The Wrong Way to Launch a Boat

[dperone]

We were called by the NJSP to respond to a motor vehicle accident involving a pick up pulling a boat on a trailer. Upon arrival we found a pick up truck in the woods with the front bumper wrapped around a pole. The force of the impact caused the boat to break free of the trailer and land on top of the pick up. The combination came to rest at the edge of an embankment causing the boat to want to slide down the hill.

 

 

 

The trailer was still in one piece so my first order of business was to lift the boat off of the tongue so we could get the trailer back on the road. Once the trailer was free I kept lifting the boat and pulled it back into the road where we loaded it back onto the trailer. 

 

With the boat and trailer out of our way we turned our attention to the truck. It was leaning against one tree on the side and fully wrapped around another to the front. I ran 2 lines and wiggled the truck away from the trees. Once clear of the trees we backed a flatbed up the rear and started loading it. The steering column was broken so the wheels were stuck turned to the right, complicating the loading process. I kept both of my lines hooked to the truck to help steer it up the bed.

 

 

Considering the scope of the recovery and the tight working quarters, the recovery and loading went extremely smooth. The owner had a friend on scene with the fire department who was willing to tow the trailer and boat home so we just had to worry about towing the truck to our shop about 25 miles away.

[Orcas Tow]

Got to love a multi piece recovery, thanks for sharing.

[EdsTowing]

Looks good.