Manchester, United Kingdom

June 2015 Manchester, United Kingdom

Project Truck

The Outcome

Key Learning

Pedestrian barriers in transit

Two-axle flatbed crane truck • One fatality. • Damage to third party vehicle. • Damage to traffic lights. • A safety pin should be installed and used to secure the outrigger into place while in transit. • An alarm should be fitted to alert the driver if outriggers are not adequately secured. Alarm should not disengage until outriggers are secured. • Checking for the correctly engaged pin should form part of any pre-departure inspection procedure. It is believed the outrigger first clipped a traffic light, then struck the pedestrian, before finally catching a car and ripping the bumper bar off. It was then the operator stopped the vehicle, having been unaware of the first two incidents. Initially, the operator and bystanders thought they were dealing with a traffic incident when it quickly became apparent that the pedestrian was also involved and severely injured. The individual who had been walking on the footpath when they were

A truck equipped with a loader crane was travelling through a residential area when, unbeknownst to the operator, the outrigger extended while the vehicle was moving and tragically struck a pedestrian causing fatal head injuries. struck, suffered serious head injuries and sadly died at the scene.

Key learnings from this incident

While we do not have access to the specific learnings, there are some obvious learnings for all owners and operators of vehicles with outrigger and stabilising arms:

The crane truck involved in this incident was fitted with a manually operated outrigger. A safety pin must be installed as part of the outrigger and must be used to secure the outrigger into place while in transit.

New and recent model cranes and crane trucks should be manufactured with a warning system on the outrigger. Older vehicles should be retrofitted with an audible and visible alarm system to alert the driver while in the cabin if outriggers are not adequately secured and continue to sound until the outriggers are secured.

Checking for the correctly engaged pin should form part of any pre-departure inspection procedure.

Adequate inspections and maintenance should be undertaken on the outriggers and outrigger pins to prevent mechanical failure. Several very similar incidents have occurred in Australia. In February, a truck fitted with a vehicle loading crane struck a parked vehicle when it was driving along a road with the stabiliser extended, crushing and killing a worker who was standing behind the vehicle.

In 2017, an outrigger on an amusement ride trailer killed the driver of an oncoming vehicle when it swung out and struck the vehicle.

In 2013, a manually operated outrigger on a crane truck unintentionally extended while travelling on a public road and killed a cyclist.

(Source: Australian Transport News)