Bale falls off trailer, strikes motorcycle driver causing wreck

[lhfarm]

From the Columbus, IN paper. A couple of notes. There is no helmet law in Indiana. This happened on a heavily tratveled two lane highway. Just a reminder to secure every load you put on a trailer -


Investigators have new information they hope will help them identify a driver who lost a bale of hay on State Road 46 West late Saturday afternoon, resulting in serious injuries to an Indianapolis couple on a motorcycle, police said.

The bale fell off the back of a trailer being pulled by a pickup truck near County Road 675W, striking the head of the husband who was driving a 2013 Harley Davidson, said Major Todd Noblitt, chief deputy of the Bartholomew County Sheriff痴 Department.

William Eland III, 38, and Lindsay Eland, 32, were flown by Lifeline Helicopter to an Indianapolis hospital following the 5:18 p.m. accident, Noblitt said.

The couple, who were not wearing helmets, suffered unspecified injuries after their motorcycle struck a fence and crashed, witnesses told police.

While the husband still was listed in critical condition at IU Health Methodist Hospital Wednesday afternoon, Lindsay Eland has been discharged, according to hospital spokeswoman Lori Ewoldt.

The new lead in the investigation comes from an Indianapolis resident who was driving a car from Nashville east on State Road 46 toward Columbus just moments after the accident, according to Noblitt.

He told police he saw a silver pickup pulling a red trailer stacked high with bales of hay or straw parked on the side of the highway five miles east of Nashville, Noblitt said.

The witness saw two males standing with the truck as a female was running out onto the highway to pick up a bale that had fallen out, Noblitt said.

The witness remarked to his wife at the time that the bales in the trailer must have been stacked high, Noblitt said.

Minutes after the witness had traveled well into Bartholomew County, he saw a westbound ambulance coming from Columbus toward the accident site, Noblitt said.

The man decided to call the Bartholomew County Sheriff痴 Department a few days later after seeing a news account of the accident.

While two other phone calls regarding the motorcycle crash have been received, Noblitt said the Indianapolis man痴 testimony seems most relevant to the investigation.

Although police still do not have an identity on the driver of the pickup, they are hoping the witness account might jar the memory of others.

Anyone who might have additional information is asked to contact the Sheriff痴 Department at 379-1712.

 

[Loadstar]

How sad. Makes me think back a couple years when we would haul large square bales from a manufacturer. Used a semi stacked high with no straps for the few mile trip.

 

[MoKelly]

I imagine the ones responsible know who they are --- and, how can you live with yourself knowing what you caused to happen even if it was a pure accident vs. negligence?

MoKelly

 

[aczlan]

I imagine the ones responsible know who they are --- and, how can you live with yourself knowing what you caused to happen even if it was a pure accident vs. negligence?

I agree. That's why I spend an extra 15 mins tying things down... Better 15 extra mins than having to live with that for the rest of my life and that way I can say that I did everything in my power to secure my load.

Aaron Z

 

[RobertN]

I see unrestrained bailed hay/straw/alfalfa all the time. There's five feed stores nearby. The guys will load the truck for you, but you are responsible to tie it off. Most people do not. And, you will see a bail of hay/feed here and there.

As you drive around, how many pickups do you see with a decent set of hooks on the side. Few to none. One, they look awful. Two, even if someone does add hooks, most trucks dont have the super heavy sides to bolt them in to; the sheet metal is thinner than in days past.

That has been one of my pet peeves for a while; all these "heavy duty" or "super duty" $40-60k pickups out there, none of them come with a good restraint setup. Really, for a long bed pickup 5 hooks minimum down the side; at least three for short beds. Sure, the trucks might have a couple of loops in the corners, but you cant really secure a larger load, especially if the bed is full and reaching over the sides and cab.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I see unrestrained bailed hay/straw/alfalfa all the time. There's five feed stores nearby. The guys will load the truck for you, but you are responsible to tie it off. Most people do not. And, you will see a bail of hay/feed here and there.

As you drive around, how many pickups do you see with a decent set of hooks on the side. Few to none. One, they look awful. Two, even if someone does add hooks, most trucks dont have the super heavy sides to bolt them in to; the sheet metal is thinner than in days past.

That has been one of my pet peeves for a while; all these "heavy duty" or "super duty" $40-60k pickups out there, none of them come with a good restraint setup. Really, for a long bed pickup 5 hooks minimum down the side; at least three for short beds. Sure, the trucks might have a couple of loops in the corners, but you cant really secure a larger load, especially if the bed is full and reaching over the sides and cab.

You need to look at Nissan trucks. Since 2003 they have put 2 rails down each side, one across the front, and two on the floor. It then has 8 fully movable HD tie down rings.

Just one of the many reason's I am a Titan fan.

Chris

 

[Piston]

I NEVER follow behind a truck or trailer with a loads it when I'm on my motorcycle. If I don't have any choice (single lane road for instance) I follow from a distance great enough that would allow me to come to a complete stop if anything should fall off the vehicle in front of me.
The load should of course always be secured properly, however, the blame partially falls onto the motorcycle rider as well.

There is a good reason all the motorcycle safety books mention riding as if everyone else is out to kill you!

 

[LD1]

The load should of course always be secured properly, however, the blame partially falls onto the motorcycle rider as well.

Agreed.

Not trying to shift blame, and it truly is tragic what happened. And the driver should have secured the load, But........

What happened to assured clear distance?? I see it everytime I am on the freeway. Everyone is in a huge hurry. There are 3 types of drivers

1. Those who follow at a safe distance
2. Those who like to bop and weave to gain a few car lenghts
3. Those who like to ride on the @$$ of the person in front to prevent type 2. from doing what they do.

It seems we have far too many 2 and 3 drivers and not enough 1 drivers.

Motorcycle or not, if I am following someone with a load of anything, I leave enough distance I can stop safely if something were to fall off. Given he was on a motorcycle, he should have given extra distance...

 

[Loadstar]

Maybe he was traveling in the opposite direction

 

[Baby Grand]

or passing.
Failure to Secure Load.
That was one ticket I took great pains to avoid.
I drove truckloads of sheetrock, lally columns, glue-lam beams, trim, finished lumber, plywood, wood shingles, shakes, siding, asphalt shingles, cinderblocks, bricks, etc on a flatbed Mack on some poor surface quality, high traffic, high speed roads. There's a lot involved with keeping all that stuff on the truck, but as a driver, you are 100% responsible that it stays on the truck until the customer takes delivery.
The only time I lost anything off my truck was a few wood shakes that managed to work themselves loose from the bundle, slipped off the pallet and then snuck out from under the tarp. When I got back to the lumberyard I had to talk to a very angry guy with a new Porsche 911 with a fresh scratch in his paint. I told him it was my fault, I was very sorry and I'd do what it took to make it right. He told me "okay - just be more careful".