The report describes the left side tractor-tandem equalizer beam failure and the subsequent overturn of the tractor-semitrailer (tank) carrying gasoline on Massachusetts State Route 128 in Braintree, Massachusetts, on October 18, 1973. After failure of the equalizer beam, the vehicle veered to the right and struck a guardrail which redirected the truck back into the roadway. The semitrailer overturned onto the guardrail, which punctured the tank shell and permitted gasoline to escape. The overturned vehicle slid on its side back into the roadway, abrading holes in the tank shell permitting further escape of gasoline. The gasoline ignited, killing the truckdriver. The failure was precipitated by the increased dynamic loading imposed on the equalizer beam as the truck traversed a depression in the roadway.
Highway Accident Report. Hoppy's Oil Service, Inc., Truck Overturn and Fire, State Route 128, Braintree, Massachusetts. October 18, 1973
1974
46 pages
Report
No indication
English
Report of Massachusetts highway accident survey
Engineering Index Backfile | 1934
Massachusetts highway accident surveys
Engineering Index Backfile | 1935
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