Trailer Came Loose

[Bird]

The Dallas Morning News has a short story this morning about a trailer, carrying a car, coming loose from a truck on I-30 east of Dallas. It crossed the median and hit an SUV, killing two young ladies (college students) and injuring a third. I would think the driver of the truck that was pulling the trailer would find that hard to live with.

 

[JDGREEN4ME]

That is sad and as someone who pulls a trailer very scary!

 

[roxynoodle]

That's a horrible thing to have happen. Do they know why it came loose?

 

[Bird]

That's a horrible thing to have happen. Do they know why it came loose?

Nope, that's a problem with a lot of news stories. They don't really tell you much. Nothing about what kind of truck or trailer, except that the trailer was carrying a car, and nothing about the kind of hitch, whether it had safety chains, etc.

 

[Gator6x4]

Bird:

It is sad that some are so inconsiderate of the safety of others. As I travel on the interstate I see more and more individuals pulling trailers that are an accident waiting to happen. I try and put as much distance as possible between their vehicle and mine. At a rest area I overheard a Highway Weights Officer receiving verbal abuse from an individual being cited for an unsafe trailer-tow-hook up. At a gas stop one time an individual pulled in driving a Ford F-150 towing a trailer so large and overloaded the rear bumper on the truck struck the pavement/ground at the slighest bump. Driving an automobile above the speed limit is one thing, being passed when doing this by an individual pulling a suicide truck trailer combo is another.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I was 9 years old. Very impressionable age. Dad was taking me somewhere. Doesn't really matter where. We were sitting at a traffic light waiting for a green light so we could continue on. We were talking. Seems to me the conversation was about baseball. That's all I was interested in then. I remember seeing a station wagon pulling a camper trailer. The trailer came unhitched as it went across in front of us. The trailer swerved over and straight into an oncoming car. It was a violent hit. The camper exploded into pieces. The car spun around and hit another vehicle. Dad walked over to see if he could help anyone. I remember the expression on his face when he came back like it was yesterday. He was white as a ghost. A young couple and their child were killed on impact. 3 lives snuffed out because someone didn't latch a trailer hitch. Dad had a couple trailers he used in his business. From that day forward, he would always remind me of the wreck we watched that day, anytime we hooked up a trailer. All these years later, I STILL see the look on my dads face every time I hook up a trailer.

You just can't be too carefull.

 

[RobertN]

It is sad that some are so inconsiderate of the safety of others. As I travel on the interstate I see more and more individuals pulling trailers that are an accident waiting to happen.

I have found that I am much more aware of this these days. One, I have towed more the last few years. Two, after al the discussions here, I am very aware of the requirements for towing too; ie chains, crossing safety chains, gcvr, gcwr ect.

I see some, and either get ahead of them, or get WAAAYY behind them...

 

[CDsdad]

It is sad that some are so inconsiderate of the safety of others. As I travel on the interstate I see more and more individuals pulling trailers that are an accident waiting to happen.

Do you think it is just inconsideration, or do some people just not get it? I've got a brother-in-law that hauls around junky old trailers behind junky old trucks. No chains, no lights, hitch about 1/2 works. I can't decide if it's laziness, stupidity or what. I'm leaning toward stupidity. If you say something about the condition of his equipment you get kind of a blank stare. Seems to be normal behavior for some other people I've seen towing unsafe and junky trailers, too.

 

[MikePA]

It is sad that some are so inconsiderate of the safety of others.

Without having more detail about how the accident happened, we can't conclude the person towing the trailer was being inconsiderate.

 

[3RRL]

Do you think it is just inconsideration, or do some people just not get it? I've got a brother-in-law that hauls around junky old trailers behind junky old trucks. No chains, no lights, hitch about 1/2 works. I can't decide if it's laziness, stupidity or what. I'm leaning toward stupidity. If you say something about the condition of his equipment you get kind of a blank stare. Seems to be normal behavior for some other people I've seen towing unsafe and junky trailers, too.

I don't want to speculate and I don't know your BIL, but it's probalby a combination of all those factors. There are many other issues regarding "abiding by rules, regulations and consideration" where attidtudes like that are prevalent. Some people are just that way, they just don't care enough and see it as a "big deal"...
A little off subject, but that attitude is all over starting from a guy who takes 2 parking spots or cuts in line to drunk driving and of course for reasons whatever all the prisons are full of.