3 injured when trailer breaks free, causes rollover

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Coeur d'Alene Press, The (ID) December 1, 2008
Section: News Page: A3

3 injured when trailer breaks free, causes rollover

Article Text:SAGLE — A trailer broke free from its hitch Saturday afternoon, crashing into an oncoming car, causing it to roll. Alan Gibson, 51, was southbound in a 1986 Dodge truck near milepost 468 on U.S. 95 in the Sagle area when the trailer he was hauling started to fishtail.

It broke loose and struck a northbound Kia Sedona driven by Ruby Wheeler, 41, of Sandpoint who had pulled over to try and avoid the trailer.

After being struck by the trailer, Wheeler drove off the road, causing her vehicle to roll. Wheeler and two passengers were transported to Bonner General Hospital in Sandpoint. Wheeler was admitted and was in stable condition Saturday evening.

No information was available on her passengers. Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls police reported a quiet weekend in spite of Friday's snowfall, with no significant traffic incidents.

Copyright, 2008, The Coeur d'Alene Press. All Rights Reserved.

Record Number: 12509C6D9F984D78

Loose trailer strikes pickup towing animals.

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Columbia Daily Tribune (MO) November 7, 2008

Accident kills horse, injures woman Loose trailer strikes pickup towing animals.

Author: JOE MEYERof the Tribune's staff

Article Text:A Rocheport woman is recovering from a weekend wreck that killed a horse on Highway 40 after a utility trailer detached from another vehicle and struck the pickup she was driving on her way to a horse show.

The wreck occurred Saturday morning as Lisa Morrissey, 36, was towing a horse trailer behind a Ford pickup. The trailer overturned, and authorities euthanized one of the horses, a thoroughbred hunter-jumper.

Another horse suffered injuries to a leg but survived the collision. Morrissey remains hospitalized at University Hospital and was listed in good condition today. Family and friends said she is recovering from a shattered femur, broken pelvis and broken collarbone. Morrissey's niece, 14-year-old Jordan Husa, and her friend, 13-year-old Alexis Tolch, were treated and released from the hospital.

"We're very thankful to have my wife alive," Bill Morrissey said by phone today from his wife's hospital room. "She didn't do anything wrong. They were just driving down the road." According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Morrissey was driving eastbound on Highway 40 just west of Route J at 8:50 a.m. when her pickup was struck by a utility trailer that had became detached from a westbound 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe.

The collision totaled Morrissey's truck and forced the horse trailer to jackknife and overturn, the highway patrol said. "Had it been a smaller car, it probably would have been a serious fatality accident," highway patrol Cpl. Paul Meyers said today.

The trailer being pulled by the SUV was described by family and friends as homemade, but Meyers said it was a professionally-manufactured agricultural brush burner. "It was an odd-looking contraption," Meyers said.

The driver of the Chevrolet, identified as Joseph Schuster, 45, of Columbia, was issued a citation for not properly securing a load, Meyers said. He was not injured, the highway patrol said. Terri Wright of Columbia, a family friend, said Morrissey noticed the trailer swaying from side to side and pulled over to let it pass. "It was very heavy," Wright said of the trailer, "must have hit her like a freight train, basically.

" Wright said one of the horses, a 15-year-old thoroughbred named Payton, was euthanized on the scene by a veterinarian from Equine Medical Services in Columbia. "He used to be my horse, so it hits really close to home," Wright said, adding that Husa rode the horse, which she estimated to be worth $10,000. Another horse, a Trekhaner named Bree, survived the wreck but required multiple stitches to a leg, Bill Morrissey said. Jill Morrissey has undergone multiple surgeries and faces months of rehabilitation. "We don't know precisely what that will entail," Bill Morrissey said. Reach Joe Meyer at (573) 815-1718 or jmeyer@columbiatribune.com.

Copyright 2008 Columbia Daily Tribune

Record Number: 12453075DA7550C0

A livestock trailer in tow behind a pickup overturned

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McClatchy-Tribune Regional News (USA) November 25, 2008

Topics:

Index Terms:
WN-BRF-Cattle-loose-after-trailer-flips-on-I-77-1125

BRIEF: Cattle loose after trailer flips on I-77

Author: Sherry Youngquist, Winston-Salem Journal, N.C.

Article Text:Nov. 25 LAMBSBURG, Va. A livestock trailer in tow behind a pickup overturned on northbound Interstate 77 about 3 p.m., releasing two cows and a calf onto the roadway, authorities said.

The cattle went into the woods near the highway, authorities said. State police and other law enforcement officials located the calf, a dispatcher said. The two cows are in the woods along the interstate, where authorities are trying to coax them out.

The wreck occurred just across the Virginia state line between the Virginia welcome center and exit 1, according to the Virginia State Police. -

To see more of the Winston-Salem Journal, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.journalnow.com/. Copyright (c) 2008, Winston-Salem Journal, N.C. 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: 124B52EC703C30B8

Trailer breaks loose from truck, slams into Pole.. Loose Trailer

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News Herald, The (Panama City, FL) November 11, 2008
Section: State and regional

Topics:

Index Terms:
News
Feature

Crash cuts power, cancels classes: Trailer breaks loose from truck, slams into power pole; no one injured

Author: Jon Miltimore; The News Herald, Panama City, Fla.

Industry:
Government

Article Text:Nov. 11--PANAMA CITY -- A trailer towing a bulldozer broke loose Monday, crossed traffic and slammed into a power pole, knocking lines onto passing vehicles and disrupting electricity to homes and businesses in the area, including Gulf Coast Community College, which canceled classes for the day.

The trouble began about 8 a.m. as a dump truck carrying a trailer was traveling east on U.S. 98, just off the Hathaway Bridge. Then, the improperly attached trailer came free, according to Panama City Police Department officials.

The trailer crossed one lane of traffic and struck a pole, exposing live electrical wires and destroying two poles, officers said. Florida Freedom Regional Editor Phil Lucas witnessed the crash up close. "I was just easing past him in the right lane because I don't like to ride next to large trucks," Lucas said. "I looked in my mirror and saw the trailer (unattached) making a lane change." Lucas said he could see poles and wires snapping and flailing when the trailer hit.

"There was one power line dangling 8 feet into the road, and I just shot under it," Lucas said. A witness recalled seeing blue sparks shooting off the top of Lucas' car as it passed under electrical wires. Four police units responded to the area to navigate traffic around the accident and close traffic in one lane. Firefighters also were on scene to keep pedestrians clear of the downed lines. Shortly after police arrived, a semi-truck attempted to drive through a restricted zone that police had shut down, and the semi became entangled, causing more electrical wires to be exposed, police said.

Police said traffic returned to normal about 5 p.m. Operations at Port Panama City were interrupted for a few hours until generators began to supply power to most port operations, according to port officials. Port Panama City Executive Director Wayne Stubbs said a few isolated sectors would be down for much of the day, but cargo operations were interrupted only briefly. Gulf Coast Community College canceled all Monday classes.

Officials said the campus would be closed today, as well, for Veterans Day, but classes were expected to resume Wednesday. Other area satellite campuses were unaffected. Gulf Power spokesman Jeff Rogers said 121 customers had their electricity interrupted, but power resumed in all locations by 5:03 p.m. Police said the driver of the dump truck was cited with failure to secure a load. The semi-driver was cited with careless driving. Their names were not released Monday.

No injuries were reported. Memo:
To see more of The News Herald or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.newsherald.com.Copyright(c) 2008, The News Herald, Panama City, Fla.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, 2008, News Herald, The (Panama City, FL), All Rights Reserved.

Record Number: 20081111-PY-Crash-cuts-power-cancels-classes-1111

Driver who damaged pole sought, Loose Trailer

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Poughkeepsie Journal (NY) December 10, 2008
Section: MID-HUDSON Page: 5B

Driver who damaged pole sought

Author: STAFF

Article Text:Dutchess County sheriff's deputies were continuing their search Tuesday night for a tow-truck operator who fled in his truck after a trailer he was towing broke loose and smashed into a utility pole on Route 343 in the Town of Washington.

The accident happened at about 4:50 p.m. at the intersection of Route 343 and Chestnut Ridge Road. The intersection remained closed late into the evening while crews made repairs to the pole and removed debris from the crash, Sgt. Mark Femenella said.

Witnesses told sheriff's deputies a tow truck was towing the trailer of a tractor trailer westbound on Route 343 when the trailer came unhitched and slammed into the pole, knocking it down and strewing wires across the highway, Femenella said. The tow truck was described as a large, multi-axle vehicle painted white with blue lettering and a phone number starting with area code 201.

The damaged trailer was inscribed with Finnegan's Warehouse Corp. Deputies are also looking for a tractor trailer with Finnegan's Warehouse Corp. written on it. Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's office at 845-486-3800.

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

Record Number: pgh58562690

Boat flies through the air, lands on car, Loose Trailer

Boat flies through the air, lands on car

Posted: Dec 19, 2008 04:16 PM

Updated: Dec 19, 2008 04:18 PM

By Karen Cohilas - bio | email

December 19, 2008

ALBANY, GA (WALB) - It's not everyday that a boat becomes airborn and lands on a car but it happened in East Albany last night and we have some pretty amazing pictures to show you. Mary Mann snapped these photos with her cellphone.

This is at the MD Food Mart on East Oglethorpe Boulevard around 6:30 Thursday night. This Bass Tracker was being pulled behind a truck when the trailer broke loose and went sailing across west bound traffic and landed on this car.

Three people were inside the car and luckily weren't hurt. Mary Mann said the boat narrowly missed her. She said, "All I saw was this great big ball of fire where it was skidding across the road and jumped the median and into the gas station and landed right on top of this car. It was a mess, but luckily nobody got hurt. That's the best thing about the whole thing. I think it's a Christmas miracle the way everything happened. I mean, if it had to happen, nobody got hurt and that's the best thing. That's the best thing."

57-year old Benjamin Dupree of Leesburg is the owner of the boat. He's been charged with failure to secure load.

Ms. Mann said one of the small children stepped out of the smashed car and told his father, quote, "Looks like we're going to need a tow truck."

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Utility trailer crashes into store

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Utility trailer crashes into store

---

By TERRY SMITH
Express Staff Writer

The Napa Auto Parts building in Bellevue had an unexpected Thanksgiving Day visitor when a runaway utility trailer crashed into it.

Store Manager Ron Domke said the trailer, used to haul landscaping equipment, struck a vacant store next to Napa, causing about $4,000 damage. It could have been worse, Domke said, explaining that the trailer crashed through a large door rather than through the side of the building.

Blaine County Sheriff Lt. Jay Davis said the trailer was being pulled southbound when it came loose from a white 2000 GMC pickup driven by Eduardo Orozco-Corona, a 35-year-old Jerome man.

Davis said the trailer crossed both northbound lanes on Bellevue's Main Street, jumped a curb and crashed into the building.

Davis attributed the cause of the mishap to a deficient trailer hitch setup. He said no citation was issued. Damage to the trailer was estimated at $200.

The crash occurred at about 5:15 p.m.

"I had to get up from dinner to come down here and see what was going on," Domke said.

Route 19 Crash Victim: "I Lost A Very Good Friend"

Dec 19, 2008 8:48 am US/Eastern

Route 19 Crash Victim: "I Lost A Very Good Friend"

She watched as her best friend died beside her and she barely managed to get herself and her daughter out of the crash wreckage alive.

Now, accident victim, Brandy Curtis, is speaking out about the runaway trailer that caused a deadly crash.

On Monday, Michelle Kott, 36, was killed in North Strabane Township when that trailer broke loose and sheared off the top of her car causing it to burst into flames.

Kott's friend, Curtis, and her daughter, had just moments to escape.

Curtis is now battered and bruised, with stitches and skull fractures, a separated ankle and torn ligaments and is mourning the loss of a dear friend.

She says her daughter, Summer, has a broken eye socket, a blood clot in the ear and has lost some hearing. But the worst part was watching Kott, someone she says she considered to be an older sister, die right in front of her.

"She was pretty much gone, I don't want to talk about that," she told KDKA.

Officials say the trailer came loose from a pick-up truck that was driven by 18-year-old Ryan Bier, of Canonsburg.

Curtis says something has to be done to make sure that trailers are safe on our roads.

"Something needs done about it. It's ridiculous," says Curtis. "I lost a very good friend. My daughter is suffering, asks me everyday if her face is going to get better."

A state police accident reconstruction expert has thoroughly examined the trailer and the pick-up truck. But so far, they haven't released any conclusions on what caused the accident.

As for Bier who was driving the truck, Curtis says she hopes to speak to him soon, and she says she has sympathy for him.

"I have an 18-year-old brother, if he were to be driving, I can only imagine what it would do to him," said Curtis.

She and her daughter now face months of surgery, physical therapy and counseling.

Meantime, police say once their investigation is over, it will be up to the district attorney to decide if any charges will be filed.

Stay with KDKA for the latest details.

Deadly Route 19 Crash... Loose Trailer

Note: In Most states no regulations are in place except maybe for lights.... for any trailer just one pound under 3,000 pounds. In fact no inspections are done yearly.... and anybody can build one. No Federal regulations are in place for a trailer hitch... but yet since 2003 to 2007 over 2,000 people killed, 120,000 injured and 340,000 things damaged by passenger cars that tow trailers and we do nothing.

Dec 16, 2008 7:06 am US/Eastern

Deadly Route 19 Crash Under Investigation

22-Year-Old Woman Flown To UPMC Presbyterian In Stable Condition

NORTH STRABANE TWP. (KDKA) ― Police say they don't know why a trailer broke loose and hit a car, killing a woman on Route 19 in North Strabane Township.

A utility trailer broke loose from a pickup truck as it was headed south.

The trailer bounced over the median and landed on a car in the passing lane headed north.

The car then caught fire. Two women were in the front seat and young girl, three or four years old, was in the backseat.

Michelle Kott, 36, of Ellsworth, was killed.

"The truck lost its trailer. He went down to turn around, came back to find the trailer had collided with a northbound vehicle driven by a white female who is deceased," Washington County Coroner Tim Warco said.

"The trailer was on top of the vehicle so the mother was trying to get the child out of the backseat," George Loutsion, a witness, said. "So I tried to help her get her out of the backseat. We got her off to the side of the road and the other gentleman put the fire out that was – the engine was on fire – and he put the fire out with a fire extinguisher."

A 22-year-old woman was flown to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh.

The child was flown to Children's Hospital.

A detective in North Strabane Township says they have impounded all the vehicles involved, as well as a van that was damaged slightly.

He said it may be a while before they decide if charges are filed.