Accidents In 2004
NOTE:This year
426 lives were lost, 27,232 were injured and 46,737 vehicles, trailers
and other items were either destroyed or damaged.
This
data vastly underestimate the true magnitude of this public safety
issue.
Not all accidents are reported and the Uniform Traffic Accident Report does not have a section for Utility Trailers.Note: I have researched and have found over 5,900 accidents involving
Utility Trailers as reported by newspapers In this Year. I will feature 100 as
finances allow to purchase the articles and will provide summary's for as many as possible.
3. Times-Picayune, The (New Orleans, LA) - October 23, 2004
Woman injured in accident on La. 21, Police say she swerved to avoid a loose trailer
A Bogalusa woman, apparently trying to avoid a trailer that had broken loose from a truck, was seriously injured Friday when her car plowed into a ditch north of Covington.Becky Walley, 36, was trapped in the car and had to be extricated by emergency medical technicians with Fire District 12. She was taken from the scene by an Acadian Ambulance helicopter, transferred to an ambulance in Covington and taken to Charity Hospital in New Orleans.State Police said the accident occurred...
4. Pensacola News Journal (FL) - March 30, 2004
Towed trailer breaks free, dangles over I-110 barrier
No one was injured Monday when a towed auto trailer carrying a pickup broke loose from its hitch and careened into the concrete barrier on the elevated Interstate 110 onramp Monday.The impact sent chunks of concrete falling to the ground below and left part of the trailer perched precariously off the overpass, but there was no danger of the trailer or its load falling off the interstate, Florida Highway Patrol trooper Robert Williams said.Kenneth Tague, 35, of Bush Street in Pensacola...
5. Pensacola News Journal (FL) - March 30, 2004
Towed trailer breaks free, dangles over I-110 barrier
No one was injured Monday when a towed auto trailer carrying a pickup broke loose from its hitch and careened into the concrete barrier on the elevated Interstate 110 onramp Monday.The impact sent chunks of concrete falling to the ground below and left part of the trailer perched precariously off the overpass, but there was no danger of the trailer or its load falling off the interstate, Florida Highway Patrol trooper Robert Williams said.Kenneth Tague, 35, of Bush Street in Pensacola...
6. Daily News of Los Angeles (CA) - December 16, 2004
FREAK ACCIDENT TURNS FATAL, TRAILER COMES LOOSE FROM SUV, LEADING TO DEADLY CRASH
CANYON COUNTRY - A Lancaster man driving a pickup truck was killed Wednesday on Sierra Highway when a trailer came loose from the SUV in front of him and caused a third vehicle to lose control and collide with the pickup, authorities said.The victim, who investigators said was in his mid-60s, was driving north in the 15100 block of Sierra Highway about 12:20 p.m. when a southbound Ford Expedition swerved to avoid the runaway trailer and crashed into the driver's side door of...
7. Daily Hampshire Gazette (Northampton, MA) - January 24, 2004
Trailer, car accident shuts down interstate
NORTHAMPTON - Southbound lanes of Interstate 91 were closed for 30 minutes Friday after a car hit a loose trailer and caught fire. Police said James Waitkus of Montague was driving a Ford Explorer around 6:40 p.m. between Exits 18 and 19 when a trailer he was towing broke loose.Before police could remove the trailer, it was struck by a Nissan Maxima driven by Craig Hilliker, 52, of Turners Falls. The car went into the median, where leaking hydraulic fluid caught fire, said Sgt. Chet...
8. North Carolina Lawyers Weekly (NC) - November 8, 2004
Verdicts & Settlements November 8, 2004: N.C. wreck victims receive $3.5M settlement
Plaintiffs were injured while driving along N.C. 54 when a trailer being pulled by a truck driving in the opposite direction broke loose, striking them head-on. Plaintiffs' experts stated that the trailer broke loose from the truck because of a broken spring that jostled the trailer loose, and an inadequate safety chain. The defendant driver testified that he had repeatedly warned management that the truck was dangerous because of its suspension.The defendant company stated..
9. Sun, The (Lowell, MA) - June 8, 2004
State police suspend Lowell tow firm after fatal crash
LOWELL A Lowell towing company got a civil citation and was suspended from state police towing lists yesterday in connection with a freak accident Sunday in which a trailer came loose from one of the company's trucks and killed another driver.Stuart's Automotive, 117 Congress St., was given a $35-fine for "improperly securing" an 8-foot utility trailer that came loose on the Lowell Connector Sunday afternoon and slammed into the windshield of...
10. Robesonian, The (Lumberton, NC) - October 29, 2004
Police vehicle totaled in three-car accident
Matt Elofson-Staff writer LUMBERTON - A Lumberton police sergeant suffered minor injuries in a three-car accident Wednesday morning that involved an off-duty police officer and an out-of-control trailer that came loose from a pickup truck.Police Sgt. Joseph Neill Howell Jr. suffered minor injuries after a metal trailer struck his patrol car at a stoplight at the intersection of Roberts Avenue and Dawn Drive.Howell, 34, was taken to Southeastern Regional Medical Center and was treated...
11. Daily Ardmoreite, The (Ardmore, OK) - November 9, 2004
Cattle spill onto I-35 after trailer breaks loose
DAVIS -- About 25 cows were killed when a trailer broke loose from a cattle hauler, spilling them across Interstate 35 in Murray County Monday morning.At least 40 cattle were dumped onto the highway after the accident, Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lt. Chris Roan said. The rig was loaded with approximately 94 head of cattle. Some surviving animals wandered dazed across the road, causing a traffic backup for several miles, Roan said.''There were a bunch running around...
12. Delaware State News (Dover, DE) - July 12, 2004
Runaway boat blocks highway Fuel spill shuts down Del. 1
Delaware State News BLACKBIRD - Several thousand tourists visiting Downstate this weekend got an unexpected tour of U.S. 13 Sunday evening after a boat came loose from its trailer, spilling fuel and blocking the northbound lanes of Del. 1 for more than two hours. The accident backed up traffic for miles. Transportation officials diverted vehicles to U.S. 13 while Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control employees worked to contain the...
13. Sun, The (Lowell, MA) - June 11, 2004
Trailer safety has come far, but experts stress proper procedures
LOWELL Crashes involving vehicles towing cargo-laden trailers are uncommon. But fatalities such as Sunday's freak crash on the Lowell Connector are extremely rare.Trailer safety has come a long way, through design improvements to brakes and weight-distribution systems.Even so, experts say much can go wrong if drivers aren't aware of trailer laws.Jeanine Rodgers, 24, of Hamilton, was killed when an abandoned 8-foot trailer came loose from a tow truck,...
14. Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer (KY) - October 18, 2004
Man injured when truck struck by trailer Fire destroys diner OHS, Catholic bands place in semifinals
*** Man injured when truck struck by trailer *** An Owensboro man driving Saturday on the Natcher Parkway was injured when his truck was struck by a trailer that had come loose from another truck, police said.James T. Duffy, 58, was driving north about 5:15 p.m. and was near the 57-mile marker when the collision occurred. According to the Kentucky State Police, a trailer being towed by a Chevrolet Tahoe driven by William T. Carter, 33, of Bowling Green came loose, struck the median and...
15. Long Beach Press-Telegram (CA) - March 7, 2004
TRAILER DRIVER KILLED IN 710 CRASH ID'D
A Norwalk man was identified as the tractor-trailer driver who was killed in an accident on the Long Beach (710) Freeway near the Artesia (91) Freeway, a coroner's official said Saturday.Armando Felix, 34, was pronounced dead after the accident, which happened Friday on the northbound 710, according to coroner's Lt. Erik Arbuthnot.A California Highway Patrol statement said Felix was driving his tractor at 2:10 p.m., when a trailer came loose from another...
16. Kentucky Post, The (Covington, KY) - June 19, 2004
BOAT ON I-275 FALLS OFF TRAILER, BLOCKS TRAFFIC
A large boat being towed by an SUV broke loose from its trailer on eastbound Interstate 275 Friday night and landed on the interstate, clogging traffic for nearly two hours.Taylor Mill police said nobody was injured in the 8:14 p.m. accident that happened just west of the Licking River.Police said something appeared to happen to a wheel of the SUV, causing it to lose control and jar loose the 24-foot Bayliner it was hauling.The name of the SUV's driver was not...
17. Grand Rapids Press, The (MI) - April 22, 2004
Teens injured when runaway trailer hits golf cart
JAMESTOWN TWP. -- Two teenage girls were hospitalized after an accident involving a golf cart and a runaway trailer filled with wood chips.Sarah Kamps, 14, and Sue Canfield, 13, both of Jamestown Township, suffered injuries that were not life-threatening when they were thrown from the cart after it was struck by the trailer, Ottawa County sheriff's deputies said.Kamps, who was driving the golf cart, suffered bumps and bruises, while Canfield was treated for leg and...
18. Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, WI) - July 3, 2004
BOAT HITS TRUCK ON INTERSTATE
The Fourth of July weekend got off to a bizarre start Friday when a boat and trailer broke loose from a vehicle, crossed Interstate 90-39 and hit a semitruck near Beloit.William J. Atkins, 35, of LaGrange, Ill. was heading to the Eagle River area when the accident occurred around 6:45 a.m. Friday near the Wisconsin/Illinois border, the Wisconsin State Patrol reported.Atkins' 25-foot-long boat and trailer collided with the eastbound semi at about 6:45 a.m., according to the..
19. The Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.) - January 6, 2004
Police and Fire Briefs
Truck trailer slips loose, kills woman A woman died Monday in a traffic accident on Plank Road after a heavy flatbed trailer broke off from the truck pulling it, crossed the center line and collided with her vehicle head-on, a Baton Rouge police news release says. Paula Jordan, 43, 5998 Cyrus St., was southbound in the 6500 block of Plank Road at noon when the northbound truck lost its trailer. The driver of the truck, Joel Waguespack, 54, 12166 Oak Line Acres, St....
20. Mountain Democrat (Placerville, CA) - July 2, 2004
SHINGLE SPRINGS — An innertube that flew off a family’s boat trailer this weekend put a motorcyclist in the hospital, according to California Highway Patrol spokesman Craig Beckley. Anthony Dominic Garrido, 33, ended up at Marshall Hospital after his motorcycle collided with an innertube while he was westbound on Highway 50 Saturday. The innertube came loose from Max Wimmer’s Toyota Sequoia, which was traveling in the fast lane west of
21. Chico Enterprise-Record (Chico, CA) - August 15, 2004
Trailer busts loose from hauling truck on the Skyway
A trailer with a backhoe chained to it broke free of a large hauling truck heading westbound on the Skyway and ended up on the sidewalk just east of Bruce Road on Saturday around 9:15 a.m.The driver, who identified himself to the E-R only as Tim, said he was delivering the backhoe to Forest Ranch on behalf of Bigelow and Associates. He could only shake his head and watch Chico Fire Department's efforts to clean up debris spewed onto the road by the incident."I...
22. Charleston Gazette (WV) - August 5, 2004
Trailer of gravel strikes coal truck
A coal truck driver was hurt Wednesday morning when a trailer pulled by a passing van came loose and crossed into his path in Kanawha County.The tractor-trailer, owned by Big E Transfer Inc., was headed south on W.Va. 61 near the Marmet docks.A van owned by Pneutronics Inc., a heating and air-conditioning company, was pulling a trailer filled with gravel north on the road about 10:10 a.m. when the trailer's tongue appeared to give out, Marmet Police Chief F.D. Maynor...
23. Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN) - July 9, 2004
Pass the salt, watch out for the trailer!
By Erin Smith esmith@journalandcourier.com An empty flatbed trailer crashed into the side of a house's garage on Lafayette's eastside Thursday afternoon.Gregory Strong, 39, of Battle Ground, was westbound in a 1998 Chevrolet Silverado on East County Road 300 North crossing railroad tracks when he noticed the trailer he had been pulling pass him on the left."I was going across the tracks and felt the back of the truck lift up. Then I saw the...
24. Hillsdale Daily News, The (MI) - January 7, 2004
Man sentenced in hit-and-run accident
A Camden man will spend a year of Hillsdale County Jail time for an Aug. 9 hit-and-run trailer accident that killed a Reading woman and permanently injured a Bronson woman. On Monday, Hillsdale County Circuit Judge Michael R. Smith sentenced James L. Gibson, 30, for failure to stop at an accident scene, and negligent homicide, Hillsdale County Prosecutor Neal A. Brady said.Smith also put Gibson on five years of probation, and ordered him to pay $9,000 in restitution for medical and...
The women had been walking on McCallum Road near the village of Montgomery when Gibson's trailer broke loose from his pickup truck and struck them as he crossed the railroad tracks there, Brady said.
25. St. Petersburg Times (FL) - June 8, 2004
LOOSE TRAILER HITS HOUSE
St. Petersburg firefighters work Monday to remove a damaged support beam on a porch at 1810 22nd Ave. N after the house was hit by the trailer at left. A pin holding the trailer in place broke, police said. The runaway trailer knocked out the front wall of the house after separating from a Ford pickup driven by David Felix, 40, of St. Petersburg. Felix said he and his friend Clinton Bailey, the truck's owner, were on their way home from work. The residents of the house were away and...
26. Adding more.....By Sunday
