Bridge-backup truck followup: Tricky 8-hour tow task

| Transportation | West Seattle news

(Photos courtesy Jared of Road Samaritan Towing)
Turns out there was a lot more to the story of the truck-trailer trouble that caused the massive, multi-hour traffic backup on the westbound Spokane Street Viaduct (and beyond) Monday afternoon. Having first noticed the scene on a drive back from the Eastside at 2:20 pm, thinking it would be clear soon since a flatbed tow trucks was there, we were surprised when notes started coming in two hours later about the worsening problem during afternoon rush hour, indicating it hadn’t yet been cleared. Then bits and pieces of information started emerging in comments – and with Jared of Road Samaritan Towing responding to our followup questions and request for photos, we have the full picture of what happened, stretching on into late-night hours! More photos ahead:

Jared said the operation ultimately involved 7 tow trucks. We asked how they all came to be involved. He began, “I happened to be headed west across the (bridge) a minute or two after the semi lost its axles. When I saw the semi blocking traffic, I decided to perform traffic control until SPD was on scene. GT Towing was called by the trucking company. When the owner of GT passed us heading east on the bridge, he called me and asked if I could stay and assist. Once GT was on scene, we determined a second heavy tow truck would be needed to lift the trailer from the rear, so GT called Gary’s Westside to assist. SPD closed westbound traffic so Gary’s could come up the Harbor Island exit and drive east down the westbound lanes. Gary’s picked the trailer up from the rear, and we attempted to move the semi with the tow truck being pulled backwards acting as the trailer’s wheels, but decided it was too risky.”

“With no other options, we used the GT truck to help the semi drag the wheel-less trailer across the bridge and down onto Spokane St, while I transported the ripped-out axle assembly on a flatbed. Once on Spokane St, we called out Hubie’s Towing to assist.”

“GT used two trucks to lift the trailer, we repaired portions of the damaged frame, and a combination of Gary’s and Hubie’s tow trucks positioned the axle assembly under the trailer’s chassis.”

“A total of 7 trucks were used over an 8-hour time frame and in the end the semi and trailer were able to drive away on their own. SPD was understanding of the situation and was very accommodating when it came to traffic control and closing lanes so we had space to position our trucks and work. We understand that traffic was horrible, and clearing the road as fast and safely as possible was a primary concern.”

Thanks to Jared for answering our request for photos – and telling the backstory too! P.S. In one of his comments on the original story, he mentioned the trailer was loaded with 70,000 pounds of frozen herring!

ScottA July 12, 2011 (5:07 am)

Great follow-up (as is often done here!). I really like hearing about mechanical challenges that very clever people are tasked with figuring out. After reading this story and going back and reading the newer comments on the original story I have two questions:
–
1. Not that it’s answerable right now but it would be interesting to know how the container came off the trailer. Since it looks like the trailer was “left behind” it seems like the physics of the incident did not involve the driver having to stop quickly to avoid an accident. Seems more like a sudden acceleration and/or metal failure where the trailer somehow disconnected from the tractor.
–
2. Is there really a possibility that there’d be no police report with such a major traffic back-up? Just seems like basic record keeping that whenever a major road is unexpectedly completely shut down in at least one direction some kind of report provides some basic info. For example, while I totally understand dragging the container down the road instead of waiting to unload the container and/or getting a crane – if it’s noticed next week that there was some lasting damage to the road surface I’d want to know which police officers were on scene.

coffee July 12, 2011 (5:09 am)

putting it in medical terms, you have a clogged artery, then you have a heart attack (rush hour) and then you have surgery to get it fixed, the towing part… Guess thats what happens when you have 2 tiny lanes with no where else to go when a break down happens. Too bad light rail was a “bad idea”….

yig July 12, 2011 (6:05 am)

I wonder if in this post, we’ll get people blaming the mayor for the traffic delay this caused?

LyndaB July 12, 2011 (6:18 am)

Wow, what a great summary. Thanks for sharing, Jared!

Jasperblu July 12, 2011 (6:59 am)

Wow. I am so glad I saw your earlier tweet re: backup & took the water taxi home. What a traffic nightmare that must have been. Thanks for the interesting follow up here.

Al V. July 12, 2011 (7:00 am)

what a bunch of none thinkers! Why didn’t you get Port or SSA to bring out one of thier container lifts? Load on to another trailer then haul the damaged one to a repair yard? Time 1 hour max. You cann’t repair a trailer on a roadway! Think about it.

sophista-tiki July 12, 2011 (7:07 am)

Holy back -up Batman! I’m glad Imissed this completely. having an entire axle come off while driving a semi makes my crumpled truck hood seem very insignificant! thanks for a good story and some perspective.

troubled July 12, 2011 (7:25 am)

Thanks Jared! My usual 20 minute commute took over an hour and a half last night, and I couldn’t figure out why everything was such a mess. It really helps to know the back story.

sam-c July 12, 2011 (8:32 am)

they had to “drag the wheel-less trailer across the bridge” ?
really? so does that mean the road surface is worse than it was before ?

huh? July 12, 2011 (8:51 am)

Aren’t these trucks inspected? This is scary! I also heard the YMCA kids were stuck on a bus for two hours…I wonder what the story there is? what’d they do for them, camp songs only last so long!

WSB July 12, 2011 (9:26 am)

The YMCA situation was discussed in the comment thread of yesterday’s story…haven’t heard directly from a participant but certainly would be interested. And yesterday’s story also included the photo of the skateboarders on the construction project. This was not your average traffic jam, clearly …

Aaron July 12, 2011 (8:52 am)

I hope the driver of the semi gets a citation. After working across the street from the terminal for six years I have seen the same type of thing happen over and over. The drivers do not always check their equipment like they should. This was obviously caused by the driver not checking his trailer the way they are supposed to. He would have seen that it wasn’t secured.

CC July 12, 2011 (9:01 am)

To possibly answer Item 1 of the first post, containers such as the one involved here are hauled on chassis – some of which are adjustable in length. It is likely that the chassis under this container was not fully locked together after being previously adjusted. Although it’s amazing it made it as far as it did before coming apart.

Mark July 12, 2011 (9:05 am)

If the weight quotes is really correct, isn’t this overweight? Were they trying to run an over weight load between 2 port terminals using the public streets?

Jeff July 12, 2011 (9:16 am)

The details do take the sting out of sitting in that mess for an hour and half. Sounds like a logistical perfect storm.

RG July 12, 2011 (9:47 am)

The Y staff do an excellent job. Yesterday my kiddo learned that things don’t always go according to the plan, to ask yourself what can you do about it, how can you make the best of the situation. I do not expect a phone call from the Y unless my child’s safety is in jeopardy. I leave my child with the Y staff because I trust them and their judgement. I have the councilors phone numbers programmed in my phone so I can call if I need to from anywhere, anytime.

Renee July 12, 2011 (9:52 am)

My 6 year old son was on the Y bus last night. I got to the camp to pick him up at 4:00 and found out that he was stuck on the bus on the bridge. The Y people on site were in constant contact with the bus and were doing their best I think in a difficult situation. They had no idea that the bus would be stuck for so long (how often does that happen?). All I know is that my very sensitive son came off the bus totally unfazed – it was his first day of camp and I was worried that he would be freaked out by this, but he was totally fine and in good spirits. He said they played games and sang songs. Kudos to the counselors for keeping the kids safe and entertained.

DD July 12, 2011 (9:55 am)

I do not understand this part, “With no other options, we used the GT truck to help the semi drag the wheel-less trailer across the bridge and down onto Spokane St.” Was it dragged across the Bridge or just down the Harbor Ave. ramp? Why would they go all the way across the bridge?

RG July 12, 2011 (10:04 am)

Also, I can’t tell you how gracious the councelors are with the parents who are late picking up their kids because they were stuck in traffic; and, it’s not usually held against the camper or the parent.

Renee July 12, 2011 (10:14 am)

Oh, and I also wanted to say thanks for the great follow-up as well. As I sat and waited and waited, it seemed crazy that it would take SO LONG. It’s nice to know the backstory! Thanks WSB!

Trucker_Mike July 12, 2011 (10:14 am)

For Mark
.
average weight is 80,000lbs gross.
.
You can buy extra tonnage to increase the weight you carry so there for your not over weight as long as you stay under your gross tonnage amount. I myself am registered for 105,000lbs and the fee is about 300$ a month.
.
With extra weight you have to worry about axle lengths and extra axles etc. its a headache but alot of money to be made in short distances.

sc July 12, 2011 (10:16 am)

I opted to take the exit to the stadiums and headed north to downtown. Had a nice drive through the International District and Pioneer Square. Got on the viaduct at Columbia and then merged to the right. Traffic kept moving and once on the bridge it was fine. “It’s not the destination, but the journey that counts.” It also didn’t hurt to have a half tank of gas!

Puffin14 July 12, 2011 (10:16 am)

Thank you for the follow up! This was very interesting to hear the details and the towing companies did a great job working together. We got caught in this mess on the way bringing our newborn home from the hospital. Now there’s quite the homecoming story to tell her later!

WSB July 12, 2011 (10:24 am)

Congratulations on the baby, Puffin14!

margaritaville July 12, 2011 (10:21 am)

It makes sense to take eight hours and seven tow trucks to safely secure the load and get it moving again. A container carrying a load of 70,000 lbs. is overweight by almost 30,000#. Sure hope the driver had all his permits in order or he’s facing a hefty fine. Everyone was real lucky that the bridge was not damaged and nobody was injured.

Marge July 12, 2011 (10:58 am)

thanks for the post. I rode my bicycle home from downtown and I could not figure out what had happened.

Claire July 12, 2011 (11:34 am)

My 6 1/2 year old daughter was also on the bus with the Y summer camp yesterday. She had a great time. No worries at all. It just extended their fun day! Her main concern was that she could get a free slurpee from 7-11 and she did! The counselors are great!!!!

clark July 12, 2011 (12:23 pm)

The truck and trailer in this icident is licensed for 105,500. it weighed 98,000 total at time of incident. it was not illegal and metal things break now and then. The container itself can weigh up to 72000 and hold up to 67000 it had 52600 at time of incident
Just because a big rig had something break does not mean the driver was negligent or careless. It means mechanical devices break.

WSB July 12, 2011 (12:33 pm)

Thanks, Clark. Have appreciated the education about towing and trucking from commenters (and Jared!) in this story – everyday things that most of us never think twice about until something unusual happens, for worse or for better – TR

me too July 12, 2011 (12:50 pm)

Seems like when commercial vehicles fail and cause massive disruption and damage, there should be some sort of fine involved. If the core of a business is transport, then it should be required that things are kept in proper working order. Can’t imagine dropping axels w/o something having been seriously wrong.

bsmomma July 12, 2011 (1:28 pm)

While being stuck up there above 1st Ave, I noticed the exposed re-bar that someone talked about in a forum previously. And I also saw the gashes where the incident happened. Not that I want or we need more traffic tie ups but at what point is it unsafe?

Alki Resident July 12, 2011 (1:39 pm)

Great team work with all the tow trucks involved.Sounds like they really had alot on their hands.

GT July 12, 2011 (2:50 pm)

Thank you Alki Resident.

luke July 12, 2011 (3:15 pm)

Why is evryone out for blood and wanting to point the finger? It sucked, but it’s over. I am more understanding I guess because I have a mechanical job and see how things can break due to time and stress. Relax a little. It doesn’t always have to be somebody’s fault. Big up wsb and to the tow companies.

Gina July 12, 2011 (4:30 pm)

It was my husband that was the driver & it was just a part that broke that caused the back-up, yes trucks are inspected but you can not always predict what parts & when they will break. As for the time involed in this was DUE to the job being done improperly & equipment failing. As it turns out in the end the job was completed in the same way my husband was trying to tell them to do it.

JLBWA July 12, 2011 (5:12 pm)

Someone’s going to get a HUGE tow bill. I’m guessing maybe close to 5 figures! Plus, if there’s damage to the roadway, you can expect a bill from SDOT too! Ouch!

Mike July 12, 2011 (5:17 pm)

Not sure if it’s related to this incident but there is exposed rebar you can feel move and hear under your tire as you go West on that section of the bridge. Won’t take long for it to open up large enough to destroy a front axle/half shaft of a car/truck/big rig/bus. It’s about 1′ x 1′ right now. That section of the bridge is so far damaged already it needs to be reworked anyhow.

bg July 12, 2011 (6:20 pm)

I did a crazy thing on the way home yesterday, I listened to the traffic report, like I do every day on the way home from work. They mentioned this and I listed to it a bit more (I have about 1n hour until I hit WS) and they kept mentioning this accident. So you know what i did? I took a different route, and I didn’t have any issues with traffic. I guess no one else gets the traffic channels on their radio dial?

nadoka July 12, 2011 (9:17 pm)

Not wanting to be crabby, but this SNAFU needs a root cause analysis which goes beyond bad luck with a truck axle.

Take a look at the condition of most of the rigs moving containers around Harbor Island and the waterfront and it’s disturbing. The rig owner/operators seem to be put in the position of not being paid enough to keep their rigs in good condition, and their safety awareness is minimal.

The overall responsibility for good, solid management of the port operations is that of the Port of Seattle, and it looks like this public authority is not either being proactive nor accepting of their duties. The Port of Seattle needs to pay better attention and start to provide constructive solutions before a tragic event occurs on the roads we all share. These solutions are not just big ticket construction projects, but detailed, small bore actions.

Anyway, I expect all of us offer thanks to the road crews, police, tow operators for their creative and hard work in clearing out this mess.

Mike July 12, 2011 (11:04 pm)

bg, I got one up on you… live GPS traffic flow with accident reports on my phone (that Google is aMaZazing). It didn’t matter at the time I was heading home, every route was a train wreck. I find that the radio reports are typically 15-20 minutes behind 4G Internet access.

Layne July 13, 2011 (11:42 am)

Al V:

Good luck getting one of those container lifts up there…

22bladeson July 13, 2011 (4:43 pm)

It not only messed with auto traffic. I was flying into Boeing Field and tower told me of two news choppers on station on final approach over the WS Bridge. It looked like a mess even from the air. Thanks for the coverage.

foy boy July 14, 2011 (11:10 am)

Dear mike as i posted when this happened I said they should just drag it off the bridge and fix it there. And guess what after several hours of trying to use the frwy as a repair shop, but guess what it was just draged off and then fixed. It turns out that this was a short term cash cow for tow trucks.

Gina July 16, 2011 (5:17 am)

The trucking company involved in this incident, just for your info, does regular maintenance and safety inspections on all equipment. Has gone so far as to have recently hired it’s own certified repair tech.
That being said, the part that failed on this trailer could have only been seen with exray vision. It was a pivoting point and the part that broke is contained inside a sleeve.
A design change is being considered that would eliminate part of the possibility of this ever happening again but would cost the company many thousands of dollars to implement.

Gina July 16, 2011 (5:32 am)

One other thing I would like to point out. If you consider the amount of weight these trucks carry( this setup can weigh a total of 105500) and the amount of miles they go each year( this driver averages 150000 which less than say swift drivers) maybe then you can get the idea that sometimes things are gonna break no matter how careful you are.
All you people that are complaining think of this. How many times each year, each 150000 miles I travel in a truck how many hours I spend stopped or slowed down because someone in a car or truck that crashed. Most of which were caused just by a ignorant act while driving not mechanical breakdown.
Course as most drivers would be happier if big trucks were outlawed that would be fine too. Except then how would you get the things you want or need. The stores wouldn’t have these things because the trucks bring it to them.

Gina July 16, 2011 (5:40 am)

Also to be said.

Normally when something of this nature goes wrong with a big rig either someone dies or gets critically injured as the driver will lose control.
Where is that anyone noticed how good a job this driver did in keeping the truck staight and in one lane. No injuries involved. No crushed cars.
People are quick to condemn but never take time to notice the good. This could have been so much worse of an incident but thanks to good driving skills by the driver it was controlled and no one got hurt.

Sorry, comment time is over.