COLORADO SPRINGS, CO -- An El Paso County dump truck driver asked for repairs for a loose mudflap and metal bracket several times before the bracket broke and the mudflap smashed through a windshield and killed a woman, according to the Web site, www.thedenverchannel.com/.
Thomas Edmisten filed four repair requests, according to the Denver TV station. The last request was made the day before the mudflap bounced off the road and hit Eileen Langan's sport/utility vehicle. A copy of the request form was obtained by The Gazette of Colorado Springs.
Colorado Springs police have impounded the truck and are investigating. County officials said they do not know how the damaged bracket slipped through the system for detecting safety problems. All vehicles similar to the dump truck were checked after the accident, but workers found no other deteriorating brackets, as published on the Web site, www.thedenverchannel.com.
El Paso County provided dozens of inspection and maintenance reports for the dump truck that showed no reported problems with the mudflap.
The documents which noted the bracket deterioration were submitted for "minor" repairs that aren't believed to pose a safety hazard and can be done with scheduled maintenance, Fleet Director Praim Mangar said, as published on www.thedenverchannel.com. Mangar said his department has eliminated those repair forms to cut paperwork and ensure no similar problems escape notice.
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