Security crash
Published 9:00 pm Friday, October 5, 2001
Associated Press
WASHINGTON – Two trucks hauling weapons for the military, including a load of Boeing-built missiles, crashed within 14 hours, raising new concerns about a system that makes 42,000 ammunition deliveries a year.
The Army’s Military Traffic Management Command, which oversees the shipments, had already tightened security not only because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks but also in response to a report that criticized security lapses, spokesman John Randt said.
On Friday, a flatbed tractor-trailer carrying the eight Navy missiles outside Frederick, Md., hit a concrete barrier, slid down an embankment and overturned. No one was hurt, but the driver, 49-year-old Danny Harkey of Joplin, Mo., was charged with negligent driving, Randt said.
Thursday night, a truck carrying 42,000 pounds of explosives used to fire 155mm artillery shells crashed in West Virginia. Officials said the driver of that truck lost control during a coughing fit after a sip of coffee.
Authorities evacuated surrounding areas and called in special military explosives disposal teams after the two crashes.
Both trucks were operated by Tri-State Motor Transit, a Missouri-based company that’s one of the largest haulers of ammunition and other hazardous cargo for the federal government.
“We have a very good safety record, but we didn’t have a very good day today, that’s for sure,” company vice president Ralph Nelson said Friday.
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