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Iron sheets fall from truck, killing 2 in car

22 Comments

Several large iron sheets fell from a truck in Higashi-Hiroshima on Tuesday, hitting a car and killing its two male occupants.

According to police, the truck was approaching a bend in the road at around 11 a.m. when 25 iron plates measuring 1.5 meters by 3 meters, each weighing around 800 kilograms, came loose, TBS reported. The plates hit the road and the momentum carried them into the path of oncoming traffic in the next lane, police said.

One car was sliced almost in half and partially crushed by the plates. The two men in the car, car rental firm employees aged 45 and 59, were killed in the collision, police said.

Police and the freight company say they are investigating the cause of the incident.

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22 Comments
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Yet another case of neglect I bet on the part of the truck driver. How often do you see heavy trucks carrying what looks like a payload far too heavy or large for the vehicle? Or, see dump trucks with sand/rocks/gravel that's not properly covered?

8 ( +9 / -1 )

You couldn't call this an accident. Most of the truckers in Japan get a pretty free run with what they get up to. There are very few truck check in stations and, to my knowledge, they don't need to use logbooks either. The terrible state of the highways in and around Tokyo is direct result of overloaded trucks tearing up the roads. These plates were not little sheets of steel. By their description they are the plates they use on cunstruction sites to create roads on the sites. Not having these plates secured is a criminal offense and this has resulted in a double death. Of course, the driver is at fault, but the company should also be held accountable for either a lack of training or failing to ensure their drivers are up to the task. It is not that difficult to throw a china over a load. No excuses here I'm afraid!

15 ( +14 / -0 )

News this morning showed sheered metal cables that were supposedly holding the plates in place... so not exactly unsecured; just mechanical failure.

RIP to those who died though

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

just mechanical failure.

Nah, not at all! It's a failure to properly maintain the slings. Sheets of that size and weight should be chained, not slung.

10 ( +12 / -2 )

Terrible news. Merry Christmas.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

My God. Good lesson to be reminded of as the New Year approaches: one minute you are, the next - not so much. Be safe and be thankful for what you have while you are still around to be thankful.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

so not exactly unsecured; just mechanical failure.

"Just"

2 ( +3 / -1 )

20,000 kilo's of steel sliding off a truck into oncoming traffic. The momentum of the truck slowing down quickly before getting to the bend of the road and not having a secured load properly or having metal cables that were not safety inspected regularly for usability is probably what the J-cops will come up with in their investigation.

Rip to these two men and condolences to their family on their loss.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Well it seems my understanding/knowlege of trucking loads is not all that (who am i kidding, i wouldnt trust myself to strap a snowboard to a roofrack). Chains make sense, considering the weight of the load.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I thought such gross carelessness prevails in my country, India, only! After reading Japan Today for almost a year, I now believe widespread human failures even in such advanced and disciplined people as Japanese , too. I only hope those two victims would be adequetly compensated and, considering their ages, their families looked after well.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

What a horrid death for those 2 victims.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Horrible way to die! RIP poor innocent men

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Another horrible accident involving negligence of truck driver and his freight company. I think it is time for more strict regulations and trucks with dangerous materials on them must be inspected very carefully before traveling. It might be impossible to prevent hit-and-run accidents like the one in Fukuoka, but at least you can prevent accidents of loose cargo.

RIP people...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I hear that a good many of those dump trucks on the road are uninsured. I can't believe it.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Christ almighty. What a way to go. Very sorry to the friends and family of the people involved. Horrific.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

@TheInterstat

Yea, what a bummer.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Absolutely here in the north, there are many trucks with dangerous looking loads. The industry is obviously self regulated, and it seems occasionally not well-regulated.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I always give a distance whenever a large trucks carrying heavy load and i dont stay on their side either

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The sheets are steel not iron, news agencies never know the difference.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Im a truck drive. Maybe human fault. Thats why I always secure the load by 2 ways

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Huge sheets..... I REALLY donde understan hwhorrible must have been those sheets flying and cutting cars. I just remember those weird movies of steel flying. Im sure that the car was very close to that truck. And they were going really fast or opposite.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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