Judge Declares Lack of Training a Root Cause of Fatal Transportation Accident
The BBC reported that an accident in Scotland caused by a 30-ton digger falling off a truck while being moved and hitting car (killing a passenger) would have been prevented if the truck driver had been properly trained.
The story quotes Judge Lord Brailsford as saying:
“I express surprise and some concern at the absence of any requirement for compulsory training for drivers of heavy goods vehicles in relation to loading and securing of loads.”
“It seems to me that if such training had existed prior to July 5 in 2006 then there is at least the possibility that the accident which occurred might not have taken place.”
Training always seems like a potential solution after an accident with 20/20 hindsight. Without additional details of the sequence of events, the causal factors, and a thorough root cause analysis, the actual root causes may never be known.