What you should do if a rock cracks your windshield

How many of you are looking out of a cracked windshield right now because of a rock that came flying out of truck in front of you?

I got hit by a big rock over the summer. It put a nice crater and spiderweb in my windshield. The rock came from a double-dump truck that did not have its load covered.

State law requires that all loads be secured and trucks with dirt, sand or gravel must be covered, unless they make an alteration to their rigs.

If they put six inches of wood or freeboard above the sides of their trucks, they do not have to be covered. At that point, it’s up to the company if they want cover or not.

The truck that hit me had a freeboard, so it wasn’t breaking the law by being uncovered, though it did commit a finable offense because a rock flew out.

What can you do if you’re hit? Do you just have to eat the cost of fixing your windshield?

According to Washington State Patrol, you should call them and file a report. They say not to call 911.

WSP won’t be able to fine someone unless they see the rock actually hitting your car. But if they get enough complaints on a certain roadway, they can put emphasis patrols there. And if they get enough complaints about a certain company, the state will give that company a visit.

They recommend you get the truck’s license plate. Try to get the company name off the driver’s door, as well as the important data, like time of day, which road you were traveling on and in which direction.

If you’d like to try to contact that company, the Department of Licensing has a form to find company information, if you need it, though it will cost you $2.

The best you can do is tell the company a rock from one of their trucks hit your windshield, but unless you have video of the rock coming from that truck and damaging your car, you’re probably not going to have any luck.