Tractor trailer involved in fatal I-93 crash had safety violations

HOOKSETT, N.H. (MyFoxBoston.com) – The tractor trailer that lost its wheel on I-93 north last week killing a Concord woman should not have been on the road, according to an inspection report.

Allen Condon, 51, of Oakfield, Maine, was behind the wheel of the tractor trailer heading north on I-93 in Hooksett, N.H. on Sept. 18 when one of its wheels fell off, hit a state police cruiser, and then bounced onto the southbound side hitting a car being driven by 40-year-old Kerry Anderson Baker. Baker was pronounced dead at the scene.

Condon did not stop following the fatal crash, but authorities believe he may not have known the wheel came off or the extent of the damage. His truck was picked up in Maine and was brought back to New Hampshire to be filed.

According to The Concord Monitor, an inspection report compiled after the crash shows the truck and trailer together were in violation of six safety codes, including four that should have taken them out of service.

The truck's brakes were "inadequate" for safe stopping, and they were contaminated with grease and oil, and the brake hose on one truck axle was deteriorating as it chafed against another piece of the truck, the newspaper reports. Additionally, applying the service brake also caused air loss from the brake canister on that same axle. Due to the seriousness of those violations, the truck should have been taken out of service.

According to the Concord Monitor, the attached trailer and its remaining wheels also had issues in terms of breakaway or emergency breaking, and thus, should have been pulled from the road.

New Hampshire State Police will inspect the truck again in the coming weeks.

Investigators are working to determine if any criminal charges should be filed.

For more information: The Concord Monitor

Cox Media Group