Dangerous Trailers U Haul Articles and Accidents

Detached U-Haul Trailer Strikes, Kills Pittsburgh Artist

2010-06-15T01:47:00.000-07:00

Detached U-Haul Trailer Strikes, Kills Pittsburgh Artist

Family, Friends Mourn Wood Sculptor

Posted: 9:39 pm EDT May 13, 2010Updated: 4:40 pm EDT May 14, 2010

PITTSBURGH -- Police in Pittsburgh said a trailer came loose from a passing pickup truck and struck an artist who was carving a wooden sculpture in the city's Larimer neighborhood.Authorities said John Metzler, 46, was using a chainsaw and wearing heavy ear protection when the small U-Haul trailer broke free from the passing truck along Washington Boulevard.Police said the truck hit a divot in the road and the trailer detached, hitting Metzler as he carved the sculpture Thursday night at his Urban Tree Forge studio in the East Liberty neighborhood.Metzler was taken to a Pittsburgh hospital, where he later died from his injuries.Police questioned the driver, but did not file charges.

They are still investigating the cause of the accident and are trying to determine if the trailer was properly attached to the truck.Metzler’s father, Fred Metzler, said his son started Urban Tree Forge two years ago.“It was his life,” Fred Metzler said Friday. “He loved nature. He loved trees. He loved just being. He loved life and, I guess, most of all, he loved his friends.”On Friday, friends and co-workers gathered at the workshop to pay tribute to John Metzler. They placed flowers in front of the workshop and hung a T-shirt by the front door.

“We have employees and he had a lot of friends and a lot of customers that were in the midst of dealing with him," Fred Metzler said.“He was a personal friend,” said Jim Fowkes. “He was a real great guy, always there when you needed him.”

Boy, 13, was moving with mother to Oregon, relative says

2009-10-03T03:09:00.001-07:00

Change Story Text Size: [-] [+] [Default]

Crash victim identified

Boy, 13, was moving with mother to Oregon, relative says

By Jessica Selva
Signal Staff Writer
jselva@the-signal.com
661-259-1234 x518
Posted: Oct. 1, 2009 10:04 p.m.
POSTED Oct. 2, 2009 4:55 a.m.
Authorities on Thursday identified a 13-year-old boy who died in a crash on northbound Interstate 5 in Newhall.

Kristopher Raymond Kelly died in the Wednesday collision just south of Calgrove Boulevard, said John Kades of the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office.

Kelly and his grandfather, Phil Logan Kelly, 68, were from Myrtle Point, Ore., according to the CHP report. However, a relative said Kristopher was in the process of moving with his family to Oregon from the Valencia area.

Kristopher was the passenger in a U-Haul truck his grandfather was driving when the truck crashed into an unoccupied vehicle parked on the right shoulder that had been involved in a previous, unrelated crash Wednesday afternoon, the report said.

California Highway Patrol officers were investigating the case to determine the cause of the fatal collision, said Officer John Lutz.

The investigation could take about eight days, he said.

A cousin of the boy's grandfather who lives in Coos Bay, Ore., described Phil Kelly as an "extremely kind man."

"He had gone down to California to pick up his daughter and her children," said Laurie Livermore, who added that the man's daughter was moving from the Valencia area to Coos Bay where she had just landed a job.

Livermore said Kelly's daughter and another child were following the U-Haul and arrived quickly at the crash site where her son was killed.

"It's so likely (Phil Kelly) was pulling over to help the people in the (prior) accident and wasn't aware of the weight of the truck," Livermore said, speculating about the cause of the crash.

About 2 p.m. on Wednesday, the U-Haul was fully loaded and pulling a trailer carrying a passenger vehicle.

Witnesses said the truck was traveling at speeds of 65 to 70 mph, according to the report.

Meanwhile, just south of the Calgrove Boulevard exit, a two-axle box van and another vehicle had parked on the right shoulder of the freeway after an unrelated collision that resulted in no injuries.

For unknown reasons, the boy's grandfather crossed onto the right shoulder where the van was parked, the report said.

He swerved to the left to avoid hitting the parked vehicle, but slammed into the left rear of the van, sending it spinning 180 degrees, according to the report.

The impact sent the van's cargo flying through its destroyed side wall.

The U-Haul stopped when it hit a guardrail on the right shoulder, the report said.

The 13-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:23 p.m., Kades said.

The grandfather was transported to the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

CHP officials did not suspect drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash.

U Haul 13-year-old boy who died earlier this week in crash on Interstate 5 in Newhall.

2009-10-03T03:03:00.000-07:00

By Jessica Selva
Signal Staff Writer
jselva@the-signal.com
661-259-1234 x518
Posted: Sept. 30, 2009 10:14 p.m.
POSTED Oct. 1, 2009 5:36 p.m.

UPDATE:

Authorities on Thursday identified the 13-year-old boy who died earlier this week in crash on Interstate 5 in Newhall.

Kristopher Raymond Kelly died in the Wednesday crash on the northbound I-5 just south of Calgrove Boulevard, John Kades of the Los Angeles County Office of Coroner.

Kelly and his grandfather, Phil Logan Kelly, 68, were from Myrtle Point, Ore., according to the CHP report. However, a relative said Kristopher was in the process of moving with his family to Oregon from the Valencia area.

Kristopher was the passenger in a U-Haul truck his grandfather was driving when the truck crashed into an unoccupied vehicle parked on the right shoulder that had been involved in a previous, unrelated crash Wednesday afternoon, the report said.

California Highway Patrol officers were investigating the case to determine the cause of the fatal collision, said Officer John Lutz.

The investigation could take about eight days, he said.

A cousin of the boy's grandfather who lives in Coos Bay, Ore., described Phil Kelly as an "extremely kind man."

"He had gone down to California to pick up his daughter and her children," said Laurie Liverpool, who added that the man's daughter was moving from the Valencia area to Coos Bay where she had just landed a job.

Livermore said Kelly's daughter and another child were following the U-Haul and arrived quickly at the crash site where her son was killed.

"It's so likely (Phil Kelly) was pulling over the help the people in the (prior) accident and wasn't aware of the weight of the truck," Livermore said, speculating about the cause of the crash.

+++++++++++++++++++

Original story:
A 13-year-old boy died and another person was injured Wednesday afternoon when a moving truck crashed into another vehicle parked on the right shoulder of Interstate 5 near Newhall, authorities said.

The death was the second in two days on the I-5 in and around the SCV. A man died Tuesday when he was struck by a wheel that flew off of a passing vehicle.

About 2 p.m. Wednesday, the boy was a passenger in a U-Haul truck headed northbound through the Newhall Pass. His grandfather was the driver, said California Highway Patrol Sgt. Rick Miler.

Meanwhile, just south of the Calgrove Boulevard exit, a two-axle box truck and another vehicle had parked on the right shoulder of the freeway after an unrelated collision that resulted in no injuries.

Somehow, the boy's grandfather veered off of the road and slammed into the parked box truck, Miler said.

Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics arrived about eight minutes later and pronounced the boy dead at the scene, said dispatch supervisor Art Marrujo.

One other person was transported to a local hospital, he said. The victim's identity and condition were not known.

CHP officers shut down the third and fourth lanes after the crash, Miler said.

The details of the collision were still under investigation, he added.

The crash came just a day after another fatality on the I-5.

On Tuesday at 11:38 a.m., John Magee, 66, of Sherman Oaks was hit by the tire of another vehicle as he stood by his truck on the right shoulder, CHP Officer John Lutz said.

Magee had stopped his 1970 Chevy pick-up truck on the right shoulder of the northbound freeway, south of Osito Canyon, to fix a flat tire.

He then walked to the driver's door momentarily to place something in the vehicle when a tire flew off of a trailer pulled by a passing SUV and hit Magee, Lutz said.

Magee was transported to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, where he died at 2:18 p.m. due to injuries, Lutz said.

Video Three of U Haul Tire Fly's Off

2009-06-20T00:20:00.001-07:00

Vide Two U Haul Tire Fly's Off

2009-06-20T00:03:00.000-07:00

Video One U Haul Tire Fly's Off

2009-06-19T23:40:00.000-07:00

Tire smashes into tractor trailer windshield on 401... From U Haul Trailer

2009-06-19T23:14:00.000-07:00

A transport truck with a U-Haul tire embedded in its window sits at the side of Highway 401 at Yonge, Friday, June 19, 2009.

Guy Orphanos remembers wondering where the tire was going to go as he talks to CTV Toronto on Friday, June 19, 2009.

The tire is seen wedged against the steering wheel inside the cab of the truck on Friday, June 19, 2009.

Tire smashes into tractor trailer windshield on 401

Updated: Fri Jun. 19 2009 7:35:06 PM

ctvtoronto.ca

A Montreal man is lucky to be alive after a tire smashed through the windshield of his tractor trailer on the westbound Highway 401, near Toronto's Yonge Street on Friday morning.

OPP Sgt. Dave Woodford said the tire struck the driver's side at about 10:30 a.m.

"It's embedded in the windshield," he said.

Guy Orphanos, the 47-year-old driver of the tractor trailer, was not seriously injured. But when he spoke to CTV Toronto, dried blood covered the lower portion of his face. He suffered multiple minor cuts from the flying glass.

"I was coming westbound and I saw the wheel . . . bouncing and it went in my window," Orphanos, who is from Montreal, said. "I was thinking, where is it going to go?"

He said it was fortunate the tire crashed into his big-rig -- which was travelling about 100 kilometres an hour -- rather than a small car with children.

Orphanos said his air-bag didn't release and the steering wheel saved him from the tire's impact.

"I was lucky," he said.

The wheel broke off a four-wheeled U-Haul trailer being towed by a car. The trailer, missing its front right wheel, was impounded by police.

The OPP said it is the first incident involving a U-Haul trailer in two years.

The damaged tractor trailer was also towed to an OPP station in Toronto.

With a report from CTV Toronto's Jim Junkin

Flying tire from U Haul trailer crashes through truckers' windshield on Hwy 401: ‘It was not my day to go up, I think’

2009-06-19T23:04:00.001-07:00

Flying tire crashes through truckers' windshield on Hwy 401: ‘It was not my day to go up, I think’

Posted: June 19, 2009, 9:51 PM by Rob Roberts

By Emily Senger and Catherine McDonald

A tractor-trailer driver is lucky to be alive after a tire flew off a U-Haul trailer and crashed through his front windshield this morning on Highway 401, police say.

Truck driver Guy Rophanos was near Yonge Street, heading toward Cambridge, at about 10:30 a.m. when a tire struck his vehicle and became embedded in the driver’s side of the windshield, said Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Dave Woodford.

‘‘I saw it bouncing. For a minute I thought, ‘It’s the end.’’’ Mr. Rophanos, 47, a Montreal father of two teenagers told Global News.

With a broken front windshield and a tire wedged against his steering wheel, he was able to pull over to the side of the road and stop his rig. Mr. Rophanos had only minor cuts and scrapes from the broken glass.

‘‘It was not my day to go up, I think,’’ he said.

Sgt. Woodford said he has seen similar accidents in the past, and people have been killed.

“I’ve seen tires go through before, but this one’s embedded in the window, so it’s a bit different,” Sgt. Woodford said. “This guy’s lucky he’s not dead. If it had hit a car, someone might be dead.”

National Post, Global News

Posted Reply's:

5 Comments

Click here to post a comment


by RonMelancon Jun 20 2009 6:33 AM	When you get a moment please go to www.dangeroustrailers.org Please note this whole class of vehicle is dangerous. Please note that No standards are in place for any trailer that is one pound under 3,000 pounds. Your Government along with Our Government does not care about the safety of the public that travels behind these trailers. In the United States since 1976 over 14,810 people have been killed... since 1988 over 449,000 injured and since 1988 over 1,500,000 have been damaged or destroyed. The NATM, U haul and Carry on trailers fought my Reflector Tape law in Virginia because it cost them $8.00 dollars to comply. In the United States we have 8 states that do not require SAFETY CHAINS!!!! We also have lost 8 police officers...2 Fireman and 1 FBI agent and nothing is done. In fact Governor Kaine has complety ignored this findings from the Virginia State Crash Team... Here is the last page of the Crash Team's Report: www.dangeroustrailers.org/.../TA14new.pdf "In Summary, this crash was caused when a homemade trailer detached from the pick up that towed it. It struck a Cadillac traveling in lthe opposing lanes of traffic, fatally injuring the driver. Trailers are a special class of vehicle and all are subject to some requirements regarding lights and chains. While the Code exempts some smaller trailers, those designed to carry over 3000 pounds are required to have brakes and to be inspected beyond the initial visual confirmations of a VIN plate. "HOWEVER, VIRGINIA STATE CODE IS SILENT AS TO ANY DESIGN OR CONSTRUCTION SPECIFICATIONS FOR THOSE VEHICLES OR FOR TOWING CHAINS AND HITCHES. The purpose of this TECHNICAL ALERT is to draw attention to the POTENTIAL dangers of unsafe trailers on roadways in the Commonwealth. In many cases, towed trailers may be in OBVIOUS violations of safety codes that relate to lighting, braking and inspection requirements. Wherever possible, LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS should be trained in ways to quickly and easily identify such vehicles. In other cases, a trailer may meet all legal requirements but still be hazardous when used in transportation. THE TEAM RECOMMENDS THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES, THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE POLICE AND OR MEMBERS OF THE VIRGINIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY REVIEW THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATIVE CODE AND CONSIDER WAYS TO IMPROVE SAFETY WITH REGARD TO TRAILERS OPERATED ON VIRGINIA ROADS. These companies are so in bed with your government and ours... they have given money to Congressman Whittman..... Go here to see what Delegate Pollard has tired to do... In 2005, Pollard patroned legislation which would have redefined a utility trailer so as to exempt it entirely from the requirements of approved reflectors or reflectorized material to outline the trailer. Pollard’s bill (HB4290) defined a utility trailer as a device “whose body and tailgate consist largely or exclusively of mesh and whose end extends 18 inches or more beyond its tail lights.” In 2005, the year of Pollard’s bill to reduce regulation of utility trailers, he received more than $3,200 in campaign money from Richmond and national lobbyists for transportation interests, including independent auto dealers and trucking interests, according to records maintained by the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP.org). Public safety crusader Ron Melancon, who successfully lobbied to remove Pollard’s definition of a utility trailer from the final bill, accuses Pollard of acting at the behest of the trucking and transportation industry to the detriment of public safety. So who am I??? I am a person who works retail... Who is almost in Bankrupsey because I decided to get involved... to try to save peoples lives and to point out that we have a problem. And all I get in return is these companies like U Haul and Carry On trailers that simply want to outspend me and destroy my family. Memo...to the Industry.... I will not give up and when I go in front of the judge.... I will tell the judge why!!! How long are we going to keep letting this happen.. when a loose trailer hits a school bus... It already has.. When it hits police officers? It already has When it hits firemen... It already has... When it hits a politician.... In fact it hit one in Kentucky.... It already has. You name me one product becides a vehicle that you can rent...buy.... that does this much damage This is just not right.....I have been on this for 7 years and nobody is lisening.

by RonMelancon Jun 20 2009 6:34 AM	Here are the U Haul Links from www.dangeroustrailers.org dangeroustrailersuhaularticlesandacc.blogspot.com public.fotki.com/.../dangerous-trailers--3

by RonMelancon Jun 20 2009 6:42 AM	A reporter told me that the OOP did a safety audit on these Utility trailers and found out that over 90 per cent were found to have problems. Can someone find this report and send it to my organization? contact www.dangeroustrailers.org e mail is dusterrm1@comcast.net

by RonMelancon Jun 20 2009 6:49 AM	You see U Haul trailers even hit a United States Congressman.... and he does nothing........ How many more warnings are we going to give this un regulated industry.... Note: The biggest loss leader for St. Pauls insurance company are these trailers... Go here... St. Pauls insurance knows I have this report... they do not publish it anymore!!! I wounder why? Lexington Herald-Leader (KY) October 22, 1997 Edition: Final Section: City & Region Page: B3 STATE ASHLAND RUNAWAY RENTAL TRAILER GIVES BAESLER CLOSE CALL Author: Compiled from Staff, Wire Reports Article Text: U.S. Rep. Scotty Baesler and several other people narrowly escaped injury when a loose U-Haul trailer broke through the glass in a solarium where they were eating lunch at a restaurant. Baesler, D-Lexington, was meeting at the Bluegrass Grill on Monday with several local Democrats about his 1998 campaign for the U.S. Senate when the trailer smashed a window in the glass wall. Jim Wells, driver of a Grand Cherokee pulling the trailer, had just rented the U-Haul at a location a quarter-mile to the east. "He made the curve but the U-Haul didn't," said Ashland lawyer Richard "Sonny" Martin, who was in Baesler's party. Lynn Prichard, another diner at the restaurant, said Baesler had just moved from a seat at the spot where the trailer broke through to talk to Marcus Woodward and Kenny Davis. Others in Baesler's party were Bob Wiseman, an aide to Baesler; Ann Crawford and Sue Ree Lexington Herald-Leader (KY) October 22, 1997 Edition: Final Section: City & Region Page: B3 STATE ASHLAND RUNAWAY RENTAL TRAILER GIVES BAESLER CLOSE CALL Author: Compiled from Staff, Wire Reports Article Text: U.S. Rep. Scotty Baesler and several other people narrowly escaped injury when a loose U-Haul trailer broke through the glass in a solarium where they were eating lunch at a restaurant. Baesler, D-Lexington, was meeting at the Bluegrass Grill on Monday with several local Democrats about his 1998 campaign for the U.S. Senate when the trailer smashed a window in the glass wall. Jim Wells, driver of a Grand Cherokee pulling the trailer, had just rented the U-Haul at a location a quarter-mile to the east. "He made the curve but the U-Haul didn't," said Ashland lawyer Richard "Sonny" Martin, who was in Baesler's party. Lynn Prichard, another diner at the restaurant, said Baesler had just moved from a seat at the spot where the trailer broke through to talk to Marcus Woodward and Kenny Davis. Others in Baesler's party were Bob Wiseman, an aide to Baesler; Ann Crawford and Sue Ree Lexington Herald-Leader (KY) October 22, 1997 Edition: Final Section: City & Region Page: B3 STATE ASHLAND RUNAWAY RENTAL TRAILER GIVES BAESLER CLOSE CALL Author: Compiled from Staff, Wire Reports Article Text: U.S. Rep. Scotty Baesler and several other people narrowly escaped injury when a loose U-Haul trailer broke through the glass in a solarium where they were eating lunch at a restaurant. Baesler, D-Lexington, was meeting at the Bluegrass Grill on Monday with several local Democrats about his 1998 campaign for the U.S. Senate when the trailer smashed a window in the glass wall. Jim Wells, driver of a Grand Cherokee pulling the trailer, had just rented the U-Haul at a location a quarter-mile to the east. "He made the curve but the U-Haul didn't," said Ashland lawyer Richard "Sonny" Martin, who was in Baesler's party. Lynn Prichard, another diner at the restaurant, said Baesler had just moved from a seat at the spot where the trailer broke through to talk to Marcus Woodward and Kenny Davis. Others in Baesler's party were Bob Wiseman, an aide to Baesler; Ann Crawford and Sue Ree

by RonMelancon Jun 20 2009 6:51 AM	Here is the report from St. Pauls... www.dangeroustrailers.org/.../study_utility_trailer_accident.pdf Also here is a memo from CAGC it is from your Country... and guess what has been done??? Nothing.. www.dangeroustrailers.org/.../trailer_accident911.pdf

Teen hurt when loose U-Haul trailer slams car

2008-07-25T10:53:00.000-07:00

Cranston Heights firefighters work to extricate a 17-year-old from the vehicle he was driving after a U-Haul trailer detached from a pickup and collided with the car.

Firefighters extract victim from car in Prices Corner crash

By TERRI SANGINITI • The News Journal • July 25, 2008

A 17-year-old Wilmington boy was critically injured Thursday morning when a U-Haul trailer detached from a truck and collided with his car in Prices Corner,

The crash happened at about 11:05 a.m. when a 2000 Hyundai Elantra, driven by Daniel Billinger, was heading west on Kirkwood Highway, state police Cpl. Jeff Whitmarsh said.

An eastbound pickup, operated by Andrew Downing, 24, of Wilmington, lost its U-Haul trailer under the Del. 141 overpass.

The pickup was towing a box-style cargo trailer that crossed into the westbound lanes and collided with the Hyundai.

The victim was trapped in his car for about 30 minutes before Elsmere firefighters got him out, said Richard D. Krett, assistant chief of New Castle County Paramedics.

The victim was treated on the scene for a fractured left leg and internal injuries, Krett said.

He was taken to Christiana Hospital in critical condition.

Downing had rented the trailer from the Shell Station at Kirkwood Highway and Duncan Road, police said.

Downing was cited for having an unsafe motor vehicle, Whitmarsh said.

The road was restricted to one lane in both directions for about an hour.

This is not the first time a U-Haul detached and caused a crash on Kirkwood Highway.

On May 15, 2004, Sara Eschavarria was driving east on Kirkwood Highway through the intersection of Upper Pike Creek Road, when a U-Haul trailer on a westbound car driven by Roger Mayfield, of Florida, detached and slammed into Eschavarria's car.

The car was sliced open and flipped over, trapping the driver for 25 minutes and leaving her with serious injuries.

Eschavarria filed a federal lawsuit against Mayfield and U-Haul in May 2005.

U-Haul was later dropped from the case after settling out of court.

During a March 2007 trial, the jury ruled in favor of Eschavarria and against Mayfield in the amount of $125,000 for compensatory damages.

Parents Killed In I-435 Crash, Kids Survive

2008-07-02T21:02:00.001-07:00

Police: Car With Trailer Hits Fed-Ex Truck

EDWARDSVILLE, Kan. -- A couple from Omaha, Neb., was killed in a crossover crash on Interstate 435 in Edwardsville late Tuesday night.Police said a Honda pulling a U-Haul trailer crossed the median at Kansas Highway 32 and collided with a tandem FedEx tractor-trailer in the northbound lanes.The driver of the Honda, Daniel Jamela, 37, was killed along with Marigold Jamela, 34. Two children, an 8-year-old and a 6-month old were taken to hospitals.
The 54-year-old driver of the tractor-trailer was not hurt.Authorities closed down I-435 to investigate the crash and clean up the wreck.Friends in Omaha said the Jamela family was moving to Dallas.

Omaha couple killed in I-435 crash described as 'wonderful people'

2008-07-02T21:00:00.001-07:00

Omaha couple killed in I-435 crash described as 'wonderful people'

By DAWN BORMANN

The Kansas City StarIn this photo provided by Pastor Jim Anderson of Omaha Memorial Seventh-day Adventist Church are Daniel and Marigold Jamela with their son, Mishael. Their daughter, 6-month-old Mario, wasn't born when the photo was taken.

An Omaha couple had started the first stretch of a move to Dallas on Tuesday night, but their path took a tragic turn in Wyandotte County.

Authorities said Daniel Jamela, 37, and Marigold Jamela, 34, died when their sport utility vehicle collided head-on with a tractor-trailer rig on Interstate 435 near Kansas 32 about 11 p.m.
The couple’s son, Mishael Jamela, 8, and daughter, Mario Jamela, six months, were taken to Children’s Mercy Hospital. The extent of their injuries was unknown.

The Kansas Highway Patrol said Daniel Jamela was driving a Honda SUV southbound on I-435 when he lost control. His vehicle crossed the median and struck the northbound semi.The SUV was pulling a rented U-Haul trailer. It was loaded with supplies for the family’s new apartment in Dallas.

A neighbor from Omaha said Daniel Jamela had planned to settle his family at the apartment and come back to Omaha to ready their house for sale.The news hit their close-knit Omaha neighborhood especially hard.“I’m shocked and heartbroken. I’m just saddened by the whole event, wondering where the kids will go, and I am heartbroken for them, too,” said neighbor Donna Firkins.Daniel Jamela was a nurse at Creighton University Medical Center. Marigold Jamela stayed home to care for their children.

The couple had a strong work ethic and were deeply spiritual, she said.“We loved them as neighbors and friends. They were wonderful people. They were very friendly and polite and intelligent,” Firkins said.

On Tuesday, the couple appeared happy to be moving to a warmer climate. Originally from Africa, they had moved from Texas five to seven years ago and were ready to leave Midwestern winters behind, friends said.

Friends and neighbors stopped by Tuesday to bid them goodbye. One of those who stopped by Tuesday spoke in their native language, Firkins said. But she and others were not sure whether the couple had family nearby.

When Firkins returned home about 6 p.m. Tuesday, the couple was preparing to leave. Firkins paused from unloading her groceries to say farewell.

“The mother just looked beautiful. She was holding her little girl. She had just gotten back from taking her to the pediatrician for her shots,” she said. “I said, ‘Oh, I have to say goodbye to you.’ She said, ‘You can have the tomato stands that are in my backyard,’” Firkins remembered.They promised to exchange Christmas cards. It was the last she heard from them.

“I don’t know how far they intended to go,” she said.Authorities said the entire Jamela family wore seatbelts, as did the semi-driver, Rodger B. Wilson, 54, of Brookfield, Mo., who was not injured.

The northbound lanes of I-435 were closed during most of this morning’s rush hour between Woodend Road and Kansas 32 in Edwardsville as authorities wrapped up their investigation of the accident. The lanes reopened about 8:30 a.m.
To reach Dawn Bormann, call 816-234-5992 or send e-mail to dbormann@kcstar.com. The

I-435 in Wyandotte County still closed after fatal accident

2008-07-02T20:57:00.000-07:00

I-435 in Wyandotte County still closed after fatal accident

Posted on Wed, Jul. 02, 2008 06:50 AM
I-435 in Wyandotte County still closed after fatal accidentThe northbound lanes of Interstate 435 remains closed this morning between Woodend Road and Kansas 32 in Edwardsville as authorities investigate a late-night fatality accident.One person died in the head-on collision between a sport utility vehicle and tractor-trailer rig. Three other occupants of the SUV were injured, one critically, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol. Those injured included two children who were taken by ambulance to Children’s Mercy Hospital.The SUV was pulling a rented trailer. The semi driver was not injured.Mike Rice, mrice@kcstar.com

DANGER IN TOW

2008-02-27T23:21:00.000-08:00

DANGER IN TOW

Driving with rented risks

template_bas

U-Haul International is the nation's largest provider of rental trailers. A Times investigation finds the company's practices raise the risk of accidents on the road.

By Alan C. Miller and Myron Levin, Times Staff Writers
June 24, 2007

TUCSON -- Marissa Sternberg sits in her wheelchair, barely able to move or speak. Caregivers are always at her side. Progress is measured in tiny steps: an unclenched fist, a look of recognition, a smile for her father.

Nearly four years ago, Sternberg was a high-spirited 19-year-old bound for veterinary school in Denver. She rented a U-Haul trailer to move her belongings, hitched it to her Toyota Land Cruiser and hit the road with her two dogs and a friend.

tp://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/uhaul/la061807trailersway-f,0,7481856.flash" target="win_30305406" onclick="if (window.windoid) windoid('','win_30305406',760,520,'resizable=0,scrollbars=0')">

Interactive Feature

How the crash happened

(Flash)

Photo Gallery

Photo Gallery

Graphic

Related Stories
-	Making his point, at 80 mph
-	About U-Haul International
-	Company battled U.S. safety rules


-	Contact the reporters

That evening, as the Land Cruiser descended a hill in the Chihuahuan Desert of New Mexico, the trailer began to swing from side to side, pushing the SUV as if trying to muscle it off the road.

"I knew something bad was going to happen," recalled Corina Maya Hollander, who was taking a turn behind the wheel. "We both knew."

The Land Cruiser flipped and bounced along Interstate 25. The trailer broke free and careened off the road. Hollander crawled from the wreckage, her head throbbing.

Sternberg, who had been thrown from the SUV, lay sprawled on the highway, unable to move.

"Where are my dogs?" she screamed. "Somebody go find my dogs!"

Sternberg fell victim to a peril long familiar to U-Haul International: "trailer sway," a leading cause of severe towing accidents.

Traveling downhill or shaken by a sharp turn or a gust of wind, a trailer can begin swinging so violently that only the most experienced — or fortunate — drivers can regain control and avoid catastrophe.

U-Haul, the nation's largest provider of rental trailers, says it is "highly conservative" about safety. But a yearlong Times investigation, which included more than 200 interviews and a review of thousands of pages of court records, police reports, consumer complaints and other documents, found that company practices have heightened the risk of towing accidents.

The safest way to tow is with a vehicle that weighs much more than the trailer. A leading trailer expert and U-Haul consultant has likened this principle to "motherhood and apple pie."

Yet U-Haul allows customers to pull trailers as heavy as or heavier than their own vehicles.

It often allows trailers to stay on the road for months without a thorough safety inspection, in violation of its own policies.

Bad brakes have been a recurring problem with its large trailers. The one Sternberg rented lacked working brakes.

Its small and midsize trailers have no brakes at all, a policy that conflicts with the laws of at least 14 states.

It relaxed a key safety rule as it pushed to increase rentals of one type of trailer, used to haul vehicles, and then failed to enforce even the weakened standard. Customers were killed or maimed in ensuing crashes that might have been avoided.

The company's approach to mitigating the risks of towing relies heavily on customers, many of them novices, some as young as 18. They are expected to grasp and carry out detailed instructions for loading and towing trailers, and to respond coolly in a crisis.

But many renters never see those instructions — distribution of U-Haul's user guide is spotty.

To those who receive and read it, the guide offers this advice for coping with a swinging trailer: Stay off the car's brakes and hold the wheel straight. Many drivers will reflexively do the opposite, which can make the swaying worse.

Yet when accidents occur, U-Haul almost always blames the customer.

Driving with rented risks

June 24 2007

Page 2 of 11

<<> 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 next >>

Proper loading of the trailer is crucial in preventing sway. U-Haul tells customers to put 60% of the weight in the front half and suggests a three-step process to check that the load is balanced correctly.

But the company has declined to offer an inexpensive, portable scale that would help renters get it right.

U-Haul vigorously defends its safety record. Executives say that the company diligently maintains its fleet of more than 200,000 trucks and trailers, and that decades of testing, experience and engineering advances have steadily reduced its accident rates.

"Our equipment is suited for your son and daughter," said Edward J. "Joe" Shoen, chairman of U-Haul and its parent company, Amerco. "On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say U-Haul is rated 10 in safety."

It is unknown how many U-Haul customers have crashed because of trailer sway. No government agency keeps track of such accidents, and U-Haul declined to provide a comprehensive count or year-by-year figures.

But statistical snapshots the company has produced in civil litigation hint at the scope of the problem and show that it has persisted for decades.

In a lawsuit stemming from the Sternberg crash, U-Haul listed 173 reported sway-related accidents from 1993 to 2003 involving a single trailer model.

In a case from the 1970s, the company disclosed 1,173 such crashes involving all trailer types during a 3 1/2-year period.

In other cases, it has listed up to 650 reported sway-related wrecks from about 1990 to 2002 involving two-wheeled trailers called tow dollies.

Still, U-Haul says statistics indicate that drivers towing its trailers are less likely to crash than are other motorists. This is so, U-Haul says, because people drive more cautiously when moving their families and belongings.

The claim has not been independently verified and is viewed skeptically by some outside experts.

Shoen said sway-related accidents almost always result from customer mistakes, primarily failing to load the trailer properly and exceeding U-Haul's recommended top speed of 45 mph. The company said both errors contributed to the Sternberg crash.

"U-Haul customers drive the equivalent of to the moon and back over 10 times a day," Shoen said in a recent conference call with investors, "and, regrettably, accidents occur."

TRAILER SWAY

U-Haul International Inc., founded in 1945, is the leader of the do-it-yourself moving industry. It sends millions of Americans out on the road annually in its signature orange-and-white trucks and trailers.

The Phoenix-based company, built on low cost and convenience, has about 1,450 company-owned centers and 14,500 independent dealers. It took in about $1.5 billion from equipment rentals last year.

Many U-Haul customers are college students, weekend movers and others who have never hauled a trailer before.

It is not unusual for a trailer to swing slightly. This normally poses little or no threat, but can be a sign of trouble.

Accidents often happen when a driver gains speed going downhill. The trailer whips from side to side more and more powerfully and finally takes control of the tow vehicle — a situation known as "the tail wagging the dog."

Peter Keith, a Canadian safety expert, described the danger in a 1984 report for transportation officials in British Columbia.

"When the trailer suddenly starts [to] swing violently, the driver can often be caught unawares and is further faced with a very dangerous situation which requires considerable skill and presence of mind to resolve," Keith wrote. "Probably only a small minority of drivers are in practice capable of bringing the vehicle combination back under control."

The weight of the tow vehicle relative to the trailer is a crucial factor. The heavier the tow vehicle, the easier it is to control the combination.

Richard H. Klein, an authority on trailer dynamics who has served as an expert witness for U-Haul, underscored the point during one court appearance. He was asked if he'd rather be driving "a larger tow vehicle than a smaller one" if a trailer began to swing.

"Yes," he replied. "That's like motherhood and apple pie."

In keeping with this tenet, other major companies do not allow customers to pull rental equipment with passenger vehicles. Penske Truck Leasing and Budget Truck Rental compete with U-Haul in renting two types of tow equipment: tow dollies and auto transports.

But Penske and Budget provide equipment only to customers who rent large trucks to pull the load. They say safety is the reason.

Penske's trucks are "engineered to pull these types of loads," said spokesman Randolph P. Ryerson. The company has "no way to make sure other vehicles would have the same adequate towing capabilities," he said.

U-Haul allows customers to tow its trailers, tow dollies and other equipment with passenger vehicles as well as with the company's large trucks. Most renters use SUVs or pickups, which have a high center of gravity and are prone to rollovers.

Moreover, customers are permitted to pull trailers that weigh as much as or more than their own vehicles.

Under U-Haul rules, the company's largest trailers, which are equipped with brakes, can outweigh the customer's vehicle by up to 25% when fully loaded. Smaller units, which do not have brakes, can weigh as much as the tow vehicle.

U-Haul says extensive research at an Arizona test track and other sites has shown that its weight rules are safe, provided customers use its equipment as instructed.

But the rules conflict with the safety recommendations of some auto manufacturers.

Ford Motor Co., for example, advises owners of the 2007 Crown Victoria, which weighs about 4,100 pounds, to tow no more than 1,500 pounds. Owners of the lighter Mustang are advised not to pull a trailer weighing more than 1,000 pounds.

U-Haul will allow a Crown Victoria to tow a trailer weighing up to 4,400 pounds and a Mustang to pull up to 2,500 pounds.

(U-Haul has banned towing with Ford Explorers since late 2003. Shoen said the SUV was not unsafe but had become "a magnet for attorneys.")

Honda Motor Co. says its vehicles should not pull trailers that weigh more than 1,000 pounds unless the trailers have brakes. General Motors offers the same advice for many of its models. Nissan Motor Co. tells owners of its Pathfinder SUV that trailer brakes "MUST be used" with a trailer weighing 1,000 pounds or more.

Yet U-Haul permits customers driving Pathfinders as well as Honda and GM vehicles to tow un-braked trailers that weigh more than that.

Some vehicle makers also recommend using sway-control devices with trailers above certain weights. These devices come in various forms and include bars or brackets that limit side-to-side movement of the trailer.

U-Haul says such equipment is not needed when "towing a properly loaded U-Haul trailer."

Automakers say their guidelines are meant to promote safety and prevent undue wear on engines, brakes and other components.

U-Haul Trailer Practices Raise Car Accident Risk, Newspaper Reports

2008-02-27T23:18:00.001-08:00

Send Feedback | E-mail this Article | Print this Article

U-Haul Trailer Practices Raise Car Accident Risk, Newspaper Reports

June 26, 2007

The nation's largest provider of rental trailers says it is "highly conservative'' about safety, but a newspaper investigation revealed that company practices have actually increased the risk of towing accidents.

U-Haul International lets its trailers remain in use for months without thorough inspections, a violation of company policy. Bad brakes are a recurring problem with the company's large trailers and its midsize trailers have no brakes at all.

Compounding this, U-Haul allows customers to pull trailers as heavy as or heavier than their own vehicles even though the safest way to tow is just the opposite — with a vehicle that weighs much more than the trailer. These allowances conflict with safety recommendations of many auto manufacturers.

The result: trailers have been known to begin swinging violently when drivers travel downhill or are shaken by a sharp turn, leading to serious accidents.

The year-long investigation by the Los Angeles Times into U-Haul's practices included more than 200 interviews and a review of thousands of pages of court records, police reports, consumer complaints and other documents.

In the company's view, many customers load the trailers incorrectly, drive too fast or fail to follow safety instructions. Distribution of the U-Haul's user guide, however, is spotty even though many of the company's renters are novices as young as 18.

The Phoenix-based company, which took in about $1.5 billion from equipment rentals last year, defends its safety record. Company executives say they diligently maintain the fleet of more than 200,000 trucks and trailers rented out of its 14,500 independent dealers.

U-Haul said drivers towing its trailers are less likely to crash than other drivers because people drive more cautiously when moving their families and belongings.

"Our equipment is suited for your son and daughter,'' said Edward J. "Joe'' Shoen, chairman of U-Haul and its parent company, Amerco. "On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say U-Haul is rated 10 in safety.''

No government agency keeps track of accidents from trailer sway and U-Haul declined to provide such figures. However, statistical snapshots from court documents hint at the scope of the problem.

U-Haul listed 173 sway-related accidents from 1993 to 2003 involving a single trailer model in a lawsuit stemming from a 2003 crash that left a 19-year-old in a wheelchair with brain damage. In other cases, the company listed up to 650 sway-related accidents from 1990 to 2002. In a case from the 1970s, the company listed 1,173 crashes involving all trailer types in more than three years.

The company's tow dollies used to pull vehicles are also vulnerable to sway.

Casey Curtis, who rented a U-Haul dolly in 2002, said he was never asked what he planned to tow and did not know weight could be a problem. Curtis used the dolly to hitch his Suzuki Samurai to tow a Geo Tracker and while going downhill in Utah in high winds, the dolly began to slide side-to-side.

The trailer came loose and flipped and Curtis hit an oncoming car.

"They didn't even ask me what I was towing,'' said Curtis, who escaped with minor injuries. "I had no idea what kind of consequences came from not having a heavier tow vehicle.''

Steve Taub, U-Haul's assistant general council, said the company began phasing in a computerized towing manual that halts rental contract if a worker inputs an improper weight combination.

Airline pilot Chris Burke's family wasn't so lucky. Burke was moving his family from Indiana to Florida in 2002, towing a Ford contour which fishtailed causing Burke's Explorer to smash into a guardrail and flip. Burke's infant son, Ryan, suffered a fractured skull and his wife Corry, 25, sustained sever spinal-cord damage. She is paraplegic.

Despite the company's claim that Burke was driving too fast, a jury awarded the family about $11.6 million in damages.

"Profits are No. 1,'' Burke said of U-Haul. "Safety concern for their customer is last. My wife will never walk again. There's not a day in my son's life when she will be able to pick him up and hug him. A judgment can't return that.''

How Safe are U-Haul Trailers?

2008-02-27T22:06:00.000-08:00

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 2/27/2008

After numerous rollover accidents the safety of U-Haul's trailers have been called into question.

U-Haul's CEO Joe Shoen is on a mission to prove that the U-Haul trailers seen all across the nation are safe.

Devin Letzer and his father Mark were pulling a U-Haul trailer on a straight stretch of Texas highway in 2003 when Devin says the trailer began to swing back and forth violently; it's called trailer sway.

As the U-Haul trailer jackknifed, both the SUV and trailer flipped. Devin's father, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was thrown from the SUV and killed instantly.

Devin described the accident, telling INSIDE EDITION, "I crawled out of the car to find my dad laying on the side of the road."

In a lawsuit filed against U-Haul, the Letzer family claimed the trailer had faulty brakes, which caused the accident. But U-Haul, as it often does, blamed the driver. They argued he was going faster than U-Haul's recommended speed and had loaded the trailer improperly.

According to U-Haul's CEO Joe Shoen, customers should "load the trailer heavy in front so that the rear of your car is depressed a little." Shoen says the most important thing anyone renting a trailer should know is to load 60% of the weight up front.

U-Haul, which does more than $2 billion a year in business, was founded 60 years ago by Shoen's father. On a test track near the company's headquarters in Phoenix he demonstrated the importance of loading the trailer properly.

By placing cement blocks on the front of a trailer bed, he simulated a proper load and drove around the track. Even swerving, the trailer stayed under control.

Then he moved the concrete weights to the back of the trailer, showing an improper load. He asked INSIDE EDITION's Senior Investigative Correspondent Matt Meagher to get behind the wheel.

When swerving just slightly, the car and trailer fishtailed sharply. After hitting the brakes, even at a slow speed, Meagher lost control of the car and the trailer.

U-Haul officials say every customer is supposed to be given an instruction booklet that contains vital loading information before they leave the lot.

But are customers being given the information U-Haul says they need? INSIDE EDITION decided to check.

Wearing hidden cameras, INSIDE EDITION rented U-Haul trailers in five states. At one location, we received an abbreviated copy of some safety instructions, but they were tucked into the contract and we didn't find them until after we had driven away. Out of 14 trailers rented, just one agent gave the booklet that U-Haul officials say all renters are supposed to receive.

Shoen was disappointed by the findings. "That's not what I'd like to hear today obviously." He added, "It always can be better and the experience you related, the answer is no, there's no wondering. If your experience is totally indicative, that's not good."

Dan Catalini was a manager with U-Haul for four years. He says he was fired after his sales decreased. He sued the company and lost.

When INSIDE EDITION asked Catalini about whether the instruction booklet was handed out to every renter with their trailer purchase, the former manager said no. According to Catalini the level of importance given to safety by U-Haul was "below sales.below customer service and probably somewhere after that."

CEO Shoen disagreed. "That simply is not true," he told INSIDE EDITION. Shoen insists safety is a top priority at U-Haul. But when INSIDE EDITION had some traffic safety officers with the Bergen County, New Jersey, Police Department look at some of the trailers randomly rented, they found plenty of problems.

A clamp, part of the system that supports the rear axle, was flimsy and fell off. Four of the fourteen trailers had directional or hazard lights that didn't work. One trailer appeared to have been in an accident and repaired with putty. On some trailers, INSIDE EDITION found rusted chains and frayed wires. On another trailer there was no brake fluid.

Every U-Haul trailer is supposed to have vital safety information posted on a sticker inside. The problem is, in almost every trailer INSIDE EDITION rented, that information was almost impossible to read.

Shoen says the trailers he sees are well-maintained, but says customers should speak up if they see any problems. "Whatever the reason is, you should immediately say, 'No, I don't want to rent this,'" he said.

Shoen also had another idea for those who may feel unsafe when renting a U-Haul trailer. He asked INSIDE EDITION to publish his cell phone number. Shoen says, "People can't get this organization to behave, I can." His cell phone number is 602-390-6525.

As for the Letzer family's lawsuit against U-Haul, the company settled, without admitting any wrongdoing.

Consult your vehicle's owner's manual to find the maximum recommended towing capacity.
Avoid improper loading. To be safe, trailers should be loaded with 60% of the weight towards the front of the trailer. Use tie-downs to keep the contents from shifting.
Be sure the trailer's electrical cable is properly connected between the trailer and the tow vehicle and all exterior trailer lights and the electric brakes (if so equipped) are working correctly.
If trailer sway occurs, do not slam on brakes. Instead, take foot off gas and maintain steady control of vehicle until you come to a complete stop.
Reduce driving speed and avoid making any sudden stops.
Allow for extra time when switching lanes, stopping and passing other vehicles.
Be sure the coupler or ball socket from the trailer fits properly over the ball mount of the towing vehicle.
Always connect the trailer's safety chains securely to the trailer hitch or tow vehicle by crossing them underneath the coupler.
Be aware of crosswinds and passing trucks while driving on highways.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/equipment/towing/towing.pdf

U-Haul
www.uhaul.com/tips/towing.aspx

California Department of Motor Vehicles
www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/dl648/dl648pt12.htm