BACKGROUND: On a summer Saturday morning in the Southcentral region, a flatbed lowboy tractor-trailer rig was transporting a skidder and a feller-buncher on a four-lane highway. The lowboy driver approached a railroad bridge that extended over the four-lane highway at an angle.
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS: The 58-year-old driver’s past experience and safety record was unknown. He was driving in the right lane as he approached the railroad bridge. A small passenger vehicle was beginning to pass him on the left, and a tank truck carrying crude oil was following the passenger vehicle in the left lane.
UNSAFE ACT & CONDITION: The driver failed to heed a series of “13ft. 7 in. bridge clearance” road signs and one sign that warned drivers to use an alternate route if their load was overheight. He apparently did not recognize that his load was taller than the posted clearance of the bridge.
ACCIDENT: As the lowboy went under the railroad bridge, the logging equipment struck the trestle. The logging machine on the front of the lowboy was knocked off the side of the trailer and onto the passenger vehicle. The tank truck that was following in the left lane was unable to stop, and it struck the passenger car in the rear and then struck the tractor pulling the lowboy. The loose logging machine also apparently swung around and smashed into (or was pushed by the tank truck into) the cab of the lowboy.
INJURY: The driver of the passenger vehicle was critically injured, and his passenger was killed. The lowboy driver was also killed in the crash. The tank truck driver was not injured. The tanker full of crude oil ruptured and spilled fluid onto the road, over the other vehicles, and into storm drains. The incident caused a lengthy, daytime shutdown of the four-lane highway and temporary stoppage of railroad use. Three fire departments spent over an hour cutting the deceased victims out of the vehicles.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CORRECTION: Heavy equipment haulers should know in advance, or at least stay alert for highway information pertaining to, the height of all overpasses along their routes. Drivers should know the clearance of their loads and obey all applicable regulations and permitting, load securement, flagging, lighting, and escort requirements for hauling oversize or overheight loads.
It always pays to exercise caution when approaching an overpass. If there is any last-minute doubt over the bridge clearance, slow down upon approach and bring the load transport vehicle to a stop on the shoulder; then put out the required “stopped vehicle” warning markers.
It is not known whether the driver was impaired by drugs or alcohol or whether he was distracted by an in-cab activity (such as cell phone use or texting). In any event, all CDL drivers are prohibited by law from texting while driving, and all CDL drivers must participate in a mandatory drug screening program that includes random drug testing.
Courtesy of the Forest Resources Association: https://www.forestresources.org/