Initial reports coming to Blueoceana Company from sources on the ground at Long Beach on the date of this accident appear in the initial release linked below.

Subsequently, in the 2nd release linked to below, it is reported that the truckman apparently got out of his tractor’s cab to disengage a trailing chassis and in doing so neglected to take his vehicle out of gear nor set the emergency brake. We understand that he was standing in front of the tractor’s rear tandem wheels when he engaged the kingpin release actuator. As the kingpin released the chassis, his tractor moved forward, crushing him beneath its wheels……. It is reported (see link to Long Beach Police press release, below) that he was talking on his cellphone at the time of the incident.

While the foregoing, if accurate, represents the perfect storm of complacency, etc., there may be more underlying this event. Consider that intermodal truckers are likely candidates for being at the very bottom of the intermodal food chain, and that their daily financial fate hinges largely on how many times they can get in and out of marine terminals at their respective port. Are they in a rush? You bet… While that’s no solid excuse for the alleged errors committed here, it does speak to some pressing needs in the pursuit of safer marine terminals.



















BLUEOCEANA NEWS SERVICE



Long Beach, California ~ 16 September 2015

Blueoceana Company has learned from sources at Long Beach, that during the morning hours of today’s date an over the road intermodal truck operator was struck and killed by his own tractor at Berth 60 in this city.

Given the immediacy of this notice, no media reports are currently available.

Information coming to us, however, indicates that while dropping off an empty chassis the truckman left his tractor in gear while disengaging the unit’s kingpin.

Once the kingpin was freed, the tractor moved forward and crushed the driver under its rear tandem wheels.



