Reprint from Hardware & Fastener Components Magazine, Vol. 43

On December 23, 2016 a fatal crash occurred on a busy Chicago highway. A large tractor trailer truck hit a car, flipping over, and crashing through the center median hitting on-coming traf c. What could have been a horrendous holiday tragedy was limited only to the driver of the truck. Unfortunately, even one fatality is too many, especially if it is due to an entirely preventable cause.

Early reports claimed that the crash was caused by a wheel separating from the truck. It was believed that this caused the driver to lose control resulting in the subsequent chain of events. After accident reconstruction, however, it was determined that the truck driver actually hit a wheel (tire and rim) that had separated from another truck and was lying in the roadway.

Now what does this accident have to do with fasteners?