NOTE:

Was the trailer overloaded?

Is this trailer inspected at all?

How was the Trailer attached to the Ball?

What training did the driver receive?

What standards are in place for a Utility Trailer In Georgia?

This accident did not have to happen, our organization is deeply unsettled by the loss of another life.

Hall man killed in Commerce crash

Athens Banner-Herald | Story updated at 10:30 pm on 6/16/2009

A crash on the Commerce bypass killed a Hall County man and left two others with serious injuries.

A pickup truck pulling a flatbed trailer loaded with mulch overturned on U.S. Highway 441 near Georgia Highway 98 shortly before 9:30 a.m. Monday.

The wreck killed the driver, Israel Contreras-Alvarez, 57, of Flowery Branch, according to the Georgia State Patrol's Athens post.

Two passengers were taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville with serious injuries. A patrol operator identified them as Oscar Vallejo, 37, of Gainesville, and Israel Contreras-Partida, 30, of Dade City, Fla.

The truck was heading north when the trailer began to sway, and the vehicle went into a ditch and overturned.

Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Wednesday, June 17, 2009