donner pass t/t crash

[Jack_Berry]

there is a reason the speed warning sign is flashing.



http://trkrjim.blogspot.com/2008/09/...-rollover.html


september 18, 2008
Big Rig Rollover


Here is the news account of this wreck fron the Colfax,CA record.

Second victim pulled from Colfax big rig wreckage
By Jenna Nielsen, Journal Staff Writer

The body of a co-driver was extricated this morning by Cal Fire crews at the scene of Monday's big rig rollover crash near Colfax.
The body of a second man was found underneath debris Tuesday morning at the accident site of a big rig rollover near Colfax Monday, officials reported.
The man, whose name is not being released pending notification of his family, was reportedly a passenger in the big rig, which rolled into a guard rail spilling its load of recylced plastic down the embankment near the Magra Road exit on westbound Interstate 80, California Highway Patrol offi-cials reported.
The driver, who was trapped inside of the truck’s cab and was also killed in the accident, was re-portedly going 70 mph and passing another truck in the fast lane when he lost control and slid down an embankment, said CHP Officer Rich Ruiz.
“This morning, as the investigator was going over log books, (it was) determined there was possi-bly a co-driver involved,” Ruiz said.
Ruiz said investigators also have video footage of the accident, recorded by a device on a Wal-Mart truck, which the driver of the big rig was passing at the time of the accident.
“The driver of the WalMart truck was doing 55 mph, so we estimate the driver (of the big rig) was going 70 mph when he approached a curve and lost control. You see in the video the trailer starts to fishtail. When the driver tries to correct, he is sent over the guardrail.”
Battalion Chief Jeff Brand of Cal Fire said crews located the co-driver under the debris and extricated him this morning.
Brand said when the truck was overturned, the cab was torn off and wedged beneath the contents of the trailer and the trailer itself.
All westbound lanes were closed as a result of the accident, which occurred at approximately 2:30 p.m. All lanes were opened by approximately 7:45 p.m., California Highway Patrol officials said.
Ruiz said the driver of big rig had only had his license for nine days.

 

[redytrk]

That poor co-driver... I wonder if he knew the driver was such an idiot.

 

[Streakn1]

Such a sad and tragic story for both the driver and co-driver.

In the many times we have crossed over Donners Pass in our fully loaded T/T we have learned that if you just do what the signs along the way tell you and your equipment is well maintained, you will make it down safely every time. if you speed, the results will most likely not be good as in this case.

What the story does not tell us is, was this a student driver and a trainer? Was this the driver's first trip over the pass? Was the co-driver awake and in the jumpseat guiding the driver that had only pocessed his CDL for nine days, or back in the sleeper? It would be such a shame if the co- driver died at the hands of an unexperienced driver. Yet it happens over and over out here. Or it could have been mechanical failure that even an experienced driver cannot always control.

This is exactly why I refused the many request through the years by my boss for me to be a trainer when I drove for MCT. Most companies that train drivers fresh out of CDL school want the truck run as a team truck running team miles each day. You can't train from the sleeper and you can't safely run your part of the miles if you don't get rested!

 

[dabluzman1]

This is very sad.
If it is true that the driver only had his CDL for 9 days........
I say it is criminal and the fleet owner should be brought up on murder charges.

 

[Tennesseahawk]

That poor co-driver... I wonder if he knew the driver was such an idiot.

If the co-driver was the more experienced, then I'd say he was the idiot. Braking is a lesson that can disappear in panic mode. Someone with some experience needs to be in a position to guide a newbie thru a steep downgrade like Donner's Pass. When I trained my nephews, it was at least a couple of weeks before I let them handle Jellicho with me in the passenger seat.

 

[Crazynuff]

Trainees should not be allowed to run in a team operation . If the trainer is in the sleeper berth the trainee might as well be running solo . Trainees and trainers should run as a solo operation with the trainer in the passenger seat on duty whenever the trainee is behind the wheel . Hate to say it but the codriver here qualifies for a Darwin award .