File This Under…That Just Went Really Wrong…How Unloading a Tractor Led to Hazardous Waste Spill and Over Three Hour Closure of Briceland Road
A tow truck is on the scene and the truck and trailer is out of the creek but the tractor is sitting in the creek. [Photo from Cinnamon Paula]
On 8/11/20 at approximately1730 hours, Dan Watson parked a 2017 Ford F250, towing a 2019 TowMaster tilt deck trailer on Alapok Lane at Briceland Road. The combination of vehicles was parked facing northbound on an uphill slope when Watson began to unload his John Deere tractor from the Towmaster. The weight from the tractor on the rear of the trailer caused the rear tires of the F250 to lift up off the driveway.
The Ford and trailer tires traveled over the tire chocks and slid in a southerly direction as Watson jumped off the tractor to the ground. The Ford and trailer continued backwards across Briceland Road, in a southerly direction and over the descending embankment. The Ford and trailer collided with a tree and came to rest on the embankment, south of Briceland Road. The John Deere tractor became detached from the trailer, rolled down the steep embankment, and came to rest in the creek bed, south of Briceland Road. As a result of the collision, 2-3 gallons of hydraulic fluid leaked into Redwood Creek from the John Deere tractor. Due to the swift action of local residents who placed straw in the creek to absorb the hydraulic fluid, the spill was minimized to the area in close proximity of the John Deere tractor.
Due to the necessity to close Briceland Road for the recovery of the Ford, trailer, and tractor, traffic was diverted onto Old Briceland Road. Briceland Road was closed for approximately 3.5 hours.
Humboldt County Environmental Health responded due to the Hazardous Materials spill and is overseeing the cleanup of the hydraulic fluid from the creek bed. Humboldt County Roads Department responded and assisted with traffic control. This collision remains under investigation by the California Highway Patrol Garberville Area.
The Ford and trailer tires traveled over the tire chocks and slid in a southerly direction as Watson jumped off the tractor to the ground. The Ford and trailer continued backwards across Briceland Road, in a southerly direction and over the descending embankment. The Ford and trailer collided with a tree and came to rest on the embankment, south of Briceland Road. The John Deere tractor became detached from the trailer, rolled down the steep embankment, and came to rest in the creek bed, south of Briceland Road. As a result of the collision, 2-3 gallons of hydraulic fluid leaked into Redwood Creek from the John Deere tractor. Due to the swift action of local residents who placed straw in the creek to absorb the hydraulic fluid, the spill was minimized to the area in close proximity of the John Deere tractor.
Earlier Chapter: Briceland Road Closed; Use Old Briceland Road
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Yup. Been there. .. the trick (besides not offloading on a slope) is to not panic and keep moving the tractor off the trailer. The truck will find the ground. Glad he didn’t get run over after he bailed from the tractor.
Maybe the approaching cliff behind him was motivating…
I’m sure it did, but it looks like he, at least, had to cross the road to get there.
The trailer had jacks at the rear by the ramps. If they were used, this would not of happend.
That’s the obvious solution.
If you’re on a hill, put your truck in 4×4, and if applicable, make sure the hubs are locked, before doing anything that might lift up the back axle… and chock everything!
He did. The article said it went over both the trailer and truck chocks.
While in college I worked as a wrecker operator. We had chocks for recovery operations that had chains attached that had T-hooks that fit into the T-slots in the truck frame rails. When winching a vehicle the wrecker could only get drug backwards so far and then the wheel would roll onto the chock and the chain would pull tight. At this point you had a lot of weight on the chock so it wouldn’t slide and the wrecker could not roll back because the chain held it in place. These would have been good under the front axle in this situation.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FZipsTruckEquipment%2Fposts%2Fthese-heavy-duty-steel-scotch-chocks-anchor-to-light-and-medium-duty-trucks-for-%2F10161123251240298%2F&psig=AOvVaw2lfvxXfC6gLwbY9q5p29q1&ust=1597367744238000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCPCngNqAl-sCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
Edit: most vehicles, if not all, have T-slots in the frame rails or sub-frame in the case of a unibody.
Had the same thing happen to me. I was lucky I just kept backing. Between the trailer traveling out from under the tractor and the tractor still going backwards the truck only actually moved 5 or 6 feet. It was a really hard landing for me and the tractor though.
Mark, is that you?
😉
This is why I love this kind of reporting. Another of someone else’s learning experience I get to know without having to pay the price myself. Now let me tell you about tripping over a garden hose left out…
Great action by the local people with the straw.
🕯🌳That was a really good detailed description of the incident.
It has to be or the God’s of Humboldt whine for more info on things that don’t effect them and speculate about strangers.
My favorite is the disclaimer when a local does something dumb, it might as well say don’t make fun because this person is worthy of being here.
This guys not a local so let the local gods applaud themselves and look down from their high horses!
hey, stuff happens, and then there is the tow charges, plus environmental fines.
I hate to blame the driver, but in this situation he was at fault. Sounds like a person who has never loaded or unloaded heavy equipment from a tilt deck trailer before. A darn hard way to learn. He is lucky to have escaped soon enough to watch it go over the bank into the creek, and not been killed trying to ride it out. Thanks to all the folks who helped contain the fluid spill and assist with other necessary things.
It happened to me and I had loaded and unloaded equipment onto trailers for 30 years. If you are lucky, you realize what is happening and move ahead or back, just do not stop. Once you do it once, it will never happen again.
Seamus, I wonder how he got the John Deere on the trailer in the first place without this happening. Any ideas?
Kudos to the local residents protecting the river. Glad everyone is okay.
Glad everybody’s okay. Thanks for jumping on the cleanup, neighbors! Funny I was just about to break up all the straw bales and cover the dusty spots but now I think I’ll keep a bale or two around- just in case…
It is amazing the things that flatlanders don’t know about the hills…
What a tragedy, all that shiney new equipment. I feel sorry for the poor guy. He owes the local folks a big thanks for limiting the oil contamination. Clean-up of an oil spill can be an enormous problem that requires years of testing.
I remember the much loved local dentist that had a diesel spill. He ended up committing suicide, over the pressure he received from all of the regulating agencies.
Did he forget to pull the tilt pin?
It was diesel tank that was perched on a steep drop-off. The pipe that ran from the back of the tank to the hose cracked and the leak went on undetected for awhile. I sold that property after he passed. Actually diesel breaks down over time. Saw a property with a hole where motor oil had been disposed of. Had to dig up the area around the hole and truck the dirt to Bakersfield .
My recollection was that the tank fell off it’s stand in an earthquake and when it fell the petcock used to drain accumulated water out of the bottom of the tank broke off but was unnoticed due being hidden by the depressed soil.
Over time a lot of diesel was released and created a huge liability.