Defective Trailer Hitches

Since for maintenance contractors it is an everyday occurrence to be hauling trailers filled with equipment, it pays to pay attention because the consequences can also be deadly.

The trailer, which held a landscaping vehicle, rolled into the other lane and collided with the car. The driver of the pickup truck was cited with failing to secure a load and other moving violations, officials said.

In Iowa, a truck pulling a trailer loaded with mowing equipment crossed the centerline. The truck veered into the path of a vehicle whose driver attempted to avoid it, but the truck jackknifed, causing the trailer to impact the vehicle driver’s side. The vehicle driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The truck driver was uninjured.

Virginia DOT recently reported a logging truck’s trailer hitch broke, scattering more than a dozen large logs onto the roadway. The incident fortunately didn’t hurt anyone, but damaged property had to be replaced at the owner’s cost.