SUV turned three times before stopping in the median.

Passenger Keith Smith, 51, of Indianapolis, Indiana was transported to UT Medical Center where he passed away on Sunday.

According to the report, he wasn't wearing a seatbelt. Troopers said they believe safety restraints would have made a difference.

Two other passengers, Robert M. Grounds, 46, of Springboro, Ohio and Roy D. Deal, 46, of Edinburgh, Indiana were both injured. They were both wearing seatbelts.

Authorities said drugs and alcohol weren't a factor.

Note: 2nd Accident in Two Weeks..

Car flips, burns in I-85 accident in Anderson County

By Rick Spruill (Contact)
Saturday, August 22, 2009

ANDERSON COUNTY — A sport utility vehicle pulling a U-Haul on Interstate 85 in Anderson County flipped over and caught fire with the driver pinned inside Saturday afternoon.

South Carolina Highway Patrol troopers and Townville Fire Department firefighters responded to the one-car crash. The accident happened around 3 p.m. in a construction zone on the northbound side of the interstate roughly a mile south of exit 14.

Several personal fire extinguishers were seen in the wreckage, and emergency dispatchers reported that several such items were used to try to put out the fire in the sport utility vehicle.

That vehicle came to rest upside-down in a lane of the interstate, and the U-Haul trailer sat nearby, slightly damaged and detached from its hitch.

The driver, whose name was not immediately available Saturday from officials, was freed from the vehicle and taken from the scene by ambulance.

The gray Chevrolet Equinox, which bore Louisiana license plates, was crammed with moving boxes and personal items that were scattered on the interstate pavement.

With both lanes closed, northbound interstate traffic remained backed up for about a mile as of 3:30 p.m. while emergency crews and investigators worked at the accident scene.

Please Read Article Below

NOTE: This is a worldwide Issue.
These Videos All Have the Same Issue... but nobody does anything...
http://dangeroustrailersviedos.blogspot.com/2009/02/documentary-featured-in-bbc-finlay.html

http://dangeroustrailersviedos.blogspot.com/2009/04/stunning-news-report-from-1997.html

http://dangeroustrailersaccidentsthatjust.blogspot.com/2008/12/route-19-crash-victim-i-lost-very-good.html

Why?

NO STANDARDS are in place for any tow bar or safety chains for any trailer just one pound under 3,000 pounds.

NO inspections on trailers under 3,000 pounds in most of the world.

Anybody can build one and nobody has a standard.

The questions must be asked... why?

It is all because of profit. If a company spends resources building the best trailer tow bar and it cost X... and the consumer does not understand and see's Trailer Tow Bar "Y" for much less then can you take a guess what the consumer will buy.


This is the fundamental issue we face. Just like a Utility Trailer that cost $1,000 but it has the best of everything and is tested to last....

If a company like in this example "Carry On Trailers" can produce a trailer for $499 because it uses no reflector tape... and does not encase the wires in a plastic tube and uses a lower grade of metal then you as a consumer will buy the cheaper trailer.

In the above example "Carry On Trailers" lobbied to destroy the "Virginia Reflector Tape Law" along with U Haul because it cost $10.00 to comply and in the process has pushed my family in financial ruin.

They will simply out spend a noble cause.

What about Safety Chains?

Calls for stricter towbar laws after fatality

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 6:28p.m.

By Adam Ray

A coroner has called for mandatory guidelines to improve the safety of towbars after a New Plymouth father was killed when a boat and trailer came loose.

The coroner's recommendations have won the support of the man's widow and the towbar industry itself.

Donovan Shelver was killed as he drove home from cricket practice - his car was hit by a trailer carrying a boat after its snapped.

His widow says towbar safety standards just aren't tough enough.

"It to my mind is idiotic that anybody can fit a towbar even if manufactured elsewhere you can come home and fit it...there should be some rules around that," says Kate Shelver.

A coroner who examined Shelver's death has also criticised towbar safety standards.

They're voluntary at the moment, and the coroner says they should be mandatory with random inspections of manufacturers.

Shelver's death is one of dozens involving light trailers in recent years.

Transport Minstry figures show eight people were killed and thirty nine injured from crashes with light trailers last year.

In the four years before that, an average of six people were killed.

Towbar makers say more than half of New Zealand cars have them - one of the highest rates in the world - so there's an urgent need for tougher rules

"There a lot of towing done so it means there's a lot of opportunity for failure and risk to the innocent New Zealand motorist," says John Nash of Best Bars.

The industry says drivers can lower the risks by dealing with recognised firms and looking for safety labels and they warn against buying second hand towbars without knowing their history.

"And so the towbar might be fitted correctly but its been cracked or fractured in a previous accident," says John Delacey of North Shore Towbars.

The government told 3 News that it's now reviewing the coroner's report and his call for compulsory standards.

3 News

SUV Crashes on I-89 with RV Trailer in Tow

A Vermont State Trooper looks at a camper trailer that was demolished during a crash, Monday, August 17, on I-89 south of Middlesex, Vt.

The driver of a north-bound, black SUV crashed in the median on I-89 south of the Moretown/Middlesex exit, Monday, August 17, leaving the automobile with a smashed windshield and the camper trailer it was towing wrecked. Traffic was backed up for several miles as police and rescue responded.

Video Of Stolen Boat Dropped On Highway Released

Note: Credit:

Doug Stewart and Nick Caito Fox 61

THIS IS AN EXCELLENT VIDEO RELEASED BY POLICE SHOWING A REAL LIVE TRAILER SWAY ACCIDENT.

How many times have you seen someone who is towing a U Haul / Boat Trailer / Utility Trailer that is swaying just like this trailer. Please note that U Haul has a big sticker on the fender that states MaX speed limit is 45 and some have 55 MPH.

This Video Is Also Posted on You Tube
Copy and Paste in your Web Site
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otw_XOimf7Y

Stolen Boat Dropped On Highway

(East Haven Police)

Patrick Holland, 38, of 68 Collins St, Hamden. Arrested for stealing a boat and leading police on a chase

EAST HAVEN - The video of a boat stolen out of East Haven that led to a chase has been released.

The video, from the Branford Police Department, shows the boat being pulled on Interstate 95 northbound and starting to weave back and forth. Shortly after the driver pulls to the right shoulder and the boat comes apparently comes off the trailer.

Just before 2:00 pm Wednesday afternoon, East Haven Police say 38 year old Patrick Holland stole a boat from the Diamond Marine boat dealer at 650 Coe Avenue. Holland apparently hooked the boat to his pickup truck and took off. The boat, a 32 foot Boston Whaler, is valued at approximately $175,000.

Holland took off north on Hemmingway Avenue, with both the boat and East Haven Police in tow, and got on the highway. East Haven cops say they broke off the chase on the highway, and waited for Branford and State police to help stop the runaway Whaler. Just before exit 57 the boat tipped over, blocking I95 and ending the pursuit. Canine units were brought in to help catch Holland when he ran from the accident.

Patrick Holland was charged with 1st Degree Larceny, 1st Degree Reckless Endangerment, Reckless Driving, Failure to Bring a Motor Vehicle to a Full Stop, Interfering with Police, and 1st Degree Criminal Mischief 1st. Holland is being held on $100,000.00 bond.

No injuries reported in overturned trailer in Spanish Springs

Staff Report • Reno Gazette-Journal • August 17, 2009

The Nevada Highway Patrol is on the scene of an accident in Spanish Springs involving a pickup truck pulling a utility trailer that overturned.

The overturned trailer was not causing any major backups since it happened after the morning commute, NHP spokesman Chuck Allen said.

There are no injuries reported in the incident, which happened around 8:30 a.m. on Pyramid Highway near Calle De La Plata.

Trucker Looses his life trying to avoid a trailer which had become detached

Serious crash on Lonsdale Rd in southern suburbs

DOUG ROBERTSON

August 20, 2009 04:20pm

POLICE have appealed for witnesses to a crash which killed a man and injured two others at Lonsdale yesterday.

The Queesland man, 59, died when the truck he was driving rolled on Lonsdale Rd as he tried to avoid a trailer which had become detached from a Toyota utility.

The truck rolled near Hallett Cove about 3.50pm, causing two other vehicles to collide.

A seriously injured man and another, both with non-life threatening injuries, were taken to the Flinders Medical Centre.

A witness to the crash said the truck rolled when it swerved to miss a tandem trailer, thought to be towed by a Toyota Dyna utility on the south-bound lane of Lonsdale Rd.

"I just looked in the (rear vision) mirror and the truck rolled over," the witness said.

"I ran down and he was dead. I believe the trailer jack-knifed and the big truck swerved to miss it."

A large load of gravel spilled on the road and several drivers who witnessed the crashpulled up nearby.

The death takes the state's road toll to 80, compared with 54 at the same time last year.

Comments:

I drive a truck and I often see these large tandem trailers being towed behind a car or a ute, I shudder when I see them. Faulty indicators, brake lights not working, un-roadworthy condition. At 59 the driver of the semi would not have been too far off retirement, what a waste.

Posted by: Chris of Ferntree Gully, Vic 10:06pm today

matt the government cant sit in every car and tell people to put seatbelts on, dont drink drive, dont speed, dont use your mobile phone etc etc, its up to the people behind the wheel more than anything! it is sad to lose someone else, but sadly its going to keep happening. also, you would like to think that anyone who did witness the crash would have stopped and that police wouldnt have to ask for witnesses

Posted by: luke of adelaide 7:23pm today

I'm very sorry for the loss of this truck drivers family and friends. Yet another senseless death on our road. It truly highlights just how little our government is doing to save lives: "The death takes the state's road toll to 80, compared with 54 at the same time last year." Despite record high takings by "safety" cameras and millions in revenue related to street offences, not to mention the massive improvements in vehicle safety; the death toll continues to rise. The government uses street offences and "safety" cameras for revenue and nothing more. The argument that it "saves lives" is utter rubbish, with no evidence to support it whatsoever. Sure, there's the argument of "don't speed and you won't get caught", "don't drink drive and you won't get caught", but what happens once you have been caught and that money has been taken? Nothing. No driver education, no training, no meaningful road upgrades. Instead the state government spends millions on ripping up the road to replace it with a tram line and "fixing" (breaking) an otherwise functional road. The whole new south road system has done nothing to improve that area, has taken far too long and cost far too much. Real change in driver education is needed or we will continue to have pointless fatalities on the roads in ever increasing numbers.

Loose Trailer Slames Into Car.. Ex-firefighter and daughter, 6, help at Stourport crash

Ex-firefighter and daughter, 6, help at Stourport crash

2:53pm Monday 17th August 2009

Comments (3) Have your say »

AN EX-firefighter and his six-year-old daughter sprang into action when a trailer crashed into a car in Stourport.

A flatbed trailer had come unhooked from a Peugeot 406 estate and hit a Citroen Xsara travelling in the opposite direction in Wilden Lane at about 6.15pm yesterday.

Jim Bainbridge, who was taking his daughter Eleanor to Stourport Swimming Baths, was driving behind the trailer when it came loose.

The car that was hit contained a husband and wife with their two daughters, aged about two and four years old.

While Mr Bainbridge tended to the woman, who was later taken to hospital with a cracked vertebrae, Eleanor comforted the young children on the side of the road.

He explained: “To be fair to Eleanor, because she’s only six, she was very calm and sat and looked after the girls to keep them out of the road.

“Afterwards, when we got home, she was very interested with what would happen to the family next and if they would have gone to hospital.

“She wasn’t upset in any way and was very resilient. She must be a budding firefighter or nurse.”

The eldest daughter of the family involved in the crash had blood in her mouth, “probably due to a bitten lip”, he added.

Mr Bainbridge, a training and development instructor for the fire service in Droitwich, explained he was experienced at dealing with similar incidents, having been a watch manager in Redditch and Bromsgrove.

“I’m used to dealing with emergencies and being in charge so this was nothing new to me,” he added.

A fire crew from Stourport, an ambulance service rapid response vehicle and police also attended the scene, with the road closed until about 8pm.

The father of the family was uninjured and his wife is currently being treated at Worcestershire Royal Hospital...

Speedboat and trailer become detached from moving pickup on Ben Maddox Way

Speedboat and trailer become detached from moving pickup on Ben Maddox Way - destroying a sign, clipping bushes and slamming into utility pole

BY GERALD CARROLL / gcarroll@visalia.gannett.com • August 19, 2009

An orange speedboat, which had just been picked up from the repair shop, and its trailer became detached from a moving pickup truck just before 6 p.m. Wednesday and slid more than 180 yards on southbound Ben Maddox Way near Laura Avenue, witnesses reported.

No injuries were reported. Visalia police did not disclose any further details.

Pickup driver and boat owner Aaron Ernst said he was driving south on Ben Maddox when his truck hit a “dip” in the road at the Laura Avenue intersection. The dip caused a sharp movement of the trailer hitch, and the trailer and boat snapped off the rear of the pickup.

“It [trailer] came beside me, to the right of the truck,” Ernst said. “It was like one of those slow-motion, dreamlike things you know you can’t stop.”

While the boat flew off separately, and sustained minor damage, the trailer wasn’t so fortunate. It skidded 120 yards along the right-side curb before crushing a street sign and shearing twigs and leaves off a dozen roadside bushes.

The trailer finally came to rest after sliding 40 more yards when its right fender struck a utility pole — denting the fender and knocking off one of two tires on that side.

Despite the damage, the trailer and boat were reassembled and driven off after Visalia police filed a report.

8/20/2009 12:56:53 PM Using Safety Chains is a controlled accident...<br /><br />"This was my neghibor and my husband was out there to help him get his boat back on the trailer. There were safety chains and they snapped. This was a freaky thing. At least no one was hurt. It could have been much worse. Beautiful boat though."<br /><br /><br />The chains used most of the time are not rated to prevent this from happening.... If they have rust or it they were dragged before this accident then they are weakened.<br /><br />Like we have been saying..... for 7 years... and now we have a product that if used properly... then the boat trailer would not have come off.. www.safetysentryinc.com<br /><br />It is because of our efforts at www.dangeroustrailers.org that someone has decided to bring a product to market that would address this issue.... <br /><br />We are trying to save lives.... and property.<br /><br /> RonMelancon

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RonMelancon wrote:

Here is our press release and please go here to view a solution if this person would have used this product then the trailer would not have come off.. www.safetysentryinc.com

Ron J. Melancon President
www.dangeroustrailers.org
8898 Castle Point Drive
Glen Allen, VA 23060

Dear Concerned:

We have just released our press release regarding 2008 figures. Please go to
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/07/prweb2339064.htm to view the report.

Our organization is grateful of the continued interest in "Passenger Cars That Tow Trailers"
segment. Please go to www.dangeroustrailers.org for more updates.

Sincerely,


Ron J. Melancon
8/20/2009 12:49:14 PM

Here is our press release and please go here to view a solution if this person would have used this product then the trailer would not have come off.. www.safetysentryinc.com<br /><br /> Ron J. Melancon President<br />www.dangeroustrailers.org<br />8898 Castle Point Drive<br />Glen Allen, VA 23060<br /><br />Dear Concerned:<br /><br />We have just released our press release regarding 2008 figures. Please go to<br />http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/07/prweb2339064.htm to view the report.<br /><br />Our organization is grateful of the continued interest in "Passenger Cars That Tow Trailers"<br />segment. Please go to www.dangeroustrailers.org for more updates.<br /><br />Sincerely,<br /><br /><br />Ron J. Melancon RonMelancon

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RonMelancon wrote:

When you get a moment please go to www.dangeroustrailers.org, Please note that no regulations are in place for these types of trailers. School starts in a few weeks... what if this hit a Car, Police or a School Bus?

It already has in your STATE!!! Please go here to view some of the accidents in your state..
http://www.dangeroustrailers.org/Accidents_In_California.html

In your State Since 1975 1,706 lives have been lost.... just a few weeks ago.. your state had a loose camper trailer..., horse trailer and a few other accidents involving "Passenger Cars That Tow Trailers"

In fact we have 8 states that do not require safety chains. So what do we do to address???

We enacted a law in Virginia that requires DOT type c-2 tape to at least go on the back of these trailers because they don't have working lights.... most of the time.

U Haul and Carry on trailers along with the Utilty Trailer industry has spent over 100,000 trying to undo the law because it cost $10 to do it.
8/20/2009 12:47:47 PM

When you get a moment please go to www.dangeroustrailers.org, Please note that no regulations are in place for these types of trailers. School starts in a few weeks... what if this hit a Car, Police or a School Bus? <br /><br />It already has in your STATE!!! Please go here to view some of the accidents in your state..<br />http://www.dangeroustrailers.org/Accidents_In_California.html<br /><br />In your State Since 1975 1,706 lives have been lost.... just a few weeks ago.. your state had a loose camper trailer..., horse trailer and a few other accidents involving "Passenger Cars That Tow Trailers"<br /><br />In fact we have 8 states that do not require safety chains. So what do we do to address???<br /><br />We enacted a law in Virginia that requires DOT type c-2 tape to at least go on the back of these trailers because they don't have working lights.... most of the time.<br /><br />U Haul and Carry on trailers along with the Utilty Trailer industry has spent over 100,000 trying to undo the law because it cost $10 to do it. RonMelancon

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meems57 wrote:

Had that happen to me. At least nobody was hurt.
8/19/2009 9:04:28 PM

Had that happen to me. At least nobody was hurt. meems57

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mojowoman wrote:

Bummer
8/19/2009 8:31:20 PM

Bummer mojowoman

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noname01972 wrote:

This was my neghibor and my husband was out there to help him get his boat back on the trailer. There were safety chains and they snapped. This was a freaky thing. At least no one was hurt. It could have been much worse. Beautiful boat though.
8/19/2009 7:56:48 PM

This was my neghibor and my husband was out there to help him get his boat back on the trailer. There were safety chains and they snapped. This was a freaky thing. At least no one was hurt. It could have been much worse. Beautiful boat though. noname01972

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rotoman61 wrote:

I saw the aftermath of this accident......it was like one of those cartoon films. Sorry but had to chuckle.
8/19/2009 7:38:02 PM

I saw the aftermath of this accident......it was like one of those cartoon films. Sorry but had to chuckle. rotoman61

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mycatfossy wrote:

where was the safety chain in all this?????
8/19/2009 7:23:35

Tow bar criticism backed up ... In New Zeland

Note: In the United States we have no standard (Federal) on any Trailer, Boat Trailer, Hitches, Tow Balls ect on any trailer one pound under GWR 3,000 pounds.

Tow bar criticism backed up

By LEIGHTON KEITH - Taranaki Daily News

Last updated 05:00 20/08/2009

Deadly statistics involving cars towing light trailers on New Zealand roads appear to back up a coroner's call for tougher tow bar laws.

Ministry of Transport statistics show eight people were killed, 39 were seriously injured and 140 received minor injuries in crashes involving a light vehicle towing a trailer in 2008.

In the previous four years an average of six people were killed, 35 seriously injured and 173 received minor injuries.

Coroner Tim Scott has called for the New Zealand Transport Agency to make standards for the design and manufacture of tow bars compulsory and to conduct random inspections to ensure compliance.

The recommendation was made at an inquest into the death of former Taranaki cricketer Donovan Shelver, 28, who was killed when a boat and trailer came loose from the towing vehicle and crashed into his ute near Inglewood in November 2005.

Mr Scott also recommended people who frequently towed heavy loads carry out checks on tow bars for wear and tear.

NZTA spokesman Andy Knackstedt said the organisation had not had a chance to review the coroner's recommendations.

Despite the potentially fatal consequences trailer hire companies spoken to by the Taranaki Daily News yesterday freely admitted there was not much they could do to check a customers' tow bar.

BP Brookland's forecourt manager Craig Peters said staff were not able to check each and every tow bar before customers hired a trailer.

Mr Peters said he would support compulsory standards for the manufacture and design of tow bars. "I think it is a good idea really, you never know what you are buying.

"If you are towing something heavy it is a risk and you don't want it to fail," he said.

Jim Mahony, of Mahony Hire, said he did visually check tow bars but if the vehicle was warranted and registered there wasn't much else he could do.

"It's hard to see if it did have a crack underneath," Mr Mahony said.

He said a compulsory standard would be a good thing.

Shell Merrilands manager Jeff Robinson said it was the customers' responsibility to ensure their tow bars were up to standard.

"It should be part and parcel of what they should be doing for a warrant of fitness," Mr Robinson said.

"We haven't got a standard that says we have got to do that."

He supported the coroner's call for mandatory standards to be established.

RV salesmen sound trailer-safety alarm... Why Not Include Utility Trailers?

Why Not... www.dangeroustrailers.org Sound "Passenger Cars That Tow Trailers" Safety Alarm.

RV salesmen sound trailer-safety alarm

Published Saturday August 15th, 2009

By CHRIS FOX
fox.chris@dailygleaner.com

Recent accidents involving vehicles towing trailers should be a wake-up call to those not outfitting their RVs with the necessary safety equipment, says an industry official.

Dave Dobson, past president of the Atlantic Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association and the general manager of RV World on Chaparral Road, said two recent accidents involving trailers probably could have been prevented had the vehicles been outfitted with a weight-distribution system.

A weight-distribution system takes the weight off a trailer and distributes it evenly across a tow vehicle.

Without one, a trailer's weight can lift the front wheels of a tow vehicle off the ground and increase the likelihood of an accident.

"One of the accidents, without knowing much about it, I would say it might have been a weight-distribution issue, and the other one was definitely a weight issue, where the customer was towing it without weight distribution equipment," he said.

"These accidents are a reminder, and I actually wake up in the middle of the night thinking about it sometimes, but once the vehicles leave our yard, we don't know what happens after that."

Weight-distribution systems are considered an extra with most RVs, Dobson said, but he always reminds customers at his store of their importance and requires customers who don't outfit their RVs with one to sign waivers.

He said if it were up to him the equipment would be required by law.

"We have had a number of discussions with the motor vehicle department in regard to what the needs may be for towing, and I certainly wouldn't be against regulations," he said.

Derek Dobson, vice-president of the association and the owner of Leisure Time Sales in Saint John, agreed.

He said a few hundred dollars for a safety hitch is almost always a wise investment.

"What I usually tell people is that you can go with the minimal amount of hitching and drive safely with that nine times out of 10, but it is that one time out of 10 that your additional hitching will come in very handy," he said.

"That time will pay for it tenfold."

While hitches and other weight-distribution equipment can prevent some accidents, they aren't always the answer, said Gary Clark, general manager of Patterson Sales on Hodgson Road.

He said in his experience most accidents involving RVs are caused because drivers aren't aware that their trailers or RVs are too heavy for their vehicles.

He said in light of recent accidents, motorists should check their vehicles manual to see the maximum weight they can safely tow.

"There are different weights for every vehicle and that is the main thing," Clark said. "You have to pay attention to the weight your vehicle is OK to haul and then get the proper hitch for the amount of weight you will be hauling."

22 Year Old Driving Bus With Trailer Bus involved in crash belonged to Queen's charity

NOTE: Should a 22 year old be driving a bus pulling a trailer?

Again... we have no standards, no training on how to tow.

What if the actions of this driver would have killed a child?

Bus involved in crash belonged to Queen's charity

Posted By THE WHIG-STANDARD

Posted 1 day ago

The bus involved in a crash Tuesday morning in Centre Hastings belonged to a Queen's charity that sponsors camp vacations for low-income and troubled youths.

Camp Outlook, a charitable foundation based in Kingston that puts on summer and winter camping trips for young people, was the operator of the bus that was carrying 16 campers on a day trip to Algonquin Park.

No one was seriously injured in the crash, which happened north of Madoc, but the 22-year-old driver of the bus was charged with careless driving.

The passengers of the vehicle, which was pulling a trailer loaded with canoes when the accident occurred, were taken to the Bancroft General Hospital for examination, where they were treated for minor injuries and released.

No one from Camp Outlook was available to speak about the accident yesterday.

The camp, which will mark its 40th anniversary next year, is run through private donations and the support of the Ontario government, which this year gave it $30,000 to buy a new bus to transport campers.

Most of the Camp Outlook participants are teens referred to the charity by a social agency or school, and more than 130 young people take part in the camps each summer.

Outlook was started in 1970 by Ron Kimberly, a Queen's University medical student, who was a camping enthusiast and a believer of the therapeutic value of the wilderness for young people.

Trailer came unhitched on Ring Road in Regina

Police responded to the northbound Ring Road as it crosses over Victoria Avenue Thursday morning after a trailer came loose from a truck.

Photograph by: Marlon Marshall, Leader-Post

REGINA — Police have charged the driver of the truck for having an unregistered trailer and for improper hitch assembly after his trailer came unhitched on the Ring Road around 10 a.m. Thursday morning.

The male driver of the truck was travelling northbound on Ring Road, driving on the Victoria Avenue overpass when the incident occurred. Police said the pin on the utility trailer's hitch snapped and sent the trailer down the road on its own.

The trailer made it just past the overpass before it veered off the road and rolled into the ditch

The wheels have come off... From a Homemade Utility Trailer

Reporting by Kyle Mullin


Russell Hayward walks past his overturned trailer next to the Trans-Canada highway on Wednesday afternoon. The Nevers Road man was unhurt in the single-vehicle accident. Hayward entered the eastbound lane of the divided highway at the nevers road intersection hauling a small, homemade trailer loaded with three logs destined for a sawmill. “i was on my way, and she just started swayin’,” he said of the trailer. The left wheels flew off of his trailer, sending him into a tailspin straight into the ditch.



Comments

Similar situation as last week with the travel trailer. Too much weight on the rear of the trailer judging by the size & length of the logs. This causes the "tail wagging the dog". In this case, it probably swayed to the point it either rolled the tires off the rims or broke the rims away from the axle hubs completely.

Prevention is the name of the game with proper weight distribution. However if it does occur, take your foot off the gas and slow down gradually. Jamming on the brakes will generally cause the trailer to beat you to your destination. If you have trailer brakes and the presence of mind, you can apply those brakes only to get whoaed up.

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Robert Clinch, St. Stephen on 13/08/09 08:29:11 AM ADT

Homemade trailer..probably need engineered correctly. two sets of axle not lined up properly + heavy load will do this. Sometimes it's better to let the professionals do the job. Especially when public safety comes into play...

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Enough is Enough, Clearview on 13/08/09 01:50:24 PM ADT

Do these trailers have to pass some kind of inspection? If not, why not?

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RA EL, Fredericton on 13/08/09 08:42:55 PM ADT

A trailer has to pass a motor vehicle inspection each year, same as your car. However I think all they check is lights, tires, wheel bearings and brakes (if applicable). Structural integrity (excessive rust, etc) would probably come into it as well. I'm not a mechanic, but I did learn to drive 40+ yrs ago towing a trailer, so I have some experience that way.

But as the previous poster implied, if it isn't constructed properly in the first place, i.e. axles not lined up, that may not be picked up during an inspection.

While that could very well have played a part in this case, looking at the length of the trailer and the size & length of the logs, I suspect there was too much weight aft of the axles which will cause the tail wagging the dog every time.

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Robert C., St. Stephen on 14/08/09 08:00:28 AM ADT

Oops, sorry I forgot to mention that they also inspect the coupling mechanism

Richmond, VA Driver Causes Major Accident Interstate 85 Back Open After Accident In Anderson County

Rob Landreth
Published: August 9, 2009

For the second time in two days, an accident on Interstate 85 in Anderson County caused a massive traffic jam.

The accident happened at 1:41 Sunday afternoon at mile marker 6 in the northbound lane of Interstate 85 in Andersson County. Lance Cpl. Bryan McDougald of the South Carolina Highway Patrol says that a 2004 Ford Explorer driven by 27-year old Scarlet Brickhouse, of Virginia, was carrying a trailer with motorcycles on it. McDougald says that the trailer became loose and caused Brickhouse to loose control of the Explorer. The Explorer then went off a bridge and fell about 50 feet down the embankment and into a shallow creek.

Brickhouse and her passenger, Kevin McKeithan, extricated from the vehicle and airlifted to Greenville Memorial Hospital with serious injuries. The accident caused a seven mile backup into Georgia and the interstate to be shut down for nearly three hours.

3 People Hurt In I-74 Crash In Dearborn Co....LOOSE UTILITY TRAILER

Last Update: 1:18 am

Three people are recovering from injuries after a crash on I-74 in Dearborn County Tuesday afternoon.

Indiana State Police say a trailer broke loose from a truck in the eastbound lanes near the St. Leon exit.

An SUV hit the trailer, injuring three people. All are expected to survive.

So far, police have filed no charges.

On Monday during an afternoon thunderstorm a crash involving three tractor-trailers happened nearby.

Although traffic was detoured for hours while crews cleared that crash scene, no one was hurt.