Bay Bridge Accident

[Cowgirl]

Would a safety chain actually hold at 65MPH? Wouldn't the trailer start whipping around pretty violently at that speed? If the driver slowed when the trailer came undone, wouldn't there be a bad jack-knife? Do we even know if the driver didn't use chains? Maybe it was just a simple mechanical failure....

Well, the speed limit on the Bay Bridge isn't 65 MPH...so he shouldn't be going that fast...especially pulling a trailer (in an ideal world nobody would speed ). Safety chains should hold..... Your supposed to criss cross them when you hook them up so it holds up the tongue should the trailer come unhitched. I'm sure the trailer would have been weaving terribly, but it probably wouldn't have caused such a ruckus. The driver could have stopped and fixed the problem.

Why would there be a jack-knife? The trailer would have most likely hit the SUV that was pulling it when the driver realized what happened and slammed on his brakes. The news report said the driver didn't use chains. :shrug:

 

[Kevlar]

Well, the speed limit on the Bay Bridge isn't 65 MPH...so he shouldn't be going that fast...especially pulling a trailer (in an ideal world nobody would speed ). Safety chains should hold..... Your supposed to criss cross them when you hook them up so it holds up the tongue should the trailer come unhitched. I'm sure the trailer would have been weaving terribly, but it probably wouldn't have caused such a ruckus. The driver could have stopped and fixed the problem.

Why would there be a jack-knife? The trailer would have most likely hit the SUV that was pulling it when the driver realized what happened and slammed on his brakes. The news report said the driver didn't use chains. :shrug:

Most of the time on that bridge, especially in the vicinity of the crash, if you aren't doing 65 you get run over.

Do you have a link to a story that says chains were not used? I have not seen that anywhere.

 

[Cowgirl]

Most of the time on that bridge, especially in the vicinity of the crash, if you aren't doing 65 you get run over.

Do you have a link to a story that says chains were not used? I have not seen that anywhere.

I have driven that bridge thousands of times.....I usually go with the flow of traffic. BUT if I have a trailer, I go the speed limit. Screw everyone else. :shrug:


I'll look for a link.

 

[jazz lady]

Most of the time on that bridge, especially in the vicinity of the crash, if you aren't doing 65 you get run over.

Very true. From The Washington Post:

Vehicles on the three-lane span, which at the time was carrying traffic in both directions, had been traveling faster than the posted 50 mph limit immediately before the crash, a motorist said. The span has no median divider.

And they've released the names of the three men who were killed, which included a father and son. Very, very sad.

Do you have a link to a story that says chains were not used? I have not seen that anywhere.

I have yet to see that but it seems pretty obvious that must have happened for the trailer to detach like that. I'm sure it will come out in reports soon as the investigation winds down.

 

[Cowgirl]

Do you have a link to a story that says chains were not used? I have not seen that anywhere.

I don't see it written in any of the articles. My coworker told me this morning...so I just asked her again, and she said "I don't remember."

 

[Kevlar]

I don't see it written in any of the articles. My coworker told me this morning...so I just asked her again, and she said "I don't remember."

I just looked up maryland law for chains:

"3) These chains or cables shall be connected to the towed and towing vehicle and to the towbar to prevent the towbar from dropping to the ground if it fails."

The person could have been using legal chains but the chains could still not be able to handle the load of an overturning or jack-knifing trailer.

I'm not making excuses for what happened, but it isn't fair to rush to judgement about the person towing the trailer until we know what happened.

 

[Cowgirl]

The person could have been using legal chains but the chains could still not be able to handle the load of an overturning or jack-knifing trailer.

I didn't see it saying the trailer overturned or jack-knifed. All of the articles say the trailer became unhitched. :shrug: I can't think of a reason that the trailer would jack-knife or flip over....the driver was just driving over the bridge. The trailer became unhitched and caused the accident...it didn't come off during the accident.

I'm not making excuses for what happened, but it isn't fair to rush to judgement about the person towing the trailer until we know what happened.

But I'm going to assume it was an error in the way the trailer was hooked up. If we find out otherwise, I will apologize.

 

[Inkpen]

I didn't see it saying the trailer overturned or jack-knifed. All of the articles say the trailer became unhitched. :shrug: I can't think of a reason that the trailer would jack-knife or flip over....the driver was just driving over the bridge. The trailer became unhitched and caused the accident...it didn't come off during the accident.



But I'm going to assume it was an error in the way the trailer was hooked up. If we find out otherwise, I will apologize.

Channel 9 showed a picture of the little utility trailer. The chains were wrapped around the tounge and it was said that it looked like the chains were never used.

 

[Speedy70]

It's terrible that the jackass pulling the trailer didn't use the safety chains. It was probably a knee-jerk reaction of the other drivers to swerve.....but the trailer was only 4'X6'....the shoulda just hit it. I imagine the driver of the SUV that was pulling the trailer is going live with that guilt for the rest of his/her life.

A coworker told me that the showed the safety chains on the truck, which safety trains are always on the trailer. Maybe they broke?

He also could have been using the wrong size ball on the SUV.

 

[bohman]

I see now that traffic was two-way on that span at the time. I generally avoid that - if I'm eastbound, I go to the toll booths on the right, so that I don't wind up in that lone east-bound lane on the westbound bridge. There's no room for error if something bad happens in that situation, which is painfully obvious now.

It's embarassing to admit, but in the past I avoided that situation not for the safety reasons, but because I drove an old car - if it broke down on the bridge I didn't want to be the jerk blocking all eastbound traffic on that span. Too easy to picture thousands of people cussing and wishing me dead.... I now drive a car that I trust to make it all four miles, but I still avoid going in the opposing direction.

 

[BlackSheep]

I don't think it's a risk having 2 way traffic on the bridge.....it's no different than a regular 2 lane road with no shoulder. You SOMDers are spoiled with those huge-ass shoulders.

I know that people are afraid of bridges, but the lanes on the bridge are the same as the lanes on a regular road. :shrug: Just stay in your lane (which hopefully you're doing anyways) and you won't have a problem. I've never had an issue with bridges...once I got stuck on the Solomon's bridge (almost at the top) for 3 hours because of an accident.

It's terrible that the jackass pulling the trailer didn't use the safety chains. It was probably a knee-jerk reaction of the other drivers to swerve.....but the trailer was only 4'X6'....the shoulda just hit it. I imagine the driver of the SUV that was pulling the trailer is going live with that guilt for the rest of his/her life.

WTH?? Ouuu stuck on the Solomon's bridge-that's not the Bay Bridge my dear.
Obviously you haven't been on the Bay Bridge when there are 2 lanes of traffic going 1 way and 1 lane of traffic going the opposite?!
Stick w/a horse will ya .

 

[Cowgirl]

WTH?? Ouuu stuck on the Solomon's bridge-that's not the Bay Bridge my dear.
Obviously you haven't been on the Bay Bridge when there are 2 lanes of traffic going 1 way and 1 lane of traffic going the opposite?!
Stick w/a horse will ya .

Ok don't get snippy. You didn't read correctly. I live on the Eastern Shore. I have been over the bay bridge more times than I'd care to count. I have been in the east bound lane on the west bound bridge...many times.

And, I was also stuck on the Solomon's bridge for 3 hours. Please re-read.








Anyway- I just found out that my BF knew the father and son that were killed yesterday. They live 5 minutes from us. We drove by the firehouse tonight on our way home from work....it's just down the street. They have black on all their trucks and the news crew is there.

 

[Bay_Kat]

Ok don't get snippy. You didn't read correctly. I live on the Eastern Shore. I have been over the bay bridge more times than I'd care to count. I have been in the east bound lane on the west bound bridge...many times.

And, I was also stuck on the Solomon's bridge for 3 hours. Please re-read.








Anyway- I just found out that my BF knew the father and son that were killed yesterday. They live 5 minutes from us. We drove by the firehouse tonight on our way home from work....it's just down the street. They have black on all their trucks and the news crew is there.

How sad, this was just on Channel 7 news. They were both with the fire department. My prayers go out to the family.

 

[BlackSheep]

Ok don't get snippy. You didn't read correctly. I live on the Eastern Shore. I have been over the bay bridge more times than I'd care to count. I have been in the east bound lane on the west bound bridge...many times.

And, I was also stuck on the Solomon's bridge for 3 hours. Please re-read.

Anyway- I just found out that my BF knew the father and son that were killed yesterday. They live 5 minutes from us. We drove by the firehouse tonight on our way home from work....it's just down the street. They have black on all their trucks and the news crew is there.

The Crumpton Volunteer Fire Department mourns the passing of two of its finest. Randal "Robert" Orff, beloved father and husband of Missy Orff, and Jonathan Orff, son of Randy and Missy, and brother of Brandon, lost their lives in a tragic motor vehicle crash on the Bay Bridge May 10.

Both Randy, 47, and Jonathan, 19, were devoted community servants and were proud and dedicated members of the Crumpton Volunteer Fire Department. The Orff family was extremely close and both Randy and Jonathan worked together for Brawner Construction and were traveling together when the accident occurred. Randy was the leader of the Clown Unit, serving as "Boss Clown", performing with the purpose of raising funds for the Shriners Nurr Temple Hospital for Crippled and Burned Children.

Both Randy and Jonathan were known as active community servants, humanitarians, and beloved by all who knew them.

Funeral services will be announced and additional information will be made available through the Queen Anne’s County Department of Emergency Services.

P.S.
I really don't care where you live Cowgirl you came across w/an attitude and that PO'd me-I TOO knew 2 of the 3 victims-very well. Truly a tragic day!
P.S. I don't drink

 

[BlackSheep]

Since the 4.3-mile bridge opened in 1952, 16 people have died in at least 9 fatal accidents. At least 6 of those 9 accidents and 10 of the deaths occurred in 2-way traffic. Wondering what the stats are for non-fatal accidents w/2-way traffic?