Involved in a wreck today

[Twofingerlou]

Scroll to 1:20; that jeep driver is a reckless ______.

Smh! I’ve never had that happen thankfully. I do get a lot of people that are in a hurry to get around me. Soon as they do they will slam on the brakes to hit the next exit that by then it’s a 1/8th mile or less. You couldn’t of waited another minute or less? You don’t want 70k of big stuff in your back seat.

 

[johnny k]

stay safe you long haul drivers !

 

[Toto'sDad]

Man you both got lucky that day!

We did pull over though I wasn't supposed to, me and the pilot car driver went over and got the tire off the island, and talked to the lady, she was pretty cool about the whole thing, I thought sure there would be trouble over it, but she just shrugged it off, she was Bakersfield Tough! Luckily we were almost home, otherwise the rest of the Dolly tires would probably have blown. When you're hauling purple loads, the load is right up against the maximum rating for everything. Once one goes, they all are in danger.

 

[Toto'sDad]

One morning just before daylight, out on the old 99, we came across a rig stopped right in the middle of the highway. We put out some flares, and stopped someone to call in up ahead, (no cell phones in those days).

The driver was all shaken up, he had gone to sleep and hit a couple of guys on motorcycles. It had just happened, we looked around and found one of the guys banged up but he was over in a ditch by the fence that runs along the highway. He was able to get up and walk, and seemed shaken, but that was all. His bike was UNDER the truck!

The other guy was, so help me, still sitting on the tank of his bike! The front bumper was on top of the back wheel of the bike and far enough forward it had pushed the guy up on the tank and he went into shock and just sat there.

The CHP showed up around that time and took over and I don't know what the disposition of the incident was from there. I think those two were about as lucky a pair of riders as I ever saw in all my days of driving.

 

[jays0n]

Glad you were okay too.

 

[Monoprice99]

She came along beside me, for how long I don’t know. I was busy scanning my front and left side then I caught the glimpse of her at my right. It happened fast after that and boom there she was in my bumper.

Any reason she was able to relay to the Highway Patrol ?

 

[String Tree]

This was a first and hopefully a last in 20 years of driving. I’m good and last report the other lady involved is good and just had a headache probably from her airbags going off.

For almost six years I’ve been driving for a living commercially. I’m probably 70k plus fully loaded. Every day is a struggle dealing with impatient people in a damn hurry always willing to play chicken with you, cut you off or having their phone shoved up their arse or down right simply not paying attention.

I’ve hade more than my fair share of close calls, probably the worst one I remember was the daycare van that pulled out in front of me while I was doing 65 down the highway. I locked it up and pulled over after dodging that one to collect myself.

Well today it unfortunately happened. Three lane highway, I stayed in the middle lane since I was approaching a on ramp off to my right with flowing traffic. This lady hops in the right lane next me coming off the ramp. I got a glance of her at the side of the truck and thought she was speeding up. Before I knew it she was in my lane and put her quarter panel in my front bumper which spun her out sending her car doors to my truck grill doing 65. She got pushed sideways for a couple seconds then the front end of her car caught as it slid across the front of my truck and out my left side she went spinning for the ditch.

I got it to the side of the road as quick and safely as I could and dialed 911. Tried shoving my stomach back down my throat and stop the adrenaline dump shakes. It all happened so fast, we do have dash cams in our trucks which got reviewed out the gate and the bosses said I did everything right in the moment and it wasn’t my fault.

Just thankful it wasn’t worse! Point of posting this is be careful folks! Pay attention, put the phone down, Slow down, give people some room big truck or not. As far as the big trucks go we’re all out there just trying to do our job.

I just hope she realizes how close she came to being Killed!

 

[Twofingerlou]

Any reason she was able to relay to the Highway Patrol ?

What do you mean? Her side of the story?

 

[The Angle]

Glad it turned out OK. People do insanely stupid things in front of big rigs. Some years ago here in Seattle, truckers complained to the highway patrol about all the drivers cutting right in front of them. HP said "it can't be as bad as you say it is or we'd have seen it." The truckers persuaded the HP to send riders along with them for a day, after which the HP said, "yep, it's every bit as bad as they say it is," and went on a campaign to aggressively ticket motorists for it. I don't know whether it had an effect overall, but it made the news anyway.

 

[Twofingerlou]

Glad it turned out OK. People do insanely stupid things in front of big rigs. Some years ago here in Seattle, truckers complained to the highway patrol about all the drivers cutting right in front of them. HP said "it can't be as bad as you say it is or we'd have seen it." The truckers persuaded the HP to send riders along with them for a day, after which the HP said, "yep, it's every bit as bad as they say it is," and went on a campaign to aggressively ticket motorists for it. I don't know whether it had an effect overall, but it made the news anyway.

That’s a good idea I like it!

 

[GGardner]

Glad to hear that no one was seriously hurt. Thank heavens for dash cams. I'm surprised that the insurance lobby hasn't pushed for mandatory dash cams--it would make their lives (and their claims adjusters' lives) much easier.

 

[Twofingerlou]

Glad to hear that no one was seriously hurt. Thank heavens for dash cams. I'm surprised that the insurance lobby hasn't pushed for mandatory dash cams--it would make their lives (and their claims adjusters' lives) much easier.

I haven’t been a fan of the idea, it’s rearward facing as well and records me all day. But that said IF she were to come after me it’s all on tape to cover my ass.

 

[Bob M]

Glad no one was injured. Sorry that you had to go through this. I managed trucks for a few years and always found it a challenge. The general public has no idea how difficult it is to control a truck. God bless you on your work.

 

[Monoprice99]

What do you mean? Her side of the story?

Yeah, the police generally do an interview roadside, since insurances will be involved.

 

[Toto'sDad]

Smh! I’ve never had that happen thankfully. I do get a lot of people that are in a hurry to get around me. Soon as they do they will slam on the brakes to hit the next exit that by then it’s a 1/8th mile or less. You couldn’t of waited another minute or less? You don’t want 70k of big stuff in your back seat.

The guy in the Jeep is really lucky he didn't get knocked off the road. The people in cars don't realize, all it takes from a truck is a NUDGE, and they are gone. The reaction doesn't seem to fit the action. Just a little bump from the truck sends a car, SUV, or pickup truck off the road, and out of control.

 

[Twofingerlou]

Yeah, the police generally do an interview roadside, since insurances will be involved.

Local cop pulled behind me. Trooper pulled behind her down the road. Local cop asked me what happened and I told him and said we have dash cam. He gave me a incident number ect. I never interacted with the trooper or lady involved. I didn’t get a ticket, no idea if she did.

My state is a no a no fault state. It bent the bumper on my truck and we pushed it back in with a skid steer. As far as her car it looked totaled. I’m sure she will be on the hook for it all.

 

[Twofingerlou]

The guy in the Jeep is really lucky he didn't get knocked off the road. The people in cars don't realize, all it takes from a truck is a NUDGE, and they are gone. The reaction doesn't seem to fit the action. Just a little bump from the truck sends a car, SUV, or pickup truck off the road, and out of control.

No doubt I find that out yesterday.

 

[Toto'sDad]

Brake checking a big truck is Russian Roulette, except it's turned around, there's only ONE empty!

 

[Toto'sDad]

When I was hauling heavy equipment, the chains securing the load are primarily window dressing. The only way the chains could actually hold the load on the truck would be if they were strong enough to lift what you are hauling. Believe me, they won't.

What this means is, anyone hauling heavy equipment, IS NOT GOING TO MAKE A SUDDEN STOP for you! If they do, it will probably kill them, and they know it. They would rather take their chances running OVER you than hitting the brakes.

Here's what happens when you do it wrong, not me, but the tractor sitting on the truck was one I hauled many times. Take a look at the bottom pic.

 

[Recce]

I drive a little Miata.

I assume trucks can't see me and I know I have no chance in an accident with one. I also assume that makes me their worst nightmare.

If I do have to change lanes and put myself in front of a semi, my next move is to stomp the accelerator and put as much space between me and the rig as I safely can.

Perhaps not surprisingly, this mutual understanding and distancing with semi drivers means I never have problems with them. Dingbats in oversized 4x4 pickups are my real natural enemy.

I drive a Chevrolet Avalanche. I have ridden a Yamaha SECA 750. I also made way too many defensive moves in to short of time some forty years ago and sold it. I do drive defensively and look for small vehicles. Just understand acting like a dingbat isn’t solely owned by oversized pickups but also is a characteristic by those in small sport cars.