F350/Backhoe Trailer Fatality

[Birken Vogt]

Sketchy info but 710 John Deere behind a dually on a gooseneck. The other car was a fatality. Tractor weighs about 24,000 lbs I think.

Incident:  01701   Type:    Fatality   Location:   20122-20841 Sr49  Loc Desc:  49 X Nishinam Gulch Rd    Lat/Lon:  39.279389 -121.098966   
Detail Information
8:28 PM	25	[90] 42-1 CPZ AND ENRT TO LN 89
7:16 PM	24	[79] UPDATE SIGALERT - SR 49 AND NISHINAM GULCH RD HAS ALL LANES CLOSED DUE TO A TRAFFIC INCIDENT. THERE IS NO ESTIMATED TIME OF OPENING. A DETOUR IS BEING PROVIDED
6:50 PM	23	[68] 42-6 : 1185 3A FOR TOYT 4RUNNER
6:46 PM	22	[66] ISSUE SIGALERT - SR 49 AND NISHINAM GULCH RD HAS ALL LANES CLOSED DUE TO A TRAFFIC INCIDENT. THERE IS NO ESTIMATED TIME OF OPENING
6:38 PM	21	[63] [Notification] [CHP]-CT INQ IF BOTH DOT ARE BLOCKED [Shared]
6:33 PM	20	[59] 42-S6 : SIG ALERT - LONG TERM CLOSURE - NO ETO
6:32 PM	19	[57] 42-5 BOTH LNS ARE BLK'D
6:25 PM	18	[53] [Rotation Request Comment] 1039 FISHCHERS TOW 530-273-3180 FOR HEAVY DUTY
6:22 PM	17	[24] 42-S2 BOTH LNS ARE BLK'D
6:17 PM	16	[38] [Appended, 18:23:53] [13] UNABLE TO XFER TO FIRE // XFERED CALL TO SAC COMM
6:16 PM	15	[37] [Appended, 18:23:53] [12] TRIED TO XFER TO GV FIRE
6:16 PM	14	[17] [Appended, 18:16:37] [3] SMOKE COMING FROM ONE VEH
6:16 PM	13	[14] SMOKE COMING FROM ONE OF THE VEH
6:16 PM	12	[16] [Appended, 18:16:37] [2] PART 1125
6:15 PM	11	[15] [Appended, 18:16:37] [1] WHI FORD F350 WITH 46' TL VS WHI GMC TK
6:15 PM	10	[12] RDWY 1125
6:15 PM	9	[33] [Appended, 18:23:53] [8] PER RP THERE IS A BACK HOE ON 2ND VEH
6:14 PM	8	[9] FORD F 350 VS BLU SMALL PK TK
6:14 PM	7	[8] 1039 CDF
6:14 PM	6	[4] RP CANNOT PROVIDE VEH DESCRIPTION SW
6:12 PM	5	[31] [Appended, 18:23:53] [6] XFER GV FIRE
6:12 PM	4	[30] [Appended, 18:23:53] [5] 2 VEH
6:12 PM	3	[29] [Appended, 18:23:53] [4] DRVR OO VEH OK
6:11 PM	2	[27] [Appended, 18:23:53] [2] BOTH LNS 1125
6:11 PM	1	[26] [Appended, 18:23:53] [1] TC
Unit Information
6:13 PM	8	Unit Assigned
6:20 PM	7	Unit At Scene
6:14 PM	6	Unit Assigned
6:27 PM	5	Unit At Scene
6:14 PM	4	Unit Assigned
6:39 PM	3	Unit At Scene
8:28 PM	2	Unit Assigned
8:28 PM	1	Unit Enroute

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[mitch504]

Damb! I know this position starts arguments, but, a 310 behind an F350 is dangerous enough!

 

[Oxbow]

Yeah Mitch, we don't know if the load had anything to do with the accident at this point, but I agree with you.

 

[Birken Vogt]

Story this morning:

http://www.theunion.com/news/20714933-113/fatal-wreck-closes-highway-49-at-nishinam-gulch

...hauling an “enormous” backhoe on a very long 46-foot trailer, Tassone said.

As he began heading downhill, the truck sustained some sort of brake failure and began to pick up speed, Tassone said. As the Ford truck entered a curve, the trailer overturned into the oncoming lane...

 

[Desertwheeler]

Wow a 710 and 46ft trailer. That's got to be 10k worth of trailer plus the 24k of backhoe.

 

[mikebramel]

""""""sHE'S a DIESEL! SHE'LL PULL IT NO PROBLEM""""""

 

[lantraxco]

When you lose the trailer brakes, all the horsepower in the world is useless.... I'm guessing that's what happened, as if you lost the brakes on the power unit you should still be able to bring it to a dead stop with the trailer controller.

There's a point we all hope we never get to when driving... but when you do, you either freeze up, or look for the place in the weeds to put the juggernaut so you're the only victim of whatever or whoever failed. Sometimes there isn't any, but usually if you're able to think, you can find one. Sad all around though, one man is dead and the other has to live with that.

 

[Birken Vogt]

By: Greg Tassone, Public Information Officer, CHP-Grass Valley Area

February 19, 2016 - At approximately 6:10 PM yesterday evening, Newcastle resident Terry Cordell was driving a Ford F-350 pickup truck northbound on SR-49 just north of Nishinam Gulch Rd (north of Nevada City), driving downhill toward the crossing of the South Yuba River. He was hauling a large, double-axle gooseneck trailer carrying a large construction tractor/backhoe. He was not licensed to drive a combination of vehicles of this weight and size. He had one passenger with him.

Nevada City resident Andrew Zwolinski was driving the opposite direction (southbound) in a Toyota 4Runner. Auburn resident Wesley Guthrie was also driving southbound in a GMC pickup, directly behind Zwolinski.

Cordell was driving at an unsafe speed for the load he was hauling and the downward grade of the roadway. Due to the large size of his vehicles and their load, combined with the excessive speed, Cordell lost control. His trailer went into the oncoming lane and began overturning directly into the path of the oncoming vehicles. Zwolinski saw the trailer overturning into his lane and accelerated in attempt to avoid the collision; his vehicle was hit in the rear but he otherwise made it past the trailer. The trailer and backhoe then overturned fully onto the GMC pickup driving behind Zwolinski. Guthrie sustained fatal injuries.

Fire department and emergency medical personnel responded to the incident with CHP officers. Guthrie was pronounced deceased at the scene. Cordell’s pickup truck remained largely upright; he and his passenger were not injured. Zwolinski was not injured.

CHP is handling the ongoing investigation. Cordell was released from the scene but his vehicles and equipment were impounded for evidence and further examination. More information on possible charges in this case will be released as they become available.

SR-49 was closed in both directions for approximately 5 hours during the investigation at the scene and the extensive operation to clear the roadway. Other agencies responding to this incident were the Nevada County Sheriff’s Department and Caltrans.

 

[jaluhn]

When you lose the trailer brakes, all the horsepower in the world is useless....

Yep, said this over and over to folks preaching the 'my diesel pickup can tow it just fine" line. The thing people don't seem to ever thing about is that electric brakes aren't fail safe - there's any number of problems that could cause them to suddenly not work and once that happens you have 0 trailer brakes. Worse, the driver may or may not even know there's a problem until they need them - the newer controllers will display if they are not connected but that only helps if the driver happens to look at the controller and catch it.

Totally unnecessary wreck caused by simple stupidity. RIP

 

[Wes J]

As they say, it's not the go, it's the woh!

That gooseneck probably had 10,000 lb axles. Not nearly enough brakes to stop a 30-35,000 lb combination plus whatever the pickup weighs.

 

[lantraxco]

And he was probably as the article says, going too fast for the load and conditions.... No way to know of course, but if he was braking the truck hard in the corner that would have made the trailer want to turn over... might have made it around if he turned in hard and gave it the boot. Or not.

Sometimes even legal and experienced you can get into trouble... been there, thank the good Lord traffic was clear ahead of me. Burned out the trailer brakes and the brakes on the drive axle of a Kenworth cabover, no harm done except to my pride and my pocketbook.

 

[old-iron-habit]

Been on Hiway 49 many times in that area. It is not a friendly road by any stretch of the imagination for a truck and trailer even when all is working good.

 

[Pops52]

This happened in my "back yard". I run this road every now & then to pick up rock. Dangerous road for a fool or inexperienced driver. Steep hill both ways headin down to the bridge over the Yuba River. Sad.

 

[CM1995]

Damb! I know this position starts arguments, but, a 310 behind an F350 is dangerous enough!

No doubt Mitch, only fools load a backhoe on a trailer behind a 350 and hit the road - I can't imagine a 710. Just damn.

An innocent man lost his life over this careless, stupid incident that should've never happened. The driver should be brought up on manslaughter charges.

 

[Buckethead]

""""""sHE'S a DIESEL! SHE'LL PULL IT NO PROBLEM""""""

File that one under "Famous Last Words".

 

[Shimmy1]

Fools like this are what cause the DOT to make everybody suffer the consequences. I don't know the road at all, but according to some comments it sounds like a pretty good hill. 40,000 plus would be crazy hard to stop on flat ground with a pickup and gooseneck. I'm not going to be the guy that says "I hope they lock him up and throw away the key" because we ALL have done things that could have went south real quick. Terrible deal for the family of the poor guy that was in the wrong place at wrong time, and hopefully this story makes somebody somewhere think twice about taking such a risk.

 

[old-iron-habit]

Fools like this are what cause the DOT to make everybody suffer the consequences. I don't know the road at all, but according to some comments it sounds like a pretty good hill. 40,000 plus would be crazy hard to stop on flat ground with a pickup and gooseneck. I'm not going to be the guy that says "I hope they lock him up and throw away the key" because we ALL have done things that could have went south real quick. Terrible deal for the family of the poor guy that was in the wrong place at wrong time, and hopefully this story makes somebody somewhere think twice about taking such a risk.

Well said Shimmy.

 

[Birken Vogt]

It is almost literally in my back yard, I bet if I had the window open I could have heard the crash. I drive this about 3 times a week, the canyon is like a cliff on the left side and a wall of rock on the right with barely a fog line and a metal guard rail.

I'd say it is about a 5% grade and if I am loaded with something heavy I go 20-25 mph, light I go maybe 35, lots and lots of corners, very little wiggle room and it is downhill all the way, no field to run off into if brakes fail or anything to slow your descent other than much rock.

This happened in my "back yard". I run this road every now & then to pick up rock. Dangerous road for a fool or inexperienced driver. Steep hill both ways headin down to the bridge over the Yuba River. Sad.

 

[maddog]

driving downhill toward the crossing of the South Yuba River. He was hauling a large, double-axle gooseneck trailer carrying a large construction tractor/backhoe. He was not licensed to drive a combination of vehicles of this weight and size. He had one passenger with him.

.

Cordell was driving at an unsafe speed for the load he was hauling and the downward grade of the roadway.

I believe this tells the story, damn shame someone had to pay the ultimate price. One thing I've noticed over the years is how fast some folks do take hills especially while pulling, WHY?

 

[lantraxco]

Either inexperienced or a false sense of security brought on by good brakes... but good brakes for a stop or two are not good brakes at the bottom of a long grade, nor perhaps in an emergency going downhill into a corner. I've been there in my younger days, not fun.