TRUCK CRASH DOT COM LESSONS

Melborne, Australia -- May 12, 2006 0930 A rubbish truck traveling along the Western Ring Road hit a semi-trailer parked on the side of the freeway and overturned. The driver was taken to the Royal Melbourne hospital with minor injuries. The semi's driver was not hurt.

Benalla, Australia -- May 11, 2006 The call for help came into the Benalla Police Station at 4:40 A.M., from the very truck driver who had just crashed his truck into the Broken River, near the Benalla turn off. The distressed trucker reported that he had been transporting a large boat when he lost control of his rig and the whole thing went off the bridge into the cold water. After falling 30 meters, he still managed to remember to grab his mobile phone, as he pulled himself from the partially submerged truck and swam for dry land. Shortly, rescue and recovery personnel were dispatched, including two Wangaratta policemen who were assigned to stand at the Winton Bypass on the Hume Freeway to divert traffic away from the crash scene. The two had only been on scene for about twenty minutes when another semi came barreling down the road, heading straight for them. In the blink of an eye, the huge truck had smashed through the reflector lights and temporary barriers, spraying debris as it went. Now, there was nothing but a few meters of open space between them and the speeding truck. Without a moment to spare, one man jumped left, the other right, both of them barely escaping certain death. Unfortunately, the truck plowed into their police car, dragging it 500 meters up the road before rolling onto its side and sliding to a stop. Amazingly enough, no injuries were reported in either crash, but two trucks and one police cruiser were completely demolished. When asked why he did not slow for the diversion, the driver just shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. He declined further comment.

The boat was found unharmed, floating in the river near where the semi had gone over the side.

San Pablo, CA -- May 5, 2006 The reason behind the incident that set in motion a series of events that left a trucker dead will most likely forever remain a mystery. The departed driver took with him to the grave the answer as to why he lost control of his semi-double-trailer rig, which struck a concrete barrier, causing just the rear trailer to overturn. We do know, however, that when he got out of his tractor to lay down the triangles, he was struck by a four-wheeler and thrown about two hundred feet. He was dead when the rescue personnel finally found him. After hitting him, the driver of the four-wheeler drove to a nearby coffee shop, called for a tow truck and then proceeded to order a cappuccino with whipped cream. When the tow operator arrived to help, he noticed that the car had major front end damage and blood on it, so he called police. When police contacted the subject, he was allegedly combative and insisted he be allowed to finish his coffee.

Arrested for resisting arrest, felony hit-and-run, driving under the influence and vehicular manslaughter was Gabriel Acosta, 20, of Richmond, CA.

Wetumpka, AL, May 4, 2006 Two tractor-trailers were involved in a collision Thursday on I-85 near exit 62.Apparently, the two trucks were running together when they came upon slower traffic. The first one braked hard while the second one did not brake in time to avoid running into the back of the first one. It slid off the road and overturned, leaving the driver hanging from his shoulder belt. He was reported to have said within minutes of being rescued that if he had not been wearing his seat belt, he probably would have been thrown out as his rig rolled over and slid to a stop.

Marana, AZ -- May 1, 2006 On a lonely stretch of Interstate 10, near Pinal Air Park, a loaded tractor-trailer plowed into the back of a pickup truck, killing all seven people aboard. Apparently, the seven killed were all members of the same family, although positive ID's might take a few weeks. The fire was very hot and not much remains of them, or the two vehicles. The family is believed to have been Mexican nationals on vacation in the United States. The driver of the tractor-trailer, Larry W. Hoopingarner of Merom, IN, was not injured in the early evening crash. He was reported to have said that he, "did not see the pickup" just before he slammed into it, taking it with him into the median. Witnesses said that the big-rig was traveling at around the posted speed limit when it hit.

Birmingham, AL -- April 28, 2006 A man was injured at the intersection of Pike Road and Ensley Avenue when his car was struck from behind by one truck and knocked into the path of another truck. Additional information is unavailable at this time.

Ontario, CA -- April 26, 2006 One man is dead, two others are injured in a fiery, three truck crash that happened in a very busy industrial area of southern California, just east of Los Angeles. A witness reported that a big-rig heading east on Mission and a big-rig going south on Millikin collided as they both tried to go through the intersection at the same time. Both were apparently traveling at or around the posted 35 MPH speed limit, although it is not clear which of them had the green light. He said that after the initial impact, the eastbound truck then continued on to crash into a third big-rig, which was sitting at the traffic light on Millikin, facing north. The northbound truck was hit hard and it caught on fire. The driver was hospitalized with some bruises and minor burns. The southbound truck went down an embankment and slammed into a stand of trees. It eventually became engulfed in flames, but the driver was able to escape before the fire got to him. He was not seriously injured. The driver of the eastbound rig, a Calexico resident whose name has not yet been released because his relatives have not yet been notified, suffered grave injuries. Paramedics performed CPR on him as he was being taken to the hospital, but he was pronounced dead on arrival at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton. A person who is employed by a nearby business said that he got curious when he heard the noise outside. "I often hear loud bangs from trains passing by, but this one sounded different. I just stuck my head out to see what was going on and everything was on fire." Another bystander heard the crash and ran over to one of the trucks to help get the driver out. He said the cab's door was jammed, so he grabbed a rock and broke the window. Still another man got out of his car and also ran to help, but everyone backed off as the fire got too intense and the rig's tires started exploding. About 25 firefighters from Riverside County and Ontario came to the scene about 12:40 p.m. to treat the injured and extinguish the fires. An official investigation will determine if any charges will be filed in this case.

Rochester, NY -- April 26, 2006 At around 11 a.m., A tractor-trailer overturned on the ramp that leads eastbound drivers from Interstate 490 to northbound Route 590. Why the trucker lost control and crashed is unclear pending official investigation. The driver was not injured, and no other vehicles were involved in the crash.

Spanish Fork Canyon, UT -- April 24, 2006 A tractor-trailer loaded with gasoline overturned and exploded, critically injuring the 39-year-old driver, who suffered terrible burns on approximately 90 percent of his body. The driver, who works for a company located in Gallup, NM, had picked up a load of fuel in Evanston, WY, and was headed for New Mexico on U.S. 6 about 1 p.m., when he apparently failed to heed the signs warning drivers to slow for the sharp curves. He came into a curve known as Apple Bend too fast and the trailer toppled over the concrete guardrail, causing the entire vehicle to roll. An explosion and fire ensued, severely burning the driver, who was able to get himself out of the vehicle. He was flown by LifeFlight helicopter to the Intermountain Burn Center at University Hospital in Salt Lake City, where he was listed in "extremely critical" condition late Monday evening. "It was just a lot of black smoke," one witness said of the accident. "You couldn't see anything." The crash, which closed the highway in both directions, occurred at the same spot where an explosives-laden truck overturned and exploded last August, blowing a huge crater in the road, igniting wildfires on the hillsides and sending at least 20 people to the hospital.Apple Bend is near Mile Marker 191, a few miles east of the U.S. 89, U.S. 6 intersection and about 13 miles from the canyon's mouth. The speed limit for trucks there abruptly decreases from 60 mph to 40 mph. UDOT has posted multiple warning signs for motorists and truckers to slow down, but according to a UDOT spokesman, if truckers are going even 10 mph faster than they should, they invite disaster. "You have to go slow through these tight corners," he said. "If you come in here faster than the speed limit, bad things will happen." UDOT currently is installing a sign that monitors truck speed and flashes warnings if they're going too fast.

In Monday's crash, which caused less damage than the explosion in August, about 50 feet of highway was burned, several concrete barriers were destroyed, and an undetermined quantity of fuel was spilled down the side of the roadway. The fire shot up and blackened the redrock facing the highway up to at least 50 feet high. The highway was closed in both directions until about 7:30 p.m. Monday, when the road was temporarily reopened. It is scheduled to be reduced to one lane again at 9 a.m. Tuesday, while crews work to repair the damage from the fire. The construction should last two days.

Gastonia, NC -- April 21, 2006 A tractor-trailer trying to cross over a set of railroad tracks near the 200 block of Firestone Street has been struck by a freight train and split in half. No injuries were reported. Further details have not yet been released pending official investigation.

Kenova, WV -- Westbound traffic on the I-64 bridge over WV Hwy 75 in Kenova will be limited to one lane for at least a week after a tractor-trailer crash Thursday evening damaged the bridge. The hydroplaning truck damaged the bridge's wing wall on the fast lane side. Repairs will start Monday. A portion of I-64 was shut down for several hours after the accident because the cab of the tractor-trailer was hanging over the overpass. Two motorists helped rescue the driver, who was hanging with only his seat belt to keep him from falling onto WV Hwy 75. Authorities reported that he was on his way to San Francisco, when he hit a slick spot in the road and lost control of his rig.

York, PA -- An Oklahoma truck driver was charged with aggravated assault Tuesday, April 19, 2006, after he allegedly hit a man who was trying to stop him from turning his tractor trailer around in a car wash parking lot."It surprised the heck out of me," said Ken Martin, who was recovering from bumps and bruises he received when the truck knocked him down.Martin's family owns the Anderson's Car Wash chain around York.He said a light pole was recently damaged by one of the many trucks using the lot as a place to turn around. He didn't know exactly how many trucks per day or per week try and turn around in the lot -- just that it's too many. "We have signs. We put 'em up one day and the next they're gone," he said. "It's not a very big area for them to try to turn around.""They sometimes mouth off to me," said Martin, about when he tries to stop the truck drivers. But he said the reaction he got Tuesday was by far the worse.A little after 2 p.m., Martin saw a mostly white tractor trailer pull into his car wash and try to make a U-turn. Martin approached the truck and told the driver to back out of the lot; he couldn't turn around there. According to police, Martin stood in front of the rig and started to call 911, at which point Barnett allegedly said, "You just stand right there -- I'm going now."Barnett then drove into Martin, police said.Martin suffered some bruises and was still kind of sore Wednesday afternoon, he said.Police from area departments quickly found the truck. They charged Kenneth James Barnett of Oklahoma with aggravated assault.

He is currently sharing a cell with "Bubba" in York County Prison in lieu of $10,000 bail.

Suwanne, FL -- Two big-rigs collided April 19, on Interstate 10, just west of Live Oak, seriously injuring one of the drivers and leaving a mess that took 23 hours to clean up. One driver, Vahagn Martirosyan, 27, of Glendale, Ca, was taken to Lake City Medical Center.The driver of the other semi, Charles Cook of Coldwater, MS, was not injured in the crash.According to a report by the Florida Highway Patrol, Cook was eastbound at the 285 mile marker at about 4:10 a.m., driving at about 55 mph in a 70 mph zone when Martirosyan came up behind him and failed to observe and avoid the slower moving truck. Martirosyan's 1998 Kenworth smashed into the rear of Cook's 1998 Freightliner, left the pavement and ended up on the south shoulder with the cab totally demolished and the trailer on top of the cab. Martirosyan, who was not wearing his seat belt, was ejected from the cab onto the shoulder.

Cook, who was wearing his seat belt, remained inside the cab of his truck, which left the roadway and struck several trees. It came to rest without overturning. Cook was not listed as injured.

Salt Lake City, UT -- April 18th, 2006 At around 10:15 am, about a mile south of the University Parkway exit on I-15, two women were injured when their vehicle was sandwiched between two big-rigs in a chain-reaction crash triggered by a barbecue that fell out of a pickup truck. UHP says five vehicles were involved in the accident.When the pickup's driver stopped and attempted to retrieve the barbecue, motorists in the center lane quickly stopped as he darted out into traffic. A truck with a camper from Idaho was the first to stop. A big-rig pulling triple trailers stopped behind the camper. A third vehicle with two female occupants, possibly a red Ford Escort, stopped behind the triple-trailer rig. A fourth vehicle, a tractor-trailer carrying potatoes, was apparently tailgating the red Ford and could not stop in time. It hit the red vehicle, squishing it against the back of the rear trailer of the triple trailer rig.A fifth vehicle, another semi, also apparently following too closely, was unable to avoid contact with the truck it was following. It swerved, but clipped the rear of the semi carrying potatoes.

The Orem Fire Department was able to extricate the two women. The passenger was taken by ambulance to the hospital. The driver was transported by medical helicopter.

St. George, UT -- A collision between an 18-wheeler and a pickup truck snarled traffic, but no injuries were reported. The trouble began when a semi-truck exiting The Flying J attempted to make a right turn onto Brigham Road. Because the semi is so long, the driver had to swing wide to make the turn. At the same time, a white Ford pickup towing a trailer attempted to pass the semi on the right, apparently intending also to turn right. It is unclear if the pickup's driver did not realize the trucker was turning right, or if he just did not have the patience to wait his turn. Either way, he put himself directly in the path of a vehicle that outweighed him, many times over. The trucker could not see the pickup in his blind spot and his trailer hit the pickup, pushing it up onto the sidewalk. There was moderate damage reported to both vehicles and traffic was backed up through the nearby roundabout and out onto Interstate 15 for hours as authorities worked to untangle the two vehicles.

The pickup's driver was cited for passing on the right. The big-rig's driver was not cited.

Grays Harbor County, WA -- October 4th, 2005 A former University of Puget Sound geologist was one of two scientists killed when a logging truck lost its load, sending logs tumbling across Highway 101 and into their car.

Daniel J. Johnson, 46, worked at the University of Puget Sound as an adjunct geology department instructor during the summers of 2004 and 2005, said school spokeswoman Melissa Rohlfs. The other victim was Anthony Qamar, 62, associate professor of earth and space sciences at the University of Washington.

Qamar and Johnson were on their way to the Olympic Peninsula to collect instruments and data concerning a “slow-slip” quake that recently occurred off the coast, said UW seismology lab coordinator Bill Steele.

They died along a scenic section of Highway 101 between Hoquiam and Humptulips on the western Olympic Peninsula. The road was closed in both directions for more than eight hours after the 10:55 a.m. crash.

State Patrol investigators wrote that because of an apparent equipment failure, logs fell off a trailer being pulled by a northbound 1992 Kenworth truck.

Johnson, who was driving a 1998 Saturn, went off the road to try to avoid the hazard but the car was still hit by some of the logs and shoved into timber and brush. Johnson and Qamar were pronounced dead at the scene.

The truck was totaled but the driver, Garland Eugene Massingham, 40, of Centralia, escaped injury.

Steele said Qamar, who joined the UW faculty in 1983, was a key scientist among those at UW who study earthquakes and volcanoes.

Johnson, who earned a bachelor’s of science degree in geology from UPS in 1981, also worked with retired UPS professor Al Eggers, doing geology research on a project funded by the National Science Foundation, Rohlfs said.

“He was a well-known and respected seismologist who made important contributions to his field and will be missed by all those who knew him and benefited from his work,” Rohlfs said.

Montesano, WA -- April 10, 2006 The State Patrol is recommending vehicular homicide charges against the driver of a logging truck that lost its load, killing two earthquake scientists on Highway 101 in Grays Harbor County. State Trooper Brian George says the truck driven by 40-year-old Garland Massingham of Centralia was overloaded by 7,700 pounds. The logs broke loose October fourth about 13 miles north of Hoquiam and spilled across the highway crashing into a car. The crash killed 46-year-old Daniel J. Johnson, a former University of Puget Sound geophysics professor, and Anthony Qamar (kuh-mar), the Washington state seismologist. The two were on their way to collect earthquake recording instruments. Massingham, was not injured.

Salida, CO -- 4/10/2006 A big-rig loaded with frozen dinners smashed through the guardrail and rolled off U.S. 50 about two miles east of Garfield Friday, killing the driver.

The wreck occurred when the driver lost control of the speeding rig in a curve, went through the guardrail and rolled multiple times down a steep embankment.

Identity of the driver was not released by Sunday night, pending notification of next of kin.

David Coleman, Denver, CO, was driving from Gunnison, CO, and was following the truck just before it crashed. Interviewed within 15 minutes of accident, Coleman said that he saw the brakes smoking. “He lost his brakes. He just started getting faster and faster. I told my buddy he was going to lose it,” Coleman said. “He couldn’t slow down. He couldn’t stop. He was going at least 70, 80 (miles per hour). When he went around the corner, he was going too fast and just flipped – and he had just passed a runaway truck ramp. It’s sad.”

It is not known why he failed to use the escape ramp.

Cocoa, FL -- A Cocoa woman was killed and her three passengers, all children, were injured Friday morning, April 7th, on Interstate 95 near the Beach-Line Expressway when her '96 Toyota was forced off the road by a tractor-trailer changing lanes, a Florida Highway Patrol trooper said. Helen Carden, 42, of Cocoa was heading north on I-95 when her car was forced onto the median by a white flatbed tractor-trailer, which left the scene, the trooper said. Carden was killed when her car spun back onto the highway and was hit broadside by a Mack truck, driven by Scott Brecht, 38, of Daytona Beach. He was not injured. Carden's daughter, Olivia, 8, and Blake Gradin, 8, were transported to Wuesthoff Medical Center in Rockledge. Both were discharged Saturday, a hospital supervisor said. Reise Gradin, 3, was transported to Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando.

Seattle, WA -- A man was killed last Friday, in a bizarre accident at the Port of Seattle. After collecting their paperwork, hooking to their chassis and waiting for the crane to place shipping containers on them, truckers join yet another line-up to exit the port. At the gate, each truck is checked to make sure they are leaving with the right container and that the seals are intact, etc. The stop and go line moves slowly when it's busy, or if the port is short-handed. Often, the truck drivers get out of their rigs and talk while waiting for their turn. A couple of truckers waiting to check-out were standing and talking when the trucks in front of them moved forward. One driver got back into his fully loaded rig and started to move up, as he had done a hundred times before. This time, however, would be tragically different. As the other driver turned and started back to his rig, he apparently tripped and fell under his friend's trailer just as it started to roll. He got run over by the rear set of wheels and was killed. His buddy was so distraught at the gruesome death of his friend that he collapsed and was transported to the hospital by paramedics.

Crossville, TN -- One big-rig slammed into another, injuring both drivers last Friday on Interstate 40, near the Cumberland/Roane county line. The right front tire on a truck traveling in the right lane blew out, causing the driver to lose control just as it was approaching a truck that was parked on the shoulder. Apparently, the driver of the parked rig had pulled to the side to answer nature's call and was standing on the passenger side between the tractor and the trailer when the other truck struck.

Dallas, TX -- The driver of an 18-wheeler loaded with mulch was seriously injured when he apparently fell asleep at the wheel and crashed on I-35 near Commerce Street. All lanes of I-35 were closed for hours while workers removed the wreck. A Life-Flight helicopter landed nearby to transport the driver to the hospital. No other vehicles were reported to be involved.

Truck Crash Kills 10, Injures 9 Posted on Wednesday, April 05, 2006, @ 06:41:02 EDT

Bhutan -- A truck crashed along the Drametse feeder road Wednesday, killing ten people and injuring nine others. The truck was carrying about 29 people at the time of the accident. While 18 of them were village volunteers (woolap) who had gone to Rolong, about 30 kilometres from Drametse, to load sand, another eight monks had hitched a ride on their way back to Drametse. According to the driver, Pema, 36, the truck went off the narrow road after it had given way to another truck approaching from the opposite direction. “I halted the truck and gave way to the other truck,” he said. “But just as I was about to resume the uphill climb the brakes failed and the truck reared and went off the road.” “Even as the truck reared I never thought it would fall off the road until I realised that it had actually done so,” said Phuntsho, 40, supervisor at the work site in Drametse, who was at the tail of the vehicle. All he remembers is a big crash followed by people shouting in panic and groaning and crying in pain. It was three youths who had managed to jump off the truck and alerted the people of the accident. About 50 villagers from Gop and Zangkhar rescued the injured. At the site of the accident, a slight bent on a narrow dirt road, one can see people's belongings, including clothes and footwear they were wearing, strewn everywhere. The truck cabin has been completely crushed and its accessories scattered on the hill. Pema Dukar, who was in the driver's cabin along with two other women, was thrown the furthest, about 50 metres from where the truck slid downhill and toppled once before it got caught between two chirpine trees. Nine people were killed on the spot, one died on the way to Mongar referral hospital and another 19 were injured as the truck plunged about 15 metres below the road. Three of the victimes were buried alive under three tonnes of sand the truck was carrying. The truck was ferrying sand for the construction of a water source in Drametse, Mongar, when the accident took place at around 6:00 pm near Gop village, eight kilometers from Drametse. Twelve injured passengers were admitted to the Trashigang hospital and another six referred to the Mongar referral hospital. According to the Trashigang hospital's senior medical officer, Dr. Taka, of the 12 admitted, five were discharged on April 2, two referred to the Mongar hospital and the rest were recuperating in the Trashigang hospital. “All five are still undergoing treatment and are in stable condition,” he said, adding that those discharged on April 2 had minor injuries.

Those admitted in the Mongar referral hospital are also out of danger, according to the hospital staff who attended to the injured. The hospital's nursing technician, K B Rai, told Kuensel that all eight admitted in the hospital had sustained multiple fractures. “Most of them have open fractures of hands, legs, ribs, head and other parts of the body,” he said. “We also did blood transfusion for three patients.” Of the three women in the Mongar hospital, two were given blood transfusion immediately after being admitted. K B Rai said all the eight patients were operated yesterday and were in stable condition.

Sherman, TX -- A truck driver has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing 10 people when his tractor-trailer crossed a grassy median into oncoming traffic on a busy North Texas highway. Miroslaw Janusz Jozwiak, a Polish immigrant, pleaded guilty last month to 10 counts of manslaughter in the 2004 crash that also injured two others. A Grayson County jury sentenced him late Monday to 10 years for each death, but Jozwiak will serve the sentences concurrently as part of his plea agreement. Earlier Monday, Mr. Jozwiak tearfully spoke in public for the first time. Tissue in one hand, the truck driver accepted blame for the crash during a sentencing hearing and apologized to the victims' families. "It was my fault," Mr. Jozwiak said through a Polish interpreter. He testified that he pleaded guilty to 10 counts of manslaughter and two counts of aggravated assault for those injured, because he fell asleep while driving. "I am very sorry. I can't express it with words. What I feel is something I'm going to feel until the end of my days," he said. "I'm particularly sorry that children, small children, were involved." Then he repeated in heavily accented English: "I am very sorry." He said he initially had no idea there were so many victims. "I felt that I would prefer myself to die in this accident rather than these people," Jozwiak said. Mr. Jozwiak's cellphone records and the driver's own testimony showed that he slept no more than 2 ½ hours in the 36 hours leading up to the crash. He was asked whether the 34 cents per mile payment pushed him to stay on the road longer hours and alter log books, as he admitted to doing on past jobs. His log book was not found in the cab of his truck that burned in the Sherman crash. "I didn't calculate the money. I didn't run after the money. I simply made a living like everyone else," Mr. Jozwiak said. James Wood of McKinney, who lost his wife, daughter and three grandchildren in the wreck on U.S. Highway 75, was not satisfied with the sentence. "For each of the people you killed, you're going to serve one year. One year per life is not sufficient," Wood said. "There is no justice there."

Jozwiak, 46, will be eligible for parole in one year. But one of his attorneys, Bob Jarvis, said that was not likely because of the circumstances of the case.

Tacoma, WA -- A lawsuit filed against a California-based trucking company claims the firm and one of its drivers are responsible for a fatal chain-reaction crash on Interstate 5 last January.A driver for Osterkamp Trucking of Pomona, CA, allegedly failed to properly secure a large tarp, which came loose in the southbound lanes of I-5 near 56th Street in Tacoma on Jan. 23, setting off a multi-vehicle crash.One man was killed, his girlfriend was seriously injured and her 5-year-old son suffered brain damage and leg injuries. He will require special care for life.Osterkamp's involvement was determined by analysis of the tarp, which was custom-made for the firm, according to the lawsuit.The State Patrol is still investigating and could recommend criminal charges in the case, a spokesperson said.

Kenora, ON, Canada, -- Big Don, aka Thundertrucker, sends these A+ images from north of the border and writes, "Nov 14, 2005 on highway 17 near Kenora ON Canada. Roads were pathetic. I happened upon this disaster at 9 AM. Took until 5:30 PM before they could open the road. On the up side, no one seriously injured, which is amazing, judging by the condition of the 4-wheeler. But I'm betting many pairs of undies needed changing." Thanks Don!

Bourne, MA -- 3/31/06 At 2:45 a.m. this morning, a big-rig crashed on the Scenic Highway in Bourne. The truck was heading west near Edgehill Road when the driver apparently fell asleep at the wheel, drifted off the roadway and lost control while trying to steer back onto the highway. The truck rolled, hit a utility pole, knocked down a distribution line and finally came to rest blocking three of the highway's four lanes. The first calls to 911 reported a car had crashed, but when rescuers arrived, they found the overturned tractor-trailer with the driver pinned inside and screaming for help. A downed line was draped over the truck, so rescuers called for NStar. In 10 minutes, Nstar cut power by shutting off electricity to a good section of Buzzards Bay and Plymouth.The downed line was actually a telephone line, but the cut in power was needed to make it safe for a crane to come in and move the truck cab to release the driver. Extricating the driver took almost two hours, because of the way that the truck was resting, driver side down, with the truck cab across the road, and the trailer extending up the hill.

A 60-ton wrecker from Big Wheel wrecker service out of Freetown lifted and took pressure off the cab. Then a hole was cut in the roof of the cab and rescuers were able to enter and extricate his pinned leg. He was then taken by MedFlight to the Brigham and Women's Hospital in serious but not life-threatening condition.

Marion, NY -- 3/29/06 Two teenage brothers were killed Wednesday when their car was broad-sided by a tractor-trailer at an intersection on Route 21 in Marion. Ben Passmore, 17, was driving and his 16-year old brother Matthew sat beside him. They were heading home from a trip to the mall. They were only a few miles from home when they died. Investigators don't know if they failed to stop at the stop sign or just misjudged how fast the oncoming truck was going. Police do not believe the truck was speeding; the driver of the truck was not injured. The boys were two of seven children. Ben would've turned 18 next week, and had accepted a scholarship to a college in Los Angeles where he planned to study filmmaking. Matthew turned 16 that day and there was a birthday cake waiting for him on the kitchen table.

The Wayne County Sheriff's Office has an accident reconstruction team working to piece together what happened. They have allowed the truck driver to go home to Albany. It is unlikely any charges will be filed.

Devers, TX -- 3/29/06 A school bus driver lost control of her bus Wednesday while trying to avoid cargo that had fallen from a tractor-trailer, killing two members of a high school soccer team. About 20 others were injured when the bus swerved and toppled over into a ditch on Highway 90, about three miles east of Devers. Investigators said the driver of the truck didn't even know he caused the crash, until he was finally pulled over by troopers. The team from West Brook High School in Beaumont was traveling to a playoff game when the crash occurred. Killed were Ashley Brown and Alicia Bonura. Two of the injured girls who had been trapped in the vehicle had to be pried from the wreckage. The bus driver was taken to the hospital by the owner of the company, Beaumont-based Sun Travel Limousine.

Guilford County, NC -- 3/28/06 A truck driver is lucky to be uninjured, after he drove his 18-wheeler into the path of an Amtrak train on Tuesday morning. The crash, which left his trailer on one side of the tracks and his tractor on the other, happened at a crossing on McLeansville Road, off Highway 70. There were no warning lights or barriers at that crossing. According to the owner of the truck, who wrote of the crash on a website message board, the driver was in the process of test-driving the rig to see if it would fit into his operation. The owner also wrote that "The driver told me he never heard the train, he looked both ways and eased across the tracks, took his time not to bounce someone else's truck. This is a rough crossing. He thought he was being careful." He also wrote that a local dump owner reported to him that, "...it took 13 seconds from sight of train for it to cross intersection." and "...this is conceivable for me to believe that he eased across the tracks idling in 1st gear after looking. There were a couple of trucks in front of him easing up to the man that gives the dump ticket."The owner also wrote on the website, "The driver said he never saw or heard the train he got knocked back and to the left, thought what the hell and looked out the back window to see the trailer was gone and a train was right behind him speeding by. after the train passed he noticed the trailer up on the hill and figured out what just happened."Truckcrashdotcom thinks that the trucker made a couple of mistakes. First was going too slowly across the tracks. He was not sure he wanted to buy it and thought he was being extra careful. Going too slowly across railroad tracks can be a mistake. Even if the truck he was following was preventing him from going any faster (something not mentioned, per se), he should not have started across the tracks if he did not have enough room on the other side to get out of the way if a train came speeding at him. Secondly, he did not even once look back over his right shoulder, up the tracks as he was crossing to see if a train was coming. He admits only looking once, just before crossing (he did not see the train until after it hit him, and he would surely have seen it if he had looked). If he would have looked, he would have had plenty of time (ten seconds is a long time) to gas it and get across before the train hit him. Apparently, he was focused on two things; not going too fast across the tracks and getting up to the scale house to get his ticket.Nobody's perfect, but railroad crossings demand extra care, which this driver apparently did not show that morning. I bet he will be super careful at railroad crossings in the future.Just lucky nobody was hurt.

(And, this is also a good example of why one should never write anything down on the web that he would not want the whole world to see. Can you imagine what the insurance company's lawyers would think of the truck's owner admitting to all of this?)

Rome, GA -- 3/17/06 A tractor-trailer was struck by a train today, ripping the rear axle from the trailer. The truck was traveling north on Second Avenue when it had to stop at the traffic light at the intersection of East Sixth Street and Riverbend Drive. The driver, apparently misjudged the length of his vehicle, leaving the rear portion of the trailer in the train's path. The train, a Norfolk Southern freight, was not able to stop in time.

No injuries were reported, but the crash did tie up traffic during the busy lunch-hour.

Bradley Junction, FL -- 3/14/06 A diesel spill from an early morning accident between two tractor-trailer rigs has closed a portion of State Road 37 in Bradley Junction. A Polk County Hazmat team is cleaning fuel from the roadway just north of Orange Street in the small community south of Mulberry. Traffic investigators with the Polk Sheriff's Office are piecing together details of how the accident occurred. The two truck drivers were transported to Lakeland Regional Medical Center and a third driver whose vehicle was clipped by one of the trucks was treated for minor injuries at the scene, a sheriff's spokeswoman said.

Wiggins, CO -- 3/24/06 U.S. 34 near Wiggins was closed for several hours after a tractor-trailer hauling cattle, traveling too fast in heavy fog, smashed into the rear of a Wiggins school bus Friday morning. After striking the back of the bus, the semi rolled onto its side and was struck by two other vehicles, one pickup from each direction.Two students received minor injuries, and four adults were taken to area hospitals.

Some of the cows were so badly injured they had to be shot. A half-dozen cowboys worked to round-up the 30 to 40 cows that escaped after workers peeled back the top of the trailer. Front-end loaders picked up the dead cattle and put them onto trucks to be taken to a Fort Morgan dog food company, where the cattle were originally headed. The rest of them were persuaded to load themselves onto another truck for the trip to Ft. Morgan. In the end, none of them escaped that fate.

Pittsburgh, PA -- A Pennsylvania truck driver who rolled his 15-ton dump truck over a motorcyclist at a stoplight has been charged with reckless driving, which carries a penalty of a $200 fine. The driver, Jack Fatta, 64, of Clarksburg, also would lose his driver's license for six months if convicted of the charge. On June 3, Fatta was at a red traffic light in Pittsburgh behind motorcyclist Mark McGreevy, 44, of Baldwin, Pennsylvania. The light turned green, and then Fatta's truck rolled over the motorcyclist. McGreevy was trapped under the truck and his motorcycle burst into flames. McGreevy suffered burns over much of his body and had his right leg amputated as a result. He has filed a civil lawsuit against Fatta and the trucking company involved.

Portland, OR -- 08/25/2005 Troopers from the Portland Office of the Oregon State Police arrested Miodrag Djukanovic, age 46, from Chicago, Illinois, on charges of Manslaughter in the Second Degree, Criminally Negligent Homicide, Reckless Driving and two counts of Assault in the Third Degree. He was taken into custody upon release from Portland Adventist Hospital and booked into the County Jail.

Hilo, HI -- Towing company workers cleared a tractor-trailer from Mamalahoa Highway yesterday in North Hilo's Kawalii Gulch. Robert "Bobby" Kamelamela, of Hilo, the 43-year-old driver of the truck, was killed in the accident. Police said the rig was headed toward Hilo near the bottom of Kawalii Gulch when it ran off the right shoulder and hit a guardrail. Kamelamela was taken to Hilo Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead about four hours later.

March 24, 2006 -- Drivers of large trucks and other vehicles involved in truck crashes are ten times more likely to be the cause of the crash than other factors, such as weather, road conditions, and vehicle performance according to a new study released by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

The Large Truck Crash Causation Study was commissioned by FMCSA to review the causes and contributing factors to crashes involving commercial motor vehicles. While previous data focused on specific crashes and/or individual causes of crashes, this study was the first nationwide examination of all pre-crash factors."This study makes it clear that we need to spend more time addressing driver behavior, as well as making sure trucks and buses are fit for the road," FMCSA Administrator Annette M. Sandberg said."The multitude of data now available will allow us to analyze specific areas of behavior and work with our industry and safety partners to develop an agenda on driver safety that will improve commercial motor vehicle driver performance."FMCSA said it will conduct analysis to further examine driver factors such as use of prescription and over-the-counter drugs, speeding, fatigue, inattention, distractions, work environment, and unfamiliarity with the road.The study, conducted with the help of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, investigated a national sample of fatal and injury crashes between April 2001 and December 2003 at 24 sites in 17 states.Each crash involved at least one large truck and resulted in at least one fatality or injury. The total sample of 967 crashes included 1,127 large trucks, 959 non-truck motor vehicles, 251 fatalities, and 1,408 injuries. Action or inaction by the driver of either the truck or other vehicle was the critical reason for 88 percent of the crashes.

The data offer unprecedented detail about the events surrounding truck crashes that are not available anywhere else. The study database eventually will be available to the public to encourage further analysis and increase the knowledge about large truck crash factors.

To: National Desk Contact: Mike Russell of American Trucking Associations, 703-838-7935ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 24 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Following is a statement from American Trucking Associations: "For some time ATA has regarded car and truck driver behavior as the one area most in need of attention when it comes to improving highway safety. "This comprehensive, multi-year study confirms our longstanding view of crash causation research: that car driver or truck driver action (or inaction) is a critical reason for the vast majority of crashes. Stated another way, vehicle and environmental factors are rarely the primary or critical reason for crashes involving cars and trucks. "This new FMCSA research also confirms the findings of earlier studies that car drivers are coded more frequently than truck drivers for both driving performance errors and non-performance problems (e.g., sick, asleep, etc.). This is a clear indication that, in order to continue to improve truck safety, government and law enforcement agencies need to expand their resources and enforcement efforts at this group of drivers, focusing more on unsafe driving behaviors around large trucks, as the industry continues its own truck safety efforts. "Of especially good news for trucking, the study strongly reconfirms our positive record of negligible illegal drug or alcohol abuse. Interestingly, the study also finds that driver fatigue, as a crash factor, was recorded more often for car drivers than for truck drivers. In the end, we agree with FMCSA that 'more data analysis is necessary' to reach additional conclusions about the reasons and factors for large truck crashes.

"In the mean time, the trucking industry will keep working everyday to make our highways safer for all motorists."

TRUCKCRASHDOTCOM Comments Regarding ATA Reaction to FMCSA Statement Regarding Large Truck Crash Causation Study:

The owner of this website is committed to helping the trucking industry work everyday to make our highways safer for all motorists by presenting images and advice for those who are open to it. We truckers should always be trying to reduce the rate at which things get broken and people get hurt. I agree that in order to continue to improve truck safety, government and law enforcement agencies need to expand their resources and enforcement efforts at four-wheelers, focusing more on unsafe driving behaviors around large trucks. BUT, until there is more money for such an effort (don't hold your breath...), we truckers can and should take up the slack by increasing following distance, decreasing speed and generally taking things more seriously. Safety first!

The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent Federal agency charged by Congress with (among other issues) investigating significant highway accidents and issuing safety recommendations aimed at preventing future accidents. The NTSB is not part of DOT, or affiliated with any of its modal agencies. The NTSB maintains a website that includes many interesting reports on large vehicle crashes. That page can be accessed by clicking here. You will be leaving Truckcrashdotcom. Please feel free to come back any time you feel the need for a free, online safety meeting. Happy trails, friend.

March 22, 2006 At around 8:30 a.m. yesterday, a tractor-trailer crashed at the junction of Interstate 24 and the Western Kentucky Parkway, shutting down an on-ramp for about three hours. Ernesto Morales, 58, of Laredo, Texas, driving a big-rig belonging to Pan American Express, also out of Laredo, was apparently going too fast for conditions when he took the ramp from the parkway to I-24. Morales lost control and his truck left the roadway and overturned. Morales was unhurt and refused treatment at the scene.

Tunkhannock, PA -- March 22, 2006 A tractor-trailer slammed into a Wyoming County motel Wednesday morning, but no one was hurt. Witnesses said that about 10 a.m., the driver, a man from Quebec, Canada, stopped his truck in a parking lot on Route 6, just outside Tunkhannock, directly across the street from the Skyline Motel. He got out to use a pay phone when the truck started moving all by itself. It rolled across the highway, narrowly missing traffic on Route 6, and into the motel. When asked what happened, the driver reportedly said, "Well, I guess I forgot to set the parking brake, A?"

The truck ran into the motel and a sport utility vehicle in the motel lot before coming to rest. The roof of the motel ended up resting on the cab of the rig. "My granddaughter was getting ready to unload this car of groceries when it hit it. She narrowly missed it," the motel owner Ed Shaffer. The driver's cab was chopped in half from the roof of the motel. The truck will have to be removed before the damage to the motel can be determined.

Waynesboro, PA -- March 21, 2006 A tractor-trailer owned by Sam Martin Trucking carrying pancake and waffle mix crashed on Roadside Avenue this morning at around 3:15 a.m. The driver, Amos Homan, 45, of Newville was apparently going too fast for conditions when he lost control. The truck rolled over onto it's side, slid through a power pole, telephone pole and a fence before it stopped. The crash left 210 homes in the area without electricity for most of the day. Tractor-trailers are not permitted to travel on that street, according to a Waynesboro police officer.

Tucson, AZ -- March 16th, 2006 A tractor trailer rolled this morning, spilling 40,000 pounds of cooking oil and closing eastbound Interstate 10 east of Tucson. The accident happened at about 5:26 a.m., about half a mile east of Davidson Canyon, which is between Tucson and Benson. The driver and co-driver suffered injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital.

An initial investigation indicates the driver apparently fell asleep, drifted onto the shoulder and overturned during his attempt to return to the roadway.

Portland, OR -- March 17, 2006 Four passenger vehicles and two commercial trucks were involved in a traffic crash early Friday afternoon that completely closed Interstate 205 southbound lanes near the Tualatin River. At approximately 12:30 p.m., heavily congested traffic was southbound on Interstate 205 near milepost 4 in heavy rain when some vehicles came to a sudden stop. The driver of a commercial truck with a load of dirt was apparently going too fast for conditions and was unable to stop in time.

He crashed into the back of two passenger vehicles, pushing both of them forward into two other passenger vehicles. The first truck then collided with another commercial truck. A passenger in one of the vehicles that was initially rear-ended by the truck was seriously injured. She has been transported to Oregon Health Sciences University.

This Nepalese trucker, who's route includes dirt roads, mountain passes and swift river crossings, takes the challenge of the Himalayan wilderness very seriously, but with a good attitude. High altitudes and low temperatures are a given and every day is a struggle. One small lapse in judgment can spell disaster! Even the smallest mistakes in this environment can be deadly. No modern travel centers are available to him and when his rig breaks down there is no road service to call. In fact, a cell phone is just a dream to this guy. No tow truck just up the road, or Napa parts store around the corner. He fixes it himself with whatever tools and parts he has on hand or starts walking. The real irony is that if you look closely at his windshield, you will see the one word he thinks best describes how he feels about his lot in life; "Lucky"!No whiners to be found in this neck of the woods!

You know, when one thinks about it, driving a truck for a living in the west is not so bad. Next time you feel like crying about the slow service at the T/A truck stop, the construction on I-95, or the speed limit in Ohio, please remember, things could be a lot harder.

Nashville, TN -- Mitchell Bowers made his first court appearance in Dickson County Monday. Bowers was driving an 18-wheeler that veered off Interstate 40 last Friday west of Nashville, killing 31 year-old Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Todd Larkins. Larkins had another car pulled over at the time of the accident, and a THP investigator testified Monday that the trooper was clearly out of the roadway at the time he was hit. Visitation was held for Larkins Monday in Dickson, where he was fondly remembered by his peers. "He was very ambitious. He was the type that would apply for any type of advance training that came along. He was the type that would accept any type of assignment that I would put on him," said THP Sergeant Jim Hutcherson. In court Monday, Bowers pleaded not guilty to vehicular homicide. His bond was set at a million dollars. The preliminary hearing will be this Friday.