Heavy Rain causes multiple crashes (NC)

[TowNews]

This roll back was one of those vehicles involved in a crash.

 

 

Before 9 a.m., a tow truck hydroplaned and struck the concrete median barrier on I 40 near Rock Quarry Road. The owner of the wrecker company said the driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries. It was the first time in 15 years one of his trucks was involved in an accident, he said.

 

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[rreschran]

Carriers are the most common kind of tow truck to end-up in a ditch, go over the bank, into a K-Rail, or plow into someone else especially when there's rain, snow and ice. i've recorded as many as 8x tow operator's killed, ejected, rolled with rain being a primary, associated factor. The driving dynamics are completely different than driving in a car. And, when there's nothing on the carrier's deck, smooth and controlled braking go out the window. I attended Brian Riker's truck driving seminar in Dallas where his presentation was informative and correct regarding tow truck and driving operations. Brian noted that many accidents like this are the result of towers not being trained. I believe company owners should include wet-weather driving as a topic for safety meetings. The NHTSB states that 49-percent of all crashes are due to rain-caused accidents with the Number-1 factor being speed for conditions, suggesting motorists slow down their speed, increase following distances, and avoid standing water.

But, that's a tough one to first teach and then instill good habits to tow truck drivers.     R.