Incidents like these are why people hate truck drivers....

[Smooth]

Let me first off say I'm proud to be a driver , and I enjoy my job for the most part . There are many reasons why drivers have a poor image , here's one of them that hit close to home .

My brother is a student at a top Pennsylavania school , he will graduate in May and has a good job already lined up . He was driving home last thursday morning on I-80 west near the Ohio line in a snowstorm , he was in the right lane and came up on another truck doing about 35 , he looked to his left and saw another truck coming but it was aways off . He pulled out in the left lane to pass the truck and slid a little bit , by taht time the truck was on his ass , obviously driving way to fast for the conditions , the truck proceeded to hit him in the rear bumper knock him in the median and he then steered into the eastbound lane not wanting to get stuck , he was shook up and got out of the car to see the damage , the truck pulled over and then suddenly took off after he saw my brother getting out of the vehicle .

Now , it may or may have not been my brothers fault , I wasn't there so I don't know , but the point is another one of our fellow drivers got away witha hit and run incident , with a total of $1200 damage to his car , with him being a college student , that's quite a pretty penny . I don't understand how you can just drive off like that . To make matters worse , he called 911 and the moron operator said that there was nothing they could do without a the license number and other info , so he's out $1200 and much more paranoid about trucks and rightfully so . All he could describe it was a red truck and a white trailer as he couldn't see across the interstate in the snowstorm . Another reason why I don't really care for most other drivers out there or the entire state of Pennsylvania , which our the first ones to setup outragoes DOT inspections anytime , anyplace and the last to clear the roads in the snowy weather . Speculating on the driver , I have no idea , but I'm guessing it was a small company , probably a foriegn driver running from Chicago to NJ and back who may not even have a valid CDL , it's anybody's guess these days with the caliber of drivers we have these days . Just pisses me off and tarnishes the repution of our fellow drivers .

[Lewis friend]

i hear you. It's dispicable behavior; He may have been afraid of losing his job. Maybe he had 2 previous accidents and this would have been the final straw so to speak. So, he ran. As is he can't find another job?


We had a driver at my company do that. He said he didn't want to lose his job. He had mortgage problems or something. F'd up guy.


It's scary, but maybe it's time everyone had on-board vid cameras. Screw on-star.

[serbie]

Didn't you know.. the EOBR is just the precursor to this.... Won't be long till they have Video Recording capabilities built in, that will show on screen speed, direction etc. After that, they'll have the another camera facing the driver to see how many times we blink, what were eating, how long we are sleeping. Before you know it, we'll all have robots in the cab with us.. the will move our body's... to steer, accel, brake shift etc. Sure you get the picture.


That driver is an asshat and will get what's coming to him someday.

[jegzus]

Smooth,

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but both the trucker and your brother were at fault. The trucker was driving to fast for conditions and your brother did not have control of his vehicle. Granted the driver should not have fled the scene, although I am curious how he crossed the median in a snow storm without getting stuck? Perhaps I misread that part.

Now I do take offense to you calling the 911 dispatcher a moron for telling your brother there is nothing they can do. I currently work as an EMT in PA and during the last snow storm every county in PA was so slammed with calls it wasn't even funny. Now tell me what did you want the dispatcher to do with out a plate # company name ect. Have the state police pull over every big truck on 80? Not to mention that most Fire/EMS and Police were back logged over 3 hours during the storm due to all the accidents.

People also complain about how PA doesn't clear the roads fast enough. Well how are they supposed to clear the roads when everyone is out there driving on them like it was a bright sunny day? Then when there is an accident there are MILES of backups and the plow trucks can't to their jobs still.

I know you are upset about what happened to your brother but there is seriously no need to attack others because your brother had poor judgment.

[Mr. Ford95]

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but both the trucker and your brother were at fault. The trucker was driving to fast for conditions and your brother did not have control of his vehicle.

Ahh, so it's ok now to go ahead and hit another vehicle if that person is starting to lose control or has lost control. Didn't know that.... Sounds to me like a sorry excuse in favor of the truck driver.

The only person at fault is the truck driver if every detail is taken as being true. The brother did nothing wrong, from what I read, he had brought the vehicle back under control or close to it and then was hit in the rear.

[jegzus]

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but both the trucker and your brother were at fault. The trucker was driving to fast for conditions and your brother did not have control of his vehicle.

Ahh, so it's ok now to go ahead and hit another vehicle if that person is starting to lose control or has lost control. Didn't know that.... Sounds to me like a sorry excuse in favor of the truck driver.

The only person at fault is the truck driver if every detail is taken as being true. The brother did nothing wrong, from what I read, he had brought the vehicle back under control or close to it and then was hit in the rear.

Oh that's right the brother was in the right to try and pass another vehicle on snow covered roads and when he couldn't do it safely and lost control he was hit by a truck. Sounds to me like they were both in the wrong and driving unsafe. In PA both drivers would be cited in that accident if the police had shown up.

And for the record I wasn't sticking up for anyone they were both wrong.

[Mr. Ford95]

How do you know he wasn't trying to get back behind the truck he was originally trying to pass once he realized things were worse if he went any faster?? Your saying he was wrong for being in the other trucks way, whether he was under control or not.

[Snowman7]

He states it may have been his brother's fault. He did pull out in front of a passing truck and got run over so it seems both drivers made poor decisions. However his point is the truck driver took off! He's pissed at the chickensh*t truckdriver for leaving the scene. He's not arguing about who's fault it is.

[NevadaJim]

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but both the trucker and your brother were at fault. The trucker was driving to fast for conditions and your brother did not have control of his vehicle.

Ahh, so it's ok now to go ahead and hit another vehicle if that person is starting to lose control or has lost control. Didn't know that.... Sounds to me like a sorry excuse in favor of the truck driver.

The only person at fault is the truck driver if every detail is taken as being true. The brother did nothing wrong, from what I read, he had brought the vehicle back under control or close to it and then was hit in the rear.

How can you even imagine the brother did nothing wrong? For starters, he lost control of his car. Next, he obviously misjudged how far back the truck was. And lastly, he made a manuever and obviously didn't plan for what COULD happen. He did alot wrong, especially in a snow storm. Yes the truck driver is a shmuck for taking off, but it all could have been avoided. Folks need to think more about avoidance and less about whose to blame. It's called defensive driving!

[kips41]

Speculating on the driver , I have no idea , but I'm guessing it was a small company , probably a foriegn driver running from Chicago to NJ and back who may not even have a valid CDL , it's anybody's guess these days with the caliber of drivers we have these days .

I guess you are just basing this on your prejudices. What a shame that you think of others like this.

[Hat Rak]

A tugboat was hauling a barge up a river when a 18 year old on a jetski thought he'd try to be a daredevil and manuever his personal watercraft in between the tug and the vessel in tow at about 60 mph. What the kid didn't think about was the myriad of towlines in between the two craft. The crew of the tug tried to wave him away, but the kid remained on course and he died. The towboat needed a mile and a half to come to a full stop when the coast guard arrived.

I have a good bet that this incident with your brother occured last week in that storm that nailed Somerset and all parts east. I saw the idiocy myself. Your brother should be thankful he was not hurt, and yes, he should fear trucks from now on if that will make him think twice about how he should manuever around trucks in bad road conditions.

Of course the truck driver was a jerk for not standing his ground and bearing the responsibility for his actions. But, a red tractor and a white trailer? Forget it, he's as good as gone.

[Cluggy619]

I have to say that your brother lost control, and so it was his fault, had the truck driver stuck around.

However, he did not. That turns this into a hit and run, with the truck driver at fault, no matter who lost control.

It is too bad your brother couldn't ID the truck.

[Highwayman]

The only person at fault is the truck driver if every detail is taken as being true. The brother did nothing wrong, from what I read, he had brought the vehicle back under control or close to it and then was hit in the rear.

My cop buddy says BOTH drivers would be getting citations in this situation were he the investigating officer.

The brother would be subject to a citation for Failure to Yield to avoid an accident, and/or Failure to maintain control of his vehicle.

The truckdriver (were he caught) would receive a citation for Hit and run, Too fast for conditions, and Failure to Yield to Avoid an Accident, at the least.

[Smooth]

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but both the trucker and your brother were at fault. The trucker was driving to fast for conditions and your brother did not have control of his vehicle.

Ahh, so it's ok now to go ahead and hit another vehicle if that person is starting to lose control or has lost control. Didn't know that.... Sounds to me like a sorry excuse in favor of the truck driver.

The only person at fault is the truck driver if every detail is taken as being true. The brother did nothing wrong, from what I read, he had brought the vehicle back under control or close to it and then was hit in the rear.

Oh that's right the brother was in the right to try and pass another vehicle on snow covered roads and when he couldn't do it safely and lost control he was hit by a truck. Sounds to me like they were both in the wrong and driving unsafe. In PA both drivers would be cited in that accident if the police had shown up.

And for the record I wasn't sticking up for anyone they were both wrong.

Like I said , I wasn't there . The point I'm trying to make is the driver hit him and ran . If it wasn't the truck drivers fault at all , why leave ? My bro slide only slightly when making the lane chane only losing a few mph and he said the truck was driving to fast for conditions . Also about not getting stuck it the median , the momentum carried him hard into the median so he could just drive to the other side with a little throttle and no brake . As far as PA goes , my opinion won't change , I've been to every state that gets snow and PA does the worst job clearing snowy roads . It's no suprise PA got voted worst roads by truck drivers in a driving publication . And with the 911 call , they could have been more helpful , maybe have a bear look for a red truck by the state line with a huge green paint dent on it's front end .

[Smooth]

Speculating on the driver , I have no idea , but I'm guessing it was a small company , probably a foriegn driver running from Chicago to NJ and back who may not even have a valid CDL , it's anybody's guess these days with the caliber of drivers we have these days .

I guess you are just basing this on your prejudices. What a shame that you think of others like this.

Yeah , I certainly am . If these foreign drivers had any kind of aptitude or respect I wouldn't have to be judgemental .

[Mr. Ford95]

Yes, 911 could have been more helpful even if they didn't mean it. They could have said, "Ok, we will get someone on it." Even if they didn't do that, it is much better than, "Tough luck, have a nice day." It's all about perception to the caller.

[jegzus]

Yes, 911 could have been more helpful even if they didn't mean it. They could have said, "Ok, we will get someone on it." Even if they didn't do that, it is much better than, "Tough luck, have a nice day." It's all about perception to the caller.

You guys should try being a 911 dispatcher or even in the emergency service field before you try and say how things should be handled. And I hate to tell you but the police are not going to worry about a hit and run with no injuries when no identifiable information was obtained when they people are waiting 3+ hours for them to respond to their calls.

I also don't mean to say you are a liar but it is very hard to believe that a tractor trailer went through the median on I-80 in the snow and not only did he not jack knife and get stuck but he was able to just keep on going. The medians on I-80 are not very wide at all and about 90% of them are lower in the centers and raised near the roads edge. I'm sorry but I have been out on the highways in an ambulance in both of these last storms in PA and can't believe it happened that way.

Like I said before the trucker was an ******* for leaving the scene and for driving to fast. But I don't think that making a post here making everyone else to be the bad guys is a very good idea.

[kips41]

Speculating on the driver , I have no idea , but I'm guessing it was a small company , probably a foriegn driver running from Chicago to NJ and back who may not even have a valid CDL , it's anybody's guess these days with the caliber of drivers we have these days .

I guess you are just basing this on your prejudices. What a shame that you think of others like this.

Yeah , I certainly am . If these foreign drivers had any kind of aptitude or respect I wouldn't have to be judgemental .

Well at least you have the courage to admit that you are racist.

[Mr. Ford95]

Jegzus, the truck never went thru the median, the brothers car did.

I have friends who are 911 operators and they would not just say, "Tough luck on you." They would make it at least seem as if they are doing something about it. It's not that they could do nothing about it, the operator could have easily said ,"Ok, we will get someone on the lookout for him," even if they weren't really going to do it. Again, it's all about perception to the caller. Now, because this operator did not say something decent, what if the brother goes thru there again and see's something that requires he call 911?? He prolly won't call because of his last experience dealing with them. I know I won't call 911 in one area because they put me on hold for 10 minutes while trying to summon help for a serious crash. If it ain't that important to them, then it ain't important to me.

[Piece Of Work]

It could be that the car was never hit by the truck in question. Why do we assume the driver is guilty? I think that presumption of guilt is part of the public bias against drivers. You know its possible the car spun out in front of the truck all by itself and the kid driver is trying to cover up his mistake.