Fatal crash - wheel flies off transport truck

[OVERKILL]

Link to news article

Quote:
OTTAWA – One man has been killed in a motor vehicle collision on the Queensway, and charges have now been laid.

A wheel assembly came off a westbound transport truck, jumped the centre concrete barrier and struck the eastbound van, just before 6 a.m. Friday, on Highway 417 near the Carling/Kirkwood overpass.

One man was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the other vehicle was assessed for a minor injury.

Police have now charged the driver of the transport with operating a vehicle with a detached part. The company that owns the truck has been charged with operating an unsafe vehicle.

The highway was closed eastbound for the OPP investigation, but has since reopened.

The name of the van driver who was killed in the collision is not being released, pending notification of next-of-kin.





It cut that van open like a can opener

 

[SirTanon]

Good lord!

That's horrifying..

 

[robshelton]

Looks like the van driver died instantly, hopefully. Sad.

 

[Kira]

I'm not one to jump in with a "guilty or innocent" decision because you NEVER get anywhere near the whole story.

BUT, if the truck company was using shabby equipment.......

Poor guy in the white van.

 

[NHGUY]

Operating a vehicle with a detached part? I don't think that was on purpose.Guess the guy should have stopped after the wheel fell off.....

 

[SumpChump]

I often wonder about a tire iron flying up and spearing someone. I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often, maybe it does.

 

[Kestas]

In my business I've learned that the Canadian DOT has zero tolerance for anything related to wheel failures - whether someone is hurt or not. This will definitely get investigated.

 

[Stewart Fan]

A friend of mine lost a sister a few years back. A semi truck lost a tire/wheel on the opposite side of the highway. It bounced across the median into her lane. It came through her windshield at highway speed.

 

[CT8]

Originally Posted By: Kira
I'm not one to jump in with a "guilty or innocent" decision because you NEVER get anywhere near the whole story.

BUT, if the truck company was using shabby equipment.......

Poor guy in the white van.
So true the media can't be trusted for anything close to the truth.

 

[Danno]

Originally Posted By: Kestas
In my business I've learned that the Canadian DOT has zero tolerance for anything related to wheel failures - whether someone is hurt or not. This will definitely get investigated.


In Ontario, automatically guilty and a $50,000 fine, not that that matters much in a death as we have here.


This one happened a year ago. The driver died of his injuries.

http://globalnews.ca/news/2480331/one-pe...near-king-city/

 

[SwampSurvivor]

We had a really bad wreck a few months ago from a wheel/tire coming off of a dump truck.

They didn't mention it in the article, but the van had flipped over and landed right side up

http://www.syracuse.com/crime/index.ssf/...n_syracuse.html

Pretty crazy when they fall off. A few years back someone died when a tire came off of a boat trailer and came in through their panoramic sunroof.

Scary stuff. Really makes you think that you never know when your time is going to be up.

 

[6starprez]

About this charge of operating a vehicle with a detached wheel assembly.....how would you operate a vehicle if the wheel assembly is already detached?

What if the truck blew a tire, lost control and hit the van, would he be charged with driving on a flat tire? I don't get it.

 

[Kestas]

Not "detached wheel," but "detached part," meaning if any part flies off your vehicle, you are responsible for consequential damages. Makes sense to me. Can't have people driving around saying, "whoops--sorry!" and shrug their shoulders.

 

[y_p_w]

Seen a bus on the side of the road that lost a wheel. The tire had completely blown out while it was wobbling and the wheel got thrown a hundred feet or so ahead of where the bus stopped moving. Luckily nobody got hit with it, as it would have made for a very bad day.

 

[ecotourist]

I've seen little green tear-shaped flags on the wheel lugs of heavy transports. I assume the intention is that if a wheel lug comes loose the flag will rotate and warn the operator that he has a problem.

Does that stop wheels coming off?

 

[Blokey]

Russians capture a lot of flying wheels on their dashcams:

 

[Danno]

Originally Posted By: ecotourist
I've seen little green tear-shaped flags on the wheel lugs of heavy transports. I assume the intention is that if a wheel lug comes loose the flag will rotate and warn the operator that he has a problem.

Does that stop wheels coming off?


In general, no.

The lug nut does not necessarily rotate off the stud when you have a wheel separation from the truck.

 

[MNgopher]

As far as the wheel detachment and fines go, as shown, it can be deadly if things aren't fastened down correctly. Yes, there are failures that occur without the operator being involved (defects, etc)... but the reality is you are responsible for your equipment, and you better be sure your lug nuts are tightened etc...

Those little flags won't prevent a wheel from coming off, but they make a visual check that that the lugs are still tight easy to do and easy to see if there is a heat problem (bad wheel bearing, dragging break) on a wheel with a quick visual check.

 

[cjcride]

Driving is probably the most dangerous thing most people do each day.

 

[BrocLuno]

A few years before I retired, we lost a van and two occupants to a truck tire that separated and the tread came through the windshield like a scythe. Both occupants died nearly instantly. Was a very sad day at work. They were both well liked.