Calgary women killed by rock through windshield

[Elkhunt]

Sad for the family

[bigdaddy37]

I've been running through this and can't quite figure some things out...

If the stone was lodged between tires, wouldn't the driver have noticed? Wouldn't the flatbed have handled odd and been hopping around a bit? If it was in the truck tires, wouldn't the driver feel the uneven balance on his truck?

Another question I have: The car travelling north was struck in the windshield by a 30cm stone thrown from a truck travelling south. If it was thrown from between the tires, it would have came off and been travelling straight north, the same direction as the vehicle it struck, and not crossed into the northbound lane until it bounced at least once or struck something to cause it to change directions. If it bounced, I can't see how a rock that size could bounce high enough to strike a car at head height in the windshield. I also can't see how it would have come straight off the tires and into the other lane until it bounced. Centrifical force causes an object to travel in a straight line once released and I can't see how it would cross into the northbound lane until it bounces. The rock didn't leave the tires on an angle. It would have come off going straight backwards.

To strike the windshield of a northbound car after the stone left the rear wheels of a trailer, the impact would have had to occur many meters after the vehicles passed each other as the rock was slowing down and bouncing significantly lower each time. And with each bounce, the rock becomes less likely to strike the windshield and more likely to hit the grill.


It just doesn't make sense that it happened that way. I think the rock fell of the trailer.

[.308]

Originally Posted by bigdaddy37

I've been running through this and can't quite figure some things out...

If the stone was lodged between tires, wouldn't the driver have noticed? Wouldn't the flatbed have handled odd and been hopping around a bit? If it was in the truck tires, wouldn't the driver feel the uneven balance on his truck?

Another question I have: The car travelling north was struck in the windshield by a 30cm stone thrown from a truck travelling south. If it was thrown from between the tires, it would have came off and been travelling straight north, the same direction as the vehicle it struck, and not crossed into the northbound lane until it bounced at least once or struck something to cause it to change directions. If it bounced, I can't see how a rock that size could bounce high enough to strike a car at head height in the windshield. I also can't see how it would have come straight off the tires and into the other lane until it bounced. Centrifical force causes an object to travel in a straight line once released and I can't see how it would cross into the northbound lane until it bounces. The rock didn't leave the tires on an angle. It would have come off going straight backwards.

To strike the windshield of a northbound car after the stone left the rear wheels of a trailer, the impact would have had to occur many meters after the vehicles passed each other as the rock was slowing down and bouncing significantly lower each time. And with each bounce, the rock becomes less likely to strike the windshield and more likely to hit the grill.


It just doesn't make sense that it happened that way. I think the rock fell of the trailer.

you have obviously never driven truck OR seen what can happen from a rock lodged between tires....I saw a rock fly out from the duals of a semi on the yellowhead in Edmonton and to this day I have no idea how it never hit a car as it shot out like a rocket and missed me and was all over the place. It makes perfect sense

[220swifty]

Originally Posted by Rocky7

It's possible. Extreeeemely unlikely, but possible.

I'd wager that taking a rock through the windshield with enough force to kill your passenger is highly unlikely too, but evidently it happens.


Just to add my story, we were travelling HWY 2 northbound a few years back, near Carstairs, passing a tank truck. He lost what I initally thought was a hose end complete with hammer union and it bounced out in front of us. I had enough time to hit the brakes, which saved my life, but not the plastic bumper on my wife's car. If I hadnt reacted, it likely would have been at face height and gone thru my skull rather than the bumper.

Once we got everything settled down (our dog died in front of us in Hwy 2 traffic as a direct result of this) the trucker told me it was his short shaft that broke loose, not a hose end. I have always wondered since, how often a driveshaft comes off a rig without giving the driver some sort of notice (vibration, noise etc.)


Also as a note, when ever we get a crane on site for work, the good operators will check between duals for 'cannonballs' before hitting the pavement again.

[Dacotensis]

Too bad, totally preventable.
It takes a few minutes to clear the rocks from trailer decks and btwn wheels.
I look at it like "would I want to be behind my trailer"? Common sense and respect for others on the road.

[bigbuck19]

Sad something like this happened.. Professional drivers should make the time to clean off their trailers, especially a rock that big. I had a golf ball fly off a trailer hauling golf carts once, came right at my window and bounced off, scared the hell out of me because it was square with my face. Amazing the speed things reach from flying off a trailer. Can't imagine being in this situation.. tragic.

[ctd]

Nothing said will bring the Women back or comfort the family of their sudden loss. My Condolances.

With out knowing the actual details of the incident some of you are already blaming the driver of the semi truck.
To many what ifs.
Lets see what happens once they release the investigation.
We have all seen bad drivers in commercial vehicles and in private ones.
The end result is even if the driver had of done a proper pre trip, he could have picked up the rock on the road, or possibly of hit the rock with his tires and caused it to shoot outwards. Yes this does happen.

Some of the questions on here are really good, some of the speculation is not so good. Tomorrow I will try and post some answers to the questions from my expierance.

[FishingMOM]

Originally Posted by .308

you have obviously never driven truck OR seen what can happen from a rock lodged between tires....I saw a rock fly out from the duals of a semi on the yellowhead in Edmonton and to this day I have no idea how it never hit a car as it shot out like a rocket and missed me and was all over the place. It makes perfect sense

Look at the case in Calgary a couple years back
2 youngish boys put a big rock on the road wanting to see what would happen when a bus hit it.
Rock was launched thru the air and blew part of the one boys head off.

[Big Daddy Badger]

Originally Posted by .308

wow that is pretty sad. My question is, I used to drive truck and we had to do a walk around and check for rocks like that between the tires (we called them potatoes or rockets) its called a pretrip. Did this trucker maybe not do that?

I would say...yes...he did forget to do that.

Its a big problem out that way although that was a huge rock...usually it'll be something about fist sized or smaller.

Folks lose windshields that way quite often.

In fact... when I lived there if you lost a windshield and called the company that owned the truck... they'd just rubber stamp your claim.

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by Austin

is there places rocks this size can hide within the bed? Tragic.

I've been a truck driver of one sort or another for most of my working life.
And I've driven everything from a bakery delivery truck to heavy haul rigs pulling buildings, and everything in between.

So let me answer that question if I may.

It is possible. Like on the frame rails for instance. But most often the rock would come from one of three places.

From between the duals on any dual axle, truck or trailer. These would be visible in most inspections, IE walk around. But at times they can be hard to spot.

From the deck of the trailer. Unlikely to be missed in an inspection.

From the road surface, after falling off a previous truck. Often unseen by the driver.


Rocks between the tires is a common problem for trucks operating in loose pit run gravel, as in gravel trucks. It's uncommon with other trucks because not many would have to drive over such large stones very often.

Rocks between the tires can be dislodged by the tire's rotation and when they do they can travel a lethal velocities and at almost any angle.
It all depends on what point in the tires rotation they dislodge from.

Rocks on the decks of trailers is common with equipment haulers and they are the least likely to be lethal, because they simply rattle or bounce off and drop straight down. However, if the truck then runs over that rock, or if another truck does, we have the last and most lethal source.

Rocks laying on the road that get run over can be the worst. They can and often do travel at ballistic velocities and can travel at any angle, but most often travel on a upward trajectory at close to right angles from the tire that ran over it.

I once saw a rock the size of an egg squirt out from under a passing truck with enough force to punch through a metal building.
A co-worker of mine had a rock the size of a baseball squirt out from under one of his tires, pass through a gathering of drivers, ricochet off a parked truck with enough force to come back through the crowd and dent the side of his truck. And no one was injured. However, a local store did have a run on underwear that day.

Frankly I am amazed that more people aren't killed by rocks flying off trucks tires.

[LB 270]

I put on nearly 5500k's a month and the front of my truck and my windshield are a mess. The crap coming off of trucks of all sizes is crazy. On Anthony Henday a pick up with a goose neck flat deck had enough gravel still on it to take out a whole line of cars. I took about 20 missiles trying to get around him. He had his cell phone/company phone on the side of his truck so I called him and told him to pull the f over and sweep his trailer off before he killed someone. To his credit he did pull over immediately. Dump trucks are the biggest offenders I have found. They have a sign on the side of the box with a registration # and a 1-800 phone number to call if you see rocks coming off the truck. I use it regularly, my new truck looks like it's been sprayed with a machine gun!!!

LB

[32-40win]

Saw rocks come off logging trucks more than a few times in the Cariboo in BC. I had one on a road just NW of Peace River that I saw leave the duals on the tractor, hit just above the centre of the windshield on my Jeep. Put a good dint in the frame, cracked the windshield all to krap, that was about a 3" rock.
I can still see that thing coming out of those tires, no time to react.
Always a bit nervous about duals with no fenders coming the opposite way on a gravel road since then.

[great white whaler]

sad stuff ,.tear to my eyeo ick up the peices,god bless