Bicyclist struck by boat trailer that separated from pickup

[d.boat]

This reminds me of a message I recall reading a few weeks ago by a guy who hauled a POS boat trailer by jamming the tongue into the receiver of his car. (Bustedagain? can't find him anymore - but he also posted about wanting to steer a large outboard with a half-*****ed bolted on homemade tiller?).

This incident is a huge tragedy and if it turns out as it appears, the driver should be charged with the highest degree of assault and battery or if the kid dies, some form of manslaughter. F'ing self-centered, thoughtless idiots.

http://www.adn.com/2010/09/07/1443370/bicyclist-injured-after-boat-trailer.html

An empty boat trailer came loose from a pickup and smashed into a bicyclist at around 7 p.m. Tuesday in South Anchorage, police say.

The 27-year-old cyclist, who police have not publicly identified, suffered severe injuries to his head and leg, said Lt. David Parker, a department spokesman.

The truck was headed west on O'Malley Road towing a rusty, single-axle trailer, Parker said. The trailer apparently detached from the truck near the Seward Highway overpass, struck the cyclist and lodged against a light post and sign on the north side of O'Malley, police said.

The bicyclist was headed west and never saw the trailer coming, Parker said.

The trailer did not appear to be attached to the truck with a safety chain, as is required by law, Parker said.

Police are investigating the accident and have not named the driver.

 

[NSBCraig]

Re: Bicyclist struck by boat trailer that separated from pickup

wow that .......

(I'll leave out the rest cause nothing I type seems clean enough)

 

[nlain]

Re: Bicyclist struck by boat trailer that separated from pickup

Something similar happened here in early July, man had converted a heavy equipment trailer to a boat trailer, jerry rigged a hitch, tack welded, did not put in bolts, to take it in to weld all together, the weld broke and trailer crossed I 16 and hit a man on a motorcycle, he died, the guy with the trailer will not be outside of jail for a long time.

 

[Triton II]

Re: Bicyclist struck by boat trailer that separated from pickup

Feeling very sad over this one... it's almost unbelievable that this could have happened.

TII

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Bicyclist struck by boat trailer that separated from pickup

This is why we properly maintain the equipment that we tow. This also includes not running on 15-20 year old tires that many on here advocate.

 

[rwidman]

Re: Bicyclist struck by boat trailer that separated from pickup

It's clear to me from the posts on this forum that a large percentage of the population has no concern for what "might" happen whe he or she does not respect or understand mechanical equipment.

Count the posts on "restoring" rusty 30 year old boat trailers.

Try as some of us might to encourage the poster to scrap the trailer and buy a new or newer one, the OP comes back with the same questions and some people offer suggestions which encourage the OP to try to repair the trailer.

A several thousand pound boat on a trailer is a deadly weapon if not handled correctly and safely. Keeping a junk trailer on the road is as unsafe as keeping a junk car or truck on the road. What's a shame is, it's often an innocent bystander that ends up injured or killed.

In the case quoted here, there were no legally required safety chains and the trailer was not properly secured to the tow vehicle or the coupler or ball was defective, something that should have been noticed by the person who connected the trailer to the tow vehicle.

He deserves to be held accountable.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Bicyclist struck by boat trailer that separated from pickup

It's clear to me from the posts on this forum that a large percentage of the population has no concern for what "might" happen whe he or she does not respect or understand mechanical equipment.

Count the posts on "restoring" rusty 30 year old boat trailers .

Try as some of us might to encourage the poster to scrap the trailer and buy a new or newer one, the OP comes back with the same questions and some people offer suggestions which encourage the OP to try to repair the trailer.... ....

Lots of people restore trailers. Nothing wrong with restoring an old rusty trailer any more than there is something wrong with restoring a rusty old car.

Your comments are out of line and insulting to many members of this forum.

 

[ifallsguy]

Re: Bicyclist struck by boat trailer that separated from pickup

And with today's court system, the driver will probably get a small fine (if even that), probation (maybe) and allowed out on the road to do it again.

For the most part, the courts do not hold people accountable for actions that injure or kill others. That includes driving (or boating) while impared, failure to keep their equipment in reasonable repair (bald tires, bad brakes, no working headlights), not paying attention or even playing games which intentionally threaten (and injure) others.

Kinda reminds me of the later years of the Roman Empire as they declined.

Cheap is not always the best remedy. Saving a few bucks by not having safety chains result in the bicyclist having years of suffering, rehab and pain in their future. That is not to say people who try to fix up older equipment are to be blamed, just make sure you do everything you can to do it right.

 

[Brewman61]

Re: Bicyclist struck by boat trailer that separated from pickup

While the courts may (or may not- that's often up to a jury to decide) convict of a serious crime, in addition to criminal issues there may also be civil lawsuits for monetary damages. The burden of proof in a civil suit is lower than that of a criminal suit. Case and point- OJ Simpson was found not guilty to the crimes surrounding the deaths of his wife and her friend.
However he was found negligent in a civil case, and the verdict returned against him was substantial.
So even if the trailer owner gets the proverbial slap on the wrist in a criminal case, he could be held liable in a civil lawsuit. Those tend to run into some pretty large judgements. Pain, suffering, punitive damages, future medical costs, lost earnings, etc........

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Bicyclist struck by boat trailer that separated from pickup

Lots of people restore trailers. Nothing wrong with restoring an old rusty trailer any more than there is something wrong with restoring a rusty old car.

Your comments are out of line and insulting to many members of this forum.

There are rusty old trailers that shouldn't be on the road ever again and rusty trailers that have surface rust and can just be sand blasted and repainted. Depends on how bad they are rusted.

 

[keelhauled]

Re: Bicyclist struck by boat trailer that separated from pickup

I normally steer clear of these types of discussions, but I take exception to some of the comments I've read here. I can assure you my 42 year old trailer is as strong or stronger than most built today. Sure it has some rust, but I bet my own life on it every time I go to the lake. It's not the old equipment or the restored equipment I worry about, it's the neglected equipment I have a problem with.

My safety chains get replaced anytime they show corrosion and are rated for 7600 pounds EACH more than twice the rating of the 2 inch ball.

Just because it isn't new and pretty doesn't mean it's not safe.

Obviously this was an avoidable tragedy and we as a community can advocate for the proper repair and maintenance of aging equipment. Buy new isn't always the answer.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Bicyclist struck by boat trailer that separated from pickup

lets take a breath and think about a few of these comments..... The guys that have 'condemned' old boat trailers aren't talking about a little surface rust or a well maintained trailer.... They are talking about the VERY common "my tubular trailer has rusted in two and I want to patch it" threads.... THOSE trailers are almost never practical to repair as the rust damage starts inside the tube and is usually FAR more extensive than it appears. It is not generally good advice to repair them....

For those that take good care of their equipment old obviously doesn't mean dangerous....

That said I have seen LOTS of threads that encompass the HUGE lack of concern for wellbeing of your fellow man.

I hope the bicycle rider makes a full recovery and that as many people as possible take home a life saving lesson from this tragedy

 

[rwidman]

Re: Bicyclist struck by boat trailer that separated from pickup

Your comments are out of line and insulting to many members of this forum.

So you are the forum police?

Sometimes people need to hear what they might not want to hear. If that is "insulting", so be it.

 

[109jb]

Re: Bicyclist struck by boat trailer that separated from pickup

Can I point out that the only thing mentioned in the artiicle was that the single axle trailer did not have safety chains and it came detached. It said NOTHING about it being steel, aluminum, rusty, pristine, or anything else. You can SPECULATE whtever you want, but the only thing that can be CONCLUDED from the article is what is said in the article. What people should be taking away from this is that safety chains aren't just a nice idea, but a mandatory safety item.

As for the off-topic discussion about rusty trailers, any trailer can be fixed. There comes a point where it isn't economical to do so but you have to remember that many people that have boats aren't particularly mechanically inclined enough to assess a trailers condition. I encourage them to come here and continue to ask and show pictures. They can then be educated on what is worth saving or not. If they go off on their own because they are afraid to ask they could be unknowingly putting thenselves or others in danger.

 

[rwidman]

Re: Bicyclist struck by boat trailer that separated from pickup

Can I point out that the only thing mentioned in the artiicle was that the single axle trailer did not have safety chains and it came detached. ................

What was not mentioned was how or why it became detatched. Safety chains are a backup. Something was wrong that should have been detected by the operator. Defective or misadjusted coupler, too small a ball for the coupler, defective ball or ball mount, or the operator just didn't put the trailer all the way onto the ball or didn't latch the coupler.

When people are careless or ignorant with their equipment, they put innocent bystanders at risk.

This incident makes a good case for mandatory trailer safety inspections (already required in some states).

 

[kilroy1984]

Re: Bicyclist struck by boat trailer that separated from pickup

I always take 2 walks around my trailer before i leave the driveway and another 2 after i retreive the boat.check the hitch pin before you retreive as i have heard about a-holes taking them out for their own use or just to be jerks.i also like to do a walk around if i have to go into a store and leave my boat in parking lot

 

[road kill]

Re: Bicyclist struck by boat trailer that separated from pickup

I was following a guy down the freeway about 10 years ago who lost a boat trailer. He was driving a nearly new van with a heavy duty frame hitch. The trailer was a three axle boat trailer and was empty. There was some road construction going on but the road crews weren't active at that time of day.
There was a step in the pavement where the road work ended.
When his trailer hit the step in the pavement, at about 45 mph or so, I saw the trailer rear up off the truck, with what I later realized was the entire frame hitch still attached. The trailer dropped down to the left of his truck, hitting the the front wheel of a small car in the lane to the left. Then it bounced back into the side of the now stopping van. The trailer hit the back left wheel of the van, the van jumped up in the air and swerved to the shoulder, the trailer then slide with the van, jammed up under the rear bumper. Being a witness, I pulled up behind the trailer, the guy who's car it hit pulled just ahead. The driver was delivering the trailer for his boss. The trailer was still hitched and locked to the ball, the safety chains still attached to the hitch loops, but the hitch itself was completely torn off the frame. The two rear bolts pulled through the frame of the van, the other four bolts were sheared off clean and still hanging in their holes. It appeared to be a factory installed hitch. There was no rust on any of the failed parts.
The guy had said he had towed and delivered many boats and trailers with no issues and the van and trailer were all in good condition.

It could have easily been worse, but it goes to show that accidents happen. The step in the pavement was no worse than any other I've seen and every other vehicle traveling along that road that day passed over that same bump. The boat trailer just caught it right and it made enough of an impact to shear off the hitch. The van was less than 4 months old, the trailer brand new with a temp tag being delivered to it's new owner. The trailer showed no damage other than the tire marks from where it hit the car and where the van had run over the front section a bit with the left rear tire.

I myself had a trailer ball shear off, it was a brand new trailer ball, no name brand, but I had used them many times before and I was towing an old utility trailer with my truck. I was driving along at about 50 when all hell broke out behind me. The trailer started bouncing side to side on the safety chains, and swaying madly. I got it stopped and to my surprise the ball was still locked into the coupler. It sheared off at the neck. Having several spare balls in the truck I just bolted on another, which is still on there today. I had just replaced the old one since it was badly rusted and gouged. That was the one that failed. The only harm done was some fresh dents in the bumper and tailgate but the trailer was fine and since the safety chains were bolted on, it couldn't get free of the truck short of ripping off the back bumper or hitch which are both welded on.

 

[rwidman]

Re: Bicyclist struck by boat trailer that separated from pickup

Here is a link to a website that relates to this topic:

http://dangeroustrailers.org/

 

[NYBo]

Re: Bicyclist struck by boat trailer that separated from pickup

Can I point out that the only thing mentioned in the artiicle was that the single axle trailer did not have safety chains and it came detached. It said NOTHING about it being steel, aluminum, rusty, pristine, or anything else.

A quote from the linked article:

The truck was headed west on O'Malley Road towing a rusty, single-axle trailer, Parker said.

 

[109jb]

Re: Bicyclist struck by boat trailer that separated from pickup

A quote from the linked article:

The truck was headed west on O'Malley Road towing a rusty, single-axle trailer, Parker said.

I stand corrected on that point.

However it is still speculation as to whether the rust had anything to do with anything. The ONLY things we know for sure are that the trailer came loose for an UNKNOWN reason, and it didn't have safety chains. I'll say it again. ANYTHING more than that is speculation.