Posted on 08/30/2018 8:27:50 PM PDT by BenLurkin
“We do expect that number to rise,” New Mexico State Police spokesman Officer Ray Wilson said of the fatalities. Wilson said six people suffered minor injuries; the rest were taken to hospitals. Some of the injured included children, one hospital official said. The bus was traveling from St. Louis to Los Angeles, where it was expected to arrive Friday, according to St. Louis television station KMOV.
It was traveling between Albuquerque and Phoenix when state police said it crashed along along Interstate I-40 in McKinley County.
The truck was traveling eastbound around 12:30 p.m. when it blew a tire, lost control, crossed the median and struck the westbound bus, Wilson told reporters. The crash occurred along Interstate 40 in McKinley County, near Thoreau, police said.
(Excerpt) Read more at ktla.com ...
A barrier that meets the latest federal standards would have prevented the accident. I’m wondering why one wasn’t used along this stretch of interstate.
Maybe the 4th edition of the AASHTO Roadside Design Guide will have an answer...
Probably because I-40 in New Mexico is 370 miles of mostly nothing.
Those highways were never designed for the kinda traffic and the kinda speeds we have now. I’ll grant you the question is what’s a human life worth. The cost of installing and maintaining the barriers needed to reduce the risk of bidirectional crashes? I think we ought to have the conversation.
I had a front tire blow on an old uhaul style RV. The ones with a van cab where the RV box goes up over the cab. 1979 Dodge and this was several years ago. Made a big boom and pulled to one side a little.
But, there’s nothing that’s going to help when a truck going the opposite way blows a tire, crosses the median, and hits your bus head on.
Yep. I was driving on I95 here in northeast Florida a few years ago when a axle broke on big rig going the opposite direction. The tire spun off, crossed the median and crashed directly through the windshield of a car about 200 yards ahead of me. The driver had no chance. He was killed instantly.
And if barriers are not to be installed,for whatever reason, I’d argue that calls for a reduction of the speed limits on the sections of interstates with higher speed limits and without the barriers.
I worked for a small software company years ago, we all decided to rent a bus to go to Atlantic City to gamble at the casino’s. It was more than 70% of the company on the same bus. Coming home that night, we all thought the bus driver was drunk (as we were). The next day, meeting. The president outlawed bus trips. Reason: He didn’t want to loose his company in a single crash. True story.
The truck driver went to sleep and crossed the median. The wreck was so total, the tires were destroyed.
IMO
I traveled on I 40 yesterday and there lots of destroyed guard rails from out of control trucks.
Were they wearing seat belts? Why not? Oh...I see, makes sense there were dead people in a traffic accident.
I hope you don't live in the west.
Ahh, The Big Bus. There’s a moldy memory of the 70’s that hasn’t crossed my mind in some time.
John Beck’s character was named “Shoulders” because he had an inner-ear imbalance that caused him to drive on the shoulders of the road.
That directly contradicts the people at the scene.
This happened thirty minutes after noon. Not many drivers can sleep in the New Mexico desert sun at that time.
I guess it depends on the experience level and attentiveness of the truck driver - as I know several, and ALL of them have been through the blow out situation. None have lost control, none have crossed the highway and clobbered another vehicle. Most have had some sort of accident (though thankfully only minor stuff - and mostly low-speed or delivery-related, not highway stuff).
Then again - the truck drivers I know are relatively careful and conscientious drivers who don’t drive way over the speed limit. Sadly, there are some bad ones out there, as well as some who really don’t have the skills and/or maturity to be responsible for up to 80,000 lbs.
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