Vehicle and trailer flip into ditch

The vehicle and trailer in a ditch near State Highway 2. Supplied photos.

A vehicle towing a trailer laden with timber has flipped into a ditch off State Highway 2 this morning.

The incident occurred near Te Puna Station Road just after 11am.

Police and the fire service were both in attendance when a SunLive reporter drove past the scene.

Although the vehicle is off the road and not blocking any lanes, traffic in the area is heavy.

A police spokesperson says no one was reported to be injured in the incident.

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16 comments

Looks like

Posted on 16-11-2017 12:05 | By The Caveman

the timber load on the trailer is FAR TOO BIG and HEAVY, for the size of the trailer, to the point that I suggest that it "was" an unsafe load !!!


how surprising!!!

Posted on 16-11-2017 12:11 | By CC8

What do people think, towing a trailer loaded that way, just in the first pic I can see at least three towing and trailer laws which have been broken.


Idiot.

Posted on 16-11-2017 12:30 | By Ratchet

A quick look st the photo tells me the trailer should have been a tandem axle, at least 50% longer than what he had, with a braked axle. Those trailers only have a GVM of around 850kg, so it would have been overloaded, and there would have been no weight on the coupling at all. As soon as the back got a sway on it the pendulum effect would have taken over and there would have been no recovery. Police need to throw the book at this guy, as this situation could have easily seen him veer into oncoming traffic and take out another motorist.It's amazing how people will risk the lives of themselves and others just to save a buck on hiring a trailer that is actually capable of doing the job safely.


Backfire!

Posted on 16-11-2017 12:30 | By rosbo

I suspect the driver was trying to avoid a delivery charge for the timber. It will now be expensive stuff - very likely his insurance will be declined


Bad planning

Posted on 16-11-2017 12:56 | By kinakat

Couldn't be bothered taking proper precautions to travel safely on our roads?Or just plain stupidity.


The Police should be taking this owner to Court

Posted on 16-11-2017 13:16 | By Watcher 1

What a idiot loading a trailer like this, Police should be taking far more action against WOF vehicles towing trailers, boats and loaded 5th Wheeler Caravans than what they appear to be currently doing?.The Timber Yard loading this trailer should be looked into as well, lucky for everyone that this car and trailer did not hit another vehicle, person or kill someone.Bunnings Te Puke do a great job, only 2 weeks ago they stopped a trailer going out of there yard as the trailer loaded with timber overhung to much weight at the rear causing to much up and down movement.Police do a great job in checking COF Trucks and trailers all the time and drivers face hefty fines if overweight but appear to be a little lacks on Cars, Utes and Trailers towing heavy loads and exceeding the manufacturers towing specifications and limits


Not Again

Posted on 16-11-2017 14:01 | By Road Ranger

This is the second trailer accident this week involving "overweight" trailers. Police need to spend more time on the roads.


Timber well secured! The issue is NO training.

Posted on 16-11-2017 14:15 | By Murray.Guy

Timber well secured but the rest is guess work. Looking at the section of road, the load, brings back memories of earlier times, a towed trailer getting a wiggle on, backside on suck! Recall following the caravan of past years sweeping the road, the frantic efforts of the driver of the tow vehicle to regain full control. As for the 'blame game', from where I sit it mostly stops at the vehicle driver licencing authorities. I have NEVER understood, never will, why we allow folk to tow trailers with absolutely no driver training requirement. As with heavy vehicles, a trailer endorsement should apply to a car licence. Furthermore, a nationwide, self funding, network of driver training and testing facilities should be in place, including various wet and dry conditions, towing and others! A fine day, short drive in nanny's automatic, just doesn't test driver ability.


Get it delivered

Posted on 16-11-2017 15:14 | By jh

Most local timber merchants deliver free to your home and even if one has to pay a delivery charge it is well worth it, can save you a lot of hassle


Training!

Posted on 16-11-2017 18:32 | By maildrop

No amount of training or securing can defy simple physics. Clearly the driver is not the only idiot who didn't go to school.


This Redneck

Posted on 16-11-2017 19:12 | By R1Squid

should have bungy'ed to his roof duh...


Well Secured?

Posted on 16-11-2017 20:23 | By GreertonCynic

Strops maybe 2500Kg (at least the blue one). But a handyman trailer will only have handyman hooks. Suitable for a tarp.


comes

Posted on 16-11-2017 22:13 | By Capt_Kaveman

down to driver experience, load could have been on the bottom and the over hang at rear is a bit much, but someone gets 10 points for tying it down


here we go again

Posted on 17-11-2017 11:52 | By old trucker

Now all the specialist come out of the woodwork, the timber is well secured, its just a freak accident, gosh it could happen to any of us, all these comments, it looks like its well balanced, but something has gone haywire,anyway we all learn as we go through life about these things,anyway the timber is not hurt,and can still be used, anyway Sunlive more GREAT Reporting and bringing us these new ones everyday,Thankyou, 10-4 out,phew.


Load Placement.

Posted on 17-11-2017 16:55 | By AKS

Whoever tied it down is a champ.And the driver may not have been speeding or driving recklessly.But load placement is terrible. All that weight hanging over the back end of the trailer is a small bump or swerve away from and accident like this.The more weight over the back end than the front adds more and more risk to handling problems, making a small swerve turn into a severe fishtail, and likely a crash.What he saved in not getting it delivered by truck is lost in emergency services and insurance.


Well balanced!

Posted on 18-11-2017 20:07 | By maildrop

Yeh definitely. All good as long as its stationery. The tipping point is fixed if stationery. But then there is the matter of moving it from A to B. Along a road with ups, downs, bends and bumps. These plus speed all move the tipping point. Learn some physics. No wonder so many trucks go off the road if you are typical of truck drivers. "Securing" it when stationery doesn't even begin to cover it. Jeez


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