Drafting not so safe

[Fat Charlie]

Hatchet hurtles off truck into car’s windshield on I-95 in Topsfield

[ksa8907]

It was either from an oncoming truck or it bounced first. Otherwise it would have been traveling at nearly the same speed as the car and not been a big deal.

Me? I would need a new pair of pants.

[Fat Charlie]

Nope.

A hatchet fell off the back of a landscaper’s dump truck and sliced into the windshield of a car traveling behind it Wednesday morning on Interstate 95 in Topsfield, right in front of the front-seat passenger’s face, State Police said in a Facebook posting.

[jamesqf]

Still, there's no indication that the car was drafting. In fact, it probably couldn't have been. The car would have to have been VERY close for the hatchet to fall directly to the windshield, since there's almost no height difference between the truck bed and the hole in the windshield.

Seems more likely that it fell, bounced up, and spun into the car that was a good way behind. And it almost certainly had to have been spinning: if it just fell off and went directly to the windshield, it would have been moving at almost the same speed as the car, so it wouldn't have penetrated.

[California98Civic]

This seems more like the actual problem:

"The truck driver, who is from Peabody, was fined $200 for failure to secure cargo. State Police said contractors and all other motorists must ensure that the items they are transporting are properly secured on their vehicles. "

She's very lucky it hit the car in such a way as to catch the dash after cutting through the window. I guess if it had been an inch higher it might have hit her hard in the chest. Ouch!

[NeilBlanchard]

Right, this kind of thing can happen at almost any time you're on the road with other vehicles.

[whatmaycome14]

I've had a few situations where things have fallen off vehicles in front of me but never an axe! I can understand the fear that they must have felt. Talk about a close call!