Photo: Eyewitness News
A Minnesota mother and daughter driving a 2002 Toyota died from blunt force trauma last week, after a boulder from a pickup truck in front of them came loose and crushed their car.
Police tell the media that the tragedy was entirely preventable, as the load (the boulder, in this case) had not been secured properly. When it came loose, it smashed through the entire car in which the women were. They were mother and daughter, 67 and 32 years old, respectively.
Authorities ruled that they died on the spot, from blunt force trauma. ABC’s Eyewitness News says that the driver of the pickup has been arrested but charges against him are still pending. He was arrested a couple of days after the accident and the car was ID-ed with help from surveillance cameras, which would seem to indicate that he fled the scene once he realized what had happened.
Rosemount Police Chief Mitchell Scott tells CBS News that the boulder weighed about 800 pounds and it took 4 firefighters to move it from the smashed Toyota. The boulder had gone through the entire vehicle; the women inside never stood a chance.
The lesson to be learned from this tragedy, he says, is that all loads should be properly secured. This is the only way in which situations like this one can be prevented.
“What sad about this is it could have been prevented,” Chief Scott says. “It’s so important [to secure the load]. We’re in a society today where we’re in such a hurry that we don’t always secure things. It’s so important to secure loads.”
The driver of the pickup was identified as Joe P. Czeck, a 33-year-old man who runs his own construction company and, apparently, doubles as a driver as well. He is now in custody, awaiting arraignment.
Authorities ruled that they died on the spot, from blunt force trauma. ABC’s Eyewitness News says that the driver of the pickup has been arrested but charges against him are still pending. He was arrested a couple of days after the accident and the car was ID-ed with help from surveillance cameras, which would seem to indicate that he fled the scene once he realized what had happened.
Rosemount Police Chief Mitchell Scott tells CBS News that the boulder weighed about 800 pounds and it took 4 firefighters to move it from the smashed Toyota. The boulder had gone through the entire vehicle; the women inside never stood a chance.
The lesson to be learned from this tragedy, he says, is that all loads should be properly secured. This is the only way in which situations like this one can be prevented.
“What sad about this is it could have been prevented,” Chief Scott says. “It’s so important [to secure the load]. We’re in a society today where we’re in such a hurry that we don’t always secure things. It’s so important to secure loads.”
The driver of the pickup was identified as Joe P. Czeck, a 33-year-old man who runs his own construction company and, apparently, doubles as a driver as well. He is now in custody, awaiting arraignment.
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