Utah drivers urged to tie down their loads

UDOT Executive Director John Njord says too many people toss their gear carelessly in a pickup bed after a weekend of boating or other activities.

The Associated Press

7/2/2009

MURRAY, Utah — The family of a woman killed after she swerved to miss a box in traffic is urging drivers to keep debris off of Utah's highways.

In advance of the Fourth of July holiday weekend, the Utah Department of Transportation has launched a campaign to urge drivers to tie down their loads.

C.J. Frank, one of Meredith Deckard's three sons, says she was killed because someone didn't take the extra five minutes to secure their cargo.

Last December, Deckard swerved on Interstate 15 in Ogden to miss a box that fell off the back of a pickup truck. A tractor-trailer struck her car and she died several weeks later after doctors removed life support.

UDOT Executive Director John Njord says too many people toss their gear carelessly in a pickup bed after a weekend of boating or other activities.

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