The roads are more dangerous than ever these days, and accidents continue to pile up on roads across the country. Most recently, a large truck carrying a steel coil shipment caused a deadly accident. The steel coil rolled off the truck onto a Ford Edge. What are the proper ways to carry a heavy load on a truck, and how did such an accident happen?

The steel coil rolled off a truck onto a Ford Edge

Steel coil has a variety of uses. Steel can include building structures, walls, boats, and whatever else buyers might need. The Cargo Handbook notes that there are two different kinds of rolled steel. The manufacturing of car bodies and refrigerators might use cold-rolled steel as well. According to this source, these steel coils can weigh between five and 15 tons per unit. Depending on what kind of coil this was, it could weigh more than 40,000 pounds.

A driver for Total Package Express was driving the truck on State Route 127 in Hamilton, Ohio. The coil fell from the truck onto the Ford Edge, which was behind the vehicle in traffic. Based on the initial investigation by the police, the steel coil came unsecured and rolled off the truck bed. Local news station WLWT5 says that the victim was named Blake Mulder, 33.

The Ford Edge SUV was unrecognizable

Have you ever been driving down the road and witnessed a single coil on the back of a huge semi-truck? That’s the situation that happened here. The weight of the steel coil crushed the Ford Edge, and the victim was pronounced dead at the scene. It is not known yet whether or not the driver for Total Package Express is at fault. An incident such as this is the danger of not having items adequately secured on the back of a flatbed or eighteen-wheeler.

According to Absolute Rescue, an educational group about all things rescue, there are a few ways that large coils should be loaded onto trucks. One such method is called “eye in the sky.” The eye-in-the-sky method is when the coils are loaded on the side with the hole in the middle of the coil facing up. The transporter secures the coil to the truck with straps connected to the sides. Transporters use this method when the coils are smaller, as more can fit on the truck bed.

What are the ways to secure a steel coil for road travel?

The second way to secure a coil is called “shotgun style.” Shotgun style is when the steel coil is loaded sitting up with the wheel attached perpendicular to the truck. The “eye” of the steel coil will be facing the front and back of the truck. The steel coil will be secured with various chains strapped to the truck.

The next option is called “eye to the side,” also known as the “suicide” method. The eye-to-the-sky method is when the transporter loads the coil onto the truck parallel to the truck bed. The eye of the steel coil is facing the sides of the vehicle. Should the coil come undone, it could roll back onto the road or forward onto the drive, hence the unsavory name. The transporter will secure the coil with chains to the side of the truck.

There are a lot of things that go into the shipping and transporting of heavy items. There were major consequences when something in the process failed. Rest in peace, Mr. Mulder.