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Motorist in lucky escape as trailer flips car

Police say an improperly-loaded trailer caused a car driven by a 27-year-old P-plate driver to flip over on Edwards Rd yesterday afternoon.

Sen. Sgt Keith Burrows said the man was lucky to escape with hand and wrist injuries.

He was driving the Toyota HiLux to the Meru Landfill Facility with a trailer full of sand and dirt when he lost control of the car about 3pm.

Sen. Sgt Burrows believed the weight distribution of the trailer load caused the accident.

“Unfortunately he had loaded the weight of the trailer incorrectly so all of the weight is over the back end of the trailer,” he said.

“What this causes is a pivot pendulum affect, where it (the trailer) takes weight off the rear wheels of the car which makes it difficult to control the car.

“The simplest of steering movements in that situation can cause the driver to lose control.”

He said drivers needed to ensure their load was safely balanced over the axles of the trailer.

Police closed Edwards Rd, near the Ross Ariti Rd intersection, for about an hour while the wreckage was cleared.

Geraldton Fire and Rescue attended with police to help free the man from the wreckage.

He was taken to Geraldton Regional Hospital by ambulance.