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Equipment flies off truck, smashes SUV windshield

A steel buckle and strap flew off a semi-truck on Interstate 5 Friday morning, crashing through an SUV's windshield, but the driver escaped injury, the Washington State Patrol reported.
The accident happened about 8:30 a.m. as a 29-year-old Renton woman was driving a 2007 Cadillac Escalade northbound on I-5, just north of Interstate 405 near Tukwila, Trooper Jeff Merrill reported.

Passing motorists told investigators they saw the strap fall from a flatbed truck and land on the highway between its tires. The tires kicked the buckle and strap into the air, and the equipment struck the SUV, creating a hole and shattering glass.

"The tires shot it back like a rocket," Merrill said.The strap had been rolled up on the truck, but as the truck traveled on the highway, the equipment became unraveled.

The semi-truck is owned and operated by Bronco Transportation Systems Inc. of British Columbia, the State Patrol reported. Passing motorists were able to flag down the truck driver after the accident.

Troopers cited the truck driver, who had forgotten to put the strap in his toolbox, for failing to secure his load. He faces a fine of up to $200 and must pay for the SUV repairs, Merrill said.