FedEx back in the news...

[HighwayRover]

Just an update about an earlier accident...

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/8ab1...due-investigation-deadly-california-bus-crash

 

[ATeam]

Biased reporting evident once again. The piece mentions driver fatigue as a possible factor but then says: "Evans "had sufficient time off," Parsons said. "That day, he had been working approximately eight hours at the time of the collision. But he had between eight and 10 hours of sleep the night before."

Would it pain them so much to say that fatigue was not likely a factor?

 

[Turtle]

I thought it was rather even-handed reporting. The reporter offered no conclusions or editorial comment. The reporters relayed that the CHP said fatigue might have played a role, but it might not have, as the driver had plenty of time off prior to his shift. They also listed the possibility of an undiagnosed medical condition. The only thing they missed was driver distraction as a possible cause (which would have been listed as the primary factor, despite a complete lack of evidence, had Ray LaHood still been in charge).

 

[OntarioVanMan]

The accident report concluded the truck had a gradual off course towards the median and showed no sign of a course correction or application of breaks you would think if someone was distracted they would do a correction
Without further evidence the truck left the driving surface hence he was at fault

 

[jjtdrv4u]

Although the news media and the law enforcement personnel both think they have to list all the various possibilities, as to the cause of the accident, they really should not, because all they mostly have are their personal opinions and speculations and conjecture.

Seldom do these people have concrete proof or evidence when they report on it...they have no idea if the guy was sleepy or tired or not...they certainly do not have any idea of any medical conditions since these are supposed to be private...unless they found medicine bottles at the accident site, then they still really do not know....they are not doctors either.

Now if they find evidence of liquor in the truck or on the driver, they may be able to say something definitive,,,but what if this so called evidenced was planted?

And what if mechanical failure was the cause? oftentimes these can not be detected by pre-trip inspections.

Unless all the various and sundry possibilities are listed, then it is irresponsible for any possible causes to be listed, until after the experts have concluded their investigations and analyses.

When I get my news, all I want is the facts, not a bunch of guesses...and fake news.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

No matter what the driver left a driving service of the road and that is illegal it's a careless driving charge
I once mounted the sidewalk to avoid a pedestrian and hit a couple garbage cans and promptly got charged with careless. You must be in care and control of your vehicle at all times .

 

[bubblehead]

No matter what the driver left a driving service of the road and that is illegal it's a careless driving charge
I wants mounted the sidewalk to avoid pedestrian was hit a couple garbage cans and promptly got charged with careless. You must be in care and control of your vehicle at all times .

OVM, Are you texting this while driving, or just fatigued? Or under the influence? Can you be having a medical moment?

 

[OntarioVanMan]

LOL no I am at the flying J in effing ham shower and lunch
Voice to text is a wonderful program when it works

wait I am hunger fatigued!

 

[bubblehead]

Although the news media and the law enforcement personnel both think they have to list all the various possibilities, as to the cause of the accident, they really should not, because all they mostly have are their personal opinions and speculations and conjecture.

Seldom do these people have concrete proof or evidence when they report on it...they have no idea if the guy was sleepy or tired or not...they certainly do not have any idea of any medical conditions since these are supposed to be private...unless they found medicine bottles at the accident site, then they still really do not know....they are not doctors either.

Now if they find evidence of liquor in the truck or on the driver, they may be able to say something definitive,,,but what if this so called evidenced was planted?

And what if mechanical failure was the cause? oftentimes these can not be detected by pre-trip inspections.

Unless all the various and sundry possibilities are listed, then it is irresponsible for any possible causes to be listed, until after the experts have concluded their investigations and analyses.

When I get my news, all I want is the facts, not a bunch of guesses...and fake news.

Agreed but unless it is an 'OJ' play, there is snippets of physical evidence that tend to point to the driver as failing too...now as to why? This video is interesting; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LkLeljt4t0 Imho. And on the surface it is easy to conclude tire failure as the cause. The bigger question should be what caused the failure? Old age, under/overinflated, overloaded for the rating? Then it is the drivers fault. Defective tire, handling, mounting etc. Then someone else is to blame. Now the drivers inability to maintain control after the blow out? Could be driver, could be steering damage at time of blow out, or how the rig was loaded/balanced or even the poor road condition (it is Louisiana) that made it unlikely to safely recover from event.

One time in California, my co-driver/wife was complaining about steering problems on our Columbia. We just happened to get pulled in for a level one and passed with no issues. Later that day it was my time to drive and holy...! the steering was horrible...bottom line, the fault could only be detected while the engine was on powering the steering pump. It was a loose pinch bolt from the pitman arm to the gear box. And by loose, I don't mean you could move it around, it was just not torqued to specs allowing expansion of the pinch bolt when under a steering load. Calif. DOT didn't find it, Freightliner didn't find it (but suggested a new gear box) and another large truck service facility couldn't find it. Just me and the wife and some determination found it.

I wonder how that accident report (if we got in one) would have characterized the "fault".

 

[paulnstef39]

I wonder how that accident report (if we got in one) would have characterized the "fault".

Driver error?

 

[bubblehead]

Driver error?

Exactly, I don't believe a post crash investigation would have revealed the issue with the pitman arm to steer box simply because they wouldn't bother (or think) to look there.

 

[Ragman]

I once mounted the sidewalk . . .

Man o man, the trouble I could cause with that one!

 

[paullud]

Man o man, the trouble I could cause with that one!

 

[cheri1122]

So the ultimate answer is "We don't know", but numerous people [including the grandmother of one victim, and one driver here] feel confident in saying it was the driver's fault?
It's hard to accept 'we don't know', but sometimes, that's the only answer we're going to get. Assigning blame based on that is really unreasonable, IMO.

 

[paulnstef39]

lf you were counting me as the "Driver error", l was actually answering post #9's hypothetical situation.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

So the ultimate answer is "We don't know", but numerous people [including the grandmother of one victim, and one driver here] feel confident in saying it was the driver's fault?
It's hard to accept 'we don't know', but sometimes, that's the only answer we're going to get. Assigning blame based on that is really unreasonable, IMO.

the undisputable FACT that is clear..the truck left the driving surface of the road...his fault....until something comes to light to say otherwise....

 

[ATeam]

the undisputable FACT that is clear..the truck left the driving surface of the road...his fault....until something comes to light to say otherwise....

Guilty until proven innocent?

Yes, it is as you say. It is a fact that the truck left the driving surface of the road. That's what the truck did. What did the driver do or fail to do? We do not know. If he dropped dead behind the wheel, he was in control up to the end. A dead man is not legally obligated to keep the truck on the road because a dead man is not legally obligated to do anything.

The fact that the truck left the road does not make the man guilty. More needs to be known. And in this case, more may never be known.

 

[bubblehead]

Not so much "Guilty until proven innocent" but at fault until proven otherwise. The bus didn't cross over and hit the truck, the truck crossed over and hit the bus. The fault of the impact is clearly based on that. Simple finding of fact. As to why? If a steering knuckle fractures (mostly impossible to detect in a pre-trip) then the truck will go wherever it wants no matter what the driver's reaction (except for braking) and if the driver assumes a front tire blow out and delays braking (normally a good procedure) even in the case of a steering knuckle failure, braking could be the least desirable reaction.

True, "the fact that the truck left the road does not make the man guilty." But it does make his vehicle at fault for this tragedy....

 

[Mailer]

....The fact that the truck left the road does not make the man guilty. ...

I would really have an extremely hard time to tell the families that.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

For all the evidence that they have at this point yes it does