Cut the trailer in half...

Guys, look at that slideshow again. In the last pic I see two plastic wrapped coils sitting next to the road. Also see only one tarp so Im thinking those two big coils were center loaded. If they were only a few feet apart then they may have come together when that trailer flexed and ripped it apart, then took off rolling. Looks like the coils passed up the truck quite a ways.
~Rest easy brother~

 

I realize this story here has little to do with the terrible situation in this post, but since we're now talking about the value of headache racks and some see them as "useless" in such crash scenarios. (I agree to an extent) but ...

I was driving south on US 69 in Calera Oklahoma a week a few weeks a go. A flatbeder with a 48 was loaded all the way to the front and rear of the trailer with large and tall bulk bags of something. They were probably 4x4x at least 6 high maybe closer to 7.

The load was not x-strapped. I guess the driver had to brake a little hard for one of the red lights back in town and the 2 bags on the front fell/leaned over. along with the second row of bags leaned badly too, and had rested up against the headache rack. That headache rack saved a lot of costly damage to the back of the cab [that is basically an aluminum cardboard box]. No it would not have been "fatal" regardless, but the point is they are worth having in all sorts of other braking scenarios where the driver refuses to properly secure the load from even mild braking incidents.

It was a Friday about an hour before sunset. It must have cost him [somebody] an immense amount of money and time to get that corrected. Not sure they could have gotten them back upright without rupturing the bags and spilling a few tons of product onto the shoulder. The truck could have proceeded forward but could not make any turns. Would have loved to have gotten a picture. it would make for a great "why you x-strap/chain all loads that can be easily x-strapped"

 

We can argue about wether a headache rack would have saved some damage here or not. I contend with this load, at this speed, a good headache rack probably would have been enough to keep it off of the tractor BOC wall.

 

This is about 30 minutes from me, but first I've heard about it. There were 2 wrecks on that highway in the same county within about 2 hours. Here's another article. It says aluminum coils may have shifted causing the driver to lose control.
http://wrgarome.com/common/page.php?feed=1&id=56471&is_corp=1

 

I don't buy the notion the securement or trailer failed then the truck lost control, but I'll take that idea under advisement.

I suppose he could have braked hard for an animal or something (house nearby .. dog?), then something broke loose thereby causing the vehicle to "lose control". Sure would be great to somehow know exactly how/why this occurred and not have to speculate on this cause or that cause.

But certainly, when the rig hit the abrupt driveway rise [after following along in the ditch] something was going to give if there was a lot of mass/weight still secured to the trailer at that point.