I saw a TV program this past week detailing a bus accident that resulted in the death of 44 people. The accident happened in Quebec, Canada, several years ago, on a downgrade that started out at 10%, then went to 18% and finally to 10% again. The turn at the bottom was more than 90 degrees. One survivor said she wondered why the driver had not geared down at the top, as other drivers had done. The bus rolled trying to make the turn at the bottom. Straight ahead was over a cliff into a river.
If it's true, jury out, no one but an idiot would build a road like that. But then they wanted to secede from Canada a few years ago 'cause they though their $hit didn't stink.
Bob
.... now that's funny Bob
Ron
I have been on lots of roads similar to that, but not with a bus. The road was probably built two or three hundred years ago to snake logs down the mountain with mules. The question is why would anyone take a bus on it, especially an inexperienced driver.
Stan,
What channel was it on?
Bob,
Quit holding back and tell us what you really think!....LOL ;D
Cliff
Cliff: It was on a History Channel in a series called Disasters of the Century.
I wish some of you hadn't made fun of anything about this tragedy. Unfortunatly, this weekend marked the 10th anniversary of this major accident. Here are links to some articles.
You can also click and watch a video reminder. I hope that you get to read and watch with a lot of respect for the few survivors, the deceased and their families... even if they don't speak your language.
http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/Quebec/2007/10/08/002-Eboulements-tragedie.shtml?ref=rss
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_Les_%C3%89boulements_bus_accident
Pat
Pat I don't think anyone was poking fun at the incident or the survivors. The link you posted stated in part that the bus was in poor mechanical condition, the driver had falsified his log book and the municipality fixed the road after the incident. We can all take whatever lessons we want to from those facts.
I guess I was wrong about an inexperienced driver. Apparently he had been getting too much experience but unless he was sound asleep, why would he start down that hill without gearing down.
I have driven roads that were a fun drive with a sports car but white knuckles with a family sedan and would not even consider driving a bus on them. The responsibility ultimately lies with the driver as it almost always does in a single vehicle accident.
Buses and hills. Several years ago an MC7 owned by a one-bus charter company lost control on a steep grade in New Jersey. The bus was on its way to Great Adventure. Had been in the shop awaiting a brake job, the the owner took it out, unable to pass up the charter. Five people lost their lives. This was an incident of lousy driving compounded by greed.
Unfortunately, people take chances everyday for what ever reason, greed often plays a part in it, sometimes these chances end up in tragedy, other times just good luck. It's easy to second guess what happened after an accident but most times the final reason in just a good guess based on a carefull investigation that may or may not be accurate. We tend to forget the thousands of miles that are traveled safely everyday by responsable drivers and good companies that try to do what they can to ensure the safety of the passengers. Tragedies like this will always happen from time to time and all we can do is pray for the families and hope that it doesn't happen again. Thinking about how and why these things happen, hopefully, will help us all be more carefull in our travels.
:o
18% grade :o :o :o :o ???
Sounds more like a Roller Coaster.. :-\
The grade has since been reduced in that hill. Fellow bus drivers used to say that if you passed someone walking down the hill, you were going too fast. The only way to go down was to first stop on the top of the hill, engage jakes, drop down to lowest gear and proceed carefully. Today's busses would probably go down with no problem. As was mentionned in the article, the driver tried to engage supplemental braking but it did not engage.
Pat
I don't know about that particular grade, but in 1998 I experienced an 18% grade on the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec. This was when I had my 1960 4104 (4 speed, 4-valve head, Jake brake, N65 injectors).
I was pulling a 1993 Ford Explorer 4-wheels down and doing about 50 mph at the bottom of the hill. It didn't look THAT steep.
Well, it was "pedal to the metal" in 4th, dropped to 1600RPM; shifted to 3rd, dropped to 1600RPM; shifted to 2nd, dropped to 1600 RPM; still had a lot of "hill" to climb! When it dropped to 1600 RPM in 2nd I got a little concerned! So, shifted to 1st and just made it to the top of the hill!! I was sweating!
It was approaching evening so we found a campground not too far down the road. I unhooked the Explorer and had to see the sign that posted the grade going down. It was 18%!! Don't know why they didn't post the grade for going up?
An absolutely wonderful bus; had her for 16 years, put on over 150,000 miles and never a breakdown other than a dead set of starting batteries; and that was my fault for not replacing them before that trip.
Anyhow, "every day is an adventure"!
Gary D
Usbusin, now Ustruckin; but still love buses!