What a tragedy

[bdog]

In my hometown earlier this week an 80 year old married couple was driving on the loop around town in a small car and someone's receiver hitch fell out bounced up and went through the windshield. It struck the wife who was in the passenger seat and killed her. Police have still not located the vehicle it cam from.

 

[two_bit_score]

And they were just passing through town:
81-year-old woman dies of her injuries after tow hitch comes thr - KXXV-TV News Channel 25 - Central Texas News and Weather for Waco, Temple, Killeen |



TBS

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

That is terrible. Two seconds earlier or later and the results probably would have been different.

Something similar happened in Dallas a few years ago. A tire came out of a trailer or pickup bed and bounced right through someone's windshield on the freeway and killed them.

 

[buickanddeere]

Father-inlaw had to respond to a couple on a motorcycle that had passed a trailer loaded with plywood but not tied down. The Husband driving was fine but the passenger wife lost the top off her head.

 

[PILOON]

I've had 2 near misses that could have ended up like that.

First was a wheel that detached itself from a semi traveling in the opposite lane and came right at me but thankfully missed.
Second was a bumper that fell off of a scrappers truck. That one glanced off of my windshield corner post creating an insurance claim.

Both required a change of shorts.

 

[CalG]

I as the "fortunate"follower of a rendering truck loaded to capacity and then some.

As a corner on the mountain road was being negotiated, about 100 pounds of offal fell out. Took quite a swerve to avoid a real mess.

Massachusetts law has it unlawful to have a removable hitch mounted when NOT pulling a trailer.

Stow that hitch!

 

[Creamer]

How quick things can happen and life changes. I had a friend that had a cap come of a truck tires and go through her windshield and land in her passenger seat. Other than sprayed with broken safety glass she was not hurt but fortunately she got he car stropped safely. The truck probably never knew it happened.

 

[jerrybob]

Several years back in So. Calif.......my wife was on the freeway in her little Honda CRX......a guy driving in the fast lane towing an aluminum boat was going about 65mph.......the boat came off the trailer and bounced off the side of a pick up then flew into the side of my wife's car. Luckily.....that boat didn't fly up through the windshield. The gash on the side of her car was something to see......looked like someone took and old fashion can opener and went from the front bumper all the way through the front quarter panel. Lot of people stopped to help......a highway patrol car was back a few cars and saw the whole thing. My wife was lucky!

 

[David_Kb7uns]

Massachusetts law has it unlawful to have a removable hitch mounted when NOT pulling a trailer.

Stow that hitch!

And what is the section number of this law?

David

 

[Wagtail]

Massachusetts law has it unlawful to have a removable hitch mounted when NOT pulling a trailer.

Stow that hitch!

I agree with David 'cause if true it's a silly law. I mean, why?

The average person would 'stow' the hitch (if a ute) behind the front seats = a projectile in the case of an impact. The only reason that I can conceive of a reason for any 'law' such as this would be due to fender-bender damage due to parking incidents, not it coming off and flying through someones windscreen.

 

[Bird]

Massachusetts law has it unlawful to have a removable hitch mounted when NOT pulling a trailer.

I didn't know any state had such a law, if in fact they do, but I think that should be a law everywhere. I know a lot of people want to leave the hitch head on there in order to do maximum damage to any car that should rear end them. And if someone should walk by too close to the back of the truck, in a parking lot, they can get their shins damaged.

 

[Creamer]

I didn't know any state had such a law, if in fact they do, but I think that should be a law everywhere. I know a lot of people want to leave the hitch head on there in order to do maximum damage to any car that should rear end them. And if someone should walk by too close to the back of the truck, in a parking lot, they can get their shins damaged.

Are your parking lots in Texas that crowded that you walk that close to vehicles?

 

[Btown]

Massachusetts law has it unlawful to have a removable hitch mounted when NOT pulling a trailer. Stow that hitch!

I think that this law never passed. I have never heard of it and cannot find it in the MGL's. Most likely was passed by one of the legislatures but never enacted. The only thing I find online is several forums talking about this law.

 

[dieselcrawler]

Sad to hear about the woman mentioned in the first post... as to the 'remove the hitch' issue, that has been the topic of long threads on many forums, let's not clog up this thread with that debate...

 

[Bird]

Are your parking lots in Texas that crowded that you walk that close to vehicles?

I, personally, know to watch for the hitches sticking out behind pickups, which are already longer than most of the cars. But people who are watching the cars in the lane sometimes hurt themselves when they hit one of those trailer hitches.

The last accident I was involved in was in July, 2005, nearly 11 years ago. On an asphalt city street, downhill grade, very light rain, and as I approached a stop sign, a car ahead of me stopped for the stop sign, I stopped behind him, and a 26 year old young lady in a compact car slid into the back of my Ford Ranger. There was a fair amount of damage to both vehicles, but they were both drivable. I'm sure that if I'd had my hitch head installed, it would have made her vehicle need a wrecker. Should I have felt better if there was more damage to her car? Why would I (or anyone else) want to do more damage to her car?

 

[4570Man]

I, personally, know to watch for the hitches sticking out behind pickups, which are already longer than most of the cars. But people who are watching the cars in the lane sometimes hurt themselves when they hit one of those trailer hitches. The last accident I was involved in was in July, 2005, nearly 11 years ago. On an asphalt city street, downhill grade, very light rain, and as I approached a stop sign, a car ahead of me stopped for the stop sign, I stopped behind him, and a 26 year old young lady in a compact car slid into the back of my Ford Ranger. There was a fair amount of damage to both vehicles, but they were both drivable. I'm sure that if I'd had my hitch head installed, it would have made her vehicle need a wrecker. Should I have felt better if there was more damage to her car? Why would I (or anyone else) want to do more damage to her car?

I always keep a hitch in my truck. I pull a trailer several times weekly. I always remove the hitch in the Suburban when I finish towing because we constantly hit our shins on it or get grease on our clothes. We only pull a trailer a few times a year with it.

 

[EddieWalker]

Sorry to hear about the accident. A friend back in CA works for Allstate and has several stories about things like this happening with different objects falling off of other vehicles. It's my understanding that it's more common then most people realize. Worse one that I remember is when a pipe fell off a rack on a pickup truck and impaled the driver. She lived for some time with the pipe going right through her, but they where unable to save her.

As for having a tow ball on the back of your truck, I've been rear ended several times in stop and go traffic. The car hits my tow ball, bends up their plastic front bumper real bad, and there is absolutely no damage to my truck. For that reason alone, I love having my tow hitch in place.

 

[oldpilgrim]

Massachusetts law has it unlawful to have a removable hitch mounted when NOT pulling a trailer.

Been here 70 years and never heard of it.

 

[oosik]

Many years ago I was third car following behind a flat bed truck loaded with 100# cylinders of compressed gases of all types. Something happened and row by row the cylinders moved back and fell off the back of the truck. Most landed on their heads - had the heads knocked off and became air borne missiles. No body was hurt but several of the cylinders did blast thru the walls of businesses adjacent to the road. It was very fortunate that no one was injured - this happened in downtown Anchorage.

 

[CalG]

Been here 70 years and never heard of it.

Got that tidbit from my neighbor. He is a VT state trooper (Captain) I took it for fact, maybe something like dingle balls hanging from the mirror.
I doubt you time of residency has anything to do with it.