Angel Wings helps save human lives

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Published: January 20, 2022

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The Angel Wing is designed to alert oncoming motorists that truck drivers and emergency crews are working in a dangerous spot at the side of the road.  The device can also be set on the ground, up-stream of traffic to give motorists a better warning.  |  Brian Olson photo

Hooking up trailers and checking hoses in high-traffic situations at night can be deadly. The lighting setup used by most truckers and farmers can contribute to the danger.

There’s no Canadian data available, but the United States Bureau of Statistics said American tow truck drivers experience 42.9 fatalities per 100,000 workers. In contrast, the rate is only 2.9 fatalities per 100,000 workers in other industries.

Dealing with trucks at the side of a road is risky at any time but at night, the conventional emergency lighting setup exacerbates the risk.

There’s a natural tendency to have bright lights facing into the eyes of oncoming drivers, thus preventing those oncoming drivers from seeing where the trucker is working. It’s like an old Three Stooges cartoon where Mo points a flashlight into Curly’s eyes and says, “There. Now can you see better?”

Inventor Brian Olson, who is retired from Power Pin manufacturing, cannot stop himself from taking action when he sees a dangerous situation.

Olson recalled the night when he had an epiphany. It shone so brightly into his retinas that he had to do something about it.

“We came up to an accident scene one night, and I couldn’t see where all the safety workers were because all those bright lights were facing right into my eyes. Very dangerous,” said Olson in a phone interview.

“I had recently retired and I was already getting bored, so I thought I’d take a shot at this Angel Wing project.”

Olson said the area in front of the rear tires is where an operator spends most of his time during an emergency or a routine chain check.

The Angel Wing swings out so it’s directly over the trucker’s head. The flashing LED amber light on top the wing alerts traffic from both directions that there are people at work at the side of the road. The white light shines straight down on the worker to give him good light and to show traffic where he is.

“It’s going to be a major factor for farmers and dealers who haul wide loads. They can swing that Angel Wing out so motorists can see the amber light and know there’s a wide load. And that white light can shine down on the front left corner of the load so motorists can see that corner and see there’s a combine on the trailer.

Olson says the concept is so simple. The bright light shines only down on the work area, not into the eyes of oncoming drivers in both directions. For added safety, Angel Wings can be mounted in both sides of the chassis. Olson says the price will be in the range of $600 to $900. | Brian Olson photo

“We use LED lights because they last forever. We have one portable model that we run with a little garden tractor model. Not even a deep cell. This is the model you can put on the ground instead of using rubber orange cones. It gives motorists a far better warning than an orange cone. When we tested it, after 70 hours the amber light was still flashing.”

The various Angel Wing models all weight about 40 pounds with battery. Olson said prices will be between $600 and $900.

“Here’s what really gave me the boot to get moving on this. In 1982, I was hauling gravel over at Tomkins. My semi broke down, so we were hooking the trailer up to another tractor. It was getting dark and I was in a hurry to get my air hoses connected. I stepped out just as a half-ton flew by at 60 mph. She missed me by less than a foot. The tractors are noisy and things are shaking and it’s hard to concentrate totally on your own safety.”

About the author

Ron Lyseng

Ron Lyseng

Western Producer

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