CEDAR CITY – A St. George driver traveling south on Interstate 15 was almost killed Thursday when a huge metal hook flew off a semitrailer, crashing through the front windshield on the driver’s side and just stopping short of going all the way through the glass because of the tinting film on the window.
The clevis grab hook weighed nearly two pounds, said Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Clay Allred.
“He was very, very lucky,” Allred said. “If that hook had gone all the way through that window we would have probably been responding to a fatality.”
The incident occurred around milepost 54, about three miles south of Cedar City. A clevis grab hook is commonly used to attach an object to the end of a transport chain.
The hook shattered the corner of the windshield, Allred said, causing some glass to fly into the driver’s eyes. However, he refused medical attention and drove the rest of the way home.
The driver could not identify the semitrailer where the hook came from so police did not issue any citations.
Troopers have responded to more than 11,000 calls for debris on the roadways this year, said UHP Lt. Todd Royce.
Reports from the Utah Department of Transportation also show debris on the roads leads to more than 700 accidents a year.
Both the UHP and UDOT run yearly educational campaigns to try to educate the public about making sure their vehicles are free of loose debris and securing trailer loads to ensure nothing falls off.
“It’s a big thing,” UHP Lt. Steve Esplin said. “Having debris fall off vehicles and trailers and semis onto the road is so dangerous, but especially on the Interstate where people are driving 80 to 85 miles per hour. It can cause fatalities and severe injuries.”
Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery.
A driver traveling southbound on I-15 Thursday was almost killed when a clevis grab hook flew off a nearby semitrailer and went through his windshield, June 23, 2016, Cedar City, Utah | Photo courtesy Utah Highway Patrol, St. George News/Cedar City News
A driver traveling southbound on I-15 Thursday was almost killed when a clevis grab hook flew off a nearby semitrailer and went through his windshield, June 23, 2016, Cedar City, Utah | Photo courtesy Utah Highway Patrol, St. George News/Cedar City News
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @tracie_sullivan
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2016, all rights reserved.
Law enforcement should have done a better job trying to find the truck. It was obviously a flat bed with an unsafe load and should have been easy to spot between Cedar City and St George. UP should conduct an internal investigation, the whole incident shows a total lack of concern for public safety
Yeah go ahead and complain I’m sure they’ll get right on it ! LOL. !
was it your hook, dumpster?
Oh wow another brilliant comment from dumbob ! how does he do it ?
Eye shore hope duh hook iz ohKay
Well…that is terrifying. That is final destination stuff right there. Every time I see a big truck carrying long pipes I move over ’cause I can’t help thinking that one of those pipes are going to come loose and go through my windshield and into my throat (haha too many movies? Or extreme caution? you decide)
going a bit far to say “almost killed”, that’s a subjective statement.
Yeah that was going a bit two Farr !
Must be some good stuff.
if it would have whacked him in the face, the car went off the road, then flipped, and caught on fire, and then he barely made it out, then it would be “almost killed”. LOL
It should be. if THE HOOK would have whacked him in the face AND the car went off the road. ….
will dumbob ever learn
meh, wouldn’t fret over it
Oh wow another amazing come back from dumbob the Zions expert ROFLMAO. … how does he do it !