Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/147562
Preventable or not? Pizza truck delivers headache to Doe W ith a dry van loaded with expensive cargo in tow, trucker John Doe was being especially careful. "No wild-turkey lane changes," Doe reminded himself. Thankfully, fourlane Interstate 7 was bone dry, lightly traveled that sunny summer afternoon and divided by a wide grassy median. As an aid to concentration, Doe popped an especially tasty green Gummy Bear into his mouth and turned up the CB, listening to entertaining comments about the "seat covers" in a pink Corvette convertible, with its top down, westbound at mile marker 125. But as Doe was starting John Doe tried to take to relax, movement in the median caught evasive action when another truck crossed his eye. Great hoppin' horny toads! There was an out-of-control Pop's Pizza truck the median of the divided highway, but heading his way from the opposing trafboth vehicles were fic lanes! crunched. Was this a Immediately, Doe tried to take evasive preventable accident? action, but … CRASH! Then there was nothing but silence – and a section of highway littered with pepperoni and cheese. Both drivers were OK, but both vehicles were crunched, and Doe's bag of Gummy Bears had flown out the window. Miraculously, Doe's trailer still had its dirty side down. Doe contested the preventable-accident warning letter he received from his safety director, asking that the National Safety Council's Accident Review Committee decide the issue. NSC immediately ruled in Doe's favor, noting that he instantly had been alert to the danger ahead and immediately had attempted – albeit without success – to steer clear of the attacking vehicle. 132 commercial carrier journal | august 2013 Rig Dig_CCJ0413_PG108.indd 1 CCJ_0813_Preventable.indd 132 3/21/13 9:56 AM 7/24/13 2:32 PM