OT: Horrible crash just down the street

[Riebs]

OT: Horrible crash just down the street

Well, Mom and I heard on the scanner that a semi had just crashed into a trailor court, and we wanted to go check it out. BTW the express way is RIGHT next to the trailor court. So we go down there and hurry to see stuff before everyone else can. Well, we get there and the Semi truck was in the ditch and appeared he was going West but was in the East bound lane. Well, one car , one truck, and a destroyed semi truck. The semi truck had broken the steel barrier, and got about 5 feet away from the fence....and even came outa the ditch a little bit. The semi was destroyed, but that doesn't even seem to describe the truck and car. Well, before i got the the accident scene, some guy had hopped the fence, and tryed to be a hero. He went right to the totaled car and tryed to get the girl out. Her car was smashed in. Well as soon as he tried to grab her...he relized her head had been taking off in the accident. Well, that guy panicked re-hopped the fence and started telling people bout how the driver lost her head, and the passenger was dead as well.

After all this, the semi driver emerges from the wreckage visibly unhurt with the exceptions of minor cut on his ear and says "Can I get a ciggerate and a cell phone, I gotta call my wife cuz I'm going to jail.

Well, by all this police where here, so where the rescue squads. Well, After all this, the guy from the demolished truck gets out, bloody face, head is kind of smushed in, and starts walknig around in like circles, then falls over dead. Lifeflight lands right on the express way (if anyone doesn't know lifeflight is the rescue helicopter) Pretty soon, one person with a white sheet over his whole body is removed from the scene and flown away. The crew working on the wreck is starting to clean up and get a lane open to move traffic. While a few other people work on trying to open a spot to pull the headless girl and the passenger out. It was obvious they weren't gunan do it with everybody from the trailor court standing right there watching...

The whole accident was caused as the semi driver fell asleep at the wheel and speed across the mediun literally running over two vehicles in his path (killing three) then ramming through a steel barrier and into a ditch, all right on the side of a trailor court.

...I dunno how this story affected anyone else, but I guess if you had pictures in your head like I do....it would all seem worse. I dunno, I think its a sad say when three innocent people are killed for no apperent reason at all accept for the carelessness of a semi driver. and all the guy had to say was " Can i get a cigarette and a cell phone, I gotta call my wife cuz I'm going to jail."

Feel free to add comments/suggestions/questions

~Riebz

 

[Phantom_Man]

Bummer .

 

[Matt]

I personally dont agree with people going to jail for things like this. There was NOTHING intentional about it... I just dont think its fair to treat him as a criminal for an honest mistake, yes, he should have been more careful, but EVERY one of us has done SOMETHING a bit careless, which didnt end in tragedy, and nobody should go to jail in the rare event it does.

I mean cmon, I speed on the highway, I go fast down ski trails, all sorts of "normal" things which COULD cause tragedy... everyone does them, its just never seemed fair to me that people who get unlucky get treated as criminals. I dont know what SHOULD happen to him, because he shouldnt have been driving when he was that tired, but still, it was completly on accident, and it could really happen to anyone (well, not with the truck, but with their car or suv or whatever)

But yeah, the whole thing sucks, sorry you had to see that John, It might take me a while to get over something like that in my backyard....

- Matt

 

[Valar-Wrath]

I go fast down ski trails,

:lol: :lol: :lol:


sorry you had to see something like that Riebs, I was just in a car accident a few months ago and I was scared to drive for a while but eventually I got over it...don't worry you will too.

Hopefully the three people look like this now ----> :innocent:

 

[Mal]

I am a nurse, and have seen death and tragedy on occasion. Sometimes people say and do innapropriate things like laugh, or make stupid comments while their brains are still trying to make sense of it all. Talking to others about witnessing traumatic events can help people cope with what they have seen as well. To see death in person can be traumatic, but indeed it makes one realize the reality of, say statistics given to us by the news media, like x thousand dead in such and such a place. Death is all around us, but most people are shielded from the reality of it.

 

[Riebs]

Well...I just seen on the news alcohol was on his breathe but no alcohol container was found...I dunno, I agree with you Matt, it was an unfortunate accident...but I think He should be fined a heavy fee, and out of mutual respect he should apopogize and attend the funerals oif the victims family's, then if it happens again....more punishment. But the thing I can't imagine is giving the guy the opportunity to let this happen again...I mean he killed 3 people in a matter of 15 seconds...and thnx for the support....some graphic images where definitly witnessed...

~Riebz

 

[Riebs]

Valar i didnt even notice your or Mal posted...mustve been why i was typing reply to Matt. Anyhow...I hope those people are in abtter palce now too...and I'm not sure if this will affect my driving (when I'm old enough) I'm sure it won't but it will always be in the back of my head.

And Mal...Mayb your right...the driver prolly didn't know what to say...neither did any of the peopel watching....it was all kinda shock/aww...kinda funny tho how something so tradgic (Sp?) brought so many people together...the accident scene was packed

 

[Valar-Wrath]

If he was drinking that makes this a totally different story. He should definately receive a hefty fine, if not thrown in jail for a few days, IMO

 

[WingBlade]

DUI I believe is considered a misdemeanor or is it a felony... not really sure.

Most likely the driver will be charged with DUI, reckless driving, and 3 counts of 3rd degree manslaughter. The guy will go 2 jail till a court appearance and just get bailed out.

 

[Riebs]

DUI I believe is considered a misdemeanor or is it a felony... not really sure.

Most likely the driver will be charged with DUI, reckless driving, and 3 counts of 3rd degree manslaughter. The guy will go 2 jail till a court appearance and just get bailed out.

were does the 3 counts of vehicular (SP?) homicide come into play?

 

[Cleglaw_Himself]

If he was drinking that makes this a totally different story. He should definately receive a hefty fine, if not thrown in jail for a few days, IMO

For a few days?
Imagine if it were your family who were squashed in the car.
Still think he deserves only a few days in jail?

If he was drinking, then he'll go to jail. Even though it wasn't intentional, he still was the cause of at least 3 deaths.

In Australia, they've cracked down a lot on longhaul truckdrivers working hours.

@Matt, I notice you didn't mention that you routinely fall asleep at the wheel while driving. That's by far more dangerous than being in control of a high speed car, or in control of high speed skis.

 

[PhatTrumpet]

I personally dont agree with people going to jail for things like this. There was NOTHING intentional about it... I just dont think its fair to treat him as a criminal for an honest mistake, yes, he should have been more careful, but EVERY one of us has done SOMETHING a bit careless, which didnt end in tragedy, and nobody should go to jail in the rare event it does.

I mean cmon, I speed on the highway, I go fast down ski trails, all sorts of "normal" things which COULD cause tragedy... everyone does them, its just never seemed fair to me that people who get unlucky get treated as criminals. I dont know what SHOULD happen to him, because he shouldnt have been driving when he was that tired, but still, it was completly on accident, and it could really happen to anyone (well, not with the truck, but with their car or suv or whatever)

But yeah, the whole thing sucks, sorry you had to see that John, It might take me a while to get over something like that in my backyard....

- Matt

This is complete horse****. When you drive enormous semi-trucks for a living there's a ton of responsiblity that comes with it. Every driver realizes this; that's why they go through extensive training and have to get a special license just to drive them. It doesn't matter whether it was intentional or not. Truck drivers know that if they're negligent with their driving a huge truck turns into a very dangerous, possibly lethal weapon.

When a cop is negligent with his job and someone dies, nobody says, "Oh, it was just an accident, he probably learned his lesson." Someone is held accountable, whether it be the police chief condoning or encouraging such behavior or the officer who failed to execute his duties properly. Three innocent people died here, someone has to be held accountable, and charges should be filed. These people are trained for certain situations; it's their job. If the driver is getting tired he should just pull over and take a nap.

Now it's no secret that trucking companies can be pretty tough on their drivers. Alcohol issues aside, I'm not saying this trucker was completely at fault here. It could be that the upper management does not allow drivers enough rest in order to increase volume. In that case the company should be shut down, or the management replaced. Otherwise, this truck driver deserves quite a bit of time behind bars.

 

[kenshinlod]

I agree with phattrumpet. Driving a semi is a serious responsibility. It can be considered a lethal weapon because if you crash a semi the smaller car will give. Either the management or the driver was responsible. Driving while you're sleepy increases the chances of a crash compared to when you're alert. People should be more informed about the adverse affects of driving while you're sleepy. It's similar to being drunk. You shouldn't be behind a wheel when you're drowsy.

I mean cmon, I speed on the highway, I go fast down ski trails, all sorts of "normal" things which COULD cause tragedy... everyone does them, its just never seemed fair to me that people who get unlucky get treated as criminals.

I hope less people think this way. Speeding increases the chances of a crash. You're taking a greater risk with your life and more importantly putting other drivers/pedestrians in greater danger. People who speed should be held accountable for their actions.

 

[Phantom_Man]

were does the 3 counts of vehicular (SP?) homicide come into play?

Manslaughter <> Homicide

How does it come into play? Are you serious? His mistake cost the lives of three people.

 

[cougar]

Sometimes you have to speed to be safe tho. Technically on the interstate through Des Moines it's 65, but everyone goes 75. If you go anything below that you are actually creating more danger for everyone else.

Personaly I think people who drive too slow present more of a threat. People's impatience is a virtue that is never going to change... if someone is crawling along and holding up traffic, it's just as bad as speeding. And sometimes holding everyone up is right at 55(on the highways here in iowa that's the limit)

 

[annr]

I see accidents all the time living in the south (YES I'M STEREOTYPING, BECAUSE ITS TRUE!) but the first time I ever felt bad was from seeing one of those gigtantic trucks that carry logs (they are longer than normal semi's, dunno if they have a fancy name) tip over from getting off of an exit, having all of the logs fly everywhere. Then another small semi was crushed by them and burst into flames, by the looks of it I doubt the small semi driver lived. What a mess.

To lighten things up a bit I was hit by a mattress and box springs about a week before I came home from school, because apparently living down south means you don't have to tie your crap down. I say this because its the third time its happened to me.

 

[Baranor]

what a jackass.

geez.

 

[Stimm]

OK Im really not intending any of this to be a flame. That being said here is a differant perspective.

First of all with the driver falling alseep, anyone who has driven any distance at all can tell you that you can be almost asleep and not even know it. Truckers drive a huge distance daily and are under enormous preasure for deadlines couple that with the rythmic hum of the road its very stressful. My 3 uncles were all long distance truckers so Ive seen a side of it you havent.

As for the smell of alcohol on his breath, He could have had a drink with his meal , taken Nyquil ( yes that will show on a breathtest ) or the information could have just been rumblings from the crowd. I hope he wasnt drunk or to the point of having his abilities diminished . That would make this even more tragic.

Unless he was drunk , he will not go to jail , he will probably get a ticket for reckless driving and/or driving while ability is impaired, the latter you can get for just driving overtired you dont have to have been drinking. He may lose his job over it but not likely. As for him attending the funerals of the victoms that would accomplish nothing at all. Imagine seeing the person standing there that was the reason your friend / family member was dead. Would only bring on more hurt and anger. The driver will carry the images with him every time he gets into his truck and that is a huge burden to carry.

The one thing that bugged me about your post was this:

...neither did any of the peopel watching....it was all kinda shock/aww...kinda funny tho how something so tradgic (Sp?) brought so many people together...the accident scene was packed

The people who rushed to the scene and stuck around are nothing more then morbid voyeurs. Society as a whole has a morbid facsination with death and accidents. I can safely guess noone in that group was an EMT / DR / Nurse / Fireman that could have lent a meaningful hand to the accident. While yes it is true the average Joe has been know to be the hero in some cases like this, once the driver of the semi taold everyone of the state there was no reason to stick around. Especially with the police there unless they witnessed the accident.

That all being said I hope 2 things happen to you. First I hope you take the scenario with you when you start driving and not drink and driver or whilst you Are overtired and the like. Secondly I hope those images wont haunt you forever like they will the driver of the semi.

~Stimm

 

[thamuzdevil]

We should all take responsibility for our actions.

That being said, I speed, have done/sometimes do illegal activities that may or may not put others in danger. I know this. if I were to screw up, I would take full responsibility of my actions. I am not saying something along the lines of 'do as I say, not as I do', I am saying if you are doing something that can mess others' lives up, do it with caution or dont do it at all.

Here are merely my opinions on this matter.

If he was drunk: jail and lose his job, possibly never be allowed to drive for a living again. I have driven drunk, and that was nto good of me to do, but this man drives for a living in a huge truck that does more damage than my pontiac.

If he was not drunk: it is my understanding drivers keep records of their time on the road, miles traveled, etc. In Pennsylvania at least (not sure if its just PA or whole US) you are not allowed something like over 10 or 14 hours on the road without a certain amount of rest. if he violated this law/rule/policy, Im afraid he should be held responsible, or at least more so than a few DAYS in jail. There are reasons for laws, after all.

If he did nothing wrong other than fall asleep: I feel he should possibly be fined and perhaps be put on probation from driving for a while. if you are tired and in that industry, there is no reason you should be driving. I have fallen asleep at the wheel, and if i were in a truck i could do serious damage that way. There is no reason he couldnt pull over and rest a bit. Perhaps 3 hours could have saved 3 lives.

Once again, act in responsibility, and if you dont and something goes hairy (like last night when I lost my sorc because I was being brave and in front of our groop in hell act 1, and i had negative resists, and 3 uniques came along (conviction, fanat, might, 2 lits and 1 fire) and toasted my ***, at least i got looted, but my level 62 fire sorc will never do THAT again im sure) then you should be prepared to face the consequences of your actions. I faced them :/

 

[PhatTrumpet]

If he was not drunk: it is my understanding drivers keep records of their time on the road, miles traveled, etc. In Pennsylvania at least (not sure if its just PA or whole US) you are not allowed something like over 10 or 14 hours on the road without a certain amount of rest. if he violated this law/rule/policy, Im afraid he should be held responsible, or at least more so than a few DAYS in jail. There are reasons for laws, after all.

If he did nothing wrong other than fall asleep: I feel he should possibly be fined and perhaps be put on probation from driving for a while. if you are tired and in that industry, there is no reason you should be driving. I have fallen asleep at the wheel, and if i were in a truck i could do serious damage that way. There is no reason he couldnt pull over and rest a bit. Perhaps 3 hours could have saved 3 lives.

Well this is sort of where it gets complicated. I'm sure OSHA or the state DoT or AASHTO or some government-run organization has strict regulations on how many hours a truck driver can spend on the road given a certain amount of rest. Drivers are supposed to keep truthful logs of this to make sure each one is being safe. You can see where this system might be flawed.

For one, drivers who get paid by volume of deliveries rather than salary might drive more than they're supposed to, falsify their log sheets, and get paid more without anyone knowing they were breaking regulations. On the other hand, management might tell the drivers something along the lines of, "This delivery needs to be at this location in this many days... get it done." In this case either the drivers are told to falsify thier log to meet regulations, or the management goes in and changes things after they're filled out. Either way, greed induces people to break the law and possibly put innocent travelers and the driver at risk. The courts will decide who's to blame.