Victim's mother pushing for tougher unsecured-load laws
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SEATTLE -- There are few forces on earth quite as powerful as a mother on a mission. One local mom has been working tirelessly since 2004, dedicating her life to closing legal loopholes and saving lives.
Robin Abel said our state is a big step closer to preventing accidents like the one that forever changed her daughter's life.
Abel has been through so much, but there's much more to come.
Nine years ago her daughter, Maria Federici, nearly died when a 60-pound piece of furniture came crashing through her windshield. The wreck caused injuries that required facial surgery and left Federici permanently blind.
"People don't think it'll happen to their family, but I'm here to tell you it can happen to any of us at any time," Abel said.
Since that time, Abel has gone to Olympia and spoken with anyone who will listen. She's worked to get the state to change its laws regarding unsecured loads, and she's had success.
But there's now one final piece, and that's making sure gravel loads are covered.
Abel believes lawmakers will do the right thing and change the law.
"It was working and people cared to listen. And as long as they listen, I keep talking," she said.
The nine years of fighting in Olympia have taken a toll. Abel has left her job and now must sell her antiques -- items she collected for years.
"It's been an odd adjustment, to go from being a banker to selling one's belongings. But on the other end, I'm able to accomplish something so special, how can I not do it?" she said.
Abel will continue to share her story, even though it hurts, because it's the only way to stop other hearts from breaking like hers has.
"To get any kind of change, what I've found is that you've got to get people here. If you get them here and you get them to care, you get change right off the bat. They understand," she said.
The gravel coverage bill will go before a Senate committee on Tuesday.
Robin Abel said our state is a big step closer to preventing accidents like the one that forever changed her daughter's life.
Abel has been through so much, but there's much more to come.
Nine years ago her daughter, Maria Federici, nearly died when a 60-pound piece of furniture came crashing through her windshield. The wreck caused injuries that required facial surgery and left Federici permanently blind.
"People don't think it'll happen to their family, but I'm here to tell you it can happen to any of us at any time," Abel said.
Since that time, Abel has gone to Olympia and spoken with anyone who will listen. She's worked to get the state to change its laws regarding unsecured loads, and she's had success.
But there's now one final piece, and that's making sure gravel loads are covered.
Abel believes lawmakers will do the right thing and change the law.
"It was working and people cared to listen. And as long as they listen, I keep talking," she said.
The nine years of fighting in Olympia have taken a toll. Abel has left her job and now must sell her antiques -- items she collected for years.
"It's been an odd adjustment, to go from being a banker to selling one's belongings. But on the other end, I'm able to accomplish something so special, how can I not do it?" she said.
Abel will continue to share her story, even though it hurts, because it's the only way to stop other hearts from breaking like hers has.
"To get any kind of change, what I've found is that you've got to get people here. If you get them here and you get them to care, you get change right off the bat. They understand," she said.
The gravel coverage bill will go before a Senate committee on Tuesday.
It's too bad we can't get something done about the stones that get wedged between the duals that come flying off at near the speed of sound at my windshield.
I'm actually with her on this one. I'm sick and tired of replacing my work trucks windshields because Cadman cannot be bothered to cover their loads. I complained one time to them and they said that as long as they had 6" of "freeboard" in the load, they were fine.
It'll be just a matter of time before something bigger then a piece of gravel is bounced out of the bed of the truck and something tragic happens.
@ALTemp Have you seen the Cadman trucks in the last few years? They were the first gravel company to put auto tarps on all their trucks. I work next to these trucks every day and unless someone has a brain fart, their loads are covered. All our trucks have auto tarps on them at the tune of $6500.00 each. We use them on every load unless the wind is blowing to hard then they get ripped off the truck.
@glideman  Then they should use them. The wind is no excuse. More like some fat a** union driver cannot be bothered to earn his 45.00 per hour and actually secure the tarps.Â
And yes, I see the Cadman trucks EVERY day.Â
@ALTempÂ
That 6' of freeboard is the problem. Ifd the "heap" the load just right, they can have that freeboard, but at the top of the center of the mound in the truck they can (and I have seen that they ARE) above the top of the side of the truck. Claiming the freeboard is simpy an excuse for them. As soon as the law was passed, they simply added wooden planks at the top of the wides to increase their "depth", giving them more capacity to overload while while staying within the freeboard limit.
For those of you who are wondering - I know this woman and I know her story. No, her daughter was not drunk. I can't speak as to how close she was to the truck in front of her, but either way does it really matter? This is a mother, grieving for the lost opportunities of her daughter and trying to save other mothers from having to go through this sort of heartache. It's not about her daughter losing her eyesight. She lost so much more than that. She was a beautiful women, top of her class, learning to become a nurse (if memory serves me correctly), well on her way to being a self-reliant and active member of society. In an instant, she lost all of that. Her daughter was in her young twenties with her whole life ahead of her, she had a plan and goals and the drive to achieve them when this happened. She didn't just lose her eyesight. She lost her career, her future, and her ability to take care of herself. Tell me, those of you who are parents - could you ever handle watching your daughter lose all of that? And for those of you who don't have children, think back to when you decided you finally had a plan in life. You finally realized what it was you wanted to do and you had the excitement and drive to achieve it? How would you have felt if in that same moment, the universe told you you couldn't. Yes, maybe she was driving too close to the truck, but does that really change how Robin would see all this? It's her daughter. Her baby girl.Â
So tell me, what on earth could be wrong with Robin doing whatever she can to find reason in all this? Because that's what you do when a tragedy happens. You look for some sort of larger picture - something to explain why your whole world has to suffer. What good can come of your suffering? What good can come of the suffering of your little girl? Robin is doing exactly what she feels is the good that can come from this. It's not about politics for her.Â
@Jory I have to wonder.....Maria was legally drunk at the time of the accident. This is proven by the blood draws at the hospital. But, if Maria (God Forbid) caused a accident that night that blinded a person, and even though she never meant to cause blindness in somebody, would her mom go after drunk drivers with the same zeal as the uncovered loads she has been tirelessly fighting against? I'm a father and if a drunk driver hurt my kid, ticket/fines/jail would be the very least of their worries, so I get where Robin is coming from, and I applaud her efforts, but at what point do you just say "enough is enough", bury the anger and move on?Â
I think the problem is enforcement and of course people who choose not to obey the law already in force. I really feel sorry for this Mom and her daughter that someone out there was that inconsiderate of others.Â
Id be happy if everyone would put out the effort it takes to flip that little lever on the steering column and actually use your turn signal before you lane change and cut me off, but I guess it must be hard to find a free hand these days with all of the other important things to do while driving. You know, texting, talking , shaving, putting on makeup etc.
And i'd like it if the jackwagon to the rear of the space i want to move into didnt hammer the throttle as soon as i hit my turn signal and try to close up the hole.
@WoodswalkerAnd I'd like to maintain a safe following distance without people cutting into my safety zone because they failed to plan ahead. What is so hard about slowing down and getting in behind rather than trying to force your way over? If you are finding people are accelerating, maybe the problem is YOU. My lane is MY lane, and it is not yours until I yield it to you. Period. In heavier traffic, I can never leave enough room because of this exact reason. Some moron will inevitably cut into a lane -- at 10 MPH -- that is moving 40-50 MPH. Just look at the HOV lane on any given week day during rush hour. When there is a gigantic space behind me, I am not going to let you cut me off. Get the F behind me. YOUR lane change isn't MY problem.
@slappywag Special permits boy, ....jeep, booster and a dolly to boot for an irreducible consignment with pilot cars and clearing the bridges along the way for the 127K but it was NOT on the trestle, straight shot on I-5.  No...I don't drive gravel trucks.  The occasional long logger stretched out for poles but no gravel.
Very good on the yield sign, I WILL give you points for that.  Probably 90% do not know that. I'd BET I know who owns the gravel truck you are griping about.
@Woodswalker You're so far off the mark that it isn't funny. I am one of the VERY FEW people who actually obey the law. I GET that the 204/20th Street merge into the right-hand lane of the 2 west on the trestle is a MERGE WITH a YIELD SIGN for traffic entering from the 204. On one particular occasion where I was yielding at that location to traffic inbound from 20th street, a wonderful excuse for a human being driving a gravel truck decided that he was going to sit on my bumper and lay on his air horn until I moved... like I could legally do so. Then when I did begin to move immediately he attempted to pass me to the left in the weave. Are you sure that wasn't you? I do not use the island to bypass the trestle. I did take my dog to the dog park there on occasion before it went defunct. By the way, you shouldn't throw 127K around like it is legal. 115K is the maximum with a special extension and you know it. 105K is the normal max. If you're driving across the trestle with a 127K loaded rig, you should be taken off the road. RCW 46.44.041 and 46.44.042 are your friends. Try abiding by them sometime.
@slappywag
No, I get it...i fully understand the lane 'ownership" issue...but if that is the way you drive, insisting to be first, perhaps you are the problem.
Are you one of those folks who dives off the US-2 trestle and runs along the island and elbows their way back into the left lane on the merge because they want to get ahead of the back up caused by folks doing the exact same thing?
Oh and it's not all the time...its an occasional thing...like the idoits who merge in front of 127,000 pounds of rig at parallel parking distances.
@Woodswalker Apparently you still don't get it.... if someone wants to close that hole, it is their prerogative to do so. Their lane belongs to them and is not yours to move into until it is yielded to you. Ranting about people doing something that THEY have control over (not you) will not change that fact. Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency for anyone else. If you are finding yourself in the situation all the time, maybe you should just stay to the right and solve the "problem" that you seem to be encountering. If it is only YOU with the problem, then it seems that maybe you ARE the problem?
@Slappywag
I see that you are on the assumption jackwagon today, didnt you get your morning coffee?.
I do NOT move in to cut others off...lose my CDL doing that. I also do not merge into a lane at other than the traffic speed, on ramps i come in OVER traffic speed and slow into it....much easier to shed speed than gain it
As to dropping into the supposed hole behind you...if there IS one I drop back and slide into that...otherwise i find a safe hole and try to merge into it leaving enough space all around.
Sorry, you are barking up the wrong tree...
Yes, loads should be handled better, either by securing them or loading them better.  Should there be another law on the books requiring every load be secured with ropes and tarps and whatever  IMO no.  Yes, if something falls off a load and damages a vehicle the hauler should pay reasonable damages.  However, if the damaged vehicle was driving too close for safety (and if you want a law change how about requiring cars be at least five car lengths behind a vehicle carrying or pulling a load) they shouldn't get full damages. Â
@Murigen I am a very safe driver and never tailgate. I had a close call with a piece of lawn care equipment and the reason I escaped was because the thing went over me and landed BEHIND me. Stop trying to blame victims.
@Murigen If we could depnd on people doing the right thing, we wouldn't need any laws. Unfortunately, we can't and in order to protect innocent victims, we need laws. If a law doesn't exist, police officers can't stop people when they see someone with an unsecured load.  I wonder what you would consider reasonable damages for a young woman who lost her vision, beautiful face and almost her life,  to some idiot stupid enough not to tie down a piece of furniture on a little trailer with low sides? I think you're trying to place the blame on the victim. IMO.
In Snohomish county, I run a daily gauntlet against those gravel and rock trucks that are everywhere. Within a week of replacing my windshield, I was hit by another bounce-out. Even though these trucks all have screens that are supposed to be used, they never are, and stuff bounces out all the time. Another major violator are all the landscaping trucks. Between their loose rakes and ladders, I have seen bags or free flying yard debris bounce out. It's quite frightening, sometimes to be anywhere near these vehicles. The law is clear...SECURE THE LOAD! That should mean everyone!
@takncarabizniz Are you reporting them every time you see this? If not, complaining HERE isn't going to do any good.
@slappywag It's a waste of time. You call 9-1-1 and they argue with you and after 3-4 minutes, finally connect you with the state patrol and it's like talking to yourself. They want a description of the vehicle (reasonable) and the license # (Usually too late) the color, the detailed description of the driver, the VIN, the number of the registration tag and on and on and on, with no intention of alerting a patrol car about it because the BIG revenue is speeding tickets.
First off, What do covering gravel loads have to do with some monron weekender loosing a piece of furniture off a u-haul trailer? I'm sorry for the loss of your daughters vision, but if you follow (which nobody does) the correct distance from the vehicle in front of you, there would be less rearenders an accidents. I,ve been driving a semi for over 40 years and it still amazes me how stupid people drive around here. They will break every law in the books just to get ahead of a truck, and when they rip the front bumper off your truck to get in front of you to make the next exit, you look in your mirror and no traffic is within 500 feet behind you. Really? are you in such a hurry that you can't wait for 5 more seconds? People don't realize just how stupind they are driving I guess. Butt hell, I got in front of that 105 thousand semi when Im driving my little 2500 lb car. I know there are bad semi drivers out there, I see them every day and just shake my head. As far as covering gravel truck loads, most every time the little rock that chips your window comes either off the road or from under the truck. it's especially bad in the winter when the trucks are slogging around in the mud off the road. But, hey, shut down the gravel trucks and then you get you can drive on dirt roads again. I always had a saying when people would look down at me for driving a truck.Name me one thing in your home that didn't get there via a truck? Think hard now.
@glideman  It's not just semi's that get that treatment and I've see quite a few semis driving recklessly too.  However, I agree with you that if people didn't drive so close, especially to any kind of truck that you can see is carrying a load of anything, there would be fewer accidents and less damage to cars.Â
@glideman I've been behind gravel trucks that had gravel flying out the back like hail and bouncing off of my car. I had to go around and pass to get out of the line of fire. These trucking companies have the nerve to post signs on the back of their trucks saying they are not responsible for damage. Well they should be. Why should my car insurance go up to fix a crack that they, not the road, put in it? I have also seen plenty of people still not securing their load. If you go to the dump at Algona, there is a sign in the window that you just have to pay an extra fee if you come in with an unsecured load. They should tell them they won't accept the load and they will be ticketed.Â
Your ramblings just support what I have already observed about most truck drivers over the years (and I happen to personally know quite a few). You are simply not the sharpest tools in the drawer.
@run4fun ouch, that hurts. Your intelligence just shinned through
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@the unvarnished truth @glideman Well, maybe you should have a lesson in common sense. All the chips in the windows of my personel vehicles and my semi come from cars. Why don't you bring your toothbrush to all the jobsites of construction jobs and clean the trucks along with the jacked up 4 x 4's that are playing off road and spilling dirt all over the road. Maybe you should own a glass repair shop.
@the unvarnished truth@run4fun
You know they do have covers on them... but its up to the driver to put them down, There Company to Instill/reinforce it in them and there already is a law for it.. I drive semi too... and people put themselves and me at risk almost every night.. you want CDL drivers to go the extra mile... Alot of us DO.. and Have probably saved many life's ever time we get behind the wheel... but there are alot of inconsiderate people that jeopardize yours and everyone elses life when they do stupid & illegal things while driving... I know there are alot of bad CDL drivers... But there are many in smaller vehicles that are just as worse...
Instead of adding more Laws... Enforce the Ones we Have...
So i Say... All drivers should be Held Accountable in the Same manner.... Guilty till Proven Innocent... just like all CDL holders... Cause that's how were Treated...
Sincerely,  Ray The Fuel Tanker Driver...
is this the same woman who was really tail gating riding the persons bumber and lost her eye sight because 1 she was over the legal limit and 2 driving way to close to the truck infront of her? I am sorry she lost her eye sight really am. But some times actions have consequences.
@Exiled_Patriot Apparently the jury was able to see through all the character assination that U-Haul lawyers used to fight the lawsuit. I guess you fell for it.
@justmyopinion @Exiled_Patriot "Newly obtained medical records show that Maria Federici of Renton was drunk when the February 2004 accident occurred, lawyers said in court documents filed in King County Superior Court. Lab tests performed at Harborview Medical Center indicate her blood-alcohol level was 0.124 percent, or about one and a half times the legal limit of .08, the documents say."
~ Source: http://www.komonews.com/news/local/7649162.html
@ALTemp @justmyopinion Don't throw facts around. You know that never works. :-)
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@the unvarnished truth @Exiled_Patriot So driving drunk tail gating had noting to do with her getting hurt? So if she was not 4 feet away from the said truck with the unsecured load and if she was not drunk she may have never got hurt you know proper reaction time four to five car lenghts away from the car or truck in front of you to give you time to react to things. And I never stated having a unsecured load is OK What I am pointing out is her contrabution to the problem.
@the unvarnished truth @Exiled_Patriot Both were at fault. One did not secure the load properly, the other did not maintain a safe following distance. Both are responsible for obeying the law. Both failed. A major accident ensued.
@Exiled_Patriot Well she paid her consequences, more than she really should've. But she did not cause that vehicle to lose its load. You are responsible for your loads. If it wasn't her, it would've been someone else being affected somehow. One thing's for sure; if any kind of load of the sort gets dropped over the roads, it would certainly screw up traffic!
@Zoso @Exiled_Patriot No she did not what she did was be less then four feet from behind the load in question giving her zero reaction time. duh? would it be as bad if she was say 4 or 5 car lengths back? most likely yes! But that is seattle were hell no can't let any one be in front of me got to almost bump draft the car in front of me at all times.
@LocalLady (Facepalm, massaging forehead) Very lucky break! I must say you seriously got lucky! That may almost be enough to keep me off the freeway for a little while! Just thank God it didn't hit it.
@Zoso
I remember driving down 167 one night with my son. A ROCK hit my car. Thankfully it did not hit the windshield. It hit partially on the drivers door and partially on the piece of the frame there between the front & nback doors. It sounded like an explosion, the glass blew out all over us. I got us home, but when I could not open my door (the impact had bent the frame, jamming it) I began to freak out. My son went & got our next-door-neighbor, who came over & helped me get the door open.
I went back the next day to see if I could find what had hit us. It was a huge rock, about the size of a small "mini watermelon". All I could think after finding it was "what if it HAD hit the windshield?"
@Exiled_Patriot Well we're not talking about people who follow too close, as much as I hate it when people do that. That's something completely different than what we're talking about here. Personally, I would really like it if they did actually start going after people who follow too close. We're talking about gravel loads here, which need to be addressed. I remember a time where a truck went passed me which had a load of gravel (and no I was not only 4 feet right behind it) andout of nowhere, a rock came and hit the windshield, leaving a bit of a mark, altho it scared the absolute crap out of me! This stuff you can't react to before it hits because you can't see it! I'm glad this is being addressed!
Once when I was merging onto I-5 from 512 an empty barrel fly out of the truck in front of me. Luckily I was driving my ex's F350. I swerved and it bounced off the front corner of the truck, busting the turn signal. If I had been in my car, that barrel would have flown right into my windshield.
I tried to catch up to the guy to get his license plate, but the punk had to of known what happened because he took of like a bat out of hell. I pushed it up to 70 and he was hauling balls away from me. It wasn't worth the risk to try to track him down, even though I REALLY wanted to. Effing jerk. The least he could have done was pull over and see if I was ok.
Is this the same daughter that was drunk at the time? And an idiot Seattle jury made U-Haul pay a ridiculous judgment even though they have zero control over how their renters secure their loads? The whole case is an anthem for why Seattle is a joke.
@HawkEye I am always amazed at how many unsympathetic and uncompassionate people there are in this world. I hope you know, that when you stand before God, you will be held to the same standards that you hold everyone else to. You should be ashamed of yourself!
Nine years? She should seriously consider dedicating her life to living, if she really wants to honor her daughter.
@wysoumible Yes! Because we should never take the time to effect changes that help people on a whole in favor of more selfish pursuits.