Posted on 06/20/2021 6:09:08 PM PDT by dynachrome
Nine children were among 10 people killed in a horrific Alabama interstate crash on Saturday that involved 18 vehicles, including two tractor-trailer rigs and a bus from a home for abused, neglected and abandoned girls, authorities said.
The crash occurred about 2:30 p.m. on Interstate 65 in Butler County, Alabama, and was described to ABC News by Butler County Sheriff Danny Bond as a "domino effect" crash.
Bond said the episode unfolded when two 18-wheelers crashed and sandwiched a bus from the Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch between them. He said an SUV that held the other two deceased victims, a father and daughter, crashed nearby.
Wayne Garlock, the Butler County coroner, said one of the vehicles that set off the chain-reaction crash is believed to have hydroplaned on the wet pavement. The crash came as Tropical Storm Claudette drenched much of the Southeast. Bond said there had been no downpours at the time of the crash and that he could not confirm that the accident was prompted by a hydroplaning vehicle.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Driving from CA to Idaho and back a couple times a year, I see that scenario often, but it is frequently with two trucks. I will be ready to pass two trucks in the right lane who are just starting to slow as a long up-grade starts, then the second truck will suddenly jump in front of me to pass the slower truck. Then it’s 10 minute slowdown while he BARELY creeps ahead of the “slower” truck in the right lane. It is absolutely infuriating.
Then, when we crest the top of the grade, the guy who made the pass will go barreling downhill at breathtaking speed, far faster than I like doing in my SUV.
The decline of good responsible behavior is across the board, in all walks of life. A nation with an ever growing populace, that wants dead babies and sexual perversion to be the accepted norm, has dangerous people everywhere. The road is one of those dangerous places. The smartphone is surely the deadliest weapon on the road today.
God's hand was on my shoulder that day.
Most big trucks have their engines governed to a similar horsepower; hence the similar speeds between them. Going fast downhill is a compromise: saving wear on the brakes and risking a speeding ticket versus safety factors. The ‘asphalt cowboys’, with turned up engines, are actually some of the safer drivers, since they often take more pride in their abilities, and in their rigs. There are exceptions of course.
When being overtaken, I routinely let up, just a little, to allow a truck by that was taking too long to pass me, whether on a hill, or flatland.
That’s bad. But I’m really tired of the ‘git r dun’ types that haul things in their pickups and bumper hitch trailers: poorly secured or unsecured cargo coming off as they go down the road.
One day going around Columbia, TN on US43, a couple of NICE ford pickups passed me. Their boxes full of split and neatly stacked firewood. One BIG problem: they chose to haul with the tailgates down so they could haul that much more (no net, no straps). At a traffic light I saw them pull away, the second one leaving about 4 or 5 pieces on the road. Idiots.
God must love stupid people, he made so many of them...
Interesting about comparable power.
I kept waiting and waiting for the guy in the right lane to let up a bit so the passing truck could complete his pass. Meanwhile, the line of cars behind us grew and grew and grew. BOTH those drivers were really discourteous to the long line of cars.
I never said that some of these ‘git-r-dun’ types were Rhodes Scholars. Just inventive. Prime example from earlier this evening: I went to Kroger to pick up some groceries. Saw some redneck engineering at it’s finest. The dude was driving an old Dodge mini-pickup, a real beater. Looked to be a late 80’s model. He’d taken two bucket seats out of a car, pushed them all the way back in the bed, against the cab, and bolted them in facing rearward. Then he installed a big Igloo cooler between them as (beer) storage/armrest. Perfect for tailgating and shore fishing. The only thing that I’d have added would be a small, fold-down Bimini top off a pontoon or paddle boat, for shade or rain protection. When you think about the utilitarian value alone, it’s pretty clever. But the firewood thing? If that didn’t cross someone’s mind, they shouldn’t be driving.
I see that as well and hate it, too.
Unfortunately the regulations etc. on truck drivers are very demanding today.
I was behind an open bed truck once with a very poorly secured load of plywood.
I was watching the top sheet flap in the wind and decided to hang back a little.
Sure enough, the wind caught it just right and it went flying and fluttered into the next lane. Fortunately, nobody was coming in the other direction.
He did see it, apparently, cause he pulled over and I passed him, but I just remember thinking what an idiot the guy was for not tying that down better and being grateful it did NOT hit my car.
I learned the hard way what “Rock the Cradle” was about while driving on Interstate. Scared the daylights out of me!
My nephew said Somali and other muslim refugees have trucking businesses in Washington/Oregon area do not follow law or any safety rules.... including driving time. They cut holes in floor of cab to relieve themselves. Mechanics will not work on their rigs.
I will say that I am somewhat surprised there are not more traffic accidents then there are.
Had this happen to me in the early 1980’s. Flatbed trailer Semi.... hauling construction materials made sure to try and push me into the icicle plant....transition from Long Beach 7th St.. to Garden Grove and 605 fwy...Calif. scary as hell! I managed to stay on pavement and thankfully cars following this Ahole let me merge with traffic. My Dad (God bless him) taught me to drive defensively.
Agree to open bed! Freaks me out to follow these truck loads...not due to drivers... due to not trusting they were loaded and secured properly.
I have to bless those truckers I was able to follow driving up through Washington toward Tacoma in blinding rain. Roadway not lighted and other traffic was going along at more than 80 mph in this flooded roadway! Insane.
I watch the truck drivers, you can tell who is trustworthy as you travel alongside them. Agree with another freeper who said these trained drivers are better drivers. Many are, but some are not....just drive defensively and be aware of what is going on around you.
Saw that years ago when I was working for a home builder here in NJ.
Some a$$hole Mexican showed up driving a fully loaded Auto Car dump truck , had no idea where he was and couldn’t speak a word of English.
You are just wrong - I just witnessed this for myself two weeks ago.
I saw the drivers at the rest stops - they all look foreign - not at all like the truck drivers we grew up with. And their driving is horribly aggressive - not all of them of course, but many are a menace.
Thanks. I know what I saw and a lot of them are a menace.
Some people are saying I’m full of shit - but I know what I saw.
They have relaxed and are not policing some operstors. Some here look at this through a different time.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.