Last week a close member of my family was killed in a car accident in Arizona. This accident was caused when the SUV she was riding in swerved to avoid hitting an object that flew off the back of the pick-up truck driving in front of them, went off the road and rolled.
The driver of the pick-up truck either didn't realize that something had fallen off his truck or he/she didn't care--anyway, he/she didn't even stop.
Like many accidents, this horrible event was ENTIRELY preventable--if the people in the pick-up truck had been more careful securing their cargo, my cousin would be alive today. Unfortunately, the local newspapers didn't report the accident, so the pick-up truck driver probably never even realized what he/she had done--got home, found something missing off the back of the truck and shrugged oh well, I wonder what happened to that?
I beg anyone out there reading this--if you have a truck and you transport stuff in the back please please PLEASE make sure you are well-tied down. It's no joke when something comes off the back of your truck and you--and the car behind you--are going 65 miles an hour. The life you save might not be your own but it is sure as hell just as important.
I know lots of people with trucks, and my family has one, too--we've all driven literally thousands of miles with stuff in the back, and let me tell you, when we tie down, we double and triple check everything to make sure there is no way anything is coming off the back.
I only wish the jerks driving the pickup truck on the Beeline Highway last Saturday afternoon had been so careful. They've probably already forgotten about their weekend trip to Saguaro Lake, but no one in my family or my cousin's family is ever going to forget it.
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3 comments:
My condolences on your and your family's loss. I've read that just this type of accident has become endemic to the west . . .
Thank you. And I guess I should also say, if a loaded pickup pulls in front of you--pull away quickly and find someone else to drive behind.
I am so sorry. That is just terrible. Any time a family member dies, it's a tragedy, but to have it be such a thoughtless, stupid accident...that's just unbearable. I can't believe the truck driver didn't even stop. My condolences to you and your family. *hugs*
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