Tower Injured 10.03.20 (UT)

[TowNews]

Two transported to hospital in critical condition after tow truck rolls in North Salt Lake

 

NORTH SALT LAKE, Utah, Oct. 4, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — Two men were transported to University of Utah Hospital with critical injuries Saturday evening after a rollover accident on Eagleridge Drive.

 

Sgt. Terry Fritz, with the North Salt Lake Police Department, told Gephardt Daily a tow truck with an unoccupied vehicle on its flatbed failed to make a turn and rolled.

 

The driver of the truck had to be extricated and was flown to the hospital in critical condition by AirMed helicopter.

 

The passenger in the tow truck was ejected and was transported in critical but stable condition to U of U Hospital by ground ambulance.

 

Sgt. Fritz said later Saturday that no update was available on either man’s condition.

 

It appears that speed was definitely a factor in the crash, but the incident is still under investigation and it isn’t known if a mechanical problem may have been involved, Fritz said.

 

Part of Eagleridge Drive, east of Orchard and Parkview, was closed to traffic while the scene was investigated and then cleared.

 

RESOURCE LINK

Tow truck rollover leaves 2 in critical condition, closes Eagleridge Drive in North Salt Lake

NORTH SALT LAKE — Two people are being treated for critical injuries after a tow truck rolled over Saturday evening.

 

North Salt Lake Police Sgt. Terry Fritz said officers received reports of the crash just before 6 p.m. The tow truck was driving near Eagleridge Drive and Valley View with an unoccupied vehicle on its flatbed. The truck was going too fast and was unable to make a turn when it rolled 1½ times and damaged a guardrail, Fritz said.

 

The driver had to be extricated from the truck and was flown in a helicopter to the hospital in critical condition. The passenger was transported in an ambulance to the hospital in critical but stable condition, according to Fritz.

 

Eagleridge Drive will be closed for a few hours for investigation, according to a Facebook post from North Salt Lake Police Department. City sweepers are currently cleaning up the scene.

 

RESOURCE LINK

[Steve Catlett]

I hope everyone will be alright 

[Greg Cravens]

Sending positive thoughts up North to the folks impacted by this tragic event. 

[mooresbp]

Our thoughts and prayers

[auto rescue]

Wishing them both the best of outcomes.

[Doreen ur Finance Lady]

Praying for the both of them.

[rreschran]

I too hope the driver and his customer are OK and pray for their quick recovery. What an especially frightening occurrence as a customer to have this happen. So, I look to focus on the cause of the crash and try and appoint teaching lessons to be learned.

 

Years ago I wrote an article in Towman on the effects and dynamics of loaded flatbed carriers at-speed. From the brief description told herein, it sounds as though speed allegedly was the primary factor in the carrier crash. The reporting is pretty clear to include seatbelts not being worn as an additional cause of injury. I would guess that most companies don't ever have a training session on this topic. but one none-the-less critical to keeping the carrier upright and on its wheels. Accordingly, there's a term most drivers and tow operator don't know. The term is, "Yaw", as it relates to motions and actions caused by speed, momentum and gravity. Simply said, If the tow trucks, "Yaw Rate", is too much into a turn ... the truck's going over. And, once it reaches that tip-over point, there's generally no bringing the tip back to upright.    (Hey Greg!!)    R.