Sleeping boy, 5, killed by logging truck in Maine

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Source: Huff Post

JACKMAN, Maine — A logging truck crashed near a western Maine home early Tuesday, sending logs rolling into the house and killing a 5-year-old boy, police said.

The truck was passing through Jackman near the Canadian border at about 2:30 a.m. when it struck telephone poles, rolled onto its side next to the house and spilled its logs, the Somerset County Sheriff's Department said.

The logs demolished the lower level of the house, causing the second story to collapse.

The sheriff's department said Liam Mahaney, the son of the house owners, was sleeping on a downstairs couch when he was struck and killed.



Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20110719/us-logging-truck-fatality/

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How tragic!

[AndyTiedye]

1. So Those Speeding Logging Trucks Really Are (At Least) As Dangerous as they Look

Often they don't even have license plates,
as they go tearing down our little mountain road in the middle of the night Hellbent for election,
kicking in the Jake brakes when they get to the switchbacks.

[Gormy Cuss]

2. Betcha the driver fell asleep.

What a sad story. Jackman's a small town in a beautiful corner of the state and a lot of trucks come down that road from Canada.

[crim son]

4. I heard this evening on Maine Public Radio that's exactly what happened.

And the logger/truck was Canadian. I am Canadian too but I agree with the oft heard complaint that Canadian truckers up here drive more recklessly than is acceptable. Having said that I feel awful for all concerned, especially the boy's family. So sad.

[Riftaxe]

5. Years ago while attending college

I worked in a lumber yard fairly close to the Canadian border, most of the wood was shipped through Canada to Japan so the overwhelming majority of the transport was Canadian.

Admittedly things were not as regulated or as enforced as they are today, but we used to bet on how many beer cans and booze bottles would fall out of the cab when the Canadian Truckers opened their cab doors. :)

[KT2000]

3. Oh no -

this makes me so mad. I know how some of those trucks own the road and put others at risk. Losing a load is not that uncommon. When it happens on the back roads they just call their buddies for help - no report, no insurance involvement. But there have been some incidents of deaths when loads fall onto other cars.
They can do better than this and part of that is not putting up with the guys with poor equipment, drinking problems and trying to save money with an excess load. But around here they are exalted figures and you better not say anything against them.