Tower Down: 11.15.19 (CA)

[TowNews]

Tow truck driver killed on 101

 

UKIAH, 11/16/19 -- A tow truck driver was killed yesterday when the vehicle he was preparing to load into his flatbed truck rolled over him, according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP).

 

Jesus Hernandez, 47 of Santa Rosa, was loading a disabled pick-up onto his flatbed tow truck, on the shoulder of the northbound lanes of U.S. Route 101 near Comminsky Station Road, yesterday evening. Emergency personnel found the flatbed lower, and the winch attached to the disabled pick-up. Hernandez was found on the ground next to the the pick-up which was in neutral gear, and appeared to have rolled over him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

 

Tor truck driving is among the most dangerous job in America. In fact, only a handful of other professions have a higher fatality rate, those being roofers, pilots and flight engineers, and two other venerable Mendocino professions: fisherman and loggers.

 

Here is the summary of the incident from the CHP:

 

On 11-15-2019, at approximately 1840 hours, the CHP Ukiah Area received a call of a traffic collision on the east shoulder of US-101 near Comminsky Station Road. Upon arrival of emergency personnel, the involved party was pronounced deceased. Preliminary investigations revealed that the tow truck operator (later identified as Jesus Hernandez) was attempting to tow a disabled pickup. The flat bed on the tow truck was lowered and all rear white and yellow lights were activated. The winch on the tow truck was attached to the pickup. Hernandez was on the ground near the front of the pickup. It appears that the pickup, which was in neutral, rolled forward causing fatal injuries to Hernandez. The incident remains under investigation. Alcohol and drugs are not believed to be a factor in this collision.

 

CHP

 

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[GRUMPS The Towman]

Another horrible tragedy. We all must be more careful and aware of our surroundings while we are out there. it seems as though Operator Hernandez might have been rolled over by the truck while attaching his bridle. Gotta make sure your casualty vehicle cant roll away on you while your under there rigging up.Not to be brash, but We have enough operators getting wiped out by lazy, discourteous and inattentive drivers, we cant make mistakes on our own end that cause us to lose more brother tow operators. Rest easy Operator Hernandez.

[Moose]

RIP Yet another Tow Op that won't be hope for the Holiday's. So Sad, everyone let others know of this tragic incident so that they might take the precautions and make it Home for the Holidays!

[mooresbp]

Our thoughts and prayers go out to him.

[rreschran]

Christine and I send our prayers and support to Mr. Hernandez's family and the company he worked for.

 

This weekend I held another CHP Tow Operator Safety Course with 21-drivers in attendance. Of the 21-driver, six were senior drivers and the rest with two-years or less experience. A segment of my training is specific to carrier use where I spend considerable time discussing the potential causes that has killed as many as a dozen tow operators when the cable snaps, the hydraulics let go, the winch fails, and most commonly, the free-spool handle was not fully engaged. In this class, most of the drivers either were not aware of the workings of the free-spool handle. And, when any of these items or systems let go, towers fail to attach a topside safety strap of safety chain to prevent accidental runaway.

 

The final component they fail to recognize is when they should be NOT be standing behind a carrier's tailboard to apply rear ratchets and straps or J-Hooks and chains. For carrier's, I personally prefer that 8-point tie-down straps (by design and application) takes the tower out of the roll-away path.

 

When we critiqued the free-spool session, at least half of the newish drivers said that their company training didn't go into the workings of the winch nor did training talk about the fine points of using free-spool. Because a carrier's winch is the number-one component of carrier use, company training should spend a sufficient amount of time to provide a detailed training session that has focus's on the attachment process more than simply, "Grab the handle and pull ... then do the same in reverse."

 

Another part of my course has focus on attachment accessories and cable condition where smashed and compromised cable can separate and lead to accidental roll-away. So, when this kind of incident occurs and OSHA gets wind of it, a full-on investigation will ensue where OSHA will assuredly focus their investigation on the truck's winch, cable, the truck's condition and a company's in-house training.     R.

[rreschran]

I've heard varied reports to suggest the pickup truck being loaded was in neutral and rolled forward toward the carrier running over the tower. If someone can clarify the manner the fatality occurred it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.    R.

[TowZone]

Randall that is the way the initial report made it sound. Since I have not seen any other reports of the incident nothing has been confirmed.

[GRUMPS The Towman]

I agree. Thats the way i interpreted what the initial report stated. it seems to me he may have been lying in front of the casualty, possibly attaching his bridle between his lowered deck and the casualty vehicle rolled forward towards the deck and over the operator.