Inspection Detail

Inspection: 312553696 - Schneider National Carriers

Inspection Information - Office: Appleton Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 11:30 p.m. on February 4, 2010, Employee #1, a truck driver, was working under his tractor trailer to move a sliding tandem prior to unloading his cargo. Employee #1 was part of a husband and wife team. The coworker (wife) was sitting in the driver's seat waiting for a signal that Employee #1 had unjammed a locking pin holding the tandem carriage in place. The pin retracted and was ready for the coworker to move the tractor so that the assembly would slide to the last insertion point. The entire pin assist mechanism was called an E-Z Pull. It had been damaged so that one pin needed to be manually withdrawn from the trailer rail system. The coworker (wife) became concerned when she did not get the expected signal. The coworker went to the rear of the trailer and discovered Employee #1 (her husband), unresponsive in a prone position under the trailer. Employee #1 was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to the hospital. However, blood and scrapes on the tandem carriage and a description of Employee #1's injuries by the medical examiner support a description that Employee #1 was caught between the tandem frame and the trailer bumper during an unexpected equipment movement, and died instantaneously from crushing injuries.

Keywords: FRACTURE, TRAILER HITCH, JAMMED, CAUGHT BETWEEN, CRUSHED, TRAILER, TRUCK DRIVER