By Steven Symes 
A Jeep driver is dead after a loose trailer hitch from another vehicle smashed through his windshield. It’s a somber reminder that not properly securing your trailer hitch could result in a serious accident, maybe even a fatality.
Dropping a donut leads to a huge head-on crash.
The incident happened in North Knoxville, Tennessee on the afternoon of April 14. The 72-year-old victim was driving his Jeep Grand Cherokee when the trailer hitch on a Chevrolet C/K fell off and punched through his windshield, reports WMBF.
Thankfully, the passenger in that Grand Cherokee was uninjured. A car traveling behind the Jeep struck it after the trailer hitch impact, but the people in that vehicle weren’t hurt.
Apparently, authorities aren’t looking to bring charges against the driver of the Chevrolet C/K. We’re not sure how the laws in Tennessee work or in other states when a trailer hitch or something else of that nature flies off your vehicle, hitting another one and causing injuries or death.
That said, it’s possible the family could sue the Chevrolet driver and win a civil judgment. We’re not attorneys, so we couldn’t say how that might be done. But we wanted to point that out in case anyone thinks there are just zero legal consequences for not properly securing a trailer hitch.
Plus, decent human beings will do all they can to ensure a heavy piece of their vehicle which could cause serious injury or death should it come off is properly secured. That means ensuring the hitch pin is in place and isn’t damaged, so it holds the hitch securely in the receiver.
Then there’s the whole debate about whether or not someone should leave an unused trailer hitch on their truck or SUV. Some believe it’s dangerous or discourteous since the hitch ball can damage other vehicles in parking lots and there’s the risk of it coming loose, while others believe it’s no big deal.
Sadly, this deadly incident wouldn’t have happened if the Chevy driver didn’t leave the unused hitch in the receiver.
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