A Georgia mother of three, Leslie Myers told WRCB-TV recently that she was on her way home one afternoon last week and had just picked up two of her children who were seated in the backseat when she crashed unexpectedly.
On October 25th, Myers said her 14-year-old who normally sits in the passenger seat was not with them. Her other two children were in the backseat. She was traveling north on State Route 193 in Flintstone when a winch roller from a truck headed in the opposite direction smashed through her windshield and passenger seat.
Georgia Mom Puts Out Plea
After a piece of metal crashed through her windshield, Myers asks trucks hauling cargo to secure their load.
“Fortunately, no one was sitting there. The most common person that sits in that seat is my 14-year-old son,” Myers said.
Walker County is about 90 minutes north of Atlanta on I-75. The court’s sheriff, Steve Wilson, said it wasn’t known exactly how the object came off or whether or not it was “a mechanical failure or if it was just lying on the trailer and came off.”
A Good Opportunity to Educate Drivers
“If you’re hauling anything, no matter what it is, as the Georgia law requires you to strap it down, secure it down. Tie it down to prevent it from coming off the trailer or truck,” Sheriff Wilson said.
Myers said it would be a lesson for her too.
“It does make me think twice about following as close, the distance. But the biggest thing it makes me think about is I do have a 14-year-old that’s about to be 15 and he will be driving,” Myers said. “There is no ill will against the person who did this. I just want people to pay attention to do a better job.”
A spokesperson for the Georgia State Patrol added, “These incidents do happen occasionally and even if it is just a trash bag or cardboard box, it can be dangerous because people swerve or lose control of their vehicles causing wrecks.”
Failure to Secure a Semi Load
The other driver involved in the incident got a ticket for failure to secure his load. Luckily no one was injured in the Meyers’ accident.
Georgia Statute O.C.G.A. 40-6-248.1(b) states that a motorist can’t operate or load for operation, on any public road, any vehicle with any load unless the load and its covering is securely fastened so it prevents the covering or load from:
- Becoming loose, detached, or in any manner becoming a hazard to other users of the public road; or
- Depositing litter on public or private property while such vehicle is on a public road.
Takeaway
Failure to properly secure a cargo load can cause serious injuries or even death when cargo is not properly tied down. In addition, big rig drivers are also required to make sure that they do not overload a semi.
Federal regulations require that 18-wheeler drivers and truck loaders be properly trained on the proper ways to secure and load cargo so it doesn’t move, shift, or fall off.
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