The trailer came unhooked from the pickup

Toole Co Sheriff's Log

Wednesday, August 20, 2008 1:07 PM MDT

Friday, Aug. 15-12:32 a.m. - Officer at Port of Entry advises they have a commercial driver with suspended license. Deputy reports to the port and issues a citation for driving while license is suspended or revoked. Driver posts bond of $285.

2:51 p.m. - Caller asks if the sheriff's office knows that the window at Larson Clothing is broken. We ask if the window was broken when he got there or if he witnessed the act. He advises it was already done when he got there. Deputies report to the scene and advise there are signs that entry was made, such as glass tracked in. We call the owners to come down. There are no signs of anything having been disturbed. The window was broken by rolling a semi tire through it. There was a second tire lying in the intersection near the Lutheran Church.

2:22 p.m. - Deputy spoke with the caller, then left to report to a fist fight in progress. Deputy advises it was verbal altercation only between a male and a female with no evidence of injuries.

11:01 p.m. - Deputy wants a check on a male identified as a sexual offender, rape by force, and wants to know how many days he has to register. We advise it should be three days. The subject was drinking coffee and fell asleep. Officer told him to finish his coffee and move along. Subject advises he called a friend in Great Falls and is waiting to be picked up. Deputy advises the waitress to call us if he falls asleep again.

Saturday, Aug. 16

1:39 a.m. - Deputy talks with the operator of a golf cart with no lights. Subject is going to take it home and will not bring it out again. The reason for the stop was no lights so it is not street legal.

1:53 a.m. - Deputy advises he just saw four people with alcohol climb into the cab of a semi and is going to see what is going on. Deputy checks licenses and they have valid licenses but there are outstanding warrants from Glacier County on some of them. Glacier County advises they will come and pick up the subjects if we are not charging here.

10:52 a.m. - Caller advises her gate and part of her fence have been torn down. Deputy attempts to call subject and leaves a message to let her know he is en route to her residence and wants her to meet him at the gate. Deputy advises he took photos, the road was wet and he had to walk a mile to get to the damage so did not have radio communication until he got back out.

3 p.m. - Female caller reports non-injury accident. The trailer came unhooked from the pickup and hit a light pole. It is blocking traffic. It is an enclosed trailer and a 3/4-ton pickup. We will dispatch a deputy as soon as possible. 4:07 p.m. - The area is clear from this accident.

3:04 p.m. - Caller reports that the man a deputy dealt with last night, a registered sex offender, is still hanging around and caller does not feel he should be where children are present. Deputy responds and speaks with subject. Subject says he is going to get a phone card and call someone to get him. Deputy will stand by and see that subject does as he stated.

6:17 a.m. - Caller advises there is a dog in a car that has been there since 3:30 p.m. She thinks the owner is in a bar. Called Animal Control officer who says he will check on it. The deputy and K-9 officer advise the female was bringing water out to the animal.

7:49 p.m. - Deputy advises he has cited a male for driving a motorcycle with no motorcycle endorsement who was riding down Main Street naked.

A motorist died after her vehicle was hit head-on by a trailer

There were reasons to leave trees in median

By R. Webster Heidelberg • August 16, 2008

Many South Mississippians have noted with growing concern MDOT's clear-cutting of what were once our well-designed, safe and beautiful parkway-like highways. First, there was the clearing of 19 miles of Interstate 59 between Purvis and Picayune about five years ago. U.S. 49 is constantly under attack in many places, and now we face the same treatment of 14 miles of Interstate 59 between Ellisville and Monroe Road.This is not routine trimming, dead-wooding and maintenance (which is both needed and welcomed), but total clear-cutting of the entire right-of-way, from fence line to fence line, including the entire median and both sides of the highway - everything.

Some who may not have considered it might ask why this is a problem. Well, it is a problem - a big one - for a number of reasons. Here's why:

Safety

The trees on our highways were planted or left undisturbed in the 1960s with federal funds for a number of specific purposes, including safety, particularly, the following:

Lane separation. One of the primary purposes of foliage in the median of highways is to separate the two lanes of travel, so that if a vehicle leaves the highway, it is not able to drive across the median and strike traffic coming the opposite way. Thus, clear-cutting the trees from the median removes this safety barrier and actually makes the highway less safe, not more safe. Recently, in Jackson County a motorist died after her vehicle was hit head-on by a trailer that had come loose from a truck and crossed the Interstate 10 median, which was unobstructed by trees at that point.

In another recent accident on U.S. 49, a motorist was saved by striking a tree when her vehicle left U.S. 49 and was crossing the median, but was stopped by a tree before she could run head-on into traffic coming in the opposite direction. And there are many more examples that can be cited. This effective method of lane separation has been used all over the country for many years.

The Hattiesburg American's editorial of July 19 made the interesting observation that of those people that are actually killed by striking a tree each year, only 5 percent of those were even on a four-lane highway. The vast majority were on two-lane roads, and nearly half of those were on curved roads. Thus, the tremendous destruction now occurring on Interstate 59, allegedly for "safety", is not even on the type road where such accidents tend to occur.

Furthermore, the figure you never see is the number of people saved by trees preventing them from crossing a divided highway and running head-on (the most dangerous type collision) into the traffic traveling in the opposite direction (like the recent accident on U.S. 49, mentioned above). Since almost all such tree-related deaths don't even occur on interstate highways, it is logical to assume that more people are saved by trees on interstates than are killed by leaving the road and striking them.

Light shielding. At night the bright lights of oncoming traffic had for the last 40 years been shielded from a motorist's eyes. But when all of the median trees are removed, that shield no longer exists and harsh glare must be endured for long stretches, which is both unsafe and uncomfortable.

Noise buffering. As traffic increases, our highways are much louder that they used to be, and another beneficial effect of trees is the buffering of that noise, both between lanes and from adjacent homes and communities. Without the trees, the roadways are markedly louder still. That has certainly been the experience in South Mississippi since Katrina, and even more so since the recent clear-cutting (which is removing much more than the storm did - everything).

Screening distractions/unsightly areas. The screening effect of trees on highway rights-of-way prevent motorists from being unnecessarily distracted from their driving, a major cause of accidents, and also hides unattractive roadside eyesores such as junk yards, auto grave yards, garbage dumps, etc. (obviously an economic development and environmental benefit as well).

Maintenance/economics

Mowing. It is obvious that when trees exist on the right-of-way, that area does not have to be mowed or otherwise maintained. When the trees are cleared, that area then has to be mowed regularly. Southern District Highway Commissioner Wayne Brown's expansion from the federal clear zone guideline of 30 feet to 70 feet, obviously increases the area to be mowed by over 130 percent, and at a time when Mr. Brown is pointing out that gasoline and diesel costs are rising dramatically. Thus, clear-cutting the rights-of-way simply does not make economic sense. Furthermore, no one seems to know where Mr. Brown got the 70-foot distance he is using. It is certainly not a federal standard or a state standard or a standard of the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials. It appears to simply be Mr. Brown's personal agenda.

Erosion. Erosion also becomes a major problem once all of the trees are stripped from the land, which will have to be dealt with at great expense. Clear-cutting basically sets us back over 40 years, to the conditions of the rights-of-way just after original construction, with erosion, glare, noise and less safe conditions. And the taxpayers are actually paying to take this giant step backwards. MDOT has revealed that the current destruction on Interstate 59 is costing $1.37 million, although it is unclear exactly what part of the job that covers. It is clear that a Louisiana contractor is doing the work and gets to keep all of the timber removed.

Environmental

The urban forest previously located in our highway rights-of-way had environmental benefits which we have lost and will continue to lose if additional clearing is carried out. Storm-water runoff will obviously increase dramatically without vegetation, followed by erosion which must then be dealt with and controlled (at increased expense).

Also, increased air pollution will occur, since trees are well known "air scrubbers" which produce oxygen and remove carbon dioxide from the air. This is especially valuable in and around a highway, where such pollutants are being produced and are concentrated. Thus, as traffic and air pollution increases, trees are more important to highways now than ever before. But instead, Mr. Brown is bulldozing them down - all of them.

Of course, the clearing of the trees also eliminates the buffers for sight and sound control, mentioned above, which are additional important reasons they were planted in the first place.

Also, our highways will be much hotter without the shade and cooling effect of trees, which reduce glare and make driving more comfortable and safe.

In short, the interstate system was built as a system of "greenbelts" or "parkways" which enhanced the natural environment of both our cities and our country side. Actually, the more affluent northern states have had beautiful parkways for many years before we got them down South through the interstate program. Now, sadly, we are destroying our parkway-like highways, and hereafter only our more enlightened neighbors will have them.

Economic development

Both former director of the Mississippi Development Authority, Leland Speed, and his successor, Gray Swoope, have long been advocates of the "curb appeal" of our cities, towns and country side. They see it as a very effective tool in economic development, which they have used whenever possible in the work of the authority. They are very much in favor of maintaining the greenbelt, parkway appearance of our interstate and other highways, and understand the connection between them and the economic development that our state works so hard to achieve.

All of our neighboring states, for example Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia, are working hard to preserve their beautiful interstate and other highways, and are also planting hundreds of thousands of new trees on their rights-of-way. Needless to say, clear-cutting our once beautiful parkways is going in the exact opposite direction, and will produce a stark and negative contrast to our neighboring states (with whom we compete economically and otherwise). We'll be competing with one hand tied behind our back.

Beauty/aesthetics/quality of life

There is no question that the well landscaped parkways the interstate system was designed to be, and has been for over 40 years, are simply more beautiful, aesthetically pleasing and enjoyable to use than a hot, glary, barren, treeless plain (which causes monotony, another safety problem).

Many visitors have for many years commented on the gorgeous tree-lined highways of Mississippi which, as noted above, have always played a prominent role in the state's tourist and economic development efforts. But of course the most important benefits are quality of life enhancements for Mississippi taxpayers right here at home.

You will notice that the quality of life issues have been listed last. Many would rank them higher in importance, but this is to demonstrate that these are not merely tree-hugging, garden club-type issues, but serious safety, economic, environmental and economic development issues, in addition to ones of the great natural beauty and fine quality of life we formerly enjoyed here in the Pineless Belt.

The Hattiesburg American put it well in its Editorial of July 19, 2008, when it said: "Commissioner Brown, it's time to step back from these practices and engage the communities you represent into coming up with guidelines that meet safety concerns and help beautify Mississippi.

"Aesthetics and the environment are not to be dismissed. They play a significant part in Mississippi's quality of life and hence its economy."

R. Webster Heidelberg is an attorney with the Heidelbert Law Firm in Hattiesburg. Contact him at wheidelberg@heidelber glaw.com.

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Traffic Flows On S.R. 60 In Clearwater After Boat Removal

Employees from Marine Max and Stepp's Towing work to get a 26-foot Sundancer off Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard at Sky Harbor Drive in Clearwater.

TBO.com

Published: August 12, 2008

Updated: 08/12/2008 09:16 am

CLEARWATER - Morning traffic on busy Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard is moving again after a tow truck removed a boat that had fallen from a trailer and was blocking eastbound traffic, police said.

The 26-foot boat was towed away about 8:40 a.m., clearing the busy thoroughfare that links Pinellas County and Tampa.

The boat came loose about 6:30 a.m. and was blocking two lanes in the 2800 block of Gulf-to-Bay, or State Road 60, just east of U.S. 19.

Plainfield

3 hurt as landscaper's trailer detaches, hits car

Tribune staff report

10:55 PM CDT, August 12, 2008

A man and two children were taken to Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora on Tuesday afternoon after a landscaping trailer became detached from a pickup truck in Plainfield and smashed into their Chevrolet Camaro, Plainfield Police Officer Jim Caliendo said.

All three were believed to have suffered minor injuries.

The accident occurred after 3 p.m. in the eastbound lane of 119th Street. The pickup truck in the westbound lane became separated from the trailer it was towing. The trailer, which held a landscaping vehicle, rolled into the other lane and collided with the Camaro, Caliendo said. A 31-year-old man and two children, ages 12 and 7, were injured.

The driver of the pickup truck was cited with failing to secure a load and other moving violations, officials said.

Camper crash slows traffic on turnpike

Camper crash slows traffic on turnpike

By Central Maine Newspapers August 11, 2008 03:16 PM

GARDINER--Traffic along the Maine Turnpike was slowed Monday afternoon after a camper trailer broke free from the SUV that was towing it and slid to a rest in the median.

There were no injuries as a result of the accident, though traffic in the northbound lane was reduced to one lane for more than an hour as crews cleared the scene, said Trooper Jeff DeGeroot of the Maine State Police.

The crash occurred on the northbound side a little before 1 p.m. near exit 103 where Interstate 295 merges with the turnpike. Phillip Hamlin, 54, of Sidney lost control of the 1995 Ford Bronco he was driving, causing the 27-foot camper trailer to swerve and break away from the truck, DeGeroot said.

The camper rolled over onto its side and came to a rest in the median and left lane of the turnpike.

The Bronco remained upright but was spun around by the force of the camper, DeGeroot said.

Neither Hamlin nor his wife and two young children, all of whom were wearing seatbelts, was injured.

The camper sustained significant damage, DeGeroot said. There was only minor damage to the Bronco.

Neither speed nor alcohol was a factor in the crash, DeGeroot said. No charges are expected.

Traffic was restored to all lanes by 2:30 p.m.

Two airlifted, one taken by ambulance after rollover

Two airlifted, one taken by ambulance after rollover (with PHOTOS, VIDEOS)

Robbyn Brooks

Daily News

Jason Guinn said it was very quick.

The tire on the trailer blew, the truck jacknifed and flipped once and the green pickup landed on its roof near Gulf Islands National Seashore on Okaloosa Island.

Two men riding in the truck bed were thrown as the vehicle went airborne. The driver's face hit the windshield.

Guinn said when the screaching metal quieted and the accident was over, he was upside down in the passenger's seat.

"I'm very blessed," Guinn said, only a few minutes after his three co-workers were taken to area hospitals. "It's like God laid down a pillow."

Click here to see more photos of the accident.

Guinn said he thought the other men would be OK, too. The pair in the rear of the vehicle were airlifted to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola and the driver was carried by ambulance to Fort Walton Beach Medical Center.

Guinn stood by a state trooper's car and watched as a wrecker service righted the overturned truck. The windshield was busted and a tire on the back driver's side had come completely off.

The four men were carrying cement blocks and heading to Destin to build a seawall, Guinn said. He and the others were from Harvest Vineyard Ministries in Crestview.

The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.

"When I saw that truck flip, I thought my God, those boys are gone," said Phillip Rose from Fort Walton Beach.

Rose was heading westbound, opposite the truck when it flipped

"The trailer had so much weight on it, it didn't flip," Rose said. "Those guys were very lucky to be alive."

Loose Trailer Accident Man in custody after bizarre I-5 accident

Traffic backed up after the accident on northbound Interstate 5 near Highway 526.

Story Published: Aug 9, 2008 at 5:07 PM PDT

Story Updated: Aug 9, 2008 at 5:07 PM PDT

By KOMO Staff

EVERETT - Police have captured a 60-year-old Sedro Woolley man who tried to elude them after a bizarre accident on Interstate 5 Saturday afternoon.

The strange series of events began in the northbound lanes of I-5 near the Highway 526 exit when the man lost control of a pickup he was using to tow a travel-trailer.

The travel-trailer came unhooked from the pickup and crashed. The man slowed or stopped the pickup, but then suddenly took off.

Some motorists who were at the scene called 911, then took off in pursuit of the man in their vehicles.

Washington State Patrol troopers took up the chase as the man neared Lake Stevens. The man then ditched his pickup at 20th Street Southeast and Highway 2, and ran into the woods.

Troopers were soon able to take him into custody, and recognized him as someone with a lengthy criminal history.

After he was captured, the man told troopers he had lost control of his rig on the freeway. He said he suffered a panic attack, and that is why he fled the scene.

He was taken to the hospital to be checked out, then will be booked into jail on suspicion of hit and run.

Meanwhile, a state Transportation Department crew headed to the wreck of the travel-trailer on I-5 to clean up 20 gallons of sewage and waste that spilled out of it during the crash.

Morning crash on I-75 causes $50,000 damage Lost Control Of Trailer

News-press.com • August 9, 2008

obby Cobb of Auburndale, Fla., was transported to Lee Memorial Hospital. According to the report, the accident caused $50,000 worth of damage.

Cobb was driving north on I-75 with a trailer in tow when he lost control and crashed with the west side concrete wall. The car rotated clockwise and jackknifed, coming to a stop on I-75 in the inside left lane.

Road closed as trailer collapses utility pole Loose Trailer

Road closed as trailer collapses utility pole

Updated: 08/09/08 5:49 AM

JAMESTOWN — Route 62 in Frewsburg was closed for about 30 minutes Thursday afternoon after a runaway horse trailer sheared a utility pole in half, Chautauqua County sheriff’s deputies said.

Police said Russell A. Spunaugle, 60, of Jamestown was driving east on Route 62 in a Ford pickup, towing an empty horse trailer about 1:30 p. m. when he hit a bump and the trailer broke loose, deputies said.

The trailer crossed the center line and struck the utility pole in front of 196 Main St., Frewsburg.

Loose Trailer Causes Multi-vehicle accident bogs down southbound I-15

August 8th, 2008 @ 3:27pm

(KSL News) An accident involving several vehicles is caused heavy traffic delays on southbound I-15 at 13200 South this afternoon.

Utah Highway Patrol troopers say a pickup truck was traveling southbound while pulling a boat behind it when the boat came loose. A Ford pickup truck traveling behind the first truck was unable to stop and hit the boat.

After hitting the boat, the Ford veered into another lane of traffic and into a tractor-trailer. This second collision caused the Ford to roll into the median.

The driver of the Ford escaped with minor injuries and was taken to Alta View Hospital for treatment.

Trailer crash leaves M-53 traffic hogtied Loose Trailer

Note: I just came upon this accident report.

Times Herald (Port Huron, MI) February 19, 2008
Section: A-Section Page: 1A

Trailer crash leaves M-53 traffic hogtied

Author: BOBBY AMPEZZANStaff

Article Text:By BOBBY AMPEZZAN Times Herald A livestock trailer that came unhitched on M-53 in Marlette Township on Monday let loose about a half-dozen pigs and backed up traffic for miles. Sanilac County sheriff Sgt.

Robert Willis said the accident happened about 1 p.m. near Walker Road and injured a 52-year-old Port Hope woman who slammed her older model Ford Taurus into the trailer. Her injuries are unknown, but she was able to give police a statement about the accident before being taken to Marlette Regional Hospital. One of the pigs died in the accident.

For the others, freedom was short-lived. Their owner, a 32-year-old Deford man, was en route to a game ranch in the northern part of Sanilac County, Willis said. Once the hogs were rounded up, a bystander who happened to have an empty livestock trailer volunteered to take the Deford pigs to the game ranch, a place where animals are hunted in a contained area.

Willis wasn't sure which game ranch the hogs were taken to or how the pigs' owner and the bystander arrived at the agreement. The Deford man told police it was the force of air from a passing tractor-trailer that blew the livestock trailer loose from its hitch.

At that point, the front end of the trailer hit the road, causing it to roll end over end before landing finally on its side and being hit by the Port Hope woman. Another motorist, a 52-year-old Saginaw man, swerved to avoid the trailer and hit a guardrail, but he was uninjured, police said. Willis said the accident and the ensuing hog roundup closed the highway for nearly two hours. "It was kind of a Sanilac County moment," Willis said.

The Deford man will be cited for "failure to maintain equipment/safety chains," Willis said. While the driver argued he had properly secured the livestock trailer with chains to his truck, no such safety chains were found at the scene, Willis said. The accident investigation is continuing. Alcohol is not believed to have been a factor. Contact Bobby Ampezzan at (810) 989-6273 or bampezzan@gannett.com.

Copyright (c) Times Herald. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank, inc.

Record Number: pth42028750

Woman hurt when loose trailer causes crash on I-90

Note: I just discovered this accident in my research....

McClatchy-Tribune Regional News (USA) May 10, 2008

Topics:

Index Terms:
LQ-BRF-Woman-hurt-when-loose-trailer-causes-crash-on-I-90-0510

BRIEF: Woman hurt when loose trailer causes crash on I-90

Author: La Crosse Tribune, Wis.

Article Text:May 10 A small utility trailer pulled by a pickup truck on westbound Interstate 90 became detached between exits 2 and 3, traveled through the median, hit a guardrail on eastbound I-90 and was struck by a car about 7:45 a.m. Friday.

The driver of the car, Bonnie Anderson, 46, of La Crosse, was taken to Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

The driver of the truck was Warren Booth, 45, of Holmen, Wis. - To see more of the La Crosse Tribune or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.lacrossetribune.com/. Copyright (c) 2008, La Crosse Tribune, Wis. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

Copyright (c) YYYY, McClatchy-Tribune Regional News (USA). All Rights Reserved. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

Record Number: 1209641FDC402998

Jul, 27, 2008

PUBLIC SAFETY

Crash on I-5 blocks traffic near Iowa Street

`

PETER JENSEN
THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

A jackknifed SUV and trailer blocked southbound traffic on Interstate 5 near the Iowa Street exit for an hour Saturday, July 26.

A 40-year-old Lynden woman was driving the SUV and towing a travel-trailer when she hit a bump in the road. The trailer began to wobble and she lost control of the car, which jackknifed and blocked all lanes of traffic at 12:10 p.m.

The four passengers in the SUV were not injured, said Trooper Keith Leary of the Washington State Patrol. Troopers are reviewing the incident to determine if the driver should be cited.

He did not release the woman’s name, and said her relatives own the car and trailer.

Traffic backed up for one mile, and it took an hour to clear the accident and reopen all lanes of traffic, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.

Goffstown driver killed in I-93 crash

Goffstown driver killed in I-93 crash

Article Date: Saturday, July 26, 2008

A 44-year-old Goffstown man was killed Friday afternoon when the vehicle he was driving, with a camper in tow on Interstate 93, started to sway in the roadway and the vehicle ended up rolling over and landing on its roof in the median.

Members of the New Hampshire State Police working out of the Troop D Barracks in Concord responded to the accident, which took place in the northbound lane of the interstate in New Hampton. Upon arrival on scene Troopers found one vehicle involved in the accident.

The vehicle, a 2006 Ford Expedition, was towing a 28-foot campter trailer and was being driven by 44-year-old Kirk Lang of Goffstown. Also in the vehicle were Heidi Lang, 41, and Corey Lang, 13, who were also from Goffstown.

According to police, the preliminary investigation reveled that while northbound the truck started to sway to the point that Kirk Lang lost control and the vehicle rolled over into the median. The vehicle and trailer separated and both coming to rest in the median, the vehicle on it roof.

Police said he was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected, receiving extensive injuries. Kirk Lang was transported to Speare Memorial Hospital Plymouth where he was pronounced dead from the injuries sustained in the accident.

The other two passengers in the vehicle were wearing seat belts and were not ejected and were not injured as a result of the accident.

Assisting the Troopers at the scene of the accident were members of the, the New Hampton Fire Department, and the New Hampshire Department of Transportation.

The factors as to what caused the accident are currently being investigated at this time by Trooper Sean Faherty from Troop D.