TRUCK CRASH DOT COM COMMENTS

Truck Crash Images, Articles, Stories and Other General Highway Safety Information Presented by a Trucker

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COMMENTS

If there are 73 people standing around, looking at a truck crash, you know there will be 73 different opinions about it.

Below are just some of the opinions I have received about some of the stuff found here on my little website.

Be warned, though, some of the language is not appropriate for younger eyes.

From: Karl

karl with a ;i have been driving 12 yrs now i see alot out their and i agree with most of your views. You ave a good idea i heard you on sirus radio.had to check you out keep driving it into their skull's.the key word is 'slow down' that goes for both .

From: Erik

hi, i have learn permit class A also i m deaf so i has been look into ur websites and i know the road are dangerous no matter from small cars to a lot of tons of trucks.. i m work at supermarket also met a lot cool truckers to come in and trucker talk to me they told me the story about how they makes of money and drive for hours and one person that i talk to him and we hide into the trailer and show me all of his cash money look like over 3,000 in cash !!?? also other driver got nice trucks and some driver told me the business go down and many things so i m forward to ur webites and anyones

From: Terry

Having just finished reading all of the comments posted to your comments section..... A few individuals certainly proved that there are some very unintelligent drivers on the road by there own grammar and spelling! Grandpa was a truck driver, died in '65, dad spent his teens thru most of his adult life in the trucking industry including driving and founding a trucking company that is approx 200 trucks strong though neither dad nor I are associated with them today. I followed exactly in dad's foot steps although he is now retired, I am back to driving everyday. Driving and being amazed by both passenger vehicle drivers and truck drivers. I also have 6 years heavy wrecker/recovery experience. More than anything the tailgating by truck drivers scares me. I run a 30 mile stretch of US33 in Indiana 4 or more times a day, it is all two lane, winding, and a few small towns to pass thru. The speed limit is mostly 55, but the typically allowed speed is 60+ however on occasion someone will travel below 55 and that is when traffic takes on the appearance of a freight train. Every now and again I will get on the CB and remind the driver behind me that driving less than 5 feet off of my ICC bumper is not going to make the person 8 or 9 vehicles ahead of me go faster. When I do travel the "I" I am also amazed at watching a "big truck" in the hammer only a few feet off of the rear bumper of a car that is traveling at or above the posted speed limit for cars which is 5 mph faster than the posted speed limit for trucks. I have learned to drive well ahead of my front bumper and also learned to be aware of particular exits from the interstate. Yes exits, not entrance ramps. I watch my mirrors for the cars coming up my left side at 70+ only to cut across my front bumper to exit the highway at the last possible minute. If, as a truck driver, you just accept that people are going to do stupid things on the road, your blood pressure will not be so high and you won't be so surprised. Drive ahead, accept that someone is always going to be in your way, and someone else is always going to be behind you that wants to be in front of you, even if you were going 200mph in your truck, someone would still be behind you wanting to be in front of you. I have gone on too long already, but I could go on for hours on this subject, got pictures of the aftermath, I know where a freightliner cab is setting, only miles from me, with much of the drivers left arm still sprayed all over the left door and sleeper wall. I still see a white Grand Prix in my mind in which mother and her 4 children died instantly when she pulled into the path of a semi. That was more than 4 years ago, the truck driver has not been back in a truck since, from what I understand he has trouble driving at all. I think we each need to ask ourselves if the few seconds or half hour we save driving in a reckless manner is really worth it.

Terry Tombaugh - real name, nothing to hide

UnderPressure

We love your website!! I am a driver also, so I like to see what I have to face out there on the road. Keep up the good work!!!

Thanks so much for the support. Shiny side up, friend. Dave

Steve Boyd elkodog@hotmail.com

All website designers are geeks. They sit behind desks and pick there noses and glare at kiddy pornography.

Accusing someone of participating in such a disgusting thing says more about you than you realize. I know you think you are being funny and clever, but there is nothing funny about child pornography. You are a sick individual. Please get help.

From: Rick

Well after 14 years of OTR I have finally decided to come off the road and into the office as a recruiter.

After way to many close calls; tailgaters; improper lane changes; speeding and various assorted other hazards I have had enough.

The cause o my stress? Not the four wheeler, I learned a long time ago to anticipate what they are going to do. 90% of the time I know what they are going to do before they do.

The cause of my frustration is this new breed of driver that thinks that driving over hours, speeding and racking up miles is something they can do constantly with no ill effect.

You know them... the same guy's who pick up the mic and bitch about the four wheelers.

Rick in Nashville

From: Minuteman

For safe, experienced wrecker service in the Mifflinville area, call or check out our website. Minuteman Towing & Repairs, PO Box 10 , Mifflinville, PA, 18631, Phone (570) 759-3658 or (800) 905-7788 or Fax (570) 759-3678. www.minutemantowing.com

From: Nighthawk

I have been printing off different parts of your site, and place them in our drivers lounge to see everybody checking them out. It has started some great conversations and let our guys see the story behind the wreck. I've heard them say "What was this guy thinking"!!??

Anyway thanks.

your friend Nighthawk

What a great idea! All most of us need is a little reminder now and then. Thank YOU!

From: Charles

I really appreciate your website; it has made me think a little bit more carefully when I am out there with the four-wheelers. I try to be as safe as I can, but I realize that I am not as safe as I think I am. My driving habits could use some improvement, I’ll be the first to say that, but I am aware of the dumb truck drivers out there also.

I would rather slow down than cut a four-wheeler off; just a little consideration, that is all we all need to do.

Slower Traffic Keep Right!

From: Bob

Just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your web site. I am a former long-haul trucker who has gone into DOT/Safety consulting. Your pictures provide an endless source of material for my defensive driving training and other classes I create.

Though I don’t always agree with your point of view 100% of the time, we are generally on the same page when it comes to driver responsibility. I have trained new drivers over the road and the one thing I pounded into their heads (figuratively) was that they are the professionals. More is required of them in terms of safety than of other drivers. While I know from experience that accidents happen, a responsible and aware driver can dramatically reduce the number of accidents. If an accident is truly unavoidable, good defensive driving habits can at least reduce the severity.

Keep up the good work.

Bob,

Thanks for the wise words. Sounds like your drivers are lucky to have a guy like you sharing his experiences and knowledge. Happy trails, friend.

From: Jack

I just read what you wrote about truckers and I must say that you sound very biased. What do you have against truckers? Did your boyfriend run off with one? You should not be mad at all truckers because you now have to use your hand. How many times did your father molest you when you were a child? How about your mother? You know, there are groups you can join to talk about your homosexual feelings. It is wrong to blame truck drivers for your overwhelming desire to have sex with various farm animals. Why don't you move to Amsterdam so you can get away from all of us awful drivers. At least there you can smoke your weed and shoot your heroine and snort your meth and sleep with AIDS infected male prostatutes without anyone bothering you. In any case, it may be a good idea to get out of the trucking business because one of these days you will slip and say something to a driver's face that will get you a trip to the hospital. It's one thing to write it in a website anonamusly, but it's quite another to say it in person.

From: Mariah

this amazes me where did you get this article, i read this report yesterday just by accident, that is not what it say, here is just one part and a link to the whole report. An action or inaction by the drivers of the truck or the other vehicles involved were important reasons leading to crashes in a large majority of the cases. Driver recognition and decision errors were the type of driver mistakes coded by crash investigators or law enforcement officials most often for the trucks and passenger vehicles. Truck drivers, however, were coded less frequently for both driving performance errors and non-performance problems (e.g., asleep, sick, incapacitated) than passenger vehicle drivers. In crashes between trucks and passenger vehicles, driving too fast for conditions and fatigue were important factors cited for both drivers. However, fatigue was coded twice as often for passenger vehicle drivers, and speeding more often for truck drivers

Dear Mariah,

Don't be too amazed by the facts. The details are distracting.

I am out there driving around on the highways and byways of these great and wonderful United States of America every day in my big twuck and I see with my own eyes professional drivers taking unnecessarily dangerous chances all the time. All day, everyday and twice on Sundays. Get it? Most people don't worry about the dangerous mistakes they make because so many do the same thing. Then, when there's a crash, they say that it was an accident and accidents happen. Not just four-wheelers, but truckers too.

It's amazing to me how there seems to be more and more truckers driving their rigs as if they were driving a four-wheeler. Zipping in and out and zooming around like their tails were on fire. Yes, four-wheelers, mostly, but truckers do it too and not just one in a thousand. I feel like taking a picture of every big truck I see tailgating in just one day and letting you all decide if I am crazy or not. For now, I will just assume that those of you who have eyes can see it for yourselves by getting in your car and going out for a drive. You may even wake up and find yourself following too closely and suddenly you will remember my words and back off just a bit. I hope so.

There is only one theme to this website. Truckers can and should do more to make the traveling public just a little, tiny-bit safer. Period. End of lecture.

From: Erin

Hi there I drive for a transport company in Hastings New Zealand we cart the by-products out of the freezing works so you can imagine its a rather smelly job the advantage of it is I get home each night and weekends off your web site is a good wake up call the problem we have over here is the same as yours too many idiots on the road people say to me doesnt it worry you when cars pull out in front of you to pass another vehicle I say no because I can plan around that its the dick-heads that pass you from behind that give me the willies because the pass on double yellow (no passing either way) or you dont realise they are there until you hear them next to your cab and there is traffic coming the other way or the old fovourite the person who takes half an hour to pass . I would like to tell you of an experience that I had. Not long after getting my truck and trailer licence (44 ton gross ) I had a double blow out on a single trailer axle this was caused by too much sway in the draw bar ( ex stock unit ) had complained about the tyres severeal times and told to still drive it. When the tyres blew had to travel severeal hundred metres to find a safe pull over area. ( or that's what I thought ) we were in the process of having the trye changed it was dark when a car going the opposite way slowed to see what we were doing the truck and trailer behind slowed down the tractor and trailer unit behind him couldn't slow in time so he went into the other lane there was a tractor and trailer unit coming the other way I looked up when I heard the sound of two trucks coming around the corner side by side there was a tractor unit coming the other way they had a head on the person on the wrong side of the road ended up jackniffing his unit so the right steerer on the other unit hit his rear driver thats what took most of the impact. Some things I learnt from this were at an accident scene remain calm, always carry a first aid kit if you have any maintenence issues park the unit up until it is repaired ( A two hour wait for something to be fixed is easier than watching someone get killed ) ... the driver who was in the worst damaged unit is now driving again I take my hat off to him safe driving everyone.

From: Bouncer

do you think your god?

From: Dangerous

I guess your mama took you off the teet too soon, you fucking homo. I wish I new where you lives because I would defanatly like to have a chat with you about your'e anti trucking propoganda. Keep itup, you little basterd then we will see what happens too you. I am not kiding. there are some out here that arnt happy with you. Get the ideal? I think you do

Dear Dangerous,

Thank you for your thoughtful comments. I am so glad that you took the time to look at some of the images here at Truckcrashdotcom. Please feel free to return anytime you feel the need for a free, online safety class. I know you are probably a very safe driver, but we all could benefit from a friendly reminder now and then, right? Happy trails, friend! Dave

From: Nighthawk

Dear Deserttrucker,

I enjoy the pictures and agree in most cases with your opinion on these accidents. I am a local driver now but did drive OTR for 4 years and ran all 48 states. I'm now using my time, and experiences on the road to help my company during the hiring process to eduacte the "new guys" being hired to begin to understand this simple fact. We as truckers are the professionals, since we get paid to drive these huge things down the road. the cars on the other hand are, ( in the truest sence of the word) amateurs. Given this fact we must act the part in every way since we know we can count on the them to act they're part. If you clear away the rest of the BS this fact remains. To all the rest of the drivers that read this site. Lets each of us do our best to bring back some of the common courtesy we should show each other and in doing so maybe, just maybe the rest of the world will catch us doing the right thing dispite what those around us do. Deserttrucker, I'll end with this request of you. Can you narrow your feild so when i print your screens off i get the whole thing instead of losing part of the page on one side or the other. thanks for the site.

From: Dave

Opinions, Opinions, Opinions, everybody's got one and lot's of narrow minded folk's think their's is the only right one.

On the subject of stupid truck drivers. I used to think only stupid people became truck drivers because that's all they could do. I mean what's it take to ride & guide. Boy was I wrong! After retiring as a ASE certified auto tech I thought I'd spend my last working years riding & guiding see the country for free so I went to a cdl mill & got my license in 30 day's then I went to work for Roehl Trans. They train newby's. Boy did I get a wake-up call. WOW! What a learning curve. For beginners, I almost flunked the pretrip inspection walk around. The examiner hinted me thru it. I learned I couldn't shift a 10 spd gear box for shit and I had an instructor at school that thought he was Sgt Carter. I had a real difficult time keeping my log book straight so I can imagine what brain power is needed in creative logging. Did I infer truckers were stupid? I didn't have a clue about HOS so when I found out we could only drive for 10 hrs then we had to park it for 8 hrs I was filled with all kinds of hateful thoughts. You mean I can't go home when I'm only 3 hrs away? Fu..me! Then I learned that those fleet operated trucks like Hunt, Swift, Schneider weren't fuckin with traffic on the freeway after all. They were against the gov and that's all they had. Now traffic think's I'm fuckin with them when I top out at 65 while passing a swaying camper that's doing 60 and they want to run 80 and I'd like to yell out the window that I'm pedaling as fast as I can. I had no idea how onery shippers and recievers were. Never been to a particular whse before but your expected to know their policies & procedures like your psychic or something. What do you mean I got to break down that pallet? What the fuck is a tier? Lumper? Sounds like a disease. Did I say stupid trucker? How about stupid public & I was one of them. I could continue but I'd better quit. I think MOST professional drivers that have made driving a career should be saluted! Stupid? Not a chance. There should be a national billboard campaign to educate the public that most fleet trucks are cut back so when they get caught behind one trying to pass another they will at least understand that the driver is giving it all it's got and not just holding up traffic for fun.

Keep up the good work with your website Dave

Dave K

From: A Lady Trucker

Dear Desertrucker,

My heart hurts and I cry for the pain the Florida families are going to endure for a life time.

It's been almost a year since I lost my adult son to cancer. It wasn't real sudden, there was time for planning, goodbyes, hugs and kisses. I have been lucky (if you can call it that) but I haven't lost anyone to an accident. One minute they say see you later and walk out the door and that's it. No goodbyes, no last hugs or kisses. I can't imagine the depth of their grief. I have 12 grandchildren and I am a solo lady trucker I hold a class A CDL with endorsements. I also drive my pickup when at home (yes I am also a 4wheeler) as I would guess most of the truckers are. I am very proud of my profession as a whole. I don't consider I have sacrificed any more doing my job than anyone else trying to make a living. If there are any sacrifices they are done by choice not demand. Everyone has choices.

As far as the girl driving with the learners permit. Where I live in a rural farm area it is very, very common to see a 15 yr old (some even younger) driving the farm truck on the road alone. That's neither here nor there. The bottom line - no one has the right to run over you. A safe driver is always, always watching for the unexpected. A driver (young, old, in between) should always look over the vehicle no matter what kind (even a riding lawn mower) to see if the machine is safe to operate. I know I have been rambling on but I just wanted you to know I hope you continue with this site. My prayers will be with the families of the children as well as the truck driver's. Everyone is in pain. Continue with the message that safety is first and foremost everyday. If you don't have that attitude than take a look at the pictures and get an attitude adjustment real quick.

Be safe desertrucker and God bless.

Sorry about your loss. Thanks for the kind words about the website. You said it all. Happy trails, friend.

From: Chris

Dear sir have looked at your sight. and agree with your comments i am not a professional truck driver my father had Ben for 35years. although i do have a cdl with tanker and Hz mat and have been fascinated with trucks for years.thaught i wanted to drive for years but tried it and got angry with people who cant drive or don't care to drive correctly. don't know what happened to courtesy. but i am in the trucking industry i am shop foreman for a major trucking co. for past 11 years in that time i have spent many nights on the side of the road working accidents my top mechanic and i one night working a roll over were waiting for a wrecker and talking i said to him this is a bad deal about our position in this wreck he told me no its not that bad he said you want to see bad hit a kid no he said hit a school bus. dot fhp and every body else will be all over us. i said man god never let that happen to us

this wreck happened in fl at 3:30 PM i did not catch the news that night. next morning 7.00am my 10 month old alarm clock wakes me up i get up stumble to his room pick him up make a bottle sit on couch start feeding him turn TV on first thing i here 18 wheeler hits car school bus kills kids in Hawthorne. heart stops for 40 seconds till i see CCC on trailer. now brain tells me it cant be mine beeper cell phone house phone would have gone crazy.

Long before now. This accident was devastating to the familles involved. their loss cant be described with words. And my heart goes out to them my son is my life I cant imagine loosing him. So your words are true and some people you cant get to. But keep up your battle and remember there are still some real truck drivers out there they may be getting old and ready to retire like the real ones i have. but i have a few younger driver that will fill the bill and some i wonder how they even got here. need any photos let me know

thanks chris

From: Iceman

number1 we get enough shit from those that hates trucks we dont need traters like you makin it worse if you dontr stop it maybe someone will find you and take care of the problem that way ass hole

From: Kim

Dear Desert trucker -

This is the first time I am viewing your site and I'd like to start by saying thank you for all of your effort. My husband is a trucker of 20 years and I also hold a CDL A. I was a school bus driver for 11 years and now run as a team with my husband. I have been driving since I was 16 and have never had an accident or any kind of ticket whatsoever. I'd like to comment on some of the information/opinions on your site if I may.

I am a mother of 2 teens - 17 and 15. Upon hearing of the tragedy in Fla. my heart went out to the devastated family. How do you bury one not to mention all of your children and continue your own life? As a professional driver when it came time for my daughter to get a license I tried to do my best at education her to handle any situation behind the wheel - the first and foremost responsibility being to obey the traffic laws. my daughter is also very mature - she is in the top 2 of her class, takes 7 AP classes, is active atheletically, is involved in music, works every day after school, and is very responsible. However all of this maturity does not take the place of experience. As a parent it was my responsibility to make sure that she followed the proper procedure in obtaining her license. If I did not do this I would be held legally responsible for her actions due to her age of 16, Regardless of where you reside in the US the first law of being a responsible driver is to be legally licensed. During this process of licensing there are classes to be taken, and in NY, 40 hours of supervised time behind the wheel before you may schedule a road test.

While one cannot possibly learn what to do in every situation that may occur while driving, many of these are covered during instruction and supervised practice. I wholeheartedly agree with you that everyone on the road must be observant for accidents that are waiting to happen and take action to avoid them if at all possible. While you state that truckers receive much more training than a driver of a car there are many areas where the two receive the same training. One of these areas would be when stopped for any reason. I still cannot stress enough to any young driver I know to be very aware of what is behind you when you are standing still on the road for any reason. In addition to watching behind you - have an escape plan. Is it possible that if the young girl of 15 had gone through the required safety classes and training that she would have done this? Who knows. Maybe she would have seen the truck coming and been able to get out of the way. Maybe the movement would have jolted the truck driver out of his stupor and he could have avoided the accident or possibly have lessened the impact by slowing. Please don't get me wrong - the driver of the truck should be put away for a very long time for all of the laws he violated. The company should be held accountable for hiring someone of his nature and previous violations. However laws are put in place for everyone - not to hold some accountable and some not. If this tragedy compels only one parent to take action in the proper education and training for their child's driving process or one parent thinks twice before letting an unlicensed teen take the car for whatever reason - convenience, ease, or the excuse that it is only "down the road" or "just to school" then maybe this awful and tragic situation may be avoided in the future.

While I cannot fathom living through what that poor family is dealing with I also cannot fathom the responsibility I would feel for not obeying the law by making sure that my teen was properly trained and licensed no matter how mature they were.

Thank you for your attention-

Kim

Sorry I can't agree with you, friend. She wasn't an unlicensed driver. She had a learner's permit to drive. That is a license that allows one to drive legally on the roads as long as an adult with a license is in the car. Do you really think that anything would be different if some adult had been sitting there in that car with those kids? The only thing different would be one more funeral.

Justice is not always a hammer. Sometimes, it is a bridge. It can carry us across what can seem like a bottomless pit of despair. Not every crime is equal. Mercy and compassion are key ingredients, if justice is to be served. Do you go one mile per hour over the speed limit? Of course you do. We all do. If you get hit by a drunk driver, one may argue that if you had been doing the speed limit all day, you would have been 20 minutes late for your crash. Don't you see how unreasonable that argument is? Almost as unreasonable as your idea that if those parents had not let her go get the kids from school, they would not have been there, or the even more ridiculous argument that somehow she should have had Jeff Gordon reflexes and somehow been able to punch it and swerve around the bus to save herself and the kids. Unbelievable, the lengths to which folks will go to blame the victims in this country! You know, if that car had not been where it was, sitting there behind that bus to absorb some of the impact, I wonder what would have happened to the kids on the bus.

Shame on you. Where is your heart? Where is the human compassion? What an ugly way to go through life. I feel sorry for you, friend. I hope you can find a way out of that darkness you must be in. What in the world has happened to you that you can be so cold hearted? To even think such awful thoughts is a shame, but to say them out loud, or to write them down for all to read is unimaginable to me.

Thanks for the kind words about the website, but I think you really need to rethink this. Is it so hard to hold your tongue and just have the tiniest bit of compassion for these poor folks? Why can't you just say that you feel sorry for them and then just shut the eff up?

From: Jason

I agree with you.. most truckers arnt that smart!!! Look what I seen this dumass do the other day in Shasta. Can you beleve he is such an idiat?

Jason,

I never said that I thought truckers were stupid. In fact, I believe truckers have more common sense than most of us. Can you honestly say that you have never made a mistake? Just because a trucker installs his chains inside out does not make him an idiot. Yes, it's true that in our line of work, attention to detail is often a matter of great importance, but we are human. Humans aren't perfect. That is why, by the way, we have programs that check our spelling before we send out an email! We wouldn't want to look like an idiat, would we?

From: Darren

Hi There

Thank you for your site. I am Commercial Driver Trainer in Northern Ontario, Canada, and found the images and stories excellent in developing sessions for educating Drivers in meetings; that indeed this can and does happen to them...all the time.

Incredible images, Sobering, Invaluable as training aids. Thank you for taking the time to make them available to everyone.

Darren K*******

******** Consulting

Darren, your kind words are much appreciated. Happy trails to you. Dave

From: Akirah

Hello my name is Akirah and i want to know if you can post some more up to date pictures of truck crashes.. I like the site and it does make me think evertime i get back on the road.. Please see what you can do as for as putting more pictures on

From: Linda

Dear sir or madam,

I find it interesting that you avoided answering "Daniel's" question. Your web site seems biased and doesn't give a fair and equitable examination of both sides of the issue. The issue being, all drivers who operate a motor vehicle are responsible for safety.

It doesn't matter if it is a four wheeler or an eighteen wheeler, both must adhere to the rules of the road. I drive a "big truck", and I have witnessed actions that are not becoming of a professional driver. However, I see many more instances of poor driving taking place by men,women,and teens in autos than by truck drivers.

Truck drivers are not baby sitters, and unfortunately that is what most of america wants. I challenge the drivers of four wheelers and especially you to rise to the occasion, take responsibility, and stop playing a blame game. Thank you for your time.

YoursTruly

B. Smith

From: PDLPWR5

I am a former Crete driver. With the way they checked my references before they hired me, I can't understand how they kept this driver on. Crete is very careful at spot checking log books and they give drivers loads that are legal. If this driver had been up for 34 hours I would question what he was doing. Sounds to me like he was playing video games instead of sleeping.

I feel for the family, but like some others have commented what was an unlicensed driver doing with that many children in a car? They could not possibly have been belted in or the little one in a car safety seat. Yes, I am sure the Crete driver was at fault for this tragedy, but some of the blame must lie with the parents. I heard an interview of a friend of the teenage girl driving. She was quoted as saying this young lady drove the children all the time. That ia wrong. I don't care how mature she was, she still should not have been driving alone with that many children in the car.

Why is it so hard for some people to walk a mile in another's shoes?

These kids weren't riding around looking for trouble. They weren't out wandering around, unsupervised. You say that this poor departed young lady "drove the children around all the time." Is that the accusation? Are you serious? Could it be that she was driving them to the doctor and to church and to soccer and school? What a crime it was that she took them bowling on Saturday, right? Don't worry, she won't do it again.

Are you completely blind? Do you not see any difference between this situation and if she would have been riding around with boys, drinking all the time? Of course the parents would not be getting a pass if they had raised her to act like that.

Not to mention the fact that she was doing everything right! She was just sitting there behind that school bus when that 40 tons of death squashed that car full of human children. Do you not weigh that any heavier than the actions of a so-called professional driver?

Besides, why can't you feel the weight of the fact that the parents will wrongly be punishing themselves for as long as they live? Punishing themselves for allowing her to drive semi-legally, even though most reasonable people would say that it was not such an outrageous thing for them to have done. Still, you can bet your bottom dollar that their suffering will be forever and more painful than whatever the courts could do to them. These poor souls were not Bonny and Clyde. They did not pimp her out. She wasn't forced to hold the camera while the parents abused the children. They let a very mature young lady drive the freaking car to go get the kids from school, for crying out loud!

Balance, people! Look up the word, "justice" in your Funk and Wagnall.

I suggest that you try to have more of a sense of perspective, friend. Be compassionate when judging others. All the factors must be stirred into the mix for the correct taste. Do you really think that there is no difference between these fine folks and a couple of crack addicts? They had very little means, living in a rural area with a couple of kids already in the house, and what did they decide to do? They decided to take in five or six more kids who had no home and even had plans to take in a few more. Instead of running wild and hanging around in the malls, the eldest daughter was more than happy to follow her parent's lead. She grew up more quickly than she probably should have had to by taking on some of the responsibility for raising the younger kids while mom and dad were trying to put together a living.

Still want to put them in jail? Shame on you. You have no heart, compassion or ability to walk a mile in another's shoes. Shame. I suggest you redeem yourself by making a donation to the fund. Maybe they will have the guts to adopt some more kids with the money you send. It's for sure that the funeral costs will be staggering. But, they most likely will, at some point in the future be able to try again. They will, because that is who they are.

Remember, Abraham Lincoln said, "I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice."

From: Patricia

This is the first time I have seen your web site. I enjoyed it. My husband was a Motor Carrier Officer for 32 odd years. I have seen and heard stories on both side. I will tell you most of the accidents are caused by careless car drivers. We have spent many hours on the road traveling and about 90 % of the time the STUPID moves car driver make in front of semi and in front of cars are just plain STUPID . Yes, Semi drivers have made stupid move in front of me also and other drivers too. but that 10 % is hard to find. Car driver are not taught in drivers education classes how to handle and drive around semi. They need more experience before they get the license. Maybe they should drive with a semi driver for 16 hours as a drivers requirement.

Thanks

Patricia

From: John C.

hello..like your site keeps me on my toes and in my mind on what can happen in just a few seconds. i am a driver... but i am looking for a set of pic, of a transam trucking that tryed to cross a 3 ton wooden bridge.lol that did not make it.. no one was hurt..have hard about it and would like to see it..if you have info, thanks

From: Janelle P.

I was trying to locate more information on the lake butler accident that killed the seven children. I was trying to find out if the cause of the accident had been found and if the driver was charged. Was also curious if the parents were charged with allowing a child with only a learners permit drive. Do you know if there has been updated information on this?

Thank you.

Janelle,

Google News is a very useful tool, whether you are looking for general headlines or specific issues. Try going to Google and clicking on News. Then, the trick is coming up with some effective keywords to enter into the search box. For example, for updates on this crash, try entering the names of the involved parties, or perhaps the location of the crash.

And if they charge the parents for letting their daughter pick the kids up from school, I will be very surprised. She was a very responsible young lady, (more mature than most adults, it seems) who was a hair's breadth away from being fully licensed and was apparently following all of the rules of the road perfectly (which is more than one can say about many of the rest of us).

Shame on any cruel, ice-covered heart that even considers adding to the agony of this poor family's grief! No amount of criminal sanctions could come close to matching the sentence the parents have undoubtedly placed on themselves.

From: Jeff

Hi, I was just introduced to your site. nice eye opener. I am a truck driver myself and appreaceate what your doing. I agree, every accident can and should be avoided. Most of the drivers that commented negitivly about your site are probably Peterbilt drivers sorry to sterotype but 85% of them are reckless, driving 80 in a 55mph zone following so closely the only thing they can see of the car in front of them is the cars hood, and fast lane changing. seems like they have that "it'll never happen to me" attitude, how unfortunate. Gomeztorture on your comments section asked" If Mrs. Mann is not responsible than why is the truck driver?" that's simple the driver in the rear is always at fault. if that driver was paying better attention he would have avoided the crash. even if the girl cut him off he would still have hit the school bus this accident was inevitable. that driver should have never been allowed to drive a truck looking at his past records. he's been charged several times for reckless driving and an accesory to murder. well they need to lock him up for good and keep him off the streets. IMHO.

From: Jim P.

Hello again. My name is Jim P. and I have written to you before. I just want you to know that I like what you are doing on your site and I have the same feelings about pros as you do. As a matter of fact you sound a lot like me in my safety messages to our drivers. We have a 400 truck fleet and let me tell you there are few programs available for training drivers. I like to use your pictures with my safety meetings and they do have an impact. I really do wish I had about a thousand more. Keep posting them.

Jim P. Safety Manager

******* Transportation LLC

From: BJ Reino

So you have some pictures and you think you know the score! I would like to know the web sites you have posted lectures to the four wheelers telling them, "It's not a video game!" Are you a driver (truck driver)? I did a casual survey after the movie 2 fast, 2 furious came out and all (truck drivers) agreed that more of the idiot 4 wheelers were driving like the movie stuntmen. There is no f--ing way to avoid stupid people! Just because we are professionals doesn't make 4 wheelers innocent little babies! They have as much responsibility to drive safely as we do especially since they are the larger percentage of traffic and cause more of the crashes (80 percent for your information)! Yes, my industry has it's share of bad drivers, and there are bad doctors and bad cops and bad cooks etc., so let's not play the guilt, blame game.

I hope you do what I do and when you see someone, anyone doing the wrong thing, speak up to them! Look them in the eye and say shame on you, you should know better!

BJ Reino

BJ,

When you say that it is impossible to avoid stupid people, you are selling yourself and many other truckers short. Many of us avoid crashes with stupid (and smart) people many times a day. In fact, we try to avoid crashing into anything! But, I know what you mean. You feel that truckers already do enough to avoid crashes, and if someone gets smushed, well, they pretty much deserve it. I have heard that one before. People tell me these stories about some stupid thing a four-wheeler did and how there was nothing that could have been done to avoid flattening him. I'm talking about the vast majority of crashes that could have been avoided if the trucker had gone just that little step above and beyond what was required by law.

For example, instead of following at a distance just barely legal, follow at a distance just a little bit farther away than that. Maybe make some room for someone to get in between? You know someone is going to do just that, whether or not there is sufficient room to do so! Why not give him plenty of room so that you don't squish him if everyone comes to a sudden stop?

How about instead of going through town at right around the speed limit, why not go just a little bit slower. You know, just in case some "stupid" person makes a mistake and pulls out of a driveway without looking? The extra five miles an hour may just be enough to allow you to stop in time or at least hit her and her kids at a slower speed and thereby increasing their chances of surviving mommy's boo-boo.

Professional drivers have all the knowledge and experience they need to save even more lives than they already do! I am simply asking drivers to use those skills more often. Truckers don't need a group-hug, they need to be challenged to do better. There are already plenty of organizations that hand out awards and make truckers feel all warm and fuzzy. And there are already tons of folks screaming at the four-wheelers to be more careful. These things are not included here at Truckcrashdotcom. This website is dedicated to holding truckers to a higher standard. Nothing more, nothing less.

Oh, and I believe it is dangerous to go eyeball to eyeball with someone over what may be perceived to be a driving error. By doing so, one may be biting off more than one can chew.

Dave

From: Dan T.

Thank you for sharing.

From: Wocadd

You may want to use this image on your website. It sat near my house over the weekend. I know nothing about it.