Semi Truck Loses Steel Coil 3 killed

[bill5362]

This is a horrific accident that happen around here a couples of days ago. A semi truck carrying a steel coil weighing about 44,000 lost its load while going into a corner, 2 cars ran into and killed 3 people . It is amazing how accidents likes happen due to people cutting corners when in comes to securing their loads. This coil should have had 4 chains to bind it, but only had two. They show pics in the news paper and the chain didn't break, it tore a piece of the aluminum side rail, it was still attached to the chain.

Here is a link to the story and video.

http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/indiana/Police-semi-involved-in-fatal-crash

 

[td25c]

It was a terrible accident that probably could have been prevented whith more tie downs & closer inspection by the driver.I travel that road often ,know the curve well.I havent heard any details about how the coil was loaded.Most coils are loaded what truckers call "suicide" , with the coil sitting on the trailer deck like a big wheel that would roll over the truck cab in a panic stop.This one may have been loaded sideways so it rolled off the side of the trailer but I dont know.

 

[CM1995]

There have been a few instances of this sort of thing in Birmingham over the last few years. The coils came off the trailer and punched holes in the elevated portion of I-20/59 through downtown. The State enacted a tougher law back in March '09 for this sort of incident.

Malfunction Junction where I-65 and I-20/59 intersect was also the site of a tanker explosion in 2002 which took a bridge out. The steel coil accidents happened in this vicinity. US Steel is located about 2 miles down I20/59 from the "Junction".

 

[Dozerboy]

That would be a hard object to secure properly.

 

[busdrivernine]

This is a horrific accident that happen around here a couples of days ago. A semi truck carrying a steel coil weighing about 44,000 lost its load while going into a corner, 2 cars ran into and killed 3 people . It is amazing how accidents likes happen due to people cutting corners when in comes to securing their loads. This coil should have had 4 chains to bind it, but only had two. They show pics in the news paper and the chain didn't break, it tore a piece of the aluminum side rail, it was still attached to the chain.

Here is a link to the story and video.

http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/indiana/Police-semi-involved-in-fatal-crash

Yes he probably should have had 4 chains on it 2 going to the front and 2 going backwards, But you said the chain did not break that it tore a piece of the side rail am I correct on that? If so then it sounds like the driver went into the curve too fast anybody else think the same or am I out in left field :beatsme But still sad that 3 people lost their lives A human live it is the one thing that there is no replacement for

 

[2109 Stang]

That sound like a super heavy and extra large coil ,I know the news crew tend to exaggerate things , I have never seeing a coil that big my self , but if this coil was that big it should have being moved on a low boy ,when I did over the road back in 1991 to 1993 I had quite a bit of steel coil loads but they were small, any where from 5,000 lbs to 7,500 lbs and the law required that you should used a least three chains per coil ,well I always wanted to be extra careful and thru a couple of straps on each coil and there was a weigh station hi way 91 of the Peoples Republic of California that always make me remove the straps, even after I showed em that the chains were properly used and the straps were protected by heavy cardboard ,all I was looking for was a little extra protection for me and the rest of drivers around me ,but the geniuses told me that it was against the law to tie down steel with straps ,so they win .

Another thing the only way that I see the chain tearing a peace of the trailer is if there is any slack on the chain ,and if I'm not mistaken this "giant " coil should be loaded flat on the trailer a heavy duty or low boy trailer not just any regular flat bed and it will require more than 4 chains for that kind of weight ,I'm not going to look into the federal hi way safety regs book , but I always kept an up dated copy of that book for many reasons and a load like this would be one of those reasons ,too many people driving dangerous loads just because they can hold a steering wheel and posses a "joke" CDL, but being a trucker requires a lot of responsibility .

 

[heavylift]

I saw a pic of a giant coil.. the driver had blocks of cribbing and probably 8 chains on the coil...

I read that there are cradles and special trailers for coils... but a load is a load to some people. whether they know how to haul it or not.... One would think the port or whatever would regulate how it's loaded...

 

[littlejohn]

This is so sad.we have hauled coils before.first no less than 4 chains and never hook chains to the aluminum side rails you always go to the steel frame.here in nc you will be shut down if you get caught hauling anything chained to the side rail(if you get caught) i know people do but this is a bad idea

 

[bill5362]

We see a lot of coils going up and down the road here with the steel mills in Gary Indiana. I see them what guys around here call suicide where the coil is standing up where it can roll front to back on the trailer, even with a headache rack it would do no good. I have seen quite of a few flat beds haul a single coil standing up in the middle of the trailer. I really haven't paid much attention to how many chains but I will be looking now. I talk to a guy that saw the Truck and Trailer and said it was a covered wagon style trailer, and the canopy collapsed to the front of the trailer during loading, he said there was a hole in the side where the coil came out.

 

[AtlasRob]

I dont live near any steel mills but do remember in my younger days a lot of coils being moved, they were on coil trailers, a normal flat semi trailer but sections of the bed were removable exposing a trough or V that the coil sat in.
These coils were only ever single loaded which tells me they were in excess of 10t or 20,000lbs ( could not get 2 on a load when max tare was 20t )

Part of the report states the driver having to take severe evasive action.

COPY PASTED

He told us that in Mitchell, Indiana, which is just the county north of us, Lawrence County, a car had pulled out in front of him and he had slammed on the brakes and that he felt something wasn’t right with the load from that point on, which is only about four miles from the point of this accident," said Fullington.

 

[amscontr]

2 chains on a 40,000 # coil is stupid in the first place. Whether he had it loaded suicide or shotgun he should of at least had 4 chains on it. using the rub rails or stake pockets on an aluminium trailer is also stupid. Most have tie downs to chain to.
I have hauled coils for many years and the biggest I ever hauled was 63,000 # and I used 8 chains(4-3/8" and 4-5/16") to tie it down. Another thing is the type of coil racks and timbers you use. Alot of people still use them flimsy little coil racks and 4x4's, if anything they should be using big heavy coil racks and 6x6's on coils over 30,000 #.
Around the Gary/Chicago area you have a bunch of low rate low class steel haulers who throw 1 or 2 chains around their coils and haulazz to deliver them. Before they changed the interchange at I-80/94 and Cline Ave. almost daily you would see some junk truck and trailer flipped over or a coil(s) laying on the road. An extra 5-10 mins and a couple more chains probably could of prevented this. You have to expext the unexpected like some idiot pulling out in front of you or whatever. Like most steel haulers today they are someone who came to this country got a federal grant to start a business with our tax dollars and undercut or haul for nothing while some fatcat broker sits back and collects the cheese for doing nothing.
This guy probably has already left the country and will not get any punishment for his lack of regard for safety.
What it boils down to is pay these brokers who set the rates with shippers auction freight off to the lowest bidders and the shipper realy have no control who hauls their freight as long as it is done cheap. A regular american trucker cannot compete with these people who use illegal aliens or foreign truck owners who get government subsidies(welfare) to start up small businesses.
Like the old saying says "You get what you pay for" and in this case some people paid with their lives.

 

[barklee]

That is sad sad sad. I have to totally agree with the last post. I cant begin to understand how guys are hauling so cheap! We put our truck and rgn trailer on the road last year and it has been a real lesson. Alot of these brokers are a joke! They get a federal grant to bid govt or corperate loads and have no idea about the nuts and bolts of the business. Then they beat you into the ground on prices and drive the market into the toilet. Our cost per mile is a $1.35 and you will see coil loads or common steel loads going for not alot more than that. Why even get out of bed! Specialized RGN loads that used to go for $3.00 are now $2.00 per mile and you still have to buy permits on top of all that. Its no wonder guys are cutting corners to make up for bad info from the brokers or a bad freight rate. You call about a load and see there is no money to be made and 10 minutes later some idiot took the load knowing he will make pennies on it.