Fatality Due To Apparently Improperly Secured Flatbed Load

This fatality apparently resulted from an improperly secured load that shifted during hard braking.

Seventy-six year old truck killed by shifting load

That's scary and sad , It goes to show how important knowing your load securment rules are and what can happen. I am impressed that he was still getting it done at 76 an age where most need help getting in and out of a car and he was flat bedding. Such a shame to go out that way .

Rob, that's really sad. No wonder there is so much talk here about proper securement. What a horrible way to go.

So, how do you three suggest a load like this be secured to prevent movement in a hard brake?

So, how do you three suggest a load like this be secured to prevent movement in a hard brake?

I give up, so why don’t you tell us?

So, how do you three suggest a load like this be secured to prevent movement in a hard brake?

Personally, I would make sure I was safe by pulling a dry van so someone else had to haul that.

So, how do you three suggest a load like this be secured to prevent movement in a hard brake?

Personally, I would make sure I was safe by pulling a dry van so someone else had to haul that.

First thing I thought. Safest way to do it... Get someone else to do it. I'll stick to driving my tanker like granny.

With a load like that, I wouldn't haul it without a headache rack on the front of the trailer. Any redneck worth his pickup knows that you always have something sturdy enough between you and what you are hauling to catch what you are hauling.

I wondered about the headboard myself. Could a sturdy headboard on the trailer have saved the driver's life? I'm not a flatbedder, but I've been told that the securement straps or chains need to go over the dunnage locations. Can you flatbedders elaborate on that?

Looks like an MBCI or Bluescope load? So those are steel truss pieces for putting up little industrial buildings.

He would put a pair of chains in an X shape over the front pieces, making sure each section had at least one of the chains running in front of it.

Sometimes for box style loads we would do same X pattern with a 2 inch strap. Recently I discovered one of those front straps had gotten the tail section loose out of the ratchet. I pulled off in the Pilot Cheyenne WY and was backing in to park and fix the loose tail. Funny thing about the split axle is that the tires begin to bind when the angle gets steep, results in sort of a fighting back feeling from the trailer.

Unfortunately that is just about the same feeling as a strap tail getting caught in your drives feels like. The cargo was luckily light styrofoam insulation in stacked cardboard boxes but it never had a chance. Didn't even realize the strap was slicing through like a scalpel until the binder finally cut the strap and shook the trailer.

I'm fortunate it wasn't a big deal, no injury. I even tried to claim it with pictures and statements and Prime was all prepared to get it right with the customer receiving it. But the guys unloading were having a spate with some other crews on site and happily tossed the damaged box off to the side of the construction site in a ditch with some other debris. That is a lucky lesson learned with almost no punishment except my shortened 2 inch strap which now secures nothing but rolled tarps on the bed.