HGV Roofs and ice

[jeebus]

The past few days I have seen a lot of trucks with big chunks of ice flying off the top of the trailers and have been keeping my distance on the motorway. But today I was driving through liverpool and the 7.5 ton truck in front of me had a large sheet slide off and hit an elderly gentleman right on the top of his head. I pulled over quick and he was bleeding quite bad from his head, luckily I had a big blue roll of workshop wipes in the back so I cleaned him up and gave him a lift home to his wife (he wouldn't let me call an ambulance, kept trying to walk off when I mentioned it.)But I tried to make sure his wife did when I got him home, or at least called a doctor out to check him over.

The truck driver must of seen it because he stopped up the road and then cleared off quickly so I didn't get his reg no, but say I did what could the police do if anything? My question is, what do they do in cold countries where this problem must be commonplace, I have to say it is downright bloody dangerous the lumps of ice flying through the air at speed on our motorways at the minute. Also you cant expect drivers to get on the icy roof of an artic either.

[redtwin]

Just recently there was a news story where a large sheet of snow/ice slid off the roof of a house and clobbered an elderly lady.

What should be done in that situation?. Who is at fault?.

I once got struck by lightning (well it hit the bridge I was working and knocked me on my arris), who gets the blame for that?.

Edited by redtwin on Tuesday 7th December 22:26

[Acehood]

Don't walk near roads on icy days. Problem solved

[MJK 24]

It's a problem but there's very little/nothing that can be done about it really.

All people can do is be cautious.

[Nickyboy]

Realistically there is nothing you can do, ice/snow accumulates on top of things its a fact of life. Asking someone to climb on top of a 14ft+ trailer covered with ice with no support is never going to happen

[FRMATT]

I imagine they must have a scaled up way of de-icing as they do at the airport

[RileyRa]

I think it was bloody nice off you to stop mate.

Would it be classed as an act of god? or what ever they call it like lightening striking etc

[anonymous-user]

Nice to know there's some decent people around; it was good of you to stop.

I reckon they don't do anything about this in cold countries. People are killed by icicles in those countries year after year, it's just dangerous like many other unavoidable things.

[soda]

We run about 40 HGVs in work, no practical way of clearing the top of them at up to 16' height. Using the truck wash is as likely to add to the problem as solve it and it's not really feasible to have the drivers clambering up ladders onto ice.

Just have to put up with it as another downside to the current weather.