A truck driver hauling aluminum beams lost his life yesterday when his load shifted after he came to an abrupt stop.
Load Shifts After Trucker Brakes Suddenly Outside Of High School
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the crash happened just after 8 a.m. on the east side of Fredericktown. Police say that 23 year old Jackson, Missouri, based truck driver Samuel R. Kranawetter was traveling westbound on Highway 72 in front of Fredricktown High School when the incident occurred.
The accident report says that Kranawetter came to an “abrupt stop“, which caused his load of “aluminum beams to shift forward through the front of the trailer and the rear of the tractor, impacting and pinning the driver.”
Kranawetter was pronounced dead at the scene at 8:19 a.m.
Cause Of Fatal Incident Remains Unclear
No other vehicles were involved and no other injuries were reported.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol has not released details on what caused Kranawetter to stop so abruptly. The incident remains under investigation.
Highway 72 was shut down for approximately three hours for crash clean up and recovery.