Bathtub falls from pickup on Louisiana interstate, injuring motorcyclist

Bathtub falls from pickup on Louisiana interstate, injuring motorcyclist
(4/08/07 - COVINGTON, LA) - A boxed bathtub fell from the bed of a pickup truck and slid into a motorcycle's path, critically injuring the 72-year-old cyclist, state police said.

Charles S. Warren was traveling on Interstate 12 on Saturday when he was thrown from his motorcycle after hitting the bathtub, according to Trooper Louis Calato. Warren was being treated at St. Tammany Parish Hospital, he said.

Calato said the motorcycle, the box and the bathtub all ended up in the grass median.

The pickup's driver, 32-year-old Shain Autumn Springfield, was booked with negligent injury and driving with an unsecured load, he said.

The pickup's driver, 32-year-old Shain Autumn Springfield, was booked with negligent injury and driving with an unsecured load, he said.

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Remember hearing about a guy a long time ago, saw a box on the road and swerved to run it over with his truck. It had a tomb stone in it, fell off a truck.

You must always be ready and give lots of space when following someone hauling something.

Hmmm? I feel so sorry for the guy in the truck. How would he answer the other inmates when asked, "Wha' choo 'n foe, 'omeboy?"

(kicking over the fire ant mound)..What? no mention of the motorcyclist wearing a helmet or not. At least the driver of the truck was cited.

I'm sure there'll be a civil suit involved, too.

I make it a point to never follow any open load; individuals especially. I pass as quickly as possible. Next time you go to the beach, check the ditches for all the destroyed ice chests and lawn chairs.

FotoMoto said:

I make it a point to never follow any open load; individuals especially. I pass as quickly as possible. Next time you go to the beach, check the ditches for all the destroyed ice chests and lawn chairs.

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+1

I remember once back when i was a kid, we were behind a vehicle that was pulling a boat, fortunately my dad was well behind it because that boat trailer came loose and was headed right towards us, we watched as it wound up in the ditch. Always give plenty of distance.

bontrager1969 said:

You must always be ready and give lots of space when following someone hauling something.

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Absolutely, stay away from open trailers, pickups, and 18 wheelers.

Really have to watch for things flying out of pickups etc. Also watch for people dodging things flying out of a pickup. I've seen wrecks caused by someone swerving to miss something in their lane only to hit someone else next to them.


I've also seen a couple of SUVs successfully serve to miss something only to set up an out of control overreaction (high center of gravity) (one even got up on two wheels) slide that caused a wreck.

cyclesnoopy said:

I remember once back when i was a kid, we were behind a vehicle that was pulling a boat, fortunately my dad was well behind it because that boat trailer came loose and was headed right towards us, we watched as it wound up in the ditch. Always give plenty of distance.

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About 10 years ago, I missed (by inches) getting hit head-on by a boat that was passing the guy that had been towing it. Needless to say, I write a lot of No Safety Chains citations...

Janet

I was in my cage not too long ago (a week or 2) on 249 headed south towards BW-8 a 3/4 ton van kicked up some road debris. I hit a 2x4 reinforced box top from packing crate of some sort. It did a fair amount of damage the the grill, bumper, hood, driver's door and driver's quarter-panel of my Civic Si. I'm waiting to see what the repair estimate is.

If I'd have been on the bike it probably would have shattered my left leg and knocked me off of the bike. I know what my lane position and my following distance on that section of that road. I'm lucky the g/f wanted to take the dog with us that night.

I make it a habit not to follow any cars/trucks too close, or bikes either for that matter. 2 seconds or more normally.

I also always stop behind others (in my suv) far enough away that I can see the road under their car over my hood. It's just a good practice, and has the benefit of always leaving enough room to easily scoot around them without having to back up.

Just good sane driving habits it seems nobody else uses any more.

I had just started riding again after a lapse of ten years and was on my first trip out of the subdivision on my newly purchased Sportster. Heading west on 1093, I was about two miles west of the Brazos heading to Wallis. Coming toward me was a slow moving pick-up followed by a farm truck loaded with hay and a car.

My survival instinct told me this was the perfect time for the car to ignore me and pass the slow moving vehicles. Instead I noticed that one of the 40 pound bales was coming loose. Then I realized it was loose, then it was in the air and going to land in my lane. Too close to brake, I wondered when it hit, will it explode, stay in one piece, bounce across my lane or bounce back to the other lane?

I looked right hoping I could run off the road. No shouder and a deep ditch so that was out. The bale hit in the middle of my lane and exploded with about a quarter of it bouncing to head height. I ducked, swerved right and stayed on the the very edge of the road and got around safely.

Last week while headed home I tagged onto the back of a Goldwing and a BMW Tour bike on 121 headed toward Bonham. We were passed by a Dodge pickup with a large tarp/banner of some sort in it. It was unsecured and moving around enough for me to be nervous. Not surprisingly a little later it was in the road bunched up taking up most of one lane. If it had come out as it was passing us it could have taken all of us out. A worse instance was when my in-laws had a wheelbarrow fall off a trailer in front of them. They hit it in their pick-up and it actually lifted the front wheels off the ground. They were lucky to maintain control and get stopped.