I cant tell you what happened, I was not there. I do have 1 question for the orig. poster. Why did you slow down the lane you were in just to get in behind the slower truck in the slow lane? sounds like a traffic jam is what you were causing. I think it would have been smarter to speed up a little, then move to the right! For argumentation's sake, maybe you slowed to much and helped the accident out a little. When you have someone tailgating you, especially something weighing 40 tons why let testosterone rule your judgment?
Speed up , get the license # then call the state police, very simple. I think you might have been a willing combatant in the whole unfortunate situation from reading your post. Like I said, I was not there, and am not putting you down, but this post seems to be missing something! Be aware of your surroundings. Its easy to see 40 tons going faster than you, and getting closer to you in your rear view mirror. Read the signs on the hwy, "slower traffic keep right" I don't like it when I see the tailgating going on, and have been putting up with it for 30 yrs. Just be smart and don't help a accident out with the stunts you pulled by slowing everyone else down behind you.
To the rest of the readers, believe none of what you hear and half of what you see!!! This is just my 2 cents!

 

The "hitting him part" I think is embellished. But if true...he is partly to blame for that. The tiny tap from a Truck this big...I think that little front wheel drive car would be all over the road. I don't know. Any fresh scratch on the rear bumper would have been enough for the Deputy to give the Trucker some Bracelets for Christmas...and impound his vehicle.

The words of my Dad always sticks in my ear. He said..."never fight over the road."

Had Couch put on his turn signal to let the aggressive Driver know he will give up the road...then make his move to get behind the Truck on his right...there may have been an all together different outcome.

I don't want to parse over Couch's speed limit either.

I don't know the details of this situation, because I was not there. So...any speculation on my part is just that.

I have seen this all too often, though. There are 4 wheelers who hog the passing lane...and stick on the side of a big truck not allowing other trucks to get around. You see this in a 3-laner too, where the Trucks are not allowed in the left lane. These are passive aggressive drivers. They in my opinion are enjoying holding back the big bad truckers. Sooner or later they will find one who is stressed out enough, he will climb up this 4-wheelers ass. Tell me you have not seen this many times yourselves. This is deliberate game playing.

Maybe it's all a big fight over a couple MPH. Brilliant...on both parties. Fight over the road...that's even more Brilliant. (what happens to the looser??....ever consider that??)
I see this genius all too often. :roll:

I won't go into all the fun and games people love to play out there. When one win's for loosing...no one win's.

I'm not excusing the actions of this Trucker. He should know better. I'm only wishing to point out...two wrongs do not make a right. I'm calling this as I see it.

 

You sound like a smart man roadhog. I used to do the fighting thing on the road, and all it got me was time in jail and more money in fines than all the speeding tickets I received sense I got my DL when I was a kid...lol By the way, wonderful post. You hit the nail on the head with this one...lol

 

Like his post said, he slowed to 30mph in a 70 mph road, I believe he was playing games!!
I believe if the truck would have hit him, he would at least have been sited. Couch would have had no say about it!!

 

Sorry,Im a little late here. If you were in a truck,and a Toyoter Corolla would have bumped you,and did to you what you say this truck did,I would feel sorry for ya,and back ya up. I could half-way see that. All due respect,but I agree with roadhog,and I think that this stuff is getting pretty deep. Im sure,somewhere,you can find an outlaw trucker. Too many people watch too much tv,and too many trucker movies. Maybe,you found an outlaw trucker,but most of us out there,practice safety a lot more,than we all used to. Any truckdriver that bumps the rear bumber of a 4-wheeler because he wants that lane more than they do,is either drunk,high,or just plumb crazy that should be sitting in a weirdo home,and not in a truck. Besides that,if yall are running 65-70 mph,and that truck bumped you,you wouldnt be here to tell it. Im sorry,no disrespect meant,but that sounds like I need to pull up my pants leg. What about racing? Those guys bump and grind,and what happens? One either goes to the wall,or heads for the grass. What do ya think a truck will do? Of course,racing is 200 some odd mph,but still. I think that you need to do something about the temper,and attitude,and get over this. Im sorry.

 

Your right ssoutlaw, that little car would have had the back bumper caved in at the very least. Semi's just don't magically appear right behind you and on your a$$ 1,2,3 Genie style. If that happened, then your one crappy liar. More than likely, this truck had been there for some time waiting patiently and you were oblivious to it's presence(can you say cellphone?? or better yet, brain unplugged??) so he decided to make his presence a little more known since you were not paying attention. Couch was obviously pulling the famous, 70.1 mph pass on another vehicle doing 70 mph. Just because your doing 70 in a 70 zone does not mean your entitled to sit in the middle lane of a 3 lane highway.

If he had hit you like you claim, where was the ambulance to check you over?? My dad used to show me what a minor impact is like at 2 mph by using our play truck(old old mazada pickup) to hit tree stumps with and without seatbelts on to prove a point. My neck hurt for a week. Trust me dude, just a 2 mph difference was enough to cause some wicked whiplash and to nearly lose grip of the steering wheel even though I knew it was coming. At 65 mph with you not knowing it was coming, you would not have held onto that steering wheel and kept that little Corolla on the road like Jack said.

 

Oh please, you all sound so righteous! There are plenty of outlaw truckers out there, along with those who are just plain SH!TTY drivers. This guy could be telling the truth and it is just like truckers to jump to the truck drivers defense. There is a large group of truck drivers that do not belong in a truck much less with a CDL in hand. We all deal with them day in and day out for they treat other trucks just like they do the cars. I am all for getting better training, speed restrictions and stricter consequences for the idiots who think that their BIG BAD TRUCK is a weapon.

One thing I don't agree with is the requirement for a high school diploma for I have met many high school graduates and college graduates that couldn't think their way out of a paper bag!

 

Nobody is saying that there aren't dangerous, outlaw truck drivers out there. However, I tend to agree that the physics involved (big truck hitting small car) would have caused more damage than it did.

 

I wasn't there, so I have no way of knowing what really happened, nor will I make any assumptions... I've heard my share of "driver's stories", but I've also personally witnessed a few occasions where a jack-ass driver had gone totally berserk!!

I will say that if this story happened as you say it did, then the best thing that you could do is have the ass arrested, AND call his Safety Department.

 

Guess we now know what became of Crete Drvr!! :P