Posted on 05/17/2023 3:25:01 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
DEFUNIAK SPRINGS, Fla. -- A huge turtle and a man trying to be a hero caused a multi-car crash in Florida on Tuesday, according to Walton County Sheriff's Office.
It happened around 6:45 in the morning on Highway 331 in the Florida Panhandle.
Dash camera from an 18-wheeler caught the whole thing on video. The 18-wheeler is driving down the divided four-lane highway when it quickly comes up on several stopped and slowing cars.
The 18-wheeler cannot stop in time. It veers off the side of the road and then back onto the road where it collides with several of the cars.
Nobody was seriously injured in the crash, but there were multiple minor injuries and significant damage done to some of the cars.
In the dash cam video you can see a man standing in the road, just outside of his Silverado truck. He came to a complete stop in the fast lane -- something investigators strongly advise against doing.
He told deputies he stopped to save a massive snapping turtle trying to cross the road
"It was a mess. The northbound and southbound lanes are blocked. There's a flatbed truck, he's across the median in both lanes," Walton County Sheriff's Deputy Connor Gunn said.
(Excerpt) Read more at abc11.com ...
Was the Turtle a Senator?
Well, Leon, you passed the Voight-Kampff test proving you have empathy and aren’t a replicant. Unfortunately, you failed your IQ test.
The truck driver is at fault for not being able to stop. Driving the interstate during rush hour requires a little more concentration. They know cars contain idiots so they can’t give them the benefit of any doubt.
Did you watch the video? That is absolutely not the truckers fault. Fault lies completely with the moron who stupidly stopped his truck in the fast lane to help a turtle.
Absolute bleeding heart idiot.
> The truck driver is at fault for not being able to stop. <
I must agree. It doesn’t matter if the driver ahead of you stops to save a turtle or stops to pick his nose. If you cannot stop in time, then you were following too close.
Honorable Mention for stupidity goes to the driver of the gray car who pulled in front of the trucker at the last second.
Huge kudo’s to the trucker for some excellent heads up driving.
Have you ever driven anything larger than a Honda Civic? I haven’t driven a semi but I’ve got thousands of miles in everything else including 50 passenger buses, heavy duty truck and others.
The trucker had it under control until the gray car idiot made a stupid maneuver.
Why was a turtle in the fast lane?
Have to say the idiot in the gray car problem caused the mess, I think that truck driver may have been able to handle everything if not for gray car driver doing absolutely no thinking and pulling out in front of him like that. I agree the truck drive did a great bit of driving and controlling everything even then.
Yep, failure to keep a proper lookout. A large snapping turtle crossing the road is a serious hazard - no different than if there were a tire lying in the middle of the road.
The speed limit there is probably 70 mph so traffic was probably moving at 75-80. It takes time to stop an 18 wheeler at those speeds. You can’t have some idiot suddenly stopping in the road for a freaking turtle of all things.
Watch the video again, no driver can anticipate total stupidity out on the roads.
Yes. Here are I and my wife with my work vehicle.
> The trucker had it under control until the gray car idiot made a stupid maneuver. <
All kidding aside, yes that’s a very fair point. The gray car made a bad situation much worse. And one more thing. Who maintains a proper stopping distance on busy roads? Answer: No one. And that includes me.
I’ve stopped cars for a turtle and also for a mother duck with multiple ducklings — always on residential streets with slow speeds. It’s the right thing to do (if you can do it safely). Only takes a minute.
The family of pheasants trying to cross the I-90?
Uh, NO. They all got mushed.
Floridians are bad drivers, but they're not retards.
“It doesn’t matter if the driver ahead of you stops to save a turtle or stops to pick his nose. If you cannot stop in time, then you were following too close.”
I agree. The truck driver had an EXCELLENT view of everything going on in front of him. No one else at the scene could control something as wide as that truck. Worse, his/her “avoidance” pathway took her across a grassy median—where there’s scant control to be had.
His/her inattention could have made this idiotic situation deadly. The gray car’s late swerve should have been anticipated: this is Florida, after all.
ABSOLUTELY. While the asshat in the Silverado needs a reality check and bears some responsibility for this mess, the tractor-trailer driver holds the vast majority of it - always, I repeat ALWAYS maintain safe distance.
I do not need to watch the video - as a truck driver of nearly 30 years, the one thing I was told ad nauseum before I ever got behind the wheel is ALWAYS maintain safe distance. The pickup truck that started this cluster-f¿{k needs a hefty fine but the semi driver, as a professional, failed at one of his primary responsibilities.
Yes they never die, they just cause destruction and wonder off to cause more.
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