has any one heard about the walmart driver running over a family coming from a parade in Alapaha Georgia. It is a very small town and I heard about it on the local news. I wonder what caused him to not see the family and what consequences the driver faces. The family was in buggy being pulled by a horse( the horse died too). The last I heard was another family member died putting the total at 5.

 

Maybe it was dark and the buggy didn't have sufficient reflective lighting.

 

Not a WalMart truck,it was a P&M Trucking Co. pulling a Wal Mart trailer,also 3 were killed and two mules.Very sad story although not surprising having run many miles of back roads of Indiana,very hard to see the Amish buggies at night.

http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp...5&nav=5kZQLdXU

 

What caused him not to see them? ITS CALLED NOT PAYING ATTENTION!

 

If I remember correctly, the accident was during daylight. The family was returning home after participating in a local parade.

 

I heard about it, and was really not surprised, having driven many a mile in Amish country.

My feeling on the matter, not knowing any particulars about the truck driver, is that he was probably tooling along at the speed limit and could not stop in time. The accident happened near a turn in the road if I remember the story correctly. He did not see them until it was to late, and it was near dusk when it happened, still daylight out, but late in the afternoon.

If you new guys are running any where there are Amish, be on the alert. If I cannot see up the road, I run under the speed limit, pissing allot of people off in the process. But I can tell you this, I have saved my own rear end by doing this. I have had more close calls with this bunch (Amish) then you can shake a stick at! They are like the old farmers in their pick ups. They disregard stop signs, speed up and slow down for no reason and do not know what a turn signal and mirrors are for. And yes, they have turn signals and mirrors on their buggies. The Amish are allot like many of the truck drivers out here now a days. They have the tools, but ain't got a clue what they are for.

When I had drivers, I warned them about Amish country. Keep it slow and be on the lookout! They will come at you out of no where and scare the crap out of you. And God willing, you never hit one of them. You are in their land, at least that is how I take it, and that seems about the way they look at it too. They belong, we don't.

 

i wonder how much experience the diver had under his belt?

 

Don't see much speeding up/slowing down since the only go about 5 MPH. Tops out a about 8 MPH.

Very few have turn signals and they are not required.

Mirrors are required on the driver's side. But like many other drivers using them is optional. :cry:

Anytime you are on a secondary road be alert for slow moving traffic. Just like football -- DEFENSE

kc0iv

 

You are right about the speeding up and slowing down :lol:

I stated that one wrong, I was thinking of those farmers in their pickups. Those old farts used to drive me nuts, and they new it too. That was on a dedicated run I used to do. You get to where you could safely pass, and suddenly that old fart was Mark Martin, never seen a truck move that fast until he hit the double yellow. Then we were right back to 40 mph in a 55 zone.

You just grin and bear it. Just part of the job.