Cement mixers are huge machines, and any crash involving these massive vehicles could cause death or catastrophic injuries. These behemoths deliver tons of cement mix across our country every day so that our buildings, roads, sidewalks, and other structures will be strong and last for an exceptionally long time. The weight of a cement mixer […]
Cement mixers are huge machines, and any crash involving these massive vehicles could cause death or catastrophic injuries. These behemoths deliver tons of cement mix across our country every day so that our buildings, roads, sidewalks, and other structures will be strong and last for an exceptionally long time.
The weight of a cement mixer is astounding. When traveling with cement mix, which is gravel, sand, and the cement mix, which binds the materials together, a cement mixer could weigh between 25 and 60 tons, or between 50,000 and 120,000 pounds. Cement mixers have an elevated center of gravity. The drum that spins to mix the cement components must be elevated off of the ground so that the drum could pour the contents down the shoot and onto the ground.
Well-trained and experienced operators should only drive cement mixers. The machines are simply too large to entrust to an inexperienced, untrained, or careless driver. Driving a cement mixer requires constant attention and care, defensive operation. Cement mixers do not stop rapidly in emergencies, and, as a result, cement mixer drivers must not drive at excessive speeds.
Additionally, cement mixers could easily be thrown out-of-balance if driven recklessly, thereby resulting in a rollover accident. In fact, rollover incidents involving cement trucks have occurred when taking a 90-degree turn at only five miles per hour. Truck accidents involving cement mixers with a drum full of cement mix usually cause the load to spill onto the road. Spilling the cargo leads to secondary crashes that could lead to severe injuries or death as well.
Cement mixer crashes could inflict catastrophic injuries or kill people in smaller, more vulnerable vehicles. Passenger cars with all of their safety advances are simply no match for a 60-ton cement mixer rolling on top of a passenger car.