FECC E-unit broad sides passenger vehicle in Orlando

Streakn1 · Sep 2, 2009

According to news reports on WESH Channel Two News today a FECC tractor trailer unit broad sided a passenger vehicle at an intersection in Orlando, FL. Two persons were tranported to the hospital with injuries. The extent of the injuries were not given in the report. The cause of the accident was still under investigation at the time of the 6 pm news report, so no cause for the accident was being given out until the accident investigation could be completed.

I surely hope that it was the fault of the passenger vehicle and not that of the driver.

dieseldiva · Sep 2, 2009

LINK to the story and video.

Yesteryear · Sep 4, 2009

From the video it appears as if the FECC tractor was preceding through the intersection and the wagon was making a left turn. Question now is who had the 'green' light or did both. If the light was green the tractor would have the right of way. If the light had turned yellow and was in the process of turning red more then like the wagons at fault but the tractor will catch the fall.

greg334 · Sep 4, 2009

Yesteryear said:
If the light had turned yellow and was in the process of turning red more then like the wagons at fault but the tractor will catch the fall.

Huh?

If the light was yellow and/or turned red, the tractor is at fault, he failed to stop and wasn't in control of his vehicle. Here the vehicle in the intersection has the right away after the light turns red, not the one in the lane going through.

This can be considered a preventable, which means that the FedEx driver is at fault.

arkjarhead · Sep 4, 2009

It's kinda hard to say who is at fault without all the info. I'm sure it will come back on the truck driver. It seems like 90% of the time it does.

Yesteryear · Sep 4, 2009

greg334 said:
Huh?

If the light was yellow and/or turned red, the tractor is at fault, he failed to stop and wasn't in control of his vehicle. Here the vehicle in the intersection has the right away after the light turns red, not the one in the lane going through.

This can be considered a preventable, which means that the FedEx driver is at fault.

Sorry Greg334 but your incorrect here. I asked my hubby about your reply ( a former police officer of over 20+ years). He says if the light was yellow the vehicle making the left turn still has to yeild the right of way to the vehicle preceding through the intersection.

I would say if the local PD is handling this scenerio the wagon will be at fault, now if the State Police is handling this same scenerio the truck will probably be at fault. It is amusing how out of the way some of these State Troopers will go to 'pick on' a truck. Even my hubby has to admit some of these troopers are way out of line. lol

Yesteryear · Sep 4, 2009

arkjarhead said:
It's kinda hard to say who is at fault without all the info. I'm sure it will come back on the truck driver. It seems like 90% of the time it does.

LOL you are sooo right arkjarhead! We, as a 'police' family never realized how certain divisions of law enforcement tend to always blame the truck regardless of fault. My husband is amazed at the behavior of some of these officers. Hubby said if he had to start his law enforcement career over he would definitely see truckers in a 'new' light.

As for the actual accidents, we are just spectulating and using a scenerio.

greg334 · Sep 4, 2009

Yesteryear, I understand what you are saying, I am not a cop and I know every state has different laws but I got hit by someone who ran a yellow light because he could not control his truck. He got the ticket, the law here says I am in the intersection, the light turns yellow and then red, I have right of way to finish my turn - the driver who can't stop for the light does not have right a way because he has to keep control of his vehicle at all times and that is not controlling the vehicle.

In this case I wasn't there, but...

arkjarhead · Sep 4, 2009

greg334 said:
Yesteryear, I understand what you are saying, I am not a cop and I know every state has different laws but I got hit by someone who ran a yellow light because he could not control his truck. He got the ticket, the law here says I am in the intersection, the light turns yellow and then red, I have right of way to finish my turn - the driver who can't stop for the light does not have right a way because he has to keep control of his vehicle at all times and that is not controlling the vehicle.

In this case I wasn't there, but...

But at the same time Greg, common sense should tell someone not to enter an intersection until you can completely proceed through it.

Yesteryear · Sep 4, 2009

Afraid I would have had to ask for a trial by jury if I were the truck driver in your incident.

spudhead911 · Sep 4, 2009

Yesteryear said:
Afraid I would have had to ask for a trial by jury if I were the truck driver in your incident.

Then I would hope the truck driver has deep pockets for legal fees and court costs. lawyers ain't cheap.

geo · Sep 4, 2009

in a case like this i would get a lawyer cause they know the in's and out's of this and you will need their help
to come out of this with least amount of pain

inkasnana · Sep 4, 2009

Common sense says that if you have "claimed" an intersection waiting to turn left and the light turns yellow, you still need to wait and make sure that oncoming traffic is stopping before completing your turn. But then again, not everyone has common sense.

Bruno · Sep 4, 2009

FedEx will get this team a lawyer

greg334 · Sep 5, 2009

There seems to be a problem with what I said.

Well in my case, the driver lost control of his vehicle and made a decision to go through the light. He was stopping and would have stopped behind the line if he hadn't released the brakes and went through the light at the last moment. I think four truck lengths was enough to stop at 35 mph?

He got the tickets, I didn't, he deserved to lose his license to drive the truck based on admitting that he didn't know what he was doing and was practicing one thing that everyone should be concerned about - trying to beat the light in a 50,000 lb plus vehicle.

How many of you tried to make the light and kind of sped up to do so?

How many of you decided at the last moment to go through the light rather than do a hard stop?

How many of you seen a truck flying through intersection running the light with their horn blaring to warn people?

I am don't instantly fall on the side of the trucker like many of you seem to do. I don't fall for that "he's one of us, so we must rally around him" cr*p - there is no reason for it. I am really critical of my skills and try to improve them all the time but more importantly I am critical of others, which some of you never are. Some of these have no skills at all to speak of and because I can not control what they do or how they do it and it may be my life or a life of an innocent person at risk with them not he road, I don't want them on the road on the first place. What is more important, the truck driver or the person they may injure or kill?

I was told a long time ago by a trucker who had 40 years in the seat "anyone idiot can drive the d*mn truck, it takes someone of skill and experience to know what to do when you are faced with a bad situation" - which is proven by what I see on the road today. Trucks are easy to drive, takes really no skill to drive one with automatics and car like feel to them. That is also proven by looking behind the wheel of a lot of trucks at truck stops or seeing who is passing a driving skills test which are too easy or better yet just watching them do basic things like backing up into a parking spot or into a dock.

Common sense also applies to a driver who has no skills at all not to be driving in the first place.

Granted if this driver is at fault, then he is at fault but none of us were there. If FedEx wants to do something for the driver, good for the driver.

Yesteryear · Sep 6, 2009

spudhead911 said:
Then I would hope the truck driver has deep pockets for legal fees and court costs. lawyers ain't cheap.

It is your fundamental right by law to be judged by a jury of your peers. If you cannot afford an attorney one will be appointed for you!

Humble2drive · Sep 6, 2009

Yesteryear said:
It is your fundamental right by law to be judged by a jury of your peers. If you cannot afford an attorney one will be appointed for you!

Oh no! A jury of his peers? Would that be 12 truck drivers?

You can't even get 12 truck drivers to agree on something at the TA counter, much less a court of law.

Doggie Daddy · Sep 6, 2009

Humble2drive said:
Oh no! A jury of his peers? Would that be 12 truck drivers?

You can't even get 12 truck drivers to agree on something at the TA counter, much less a court of law.

Well there you have it,hung jury,case dismissed.

iceroadtrucker · Sep 9, 2009

Yesteryear said:
Sorry Greg334 but your incorrect here. I asked my hubby about your reply ( a former police officer of over 20+ years). He says if the light was yellow the vehicle making the left turn still has to yeild the right of way to the vehicle preceding through the intersection.

I would say if the local PD is handling this scenerio the wagon will be at fault, now if the State Police is handling this same scenerio the truck will probably be at fault. It is amusing how out of the way some of these State Troopers will go to 'pick on' a truck. Even my hubby has to admit some of these troopers are way out of line. lol

Agreed!!! Good Show ya drove that spike home.