[4roses]

Why is it the news NEVER gets the story straight when it involves a semi ??? ...... there was 2 accidents today just a few miles apart ...... I was there that involved the semi truck. ... Turner Turnpike east of Oklahoma City around 4:00pm. ..... The cop that first arrived didn't know there was a car between the jersey wall and the semi ... that's how smashed the car was.

"Basically, the (tractor-trailer) was going to fast,” West said. "It hit a sport utility vehicle, knocked in into the trooper's car and the pickup that was on the side of the road. The (tractor-trailer) then hit another vehicle and pinned it against the inside retaining wall.”

I was in my car and pulled off the hwy when this accident happened. What happened was that .... the sport utility vehicle had run out of gas on going 75 mph ... the driver of the semi put on his brake and his foot slipped off the peddle, so it rammed into the back of the sport utiltiy and the back half of it was smashed .... which at that point in time ... the back half of the trailer slamed into the side of a small car forcing it between the jersey wall and the trailer .... The car was smashed in half. I honestly didn't expect to see anyone alive when I ran across the hwy to assist if possible. ....... There was just enough space between the window and the young women pinned in her car so I reached inside to her and took her hand. She was alive and bleeding, her young childs right leg and foot was up on her shoulder. The baby was moving his toes so we knew the baby was alive too. .... So for 2 hours I stayed by the young girls side holding her hand and making her focus on me and talk to me. I didn't want her to go into shock ... which was clearly about to happen. ..... There was no way on earth the jaws of life would of helped to get her out of that car .. there was no air space between the jersey wall and her car. ... The men that stopped to help were able to break her rest of her car window, cut the seat belt strap that was chocking her and free her baby... I don't know how, but the men were able to pull the roof up and remove the young woman from the car ........... The bottom line is .... the baby is alive with a broken leg, the young mother is alive ..... the trucker is alive - I spent time with him also, hoping to comfort him a bit. The people in the sport utility were live, one person did leave in the helicopter ... and had to wait on 4 ambulances to arrive to tend to the rest of the people. .....

I told the driver of the semi that ... the driver of sport utiltiy said that he ran out of gas, which is what started this whole mess. .. Hoping it would benefit him telling his company this ...My heart hurt for the trucker because 'we' all know that basicly the trucker is going to be blamed for it ..... Which is soooooo wrong ! ... I took pictures once I got back to my car .... after staying with the young mother for 2 hours on the hwy. Once I get them down loaded ... I'll show you why it was only by the Grace of God that this young mother and child lived.

[Blind Driver]

From reading that, semms like the trucker may have been tailgating a bit? If he was following at a safe distance, then if the SUV stalled, the truck should have been able to stop. Correct?

[driver67373]

I agree, sounds like the trucker's fault. Regardless of why the SUV suddenly stopped, had there been enough following distance, the truck driver wouldn't have hit him. He has no one to blame but himself. Let's just be glad no one was killed.

[driver67373]

Accident Closes Turner Turnpike
AP - 8/12/2007 7:14 PM - Updated 8/12/2007 7:14 PM
LUTHER, Okla. (AP) -- Westbound lanes of the Turner Turnpike were closed Sunday after a five-vehicle accident.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol Capt. Chris West says seven people were hurt, two critically.

The accident happened about 4:30 p.m. on the turnpike in Luther.

A westbound tractor-trailer rear-ended a trooper's vehicle in a construction zone. West says a trooper was helping about five men whose pickup was stranded on the shoulder of the highway.

West says the tractor-trailer was going to fast. It struck a sport utility vehicle, knocked it into the trooper's car and the pickup that was on the side of the road.

He says the tractor-trailer then hit another vehicle and pinned it against the inside retaining wall.

[4roses]

From reading that, semms like the trucker may have been tailgating a bit?

yes I would have to agree with you - if - we lived in a 'perfect' world where .... ... everyone followed the rules we were taught in drivers ed and trucking schools on the proper distance between each other. But how many times have you been driving down the hwy doing everything You know is correct and the 4wheelers are driving 75-85mph, playing leap frog and pulling in front of you before there's a couple of feet to clear your front bumper? ..

One day while I was driving on the east coast I had a 4wheeler pull in front of me and clip my bumper ... Does that mean I was doing anything wrong? ...

All I'm saying is .... is isn't fair that semi's get the bad rap .... a lot of the time it isn't our fault :wink:

If you've ever driven on the Turner Turnpike in Okla ... you would know that the cars drive as if it's a race track. ... cars fly by me all the time.

[4roses]

In this clip I'm sending ... they have some of the story wrong ... it ISN'T a pickup that's pinned between the jersey cement wall and the semi ... it's the car this young mother and her child were in ... you can see the drivers window hanging off the car ... that's where I was standing the whole time, while holding her hand. ......... Also, you'll see an umbrella in the hwy .. I was on the other side of that umbrella with the young mother, awaiting for the amublance to arrive ... a passer by was kind enough to get it out of their car to get the sun off of the young mother .............. at the very end of the clip ... you'll see my red luminu setting on the side of the hwy .... the camera person must have been standing on the other side of my car.


http://www.kotv.com/e-clips/?id=7792

[greg3564]

Originally Posted by for4roses

yes I would have to agree with you - if - we lived in a 'perfect' world where .... ... everyone followed the rules we were taught in drivers ed and trucking schools on the proper distance between each other. But how many times have you been driving down the hwy doing everything You know is correct and the 4wheelers are driving 75-85mph, playing leap frog and pulling in front of you before there's a couple of feet to clear your front bumper? ..

One day while I was driving on the east coast I had a 4wheeler pull in front of me and clip my bumper ... Does that mean I was doing anything wrong? ...

All I'm saying is .... is isn't fair that semi's get the bad rap .... a lot of the time it isn't our fault :wink:

If you've ever driven on the Turner Turnpike in Okla ... you would know that the cars drive as if it's a race track. ... cars fly by me all the time.

It isn't fair that an 80,000 pound weapon gets a bad rap because he caused a major pile up? Come on. :roll: That driver is at fault. Period. End of discussion.

[4roses]

greg ..... Come On ... you weren't there? .... Have you ever been in a truck accident? .. I have- back in 95' and NO it wasn't my fault.

People need to stop being so judgemental with others. Some of you think your perfect and have all the answers ... :roll: One day you will be in a spot ... and want others to belive you. I tell ya what - if you can tell me that You never speed or do anything wrong while driving or make any bad decisions ... then maybe I will listen.

Have a good day Mr Perfect's with all the power to judge others.

Originally Posted by for4roses

the driver of the semi put on his brake and his foot slipped off the peddle.

Hmmm...I've been driving for many years now and that's NEVER happened to me. From the sound of it, the dude most likely fell asleep. That, or he was fiddling with his cell phone or reaching for his atlas.

Either way, the opposing lawyers are gonna go through his logbooks with a proton microscope. They'll subpoena toll receipts, qualcomm records, credit/debit purchases, fuel receipts, shipper/receiver logs, engine computer readings...the works. If he's caught cheating or fudging he'll be part of a multi-mllion dollar civil lawsuit -regardless if he's charged for any criminal offenses. Kinda like OJ. If that's the case, he'll be saying Sayonara! to his house, cars, savings, retirement, etc.

That's why you always want to run a clean book. And just say "NO!" to those hot loads from dispatch . If you're tired and feel your eyelids getting heavy, don't try and push it. Park it for awhile and catch some shuteye. The load can always be re-scheduled. But a life can never be.

[Double R]

Originally Posted by ColdFrostyMug

Hmmm...I've been driving for many years now and that's NEVER happened to me. From the sound of it, the dude most likely fell asleep. That, or he was fiddling with his cell phone or reaching for his atlas.

Either way, the opposing lawyers are gonna go through his logbooks with a proton microscope. They'll subpoena toll receipts, qualcomm records, credit/debit purchases, fuel receipts, shipper/receiver logs, engine computer readings...the works. If he's caught cheating or fudging he'll be part of a multi-mllion dollar civil lawsuit -regardless if he's charged for any criminal offenses. Kinda like OJ. If that's the case, he'll be saying Sayonara! to his house, cars, savings, retirement, etc.

That's why you always want to run a clean book. And just say "NO!" to those hot loads from dispatch . If you're tired and feel your eyelids getting heavy, don't try and push it. Park it for awhile and catch some shuteye. The load can always be re-scheduled. But a life can never be.

BINGO! Regardless of who was at fault, if the driver is off by 15 min. in his logs, he can kiss his trucking days good bye.