Wrong trailer hitch ball led to fatal I-29 crash

FARGO (KVRR) – The North Dakota Highway Patrol says an improperly sized trailer hitch ball contributed to a fatal crash on I-29 in Fargo last week.

The hitch ball on the pickup was smaller than the hitch on the trailer was designed for.

As the vehicle was traveling southbound on I-29, the trailer hitch separated from the ball.  The driver stopped in the second lane of traffic.

Seventy-two-year-old Clinton Juaire and 73-year-old Louise Juaire were standing between the truck and the trailer when an SUV ran into the back of the trailer.

Louise Juaire died at the scene. Clinton Juaire was hospitalized with serious injuries.

The driver of the SUV was not cited.