USA Accident

[Western SMT]

Firefighters have rescued a tipper truck driver from the cab of his truck, which was suspended in the air after the truck got hung up on a sign.

http://www.courant.com/community/news/ec/hcu-web-dumptruck-crash-i84-0305mar05,0,5937381.story

[G-CPTN]

An odd one. What happened to raise the body I wonder?
We had a loaded truck that a fitter 'tipped' the body to get access to something underneath. The body jammed in the upright position and nothing that they tried would release it. Eventually (!) someone decided to undo a connection on a hydraulic pipe. All went well until the last moment when the fitting jumped the last couple of threads and the fitter received a head to toe shower of hydraulic oil as the (heavy) body slammed down.
Of course a wiser person would have had props to stop the body . . .
It was a hot sunny day (and the work was being performed out-of-doors) so we suggested that the fitter should lie in the sun until he was 'crisp'.
On another occasion fitters elected to start some work outside (it was hot and sunny). The workshop foreman (no fool) said "OK, but if you start it outside you must finish it outside." Of course there was a thunderstorm that lasted until they had finished the work. ;-)

[Western SMT]

The article says...

The truck's dump body flew up and became entangled in the highway sign, which then caused the truck's chassis and cab to lift into the air.

Has it been in or just going in for repair and the hydraulics were u/s?

[G-CPTN]

Tippers that I have driven have had interlocks to prevent inadvertent operation. Most have also needed to have the PTO engaged first (though later models can have constant PTO operation - for example concrete mixers).

[dmackay]

I think he has tipped his load and driven away with the body in the raised position. Iv'e seen something similar but it was only telephone cables that were damaged :eek:

[G-CPTN]

I think he has tipped his load and driven away with the body in the raised position. Iv'e seen something similar but it was only telephone cables that were damaged :eek:

There was one instance where the truck was dropping railway ballast then drove under a footbridge with the body raised and 'moved' the bridge. It was a mainline station and it stopped the trains.

[G-CPTN]

The vehicle is on the hard shoulder, not the main highway, so maybe it had just tipped whatever and was driving away (like the railway ballast story above)?
I wonder what the bit is on the inside lane? Part of a sign or something from the truck?

[dmackay]

Thats the tail door off the tipper body

[G-CPTN]

Thats the tail door off the tipper body

Which was, presumably, open (or at least unfastened) at the time of the incident?

[dmackay]

\It would be hanging open after tipping and would have burst the top hinges when it hit the road

[G-CPTN]

Which explains why it is distorted and displaced from the line of the truck.

(I like to be able to understand how things happen.)

[Western SMT]

Another dump truck incident

At the bottom of the page there is a short video of this incident (forced to watch the ad first)

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Strange-News/Dumpster-Truck-Hits-Bridge-on-motorway-skynescom-video/Article/200903415248178