First accident in 40 years of driving tonight

[Rick59-4104]

 Still shaking, I drive an 18 wheeler US Mail truck 4 nights a week NW Arkansas to Little Rock, it can get pretty scary around Little Rock, lots of people cutting you off, cars passing you and then pulling right in front of you and standing on the brakes. I think a lot of it has to do with all the "Had an accident with a big rig? call the law office of "  bill boards on the Interstate.

I am on 2 lane HWY 65 North on my way back to Harrison and I see tail and brake lights on the right hand shoulder of the road, it's raining so I back off the accelerator and '"cover" my brakes. Just as I get to the vehicle it (an ambulance, no emergency lights on) does a U turn from the right shoulder right in front of me...My headlights are shining in the drivers window, I can see long hair and big eyes. I had more than half a load of mail on so I don't want to get on my brakes too hard as I know I will start sliding on the wet pavement and have no control over steering. I am in a long right hand curve, don't want to steer to the right as I am afraid I will jackknife, being in the curve of the highway momentum will help me go left so I check for oncoming traffic, none coming so I turn the wheel HARD left. I almost miss them but the right rear trailer wheels pretty much take off the front of the ambulance. Now I am headed down the ditch line, I managed to get back on my side of the road and get the truck stopped. All this in about 3 seconds time frame. I still do not know how I kept from hitting them broadside on their drivers side. 2 young EMT's, a girl who looked in her early 20's driving and her very pale shaking male partner. They were meeting another ambulance to do a patient transfer. The driver said her windows were steamed over and she did not see me.

2 very young people out at 3 AM, EMT's not making much money, out helping people and it almost cost them dearly. I have been lucky, 40 years of driving, a lot of that in the late 60's and early 70's driving some pretty fast cars and this was my first accident. Like I said I am still shaking.

Rick

[oldmansax]

I drove an 18 wheeler all over the country for years & have had some close calls as well. You did the right thing by avoiding seriously injuring or killing those people.

I sure hope you are not punished for your good deed. In Maryland, you would automatically be at fault for failing to remain in your lane.

TOM

[Mex-Busnut]

Rick:

It was great you were able to keep your rig on its wheels, and nobody was hurt! Thanks to the good Lord, and also your 40 years' experience!

[John316]

Rick,

Wow. All I can say is, I am sorry. There is NOTHING that you can do (or anyone else), to avoid others stupidity. Of course, that was a dumb move on the girls part. Scary part is, for me, I know I can do something just as dumb...(whew). Congrats on your long history of accident free driving. It is a great reminder to me, why I always play things safe.

Good thinking, and great reaction. Think about it like this. You probably saved three lives tonight (at least kept from damaging their lives). All those years of great driving habits payed off. Even thought to check for traffic before you avoided them. Kudos!!! I hope this doesn't hurt your career in any way. Let us know how it turns out.

God bless,

John

[Busted Knuckle]

Rick
As a former trucker and still commercial driver I know exactly what ya mean and are going thru!

Great job, and keep up the good work!
  BK 

[rv_safetyman]

Rick, like others, I am glad that everything worked out reasonably well.  All of us have had close calls in our buses if we have driven very many miles.

My question:  now that you have calmed down, would you still make the evasive move?  So many professionals say that you should not make any excessive evasive moves. 

I talk to myself constantly going down the road doing "what ifs" in my mind.  I always tell myself not to try to do a very aggressive move if a bad situation occurs.  I am not sure that is correct, nor am I sure that my mind would follow that logic.  Making that decision would be difficult if I thought I might really hurt someone who pulled out in front of me or drove into my lane.

For the benefit of all the readers, what would you professional/experienced folks do?

Jim

["The Norm"]

Great Job !!!! A great driver always knows where the escape route is at all times. You did a fantastic job by avoiding the broadside accident and more than likely saved the drivers life.

Keep Trucking and keep up the good work!!!

[Rick59-4104]

 Jim,
 After a pot of coffee this morning I can say without hesitation in the same situation I would do the same thing over again, (swerving left to avoid the accident) The only thing that would have prevented me from turning hard to the left would have been oncoming traffic, I would not have steered to the left if it had meant hitting someone head on. This was a 2 lane highway, 3AM and very little traffic.  

Now if I am in traffic and someone cuts me off, pulls out in front of me or does something stupid and I have to take evasive action that might mean hitting someone else, I am going to grip the steering wheel, try to avoid the accident if I can but will run over the idiot before I hit someone else. The fact this was an ambulance, no other traffic around, I would have run off the mountain and took my chances to avoid hitting them if I had to.

 If there had been oncoming traffic it would have gotten very bad very quick. As I was in a long right hand curve in the road, with the weight I had on the truck, the wet pavement had I steered hard to the right I really think I would have lost the trailer and it would probably have gone over the top of them. Being in the right curve with the load pushing me somewhat to the left momentum helped me get to the left far enough to keep the incident from getting really bad.

When this happened I had just a couple of seconds to make my call. A lot of "what do I do now" did go thru my mind even in the couple of seconds I had. Basically I had  just 3 choices, go left, go right or hit the brakes slow as much as I could and hit them broadside. If I had hit them on the drivers door I really think the girl driving and probably her passenger would have been killed. If I had gone right with the wet pavement and my load I believe the trailer would have taken them out.

When the driver got the ambulance sideways in the road in front of me she apparently saw my headlights and stopped so she was sitting still broadside to me in my lane, and not many feet ahead of me. I would estimate 30 or 40 feet ahead of me. If I had had any distractions going on it would have been bad, lucky for them the radio was off, no coffee cup or cell phone in hand, nothing to be looking at along the road. I was just driving.

Right now I am a little nervous, this is a very good paying job, a lot of trucking companies today have the "every accident is avoidable attitude" so not sure how much longer I can call myself a trucker. I wish the guy who came up with the every accident is avoidable crap had been sitting in my seat last night. May have some idle time down the road.


Still a little weak in the knees. Be careful out there.


Rick

[Rick59-4104]

 I guess to tie this into a bus forum my advice to my fellow BusNuts not used to driving something as large and heavy as our uses would be to drive "out there"  You need to look farther down the road than you are used to driving a car or pickup. Not that you don't look and watch what is going on right in front of you but shift your focus down the road a ways. Always know where the traffic beside and just behind you is. Keep an -------------------open space between you and the vehicle in front of you. People will always be cutting in front of you and filling this space, just back off and keep opening that area back up. Get to know how your vehicle handles in different situations and keep those brakes adjusted.

If you see something going on down the road, get off the accelerator and "cover" your brakes until the situation passes, this cuts a couple of seconds off your reaction time if you have to react. Have a plan. Mentally put yourself in different situations and ask yourself "what if"

Understand other drivers attitudes toward large vehicles, that car that just pulled up on the side road ahead of you will pull out right in front of you so they don't get behind you.

Just my 2-cents worth. Maybe this post will keep someone on the road and enjoying the trip.

Rick

[edvanland]

Rick
It took longer for you to tell us about this than you had to react before the wreck.
That is what your years of driving did for you. You reacted and did everything RIGHT.
Some one else made a mistake, fogged windows, then why did she pull out if she could not see?, inexperience on her part. You are a true professional driver, my hat is off to you.
ED
MCI 7 and Harley trike

[Len Silva]

I wish the guy who came up with the every accident is avoidable crap had been sitting in my seat last night.

Of course that accident was avoidable, just not by you.

I think that you probably have made a better driver out of that young lady, and perhaps saved several lives in the future because of it.

[lostagain]

Good defensive driving habits and years of experience at the wheel enabled you to make the right decision in a very short time.

Now imagine driving a bus full of people in the same circumstances... I think I would've stood on the brake pedal as hard as possible and keep the bus in a straight line. Probably killing the ambulance driver, and maybe myself, but saving my passengers. Swerving could result in loss of control and a rollover, as has been seen often in recent accidents.

Like you say, one has to be aware of what is around your vehicle at all times, and have an escape route figured out just in case. I have had close calls that only good defensive driving and moderate speed have kept me from hitting anything.

All this is easier said than done...

You all be safe out there,

JC

[dellisor]

You know For stuff like this we all need a dash cam like the police have. I looked on ebay and will be getting one soon sense they only run 65.00 to 95.00 and record 15 minute loops and have night vision on some. Because some times it seems like it would just be nice to tap some of these people that slam on the brakes after diving in front of you. I know I shouldn't think like that but tires get pretty expensive Thanks Dave

[Kevin]

Scary Situation Rick!

I'm embarrased to admit it, but I did something similar (not exactly the same) to what the ambulance driver did to you - many, many years ago. I had nearly completed my daily 120 mile 'round trip commute home from work one hot summer day when, probably less than a mile from the house on this two-lane road, someone ahead had crashed their car.

I sat in the long line of traffic for minutes on end, sweating and tired. Finally I decided, "screw this!" and, since no one was coming from the other direction ahead, whipped a U turn - and just about plowed directly into the passenger side of a speeding ambulance that was passing us all on the left in the "wrong" lane. My front bumper missed his right rear flank by only an inch or two, and he was moving! I mean, you're just not expecting someone to be passing you at 55 mph while you're sitting in a long line of traffic on a two lane road! Well, I wasn't anyway. 

I nearly crapped myself. Had I been a split second earlier, he'd have T-boned me right in the driver's door. Guy should have had his stinkin' siren on for cryin' out loud, but fact is, I didn't look over my left shoulder before hanging that U turn. When I got home and stepped out of my car, my knees were like jelly. I hugged my wife like never before!

Live and learn. I always look before I leap now! 

Kevin

[bevans6]

"Every accident is avoidable"  Sure, if you don't get out of bed in the morning.  A dozen years or more ago a friend of mine was riding his motorcycle in an area of town that had a road that switched into bus lanes during rush hour.  The rest of the time it was the east bound half of a four lane divided highway, but in the afternoons it switched and became a two lane road for buses in both directions.  Well, he knew the road and the area well, and just pulled up to the stop sign, checked right like he did every day when it was a normal 4 lane highway, and drove right square into the side of a bus.  He could have avoided that accident, ain't no way the bus driver had a chance...

Brian