Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/129328
Preventable or not? One-way ticket to bad day for Doe O n a sunny Friday afternoon, John Doe was maneuvering his straight truck down Butafooco Boulevard, a one-way thoroughfare in Bear Paw, S.D., daydreaming about his impending weekend visit to the Harley-Davidson dealership where he planned to buy an "almost-new" bike from Billy Bob, the shop's mechanic. Doe had just passed some parked cars, on his right, and was cautiously approaching the intersection with Main Street, keeping an eye on the traffic signal that, for the moment, remained encouragingly green. At that instant, Mrs. Mattie Crowly-BubAn impatient Porsche kis, who was stuck behind Doe, decided that the driver who tried nasty ol' truck was moving too slowly. to pass John Doe's Fearing that she'd be caught at the intersecstraight truck on his right side lost control, tion by a red light, Crowly-Bubkis became ended up sideways impatient and accelerated her 2004 perforand was hit by both mance-tuned purple Porsche around the right Doe's truck and a car side of Doe's rig and, losing control, ended up pacing Doe to his left. sideways, right in front of poor Doe's bumper! Was this a preventThe Porsche then was stopped dead in its tracks able accident? – after impacting the right front fender of a rusty Chevy car piloted by Gramps Grumbley, who'd been pacing Doe in the left lane! Next, Doe's truck slammed into the side of the stationary luckless sports car. After Doe contested the preventable-accident warning letter from his safety director, the National Safety Council's Accident Review Committee was asked to render a final decision. NSC immediately upheld the preventable judgment, noting that Doe should have kept an eye on his right-side mirror. Had he done so, he could have avoided smashing into the maniacal Crowly-Bubkis. 96 commercial carrier journal | may 2013 Rig Dig_CCJ0413_PG108.indd 1 CCJ_0513_Preventable.indd 96 3/21/13 9:56 AM 4/23/13 2:08 PM