SALT LAKE CITY — Utah averages more than 741 unsecured load-related crashes each year, according to the Utah Department of Public Safety. Over the last 5 years, those crashes have resulted in more than 7 serious injuries and more than 3 deaths annually.
Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Eddie Keough said the danger is something he thinks about constantly while on patrol.
"Well, unsecured loads are a major hazard for us. Honestly speaking, it's something I worry about constantly driving along. It's something your life can be just changed in a matter of instant over something so benign as driving along the interstate, you're not even thinking about an object coming at you seemingly out of nowhere."
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Keough spoke with FOX 13 News while he was on patrol in Ogden.
Keough recalled a crash in the Ogden area where a large rotor flew off a truck and struck southbound traffic, killing one person.
"I know up here in Ogden, we had one a few years ago where I think it was some large rotor off a truck flew off and hit southbound traffic, hit through a car, and just the devastation to it was incredible. It was horrible to see."
Keough said the impact of those crashes extends far beyond the people directly involved.
"That's what I always think of is the families after any sort of crash where someone is seriously hurt like that, and just how not just the persons who's hurt or killed life was changed, but how their family was changed as well. It's something sometimes maybe people can't even recover from."
Keough recommends drivers use a physical checklist before hauling any load. He suggests going through each tie-down and checking for any loose items that could fly off. Taking that short amount of time, he said, can save years of heartache and regret if something were to happen.
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