What would you do in this situation ?

[kips41]

It is monday afternoon 1/21 and I had just gotten loaded at the docks in Camden, NJ with a load of bannas headed to Chicago. A bright suuny day and the roads were clear. Headed west on I-76 running about 60 miles per hour another truck passes me and moves back over into the right lane followed by a small 2 door car that stays in the left lane. We come upon a trooper sitting on the shoulder with his light son. By this time the other truck and car are about 5-6 truck lengths in front of me.

The truck makes a quick lane change into the left lane and the car is about middle ways in the trailer. The car brakes hard but the trucks tandems strike the right side of the car. I had started my lane change and then came back into the right lane, laying on the air horn to get the troopers attention, the car slows and pulls over just past the trooper.

The truck that hit the car then continues to haul butt down the turnpike.
I then try to catch up with the other truck with little results hauling 44,000
pounds. After about 5 miles the trooper catches up to me, I point out the drivers window for him to pull over, with both stop on the shoulder and I give him a description of the truck and he takes off. About 5 more miles down the road he has the truck pulled over and the car that was hit was also there and then I stopped.

The trooper has the driver out and are looking at his trailer. It has scuffed tires and a broken rear marker light from striking the car. He is in his mid 50's and is acting like why did you pull me over. He then starts to try and talk to me....I tell him that I have nothing to say to him very bluntly, the trooper sees that I am really pissed at this guy and tells the other driver to go to his truck and he would be with him in a minute.

He then asked me what was going on and I told him that the other guy KNEW he has hit the lady in the car because when they hit he stomped on the brakes so hard he smoked the trailer tandems.....he said "interesting" with a big smile and took all of my contact info and I was on my way 5 minutes later.

When I gave the lady in the car a card with my contact info, she was still shaking and crying from seeing her life pass in front of her. I guess almost getting crushed between a big truck and a concrete wall will do this do you.

All the while the "professional driver" in the other truck did not stop.

Would you have the moral compass to stop and get involved had you seen this event take place or would you have been too busy to stop ???

[Uturn2001]

IMHO there should always be time to do the right thing.

[wsyrob]

IMHO there should always be time to do the right thing.

"The time is always right to do what is right."

Dr Martin Luther King

[Windwalker]

Would I?
Yes, I DID.
I-75 in GA. Southbound, just north of Perry. A trailer on the shoulder, and the tractor pulled out from under it. A flatbed in the middle, and a dryvan on the right. I was about 4 truck-lengths behind them. A green Ford Expedition in the left lane. When the truck in the right lane got to the trailer on the shoulder, it was like he suddenly woke up. He swerved to the center lane, and the flatbed also swerved to avoid him. The SUV was not able to get out of the way, and the whole side got new wrinkles from the runrail on the flatbed.

With me, being in the center lane, I was not going to be able to stop at the scene, so I chased the dryvan. I've got a digital camera, and tried to get alongside the truck to identify the company pulling the trailer. No good. Everytime I tried to get alongside, he swung over , either to the right or left, depending which side I was trying to come alongside. Finally, I pointed the camera at the back of the trailer and made sure I got the license plate in the pic.

Next exit, I did a flip and went back to the scene. The cops were already there, and an ambulance. I stopped on the shoulder and printed up my picture twice. Then I gave one to the officer and one to the flatbed driver. The officcer said they do not get that kind of information very often. With the pic, they would be able to trace the driver back from the company that owns the trailer. When they trace it all back to him, the flatbed driver (a nice looking lady) would not have to worry about her CDL. The one that caused it all would "shoulder" all the blame. He would not be in nearly as much hot water if he'd stopped. They do not like things that look like HIT AND RUN.

No, he really did not do any damage to the flatbed, other than move the mirror out of adjustment. But that said that CONTACT WAS MADE. The officer said that the we would not have to worry about the driver of the dryvan much longer. When they caught up with him, he would no longer have a CDL for leaving the scene.

I've also been known to take pics at a truck stop when someone takes lights and fender off of another truck. I've gotten a few that showed the side of the truck with the truck number, and the company name. And, when they drive off, that goes straight to the police that respond to the scene.

For those of you that are not aware of it. Even on private property, if you hit another truck, either backing in or pulling out, and leave the scene, that's HIT AND RUN. If there's someone there, like me, with a camera that can identify your truck to the police, it will be much harder on you than if you stop and take your lumps.

Including the one in GA, I believe there are about 4 drivers that will never drive a commercial vehicle again. And the one in Jessup, MD was an O/O. My wife got those pics. Tractor number, trailer number, and even a good pic of the driver's face all went to the police that responded to the scene.

I think that more than half of the drivers out here have cell-phones. And, a lot of them have cameras incorporated in them. As technology improves, your chances of getting away with it are reducing all the time.

I had two ocassions when my truck was damaged in one week. Both times at a Pilot. No one to hold responsible for it, so the damage came out of my own pocket. $2,600 damage. If you damage someone's truck and try to run, I will not let you get away with it. The next one you hit may be mine.

[kboomarang]

Good Job! He is the kind of driver that gives us all a bad image , and the type that would back into you at a truck stop/warehouse and take off.

[enobeenob]

We need more people like you in this world, Great job.

Glad to see people out there still care.

[MtFoxx]

Good Job! He is the kind of driver that gives us all a bad image , and the type that would back into you at a truck stop/warehouse and take off.

I agree... If I can I stop and help I will. I 2nd. the good job.

There was a time where the brother hood would shun someone for it but Da_it. this kind of driver pisses off all involved and taints the Troopers opinion (as if it wasn't bad enough) of all of us.


Great Job: kips41 and Windwalker
:!:

[Mackman]

keep truckin I dont like to get my self involed in BS like that. Next thing you know you might have to end up in court and deal with all that stuff.

[Roadhog]

You did good kips41.

I won't describe every time I have helped in time of need. But there have been numerous times I have had the opportunity to be in the right place at the right time.

Part of this is how you are brought up. I live in the North, and people up here are raised to help others. If someone doesn't need help, it is still nice that someone would stop and ask.

[Useless]

keep truckin I dont like to get my self involed in BS like that. Next thing you know you might have to end up in court and deal with all that stuff.

So, what if it had been one of your loved one's in the car??

[Roadhog]

keep truckin I dont like to get my self involed in BS like that. Next thing you know you might have to end up in court and deal with all that stuff.

I think maybe in a criminal case, your witness testimony might require that, but in civil cases, more likely a lawyer will just take your statement. At least, that is how it was handled in the cases I've been involved in.

[MtFoxx]

keep truckin I dont like to get my self involed in BS like that. Next thing you know you might have to end up in court and deal with all that stuff.

I think maybe in a criminal case, your witness testimony might require that, but in civil cases, more likely a lawyer will just take your statement. At least, that is how it was handled in the cases I've been involved in.

Exactly... Preponderance of evidence Vs. reasonable doubt. Chances are the driver will plead out to a lesser sentence or fine. No worries man! Like I said good job.

[flood]

yes we always stop and help if we can.
4 years ago i was at the pilot in newbough, ny. I84 ex 6. had left the dash cam running what i took a nap, when i woke up the cops were talking to the driver that was parked across from me. he had gone in to take a shower and when he came out someone had hit his truck and taken the hood off, NO ONE SAW A THING...! i checked my tape and had a good view of it as it happened drivers face, truck #, tag #, and trailer #, called the cop over and showed it to him then burned a copy to a dvd and gave it to him.

as to going to court i have always given my contact info and only one time have i had to talk to anyone later. and that was just a phone call statement of what happened. 3 cars played tag on the turnpikr and all 3 were at fault.

just remember what goes around comes around.........

i also want to say a big thank you to the 2 drivers that came forword on 1-6-08 when the wife was hit at the flying j in knoxville. if you see this thanks.

[Double L]

You all have my respect, the ones that stopped and helped anyway! I think drivers that Windwalker and Kips mentioned shouldn't even be truck drivers. I guess you can say one of my good qualities is helping anyone in need, I would just feel bad if I seen someone in trouble and didn't offer them any help. But at the same time it's a bad quality cause people could try to sue you or something! If I was those two drivers in the accidents, I honestly would of stopped, I know it'll hurt my record but atleast it wouldn't be a felony! Anyway my point is people should stand up and take responsibilities for their actions. But some people are not just man or woman enough to do so!!!!!

[greg3564]

keep truckin I dont like to get my self involed in BS like that. Next thing you know you might have to end up in court and deal with all that stuff.

So, what if it had been one of your loved one's in the car??

I can say a witness saved my rear. When I was in EMSin Las Vegas, I was driving my ambulance in the far right lane on the Strip going 40 mph. All of a sudden I see a taxi whip by on my left, cut me off with about 2 feet to spare and slam on his brakes. I didn't have enough time to even apply my brakes and slammed into the back of him. Well the cab driver gets out and says nothing until the police arrive. He goes on to tell the cops that he was making a right turn and a pedestrian was in the cross walk and stopped and I came along a rear ended him. BS!!! There was indeed someone in the crosswalk. But he thought he could cut me off and make the right turn without braking.

Luckily for me, there was a witness standing on the sidewalk who saw the whole thing and he stepped up and told the officer what really happened. The cop even told me that if the witness had not come forward then I would have been put at fault and cited. The cop then went over to the cab driver and ripped him a new one for lying and wrote him the ticket and placed him 100% at fault.

So if you witness something like this, stop and give the driver your info. Because you never know when it may happen to you.

[Trukrswyfe]

Most of us have been in a situation where the helpful and needful act of a stranger made the difference for us. That is why we see the significance in lending a hand.

Mack sorry but you are young but one day you'll see the personal benefit to helping out a complete stranger regardless of your hurry. When you sit on the side of the highway watching someone take their lasts breaths and being thankful you could do that for another human being. Then going to that person's family and giving those priceless words they wouldn't have heard. You will be changed to your core and be glad of it.

Life is priceless, true story: I have fished my son out of pool, he was four, and it haunted me for almost a year the site of my son blue, lifeless, eyes wide open. Thank God for people who stay and help and don't run away.

This isn't a slam I don't care to change your mind, but remember my words because you will change your mind.

TW

[Drew10]

TW said:

Life is priceless, true story: I have fished my son out of pool, he was four, and it haunted me for almost a year the site of my son blue, lifeless, eyes wide open. Thank God for people who stay and help and don't run away.

WOW. That must have scared you to no end...Thank the Lord you had help.

[Roadhog]

I would just feel bad if I seen someone in trouble and didn't offer them any help. But at the same time it's a bad quality cause people could try to sue you or something!

Double L...

The Good Samaritan Law is there to protect you. It is unlikely you would be in any trouble for trying to help someone in distress, or responding in any way necessary as the situation calls for.

Good Samaritan laws (acts) in the United States and Canada are laws/acts protecting from blame those who choose to aid others who are injured or ill. They are intended to reduce bystanders' hesitation to assist, for fear of being sued or prosecuted for unintentional injury or wrongful death.

In my case, I am a licensed EMT. I am held to higher standards.

[Double L]

I would just feel bad if I seen someone in trouble and didn't offer them any help. But at the same time it's a bad quality cause people could try to sue you or something!

Double L...

The Good Samaritan Law is there to protect you. It is unlikely you would be in any trouble for trying to help someone in distress, or responding in any way necessary as the situation calls for.

Good Samaritan laws (acts) in the United States and Canada are laws/acts protecting from blame those who choose to aid others who are injured or ill. They are intended to reduce bystanders' hesitation to assist, for fear of being sued or prosecuted for unintentional injury or wrongful death.

In my case, I am a licensed EMT. I am held to higher standards.

I didn't know that! Thank you for the information Roadhog

[headborg]

you did the right thing...and should do it again...and again..

Yeah, I would have done so also-

I just hope you don't loose too many days Pay/Production getting called into court for a disposition or as a live witness at a trial.