Blumenthal calls for probe into rental truck safety standards after fatal accident at Yale Bowl

By Jordan Fenster, Register Staff
jfenster@nhregister.com
@jordanfenster

HARTFORD â€" In the wake of an accident last week, in which a woman was killed when she was struck by a U-Haul truck in a Yale Bowl parking lot, Sen. Richard Blumenthal is calling for a probe into the possibility of nationwide standards for rental trucks.

Pointing out what he called an “absence of federal oversight,” Blumenthal sent a letter today to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, asking for an independent analysis from the DOT and the Government Accountability Office, with federal legislation as a possible end result.

“This absence of safety oversight is particularly troubling because many rental truck companies have fleets that are older and more heavily used than similar commercial vehicles,” Blumenthal wrote to LaHood.

At present, there are no federal standards of oversight for rental trucks, such as there are for commercial vehicles, and Blumenthal said that lack “could present a danger to people who rent them or use them.”

On Nov. 19, a U-Haul containing beer kegs at a Yale-Harvard football game tailgating party, driven by Yale junior Brendan Ross, crashed into three women, injuring two and killing Nancy Barry, of Salem, Mass.

The accident remains under investigation by the New Haven Police Department. No charges have been filed.

Ross’ attorney, William F. Dow III, characterized the crash as a “tragic accident which appears to be the result of a vehicle malfunction,” a claim that U-Haul disputed.

Noting that the investigation into the crash was ongoing, Blumenthal said it  “raises the question of is there a need for a broader, more comprehensive federal standard.”

“Sometimes a tragedy is necessary to focus attention,” he told reporters during a press conference Monday.

In his letter to LaHood and GAO Comptroller General Gene Dodaro, Blumenthal referred to a 2007 study by the L.A. Times, which he says determined “that more than half of 200 rental trucks surveyed were overdue for a monthly safety check of the vehicles’ brakes, tires and other equipment, with some vehicles more than a year overdue for inspection.” Continued...

Despite his call for oversight, Blumenthal stopped short of placing blame on U-Haul for last week’s accident.

“Although no conclusions are possible at this point as to the cause of this tragic accident, it squarely raises the issue of rental truck safety and scrutiny generally,” Blumenthal wrote to LaHood, “which I now request your involvement in addressing.”

U-Haul did not return a request for comment Monday, but said in a previous statement: "U-Haul takes the safety and maintenance of our equipment very seriously. Our maintenance systems and protocols are state-of-the-art and are designed with safety and compliance with the law as our main priorities. Every single piece of our equipment is treated as such.”

The company statement also said “Until the authorities have completed their investigation, it would be inappropriate for us to provide any further comments.”

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