The driver of a flatbed truck was killed Tuesday when the load he was hauling smashed through his cab, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The accident occurred just before 3 p.m. on Interstate 8 about 25 miles east of San Diego when the truck driver, who has not been identified, abruptly applied his brakes. It caused what was reported to be an improperly secured load of steel sheet pile to shift forward.
“This caused the load to penetrate the back cab of the truck and impale the driver,” CHP spokesperson Travis Garrow told FreightWaves. “The sheet pile shifted forward during the brake application. It wasn’t secured properly in order for it to move forward like that.”
The truck driver died at the scene of the crash. He was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the incident, police said, and it is not yet known if drugs or alcohol were a factor.
No other vehicles appeared to have been involved in the accident. Garrow said the official report has not been completed and is pending information from the medical examiner’s office.
It’s not clear if the flatbed truck was equipped with a headache rack, which is not required by federal regulations. Flatbed headache racks are designed to prevent shifting cargo from penetrating the tractor cab.
Driving flatbed trucks requires more training and skill than dry van or refrigerated trucks, as loads can be anything from building materials to oversize industrial equipment. And flatbed truck drivers are required to secure the loads they are hauling with chains or straps, or both.
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