It finally happened

[flyingcheesehead]

Any idea what that idot was thinkin? Just cut in too soon and ran into you? I just don't get it. Many folks just don't have any idea how much momentum a rig like yours has at those speeds.

State patrol's best theory so far is that he was just plain old (81) and didn't know what the heck he was doing.

There needs to be a way to get people who are too old to drive off the road, and it's got to be based on their actual skill level. My grandmother could drive (and do everything else) quite well at age 84, and most people couldn't believe she was that old, but there are others who seem 95 when they're only 67.

I had another old-drivers incident a year or so ago: Two 90+ year old ladies turned left (missing the no-left-turn, do not enter and wrong way signs) the wrong way onto a freeway off-ramp. They didn't realize their mistake until they saw me barreling at them going the opposite direction. I came to a complete stop (they were still rolling towards me) and when they finally realized their error, they happily made a Y-turn in the middle of I-90 and exited again. I was very tempted to just give them a little tap with the truck so we'd have to call the police. I would have, if it wouldn't have cost me a $400+ quarterly safety bonus!

 

[flyingcheesehead]

The worst part is that that idiot is probably at home, bitching about how he got hit by a truck.

That's the second-worst part. The worst part is that a jury will side with him, every time.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Hopefully not to a lawyer. We've got this ambulance chasing lawyer here that advertises on TV for "big rig" accident victims to sue the trucking companies.

The sad part is, they can win. Every time. They subpoena the position reports that the trucks send (hourly in our case), cell phone records, logbooks, and other documentation. They paint the driver as a big bad jerk who doesn't care and is utterly negligent in every aspect of his job. And the jury, who have all had some sort of negative experience with a truck (using the on-ramp example, they don't realize that the reason the truck didn't move over to let them on is that there's some other jerk in a car on the other side of the truck who wasn't letting him over) and they'll go against the truck driver every time.

Frank, are you talking about the guy whose ad features a toy car and truck crashing together and says something like "Have you been hit by a truck? Even if it was YOUR FAULT, call us! We will get you money!" (I'm sure there's more than a few out there. )

Honestly, that's one of the scariest aspects of this industry to me (after that whole "You might die on any given day" part ). This isn't a career I'm going to have for the rest of my life, it's a means to an end. (Money for school.) Unfortunately, this sort of thing does have the capacity to ruin my life by requiring payments that would prevent me from advancing myself.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

However, since you are SO lucky, you need to stay away from Jesse. Like matter and antimatter the two of you in the same place would probably result in mutual annihlation.

Actually, considering the risks Jesse takes sometimes, I'd say he's pretty lucky too! Unless there's a building in the way, or a girl who wants a puppy.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Hope that skateboard driver has good insurance.

Me too, because if he doesn't I'm going to have to pay for a new laptop out of pocket.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I hate that stretch of I-94 it is like racing NASCAR there.

Yeah, especially during rush-hour type times as there's a lot of people who work in Chicago and live in Wisconsin. Go through there at 6:30 AM and you'll see a whole lotta Beemers doing 90+ mph.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I don't suppose there will be any repercussions for the other driver....

Well, I bet his insurance company will drop him. Unfortunately, with the way our society thinks that driving is a god-given right rather than a privilege, I doubt he will face anything from the state.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

My rule is; your truck is bigger than my truck so you will always have the right of way!

Well, we may not always have the right of way, but we do have the right of weight.

 

[kath]

Crikey!!!
Glad to hear you're okay Kent!
I wish more people would think of the road as the dangerous place that it is, and take it seriously.

--Kath

 

[judypilot]

Kent,

I am so glad you're all right. I'm completely baffled about how this could happen. The blind spot on the left is way, way smaller than a semi, so how could a semi hide in the blind spot (what the driver will probably claim). And boy do I know what you mean about entrance ramps. People do that to cars, too, the only difference being cars are a lot more maneuverable. But even cars can get trapped by other traffic.

When my now-husband moved to Arizona to live with me (this was before I dragged him up north again to live within 70 miles of where he was living), we swapped off driving the rather large moving van (he had a LOT of stuff, mostly for the horses) and his pickup towing the horse trailer. I was driving the van (which was really a truck) and started pulling into a rest stop when a guy whipped off the freeway, across the V-divider, and into the offramp in front of me, whereupon he promptly slammed on his brakes. I came about as close as I ever have to having an accident, but fortunately, this particular rental truck actually had good brakes. When we all got stopped I tore out of the truck and gave him a basic physics lesson. I hope he'll never do that again. He did seem sufficiently intimidated. (Must have been all the equations I wrote out for him--my students seem intimidated by that, too. Guess what? This stuff really does matter!)

Judy

 

[gprellwitz]

Me too, because if he doesn't I'm going to have to pay for a new laptop out of pocket.

I could give you one to at least hold you over. Ain't going to be a speed demon, and the battery life ain't great, but I figure you plug into the truck's power anyway. Let me know if you need it. (Leslie and I have four between us, and we've promised one to another friend). All I have t do is clear off a bunch of the old junk!

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I'm completely baffled about how this could happen. The blind spot on the left is way, way smaller than a semi, so how could a semi hide in the blind spot (what the driver will probably claim).

Especially since he was passing us and we weren't even in any sort of a blind spot before he started cutting over. He's either way too old to be driving, wanted to make some money on a lawsuit, or suicidal.

When we all got stopped I tore out of the truck and gave him a basic physics lesson. I hope he'll never do that again. He did seem sufficiently intimidated. (Must have been all the equations I wrote out for him--my students seem intimidated by that, too. Guess what? This stuff really does matter!)

Bingo. A lot of people seem to think that as long as they're not occupying the same physical space, they're OK. I've had people pull so close in front of me that I couldn't even see the back window of their car. The view out the front was car hood, car roof, my hood.

For reference, a truck is supposed to have one second of space in front of it for every 10 miles an hour of speed, plus an additional two seconds over 55 mph. (I know, this is grossly oversimplified from the physics equations, but it's only a rule of thumb.) So, at 65 mph a truck should have 8 seconds, or 763 feet, in front of it. That's about 11 times the length of the truck. Think about that next time you pass one! Granted, this will pretty much allow you to run into a brick wall and stop dead and not be rear-ended by the truck, but if you subtract the distance it takes you to stop when braking hard (which isn't all that much), you still need a substantial amount of room in front of the truck to be safe.

I see a lot of stupidity from people with larger SUV's especially... They think size equates to safety. Well, try this on for "size": IIRC, the Ford Excursion (largest SUV on the market) has a GVWR of 7,500 pounds. The vast majority of semis have a GVWR of 80,000 pounds. YOU WILL LOSE any encounter with a truck. Drive defensively, and don't tempt fate.

 

[fgcason]

I see a lot of stupidity from people with larger SUV's especially... They think size equates to safety. Well, try this on for "size": IIRC, the Ford Excursion (largest SUV on the market) has a GVWR of 7,500 pounds. The vast majority of semis have a GVWR of 80,000 pounds. YOU WILL LOSE any encounter with a truck. Drive defensively, and don't tempt fate.

Many moons ago there was a tv commercial in Canada for railroad safety. It started moped vs compact car. then compact car vs luxuary car..they just went up the momentum chain doing that. Truck, moving van, loaded semi then freight train. They need something like that nowadays if it wouldn't encourage people to run smaller stuff down intentionally. SUV vs semi? BumpBumpBump. People STILL take on trains with sports cars. Just dumb.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I could give you one to at least hold you over. Ain't going to be a speed demon, and the battery life ain't great, but I figure you plug into the truck's power anyway. Let me know if you need it. (Leslie and I have four between us, and we've promised one to another friend). All I have t do is clear off a bunch of the old junk!

Grant,

Thanks a heap for the offer... Wow! I think I'm covered though, the Apple Air Force is gonna hook me up. Only problem is, I have to WAIT! (for shipping) Aigh! Oh well, hopefully it'll be quick.

 

[HPNFlyGirl]

Kent at least you made gastons. All this could have gone down LAST week and that would have been, um....well its already bad, it would have been worse. Then you would have been like me & Anthony.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Kent at least you made gastons. All this could have gone down LAST week and that would have been, um....well its already bad, it would have been worse. Then you would have been like me & Anthony.

Well, I got up and flew yesterday. It's a lot easier on the body than truck driving.

However, I'd have been at Gaston's if I had to take an air ambulance to get there.

BTW, I think I was strapped into the Extra tighter than I was strapped onto the back board. However, I didn't go upside down in the back board.

 

[HPNFlyGirl]

I'd have been at Gaston's if I had to take an air ambulance to get there.

BTW, I think I was strapped into the Extra tighter than I was strapped onto the back board. However, I didn't go upside down in the back board.

That would have made for interesting pictures.

At least they didn't DROP you. My friend had a motorcycle accident in front of Wake Medical Center in Raleigh, over 10 yrs ago, and they "dropped the streacher" (sp) on him litterally.

 

[gprellwitz]

Grant,

Thanks a heap for the offer... Wow! I think I'm covered though, the Apple Air Force is gonna hook me up. Only problem is, I have to WAIT! (for shipping) Aigh! Oh well, hopefully it'll be quick.

Glad you're hooked up. As you can imagine, I wasn't offering a PowerBook. Can't afford that, even for myself!

 

[Bill]

Kent, glad you're basically fine. How damaged was the truck? Are trucks designed with driver protection in mind? Do trucks have airbags, crumple zones, etc? (although a Camry would make a fine crumple zone...)

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Kent, glad you're basically fine. How damaged was the truck? Are trucks designed with driver protection in mind? Do trucks have airbags, crumple zones, etc? (although a Camry would make a fine crumple zone...)

Well... Trucks aren't nearly as good as cars. Some trucks (Volvo) have airbags, mine didn't. Crumple zones... Well, kind of, but remember that you have to do a lot of crumpling to stop 80,000 pounds. In a head-on collision, part of the crumpling will involve the seats. Many truck accidents involve the driver getting killed. It would be interesing (or more likely, frightening) to know what the percentages were for cars, trucks, and airplanes.

I was told today that my truck may or may not be repairable. We'll see. I hope it is, b/c only 2% of our fleet (Well, 1.75% now!) has APU's, and I'm friggin' addicted to that thing.

 

[wsuffa]

Wow, Kent, good to hear you're OK. At least the material things can be replaced.

What a scary story....

 

[gismo]

...(which is about where I started thinking "So this is what it's like to die"),...

So when you thought you were terminal, did any regrets cross your mind?

 

[flyingcheesehead]

So when you thought you were terminal, did any regrets cross your mind?

No. It was more just hang on tight and watch it happen and wonder what was going to happen next... Not having any control whatsoever sucked big-time. I also had conflicting thoughts - When we started going through the median I was as afraid of killing someone else as dying myself and even though I wasn't sure we were going to make it, there was a lot of disbelief as well, both not believing what was going on at all and not believing I could really be dying in the next few seconds despite thinking the chances of that were pretty good. I was sure happy when we finally came to rest!

Will I do anything different now? Do I have regrets? Not really. I'm a "carpe diem" kind of guy. My mother is the opposite, and always tells me that it's foolish to spend all this money on flying when I'm also trying to save money to go back to school. I've just seen a few too many people who did nothing but save and sacrifice for "a rainy day" or retirement or whatever, and then die before they ever got a chance to reap the rewards.

So, I seek out new experiences and live life to its fullest. There are still plenty of things on my to-do list, but I also don't have any big regrets. Yet. I sure would like to get married and have kids, but I can't exactly schedule that.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Update

Got some aerial shots. Thanks to Jake for helping with the flying and photography.

We finally got the police report. There was a fourth vehicle I didn't know about. Debris from our impact shattered his windshield. There were many witness statements, all of which stated that the car was at fault. Driver of the car was cited for lane deviation and no registration.

The driver of the car also had no insurance. What that means to me is that the accident cost me $2500 (to replace my destroyed laptop). The guy's not even worth suing, he's 81 years old and probably living off social security. The 1984 Olds wagon he was driving was probably his largest asset.

There is no law requiring insurance in Wisconsin. He was from Michigan City, IN and I'm not sure what the laws are there, but the accident was in WI so it probably doesn't matter.

Now, to the description of the aerial view, directly from the report I wrote for the company:

The accident began from the left-hand side of this photo. The black mark on the center retaining wall at the far left was the initial impact with the wall. The wall appears to end right at the end of the bridge, but it simply changes color. Look at the lead car going westbound (left to right in this picture), then look at the second car and look straight up toward the shoulder and you can see the end of the wall.
Just above the lead car you can easily see the the path where we went through the median. Just to the right of that is a fainter path where the SUV went into the ditch, narrowly missing us. If you look straight up from where our path through the median ends at the eastbound (top) lanes you can just barely see where the path continues down into the woods.

 

[gismo]

Re: Update

The driver of the car also had no insurance. What that means to me is that the accident cost me $2500 (to replace my destroyed laptop). The guy's not even worth suing, he's 81 years old and probably living off social security. The 1984 Olds wagon he was driving was probably his largest asset.

If I were you, I wouldn't give up on recovering the laptop cost from the other driver just yet. You should at least investigate his financial status and your insurer might be willing to help with that. Certainly, if any other victim goes after him his assets will dwindle fast, but if you get to them first???

IME, there are plenty of folks that don't seem to have a pot to relieve themselves in, yet still have plenty of money for smokes, gasoline, and alcohol. For all you know he might have a stash of cash in the bank. Even a social security income ought to be able to cover $2500.

 

[flyifrvfr]

Kent, be thankfull that you, and everyone else walked away from this accident. I stopped driving tractor trailers two years ago, but in 1998 I was involved in a truck accident which took the life of an 84 year old man. He ran a redlight and broadsided me. He was driving a 76 Lincoln Continental, and I was pulling an empty 20 foot container. Although the accident was not my fault, I still have to live with the fact that a man died as a result of hitting me. I deal with it by knowing that had I had not been there he would have killed someone for sure.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Re: Update

If I were you, I wouldn't give up on recovering the laptop cost from the other driver just yet. You should at least investigate his financial status and your insurer might be willing to help with that. Certainly, if any other victim goes after him his assets will dwindle fast, but if you get to them first???

Hmmm. Now, where to start? Know any good lawyers in Indiana? Am I going to spend $5000 to get my $2500 back?

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Kent, be thankfull that you, and everyone else walked away from this accident.

Oh, I am. Big-time. Especially me, considering for part of it I was pretty sure I was going to be a pancake. (I was in the closest part of the truck to the oncoming traffic, and had the trailer almost directly opposite ) I'm also thankful there were so many witnesses and that they were 100% in our favor. Hopefully that will eliminate the anti-truck lawyers' chances.

I'd hate for anyone else to have been seriously injured or killed either. I sure hope the guy stops driving. Half a second later, there would be at least a dozen dead people (Trainee, myself, the tanker driver coming the other way, and the occupants of the eight or so cars immediately surrounding the tanker) and the old guy would still have walked away.

Unfortunately, given that he didn't have insurance and his plates were expired, I doubt the lack of a license (if they even take it away) would stop him anyway.

 

[ScottM]

Kent that stinks about his insurance status. I got hit a while back here in the flat land where unisured motorist coverage is mandatory. The driver did not have insurance and I got stuck holding the bag. There was about $2000 worth of damage, her lack of insurance meant mine covered the billl except for my deductable, $500.

That was hardly worth going after her for, even in small claims. I did file a report with the Secratary of State office about her lack of insurance. 8 months later I get a phone call from her stating that her license was suspended and it was my fault for filing the complaint. I guess it had not occured to her that the real reason was that she did not abide by the law and as such they suspened her license for not having the mandatory insurance.

 

[woodstock]

Kent that stinks about his insurance status. I got hit a while back here in the flat land where unisured motorist coverage is mandatory. The driver did not have insurance and I got stuck holding the bag. There was about $2000 worth of damage, her lack of insurance meant mine covered the billl except for my deductable, $500.

That was hardly worth going after her for, even in small claims. I did file a report with the Secratary of State office about her lack of insurance. 8 months later I get a phone call from her stating that her license was suspended and it was my fault for filing the complaint. I guess it had not occured to her that the real reason was that she did not abide by the law and as such they suspened her license for not having the mandatory insurance.

oooh, no way! what nerve. let me guess, GED, right?

how did you react?

 

[ScottM]

oooh, no way! what nerve. let me guess, GED, right?

If that

how did you react?

Coldly. I just reminded her that I did what I was required to do. If she had the insurance as the law requires she would not be in such a situation. She then tried to play the 'single mom' card. But I am sorry the car she was driving was not some old beater, if it was too much to for her to have with her child then she should have traded down. I basically let her rant and cry for a while and then said it was out of my hands and that she should get a lawyer to go to court and get her license back. This was a siutation of her own doing. I pity people like that but I did not feel sorrow.

 

[woodstock]

If that

Coldly. I just reminded her that I did what I was required to do. If she had the insurance as the law requires she would not be in such a situation. She then tried to play the 'single mom' card. But I am sorry the car she was driving was not some old beater, if it was too much to for her to have with her child then she should have traded down. I basically let her rant and cry for a while and then said it was out of my hands and that she should get a lawyer to go to court and get her license back. This was a siutation of her own doing. I pity people like that but I did not feel sorrow.

bummer. too late for Darwin huh.

did you remind her that she cost you 2 grand?

 

[fgcason]

Re: Update

Now, to the description of the aerial view, directly from the report I wrote for the company:

Dang! Your original description was scary enough. That picture though...it makes me wonder how someone did not get killed. Talk about taking the wrong path into the woods at the exact right moment...

 

[mikea]

If that

Coldly. I just reminded her that I did what I was required to do. If she had the insurance as the law requires she would not be in such a situation. She then tried to play the 'single mom' card. But I am sorry the car she was driving was not some old beater, if it was too much to for her to have with her child then she should have traded down. I basically let her rant and cry for a while and then said it was out of my hands and that she should get a lawyer to go to court and get her license back. This was a siutation of her own doing. I pity people like that but I did not feel sorrow.

Man I'm sure she has nuttin' but bad luck, huh?

I'm amazed when we get insights and how the lower life forms think. There was the woman was certain that she had to get the alledged $50 back that she paid for the stolen Sidekick. It wasnt stolen anyway, she paid for it. So shut up.

There was just a thread on Fark after the story that Wal-Mart will no longer prosecute shoplifters who steal less than $25. About a dozen posters bragged about how much they steal. Like, "So we're walking by and see that they forgot to lock the case with the video games in it and they didn't have anybody around so we *had* to take them all. We filled up some notebook binders with them. I think we got $5000 worth that time."

I would have found an employee and told them to lock the case.

 

[TangoWhiskey]

Wow, Kent, glad you're okay. That's scary. Half a second either way... yikes. Something similar happened on the east side of DFW the other day. A Verizon service van was involved with a semi... the van had a huge tire mark on the left side, and the semi ended up off the freeway and burned.

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/myfox/pages...n=3&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1

 

[TangoWhiskey]

The sad part is, they can win. Every time. They subpoena the position reports that the trucks send (hourly in our case), cell phone records, logbooks, and other documentation. They paint the driver as a big bad jerk who doesn't care and is utterly negligent in every aspect of his job. And the jury, who have all had some sort of negative experience with a truck (using the on-ramp example, they don't realize that the reason the truck didn't move over to let them on is that there's some other jerk in a car on the other side of the truck who wasn't letting him over) and they'll go against the truck driver every time.

Why don't truck drivers install the same kind of "in-dash" cameras and recorders that cops have? I know it's not cheap, but it's way less expensive than lawsuit payouts. Most of the truck drivers I know are very careful drivers, professional about what they do; it's the idiots around them that cause most of the wrecks.

All that other evidence, yes, I can understand; but a jury would have a hard time ignoring a time-stamped video with speed imprinted on the screen, showing the driver tracking straight and true in his lane and some idiot crossing over, overtaking from the right (illegal, you pass on the LEFT), and impacting the truck with no signal after changing lanes too early...

 

[gismo]

8 months later I get a phone call from her stating that her license was suspended and it was my fault for filing the complaint. I guess it had not occured to her that the real reason was that she did not abide by the law and as such they suspened her license for not having the mandatory insurance.

I'm amazed at how often you encounter (I was going to say run into...) someone whose troubles are always someone else's fault.

 

[gismo]

Re: Update

Hmmm. Now, where to start? Know any good lawyers in Indiana? Am I going to spend $5000 to get my $2500 back?[/quote

I'm not sure how I'd approach this. I thought perhaps your insurance claims rep would have some ideas to persue. It sure wouldn't hurt to ask anyway. I think a PI would be a better choice than a lawyer at this point. AFaIK they often have easy access to financial info which is where I'd start.

The other thing you could/should do as soon as convenient is file a claim in concilliation court. I'm pretty sure this would be in whatever juristiction the accident occurred in. You may be able to do this by mail although you'd probably have to make a personal appearance at the hearing. But that would be a good excuse to fly there in a club plane, right? And maybe you could add the cost of the flight to the claim? Given the situation and evidence (written statements from witnesses plus the police report) I can't imagine you'd have any trouble winning with little effort. Of course that doesn't by itself get you any money, but at least around here once you have the judgement you can have a collections agency go after any money you find.

 

[TangoWhiskey]

Re: Update

Got some aerial shots.

Wow, I am so glad (as are you, I'm sure) that the bridge wall held... you would have hit the embankment and ended up in the river... close call. YIKES.

 

[BEdesigns]

Glad you are all safe and sound!!. Funny how things can change in the blink of an eye.

I was not so lucky a few years ago when it was my turn!!

Bruce