LadyTrucker
04-08-2009, 11:02 AM
A Ringgold, GA man was killed Tuesday when the load on his lumber truck shifted and crushed him.
Terry Broom, an experienced truck driver from Ringgold, was driving along U.S. 41 near Clark Road when the wreck occurred about 3:20 p.m., said Cpl. D.C. Gleaton with the Georgia State Patrol post in Dalton.
Clark Road is near the Catoosa-Whitfield County line.
Broom, who has been with the lumber company for 20 years, suddenly applied his brakes, causing his load of boards to shift. As of Wednesday morning, it was not clear why he suddenly hit the brakes, Gleaton said.
Skid marks totaled 304 feet at the wreck scene, he said. The skid marks are in a straight line, which tells investigators that no evasive maneuvering was involved, indicating that another car was not involved.
Two witnesses did not see another vehicle. “It leaves us asking why he slammed on his brakes,” Gleaton said.
The corporal said one possibility could be that Broom heard the straps that held the boards break, and the noise startled him. One witness said she heard the straps break, while the other saw the boards sliding forward.
“It makes you believe there was a threat,” Gleaton said.
When the boards shifted forward as the truck came to a stop, they crushed Broom in his cab and killed him, Gleaton said. Broom may not have been able to take his foot off the brake once the boards came forward.
There was no indication that Broom’s truck was overloaded, and the initial investigation of the truck revealed no abnormalities or defects. The investigation is ongoing.
According to Gleaton, the case so far is being contributed to “driver error.” “It’s one of those mysterious things,” he added.
LINK TO ARTICLE...... (http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?show=localnews&pnpID=724&NewsID=957034&CategoryID=3418&on=1)
-----------------------------------------
Terry Broom, an experienced truck driver from Ringgold, was driving along U.S. 41 near Clark Road when the wreck occurred about 3:20 p.m., said Cpl. D.C. Gleaton with the Georgia State Patrol post in Dalton.
Clark Road is near the Catoosa-Whitfield County line.
Broom, who has been with the lumber company for 20 years, suddenly applied his brakes, causing his load of boards to shift. As of Wednesday morning, it was not clear why he suddenly hit the brakes, Gleaton said.
Skid marks totaled 304 feet at the wreck scene, he said. The skid marks are in a straight line, which tells investigators that no evasive maneuvering was involved, indicating that another car was not involved.
Two witnesses did not see another vehicle. “It leaves us asking why he slammed on his brakes,” Gleaton said.
The corporal said one possibility could be that Broom heard the straps that held the boards break, and the noise startled him. One witness said she heard the straps break, while the other saw the boards sliding forward.
“It makes you believe there was a threat,” Gleaton said.
When the boards shifted forward as the truck came to a stop, they crushed Broom in his cab and killed him, Gleaton said. Broom may not have been able to take his foot off the brake once the boards came forward.
There was no indication that Broom’s truck was overloaded, and the initial investigation of the truck revealed no abnormalities or defects. The investigation is ongoing.
According to Gleaton, the case so far is being contributed to “driver error.” “It’s one of those mysterious things,” he added.
LINK TO ARTICLE...... (http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?show=localnews&pnpID=724&NewsID=957034&CategoryID=3418&on=1)
-----------------------------------------