Milk Truck Spills Cargo As Social Media Laps It Up

While the following truck accident story is being used more as a joke than it is a news story, it still represents an important opportunity for us to talk about truck accidents and the many different risks that they pose to drivers out on the road — and the various ways that they can be caused by the truck driver or the vehicle itself.

A truck overturned in London recently, spilling it’s cargo — a vast quantity of milk cartons — all over the road. This caused an understandable furor on social media, as users made light of the saying “there’s no use crying over spilled milk.” It doesn’t appear that anyone was injured in the accident and many people enjoyed a lighthearted laugh as a result of the accident.

However, a truck’s cargo is no laughing matter at all. There is a serious point to be made under the surface of this story. How was the cargo secured in the first place? Was it even and balanced on the truck’s flat bed? Who were the people involved in the loading process of the cargo? Does the trucking company or the truck driver have previous safety violations or issues that have been reported?

The answers to these questions are very important in any truck accident that involves falling cargo, because the objects that fall off a truck can cause serious damage to other vehicles. Or, in other cases where the cargo isn’t balanced, a truck could overturn and topple onto another vehicle.

 

Source: TIME, “Dairy Truck Accident Serves As a Reminder to Us All About Spilled Milk,” Cady Lang, March 16, 2018