A mother and daughter from Minnesota were killed when a boulder weighing nearly 800 pounds became dislodged from a commercial vehicle and crushed their car. Karen J. Christiansen and her daughter, Jena H. Christiansen, suffered "significant trauma" and were pronounced dead after being rushed to the hospital.
The driver of the commercial vehicle was not at the scene of the accident when police arrived. They managed to use surveillance cameras to track down the truck, which belonged to Czeck Services. Authorities said that the company's owner, Joe P. Czeck, was driving at the time of the accident and was taken into custody.
Rosemount Police Chief Mitchell Scott said the tragic accident "was a very unique situation," but one that "could have been prevented" if Czeck had properly secured the boulder in the back of his truck.
“It’s so important. We’re in a society today where we’re in such a hurry that we don’t always secure things,” Scott added. “It’s so important to secure loads."
A Massachusetts driver recently learned of the penalties for driving with an unsecured load after being pulled over twice within five days for the offense.