When impatience hurts!

[rhagfo]

It appears that this Class C driver paid a big price for their impatience!
Seems all five people in the Class C were taken to the hospital. If you watch closely you will see what appears to be a lady crawl out of the wreckage and start looking for others.

Bad Class c crash

[wnjj]

bucky wrote:
Anyone that thinks the big rig driver should have done something needs to reconsider.
Do you want a 80K pound load running across the median and killing himself and oncoming innocents?
The truck driver was correct in maintaining his lane or it would have been much worse.

Well there are couple things he could have done different that don't cause any drama:

1. Don't even be in the left lane passing and likely speeding to do so.
2. See the motorhome barreling alongside him and slow down before it does something stupid like cut you off.

I'm NOT saying he needed to do either of the above things, but they could have also prevented the problem. Yes, it's 100% the motorhome's fault but not being involved in an accident even when it's not your fault is still the best option.

[cptqueeg]

t

[bucky]

Anyone that thinks the big rig driver should have done something needs to reconsider.
Do you want a 80K pound load running across the median and killing himself and oncoming innocents?
The truck driver was correct in maintaining his lane or it would have been much worse.

[whjco]

I don't blame the 18-wheeler driver one bit. It's obvious that he swerved to the left as much as he safely could to give the motorhome more room and was also braking his vehicle. Note that he got stopped behind the wreck location. This accident is 100% due to the RV driver's impatience and poor judgement.

[JRscooby]

bpounds wrote:
I'll get flamed but oh well...

I'm not suggesting the professional driver was legally obligated to do anything different, or even morally obligated to do so, but I do believe he should have seen this coming. First time I watched it I could see right away what was going to happen, just by the way the RV was closing on the other truck. The pro driver has better visibility from his cab than we do from a dash cam. He just chose to stand his ground and maintain speed. There was a time when professional drivers would do everything they could to avoid this kind of thing, even when the other drivers act stupidly.

Could the driver have seen the MH passing him on the suicide, jaked her down before the MH cut over? Maybe, but looks like he would need to start to slow before the lane change started. Remember, truck can't change speed or direction as fast as your car, or even MH.
Then there is the fact, if he had slowed, let MH cut in, there would be people ranting about slow trucks in both lanes, and likely more people zig-zagging for position in the race.
The one good thing we can say is the driver had his dash cam running. With that, he can show LEO and the judge what happened, and maybe not have to pay for other's mistakes.

[bpounds]

I'll get flamed but oh well...

I'm not suggesting the professional driver was legally obligated to do anything different, or even morally obligated to do so, but I do believe he should have seen this coming. First time I watched it I could see right away what was going to happen, just by the way the RV was closing on the other truck. The pro driver has better visibility from his cab than we do from a dash cam. He just chose to stand his ground and maintain speed. There was a time when professional drivers would do everything they could to avoid this kind of thing, even when the other drivers act stupidly.

[cptqueeg]

Bobbo wrote:

cptqueeg wrote:
the C is no longer passing the semi on his left as quickly.

Whether that's just a change in perspective as the c comes into range of the camera, something that I think I'm seeing but isn't reality or the semi in lane 2 accelerating trying to close out the opening so he doesn't get cut off from the right lane by the MH.

Or, is trying to get past the semi in the right lane as fast as possible. I know that if I am trying to pass a vehicle and the speed differential is small, I will speed up to get on past. Then, after getting a few car lengths ahead, slow back down to my preset speed.

Yes I do the same, no need to drive in a Blue Angel formation at interstate speeds side by side w a semi.

Since the driver of the semi stated he had passed a vehicle in the right lane and was now preparing to pass the semi it would seem to me the semi driver should have already been in passing mode and traveling at the maximum "legal" speed already and shouldn't have needed to accelerate again, IF that's what occurred.



Anyway the MH is still 100% at fault.

[Cummins12V98]

rhagfo wrote:

cptqueeg wrote:
^^^It would be interesting to know if the truck was accelerating or decelerating and it's speed. Usually most people have to be seriously frustrated to make those types of moves.

It's 100% the class C's fault but I'm curious what led up to the class c driver make that move.

If you watch closely, it appears the trucker is catching the truck ahead in the right lane, so I would say passing. Just the Class C driver letting his testosterone take over thinking.

YEP

[Bobbo]

cptqueeg wrote:
the C is no longer passing the semi on his left as quickly.

Whether that's just a change in perspective as the c comes into range of the camera, something that I think I'm seeing but isn't reality or the semi in lane 2 accelerating trying to close out the opening so he doesn't get cut off from the right lane by the MH.

Or, is trying to get past the semi in the right lane as fast as possible. I know that if I am trying to pass a vehicle and the speed differential is small, I will speed up to get on past. Then, after getting a few car lengths ahead, slow back down to my preset speed.

[cptqueeg]

Oh I've watched it closely several times. Yes the driver stated he was intending to pass the semi in the right lane.

The c is closing on the semi in the right lane, pedal to the floor board. He's passing the semi on his left, but yet as both near the right lane semi the C is no longer passing the semi on his left as quickly.

Whether that's just a change in perspective as the c comes into range of the camera, something that I think I'm seeing but isn't reality or the semi in lane 2 accelerating trying to close out the opening so he doesn't get cut off from the right lane by the MH.

Again, the MH is 100% at fault.

[rhagfo]

cptqueeg wrote:
^^^It would be interesting to know if the truck was accelerating or decelerating and it's speed. Usually most people have to be seriously frustrated to make those types of moves.

It's 100% the class C's fault but I'm curious what led up to the class c driver make that move.

If you watch closely, it appears the trucker is catching the truck ahead in the right lane, so I would say passing. Just the Class C driver letting his testosterone take over thinking.

[wa8yxm]

Not quite the same thing but some years ago a man on a stolen harley rammed a police car at an intersection... Well very low speed the officer was so startled he could not pursue but a nearby state police car and a Television news copter DID. Cameras rolling in the case of the copter.

He tried to ram the State Police car at about 45mph.. Then he laied down and went to the hospital's jail wing.

[cptqueeg]

Bobbo wrote:

cptqueeg wrote:
Usually most people have to be seriously frustrated to make those types of moves.

I disagree with this statement. I have seen vehicles flying down the interstate, swerving from lane to lane, without ever being held up.

I've seen that too, but this seemed different. The class c driver was 35yo w wife and their 3 kids - doesn't seem like the situation or vehicle to be doing that in.

There really weren't any vehicles that were that close behind them. I'm guessing MH driver expected the truck to pull into the right lane after he had finished passing a car(mentioned in news report) and when truck did not he lost his composure, tried to go around on the right and the left lane truck decided he wasn't going to give way.

Hence the need for more data. Again even if what I'm guessing at is true the MH driver is 100% at fault.

[time2roll]

cptqueeg wrote:
^^^It would be interesting to know if the truck was accelerating or decelerating and it's speed. Usually most people have to be seriously frustrated to make those types of moves.

It's 100% the class C's fault but I'm curious what led up to the class c driver make that move.

Looks like the semi in the #1 lane was passing at a small speed differential and the C was impatient. The window was closing as the C pushed through.

People do this all the time. Usually they make it or back down. Sometimes the passing vehicle that has the right of way will slow down.

[Bobbo]

cptqueeg wrote:
Usually most people have to be seriously frustrated to make those types of moves.

I disagree with this statement. I have seen vehicles flying down the interstate, swerving from lane to lane, without ever being held up.