[QUOTE=Rick]
This is where we may have to agree to disagree. I have a hard time understanding how even a rank amateur would have a problem keeping the truck in its own lane. The OP is from Los Vegas, the highways around there are flat and straight. It is not like he was on a winding mountain road.
[/QUOTE]
You may very well be right, but my crystal ball’s on the fritz today, I guess yours must be working good. :rolleyes:
[QUOTE=A.R. Cane]
As a retired trucker I’ll neither defend, nor condemn, the driver who caused this. Let the chips fall where they may. Having said that, it’s hard to conceive of a situation where this couldn’t have been avoided by a true professional.<snip>
[/QUOTE]
In Nevada (as well as many other states) the law requires big trucks (and others) to reduce their speed and move over whenever there is anyone (NHP, service vehicle, tow truck, emergency or other vehicle) in the break down lane. Having noted that, it would be my Professional opinion that this driver is either a rookie, careless, reckless, or all of the above.
A Professional Driver, and, in fact, most experienced Commercial Drivers, would have noted the presence of the emergency vehicle and reduced his speed and moved over well in advance of the accident scene instead of putting so many lives at risk, whether or not the law required it.
In any case, I find myself in almost complete agreement with you, A.R. Cane - not having all the facts, I will temporarily reserve judgement on this driver. Should it later be revealed that he has more than 3 months experience behind the wheel, I certainly will condem his actions as it affects the reputation all Professional Drivers.
kinoons, I hope all turns out well with you, your crew and your patient. Please accept my apology on behalf of all the Professional Drivers out there who are trying to do it correctly and safely.
Keep your head down and your eyes on the oncoming traffic. Please be safe out there …
Lucy
[QUOTE=Rick]
This is where we may have to agree to disagree. I have a hard time understanding how even a rank amateur would have a problem keeping the truck in its own lane. The OP is from Los Vegas, the highways around there are flat and straight. It is not like he was on a winding mountain road.
[/QUOTE]
Rick, have you ever actually driven in Las Vegas? Flat and straight my ass! I-15 winds through that city - up and down and back and forth - like a drunken whore! Visibility is so restricted in places that the speed limit drops to 55 mph. Add to that the fact that Vegas is the land of perpetual road construction and you will see why A.R. Cane and I both reserve judgement on this driver.
[SIDEBAR]*kinoons, its been a few years since I’ve had a gun placed at my temple forcing me to drive thru your ‘lovely metropolitan area’, so feel free to jump in here and contradict me if things have changed much … however, it will take some good evidence to convice me! Preferably some clear, non-photoshoped pictures … 
*[/SIDEBAR]
Rookies (or to use your term, “rank amateur”) don’t always have a full tool bag of skills available to them. That’s one reason why the law requires that vehicles (and especially big trucks) move over and reduce their speed. This driver should have moved over - however, it is possible that he couldn’t - perhaps, given all of the low visibility areas in that area, he was faced with a situation that he just didn’t have time to avoid. Hell, even experienced Professionals can be faced with mitigating circumstances such as being forced out of their lane by another truck.
Not having all the facts, one should not rush too quickly to judgement. kinoons, more details would be appreciated when they become available. Can you link to local newpaper article on-line?
Thank You - heal up fast!
Lucy
My god. I’m so grateful you and your crew and your patients are basically okay, though the spinal fractures for your patient are worrisome. She may be a classic candidate for Vertebroplasty.
The most unnerving calls involved active CPR or other activities in a highspeed ambulance that forced me to stand or hunch over the patient. There is stuff laying there, being used- and that stuff along with yourself and your crew become projectiles in an accident.
I don’t have a thing to say about the truck driver- it could be negligence, another driver drifting that cause the truck driver to drift, exhaustion, who knows.
How frightening.
Re:LucyInDisguise’s comments. A lot of states are pushing for laws to force drivers to move into middle or left lanes when police or EMS or Fire vehicles are on the shoulder. I applaud this idea for exactly the situations outlined in the O.P.
It doesn’t take a law. Do it. Move over, if you can safely do so. Every single time I see flashing lights ahead, I move over.
Please do it.
Cartooniverse, NYS EMT-Ret.
Add my “Holy Crap!” to the pile already offered.
Thankfully, PA enacted the ‘slow and move to allow a free lane between your vehicle and any stopped emergency vehicle’ rule this year. I remember standing on the pump panel step of the engine while traffic whizzed past my butt during some fires on the PA Turnpike.
:eek:
Makes me (almost) glad that we mostly did contract stuff, with only a couple of random highway calls (because we happened to be on scene when they occurred.) Glad to hear yinz are OK.
JustAnotherGeek,
EMT-P (PA., way back when)
I’m glad to hear you’re okay.
I’ve had a few close calls in the ambo, but nothing that would have been like this. Usually just people who won’t get out of the way of the big red and white vehicle with its lights and siren on.
Stay safe.
BiblioCat, EMT
According to the highway patrol officer, the driver of the truck drifted into the back of my truck because he was looking down the offramp at the NHP car there.
The short story is we were on the side of the highway to pick up an elderly woman who had run her car up the embankment of a highway overpass, striking her car into the concrete barrier. She never was on the highway itself. By the time her car barrier at the top of the embankment, it was traveling so slow that she had no injuries aside from a skinned elbow, we were taking her to the hospital for that. Due to the grade of the embankment, and her being at the top of it, we elected to drive up the offramp and turn around to be on the highway at the top. That way she could just sit on the barrier, turn around, and get in my truck.
In any case, the highway patrol officer parked at the bottom of the offramp with his signal lights on. Apparently, the driver of the truck was lookey looing at the police car when he drifted into my truck.
So the trucker was at fault because he was rubbernecking at the cop car. I’m guessing they’re looking at charging the guy then? I hope so. You just don’t take your eyes of the road when you’re barreling down the highway in a huge truck unless you have a damn good reason.
Any word on the driver’s or your patient’s condition?
[QUOTE=Rick]
This is where we may have to agree to disagree. I have a hard time understanding how even a rank amateur would have a problem keeping the truck in its own lane. The OP is from Los Vegas, the highways around there are flat and straight. It is not like he was on a winding mountain road.
[/QUOTE]
Last year a driver caused an accident, with several people wounded including himself; when the Guardia Civil got there, they found out he didn’t have a license.
Not a license for hazardous materials.
Not one for trucks.
Not one for cars.
Not one from back home in Lithuania.
While it’s legal to hire “drivers in training” (who must have a car license and get the equivalent of a “truck learners license”, always traveling with a veteran partner until they pass the exam), that definitely wasn’t. In Spain truck drivers are one of the sectors with the worst working conditions and highest amount of illegal workers, money under the table and whatnot - but dangit, at least they should be able to, you know, drive!
Glad you’re ok, kinoons. There was an accident similar to yours in Spain last May and the similarities are uncanny, including “three people in the ambulance because one was in training” and “patient was ok from the first accident but in bad shape from the second.”
:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
VunderBob, soon-to-be certified EMT-B, NC
[QUOTE=Cartooniverse]
Re:LucyInDisguise’s comments. A lot of states are pushing for laws to force drivers to move into middle or left lanes when police or EMS or Fire vehicles are on the shoulder.
[/QUOTE]
About damned time. My dad and brother were once in a very close call while picking up after a pretty awful accident on the highway, about 20 years ago (they were what passed for EMTs in our small town, on a volunteer basis). Brother very nearly didn’t make it home that night.
[QUOTE=Cartooniverse]
Re:LucyInDisguise’s comments. A lot of states are pushing for laws to force drivers to move into middle or left lanes when police or EMS or Fire vehicles are on the shoulder. I applaud this idea for exactly the situations outlined in the O.P.
It doesn’t take a law. Do it. Move over, if you can safely do so. Every single time I see flashing lights ahead, I move over.
Please do it.
Cartooniverse, NYS EMT-Ret.
[/QUOTE]
indiana (normally operating somewhere in the vicinity of the dark ages) has enacted exactly such a law - much to my astonishment. i guess the state legislature was tired of all those run-over police officer stories appearing on the nightly news. :rolleyes: it was seriously bad - make no mistake. a couple of years ago i swear to god it was a dead uniform story as the lead once every couple of weeks for months.
to illustrate the point, my BIL is a state trooper. my sis said he came downstairs one early weekend afternoon in full dress uniform, about ready to leave for yet another funeral, turned to her and said, “damn, but i’m tired of having to put this on every other day…”
he was exaggerating, but not by much. morale among law enforcement had plunged. and it wasn’t truckers doing the running-over, i might add. in my experience, the 18-wheeler truckers i’ve encountered on the road are courteous and excellent drivers. in almost every one of these accidents it was your average passenger driver - and one or two short haul box trucks - doing the same kind of looky-loo on a traffic stop!
as a print / electronic reporter for 11 years i saw more than i ever wanted to see when it came to teeth, hair and eyeballs all over the road because it was my job. those days are long over with, but i go out of my way NOT to look when i encounter accidents nowadays.
it’s an accident, folks, not the second coming. keep your eyes on the road and move yourself into the far lane if it’s feasible to do so. if not, slow down - a lot - and move along. the life you save just might be your own someday - or my BIL Steve’s.
Wow! :eek: Glad to hear you’re AOK, we need you out there!
Sounds like the driver suffers from “Oooh, shiny” syndrome.
I have a ton of respect for professional drivers, I’ve seen them do a lot of smart and careful (sometimes just plain considerate) things on the road as people in cars are busy acting like jackasses. “Just in Time” inventory control, I know exactly what you’re talking about - people in suits in air-conditioned offices looking to make that extra $.05 on somebody else’s sweat.
So, from skinned elbow to seriously messed up spinal fractures. A rough day for that lady. Here is hoping she will land on the small side of the statistics.
an update for those intersted:
my student has a concussion, but all scans on his neck were negative. he’s still out for a few days
my partner is sore all over and on muscle relaxers, but has no “serious” injuries
I didn’t know the name of the driver of the truck, so I haven’t been able to find anything further out about him
my first patient is in the neurologicial ICU post surgery, but never did have any neurological imparement from her cervical spine fractures
I was cleared back to work today. my knee was still pretty killer sore, but the doc felt I could “take it easy” and sent me back to full duty. so apparently a wreck like that only gets you one day off.
Please. A REAL man would’ve been back at the station by end of shift to clock out.
Pussy.
( glad to hear about you and the crew. Hope the octegenarian is okay ! )
It is vaguely gross that the ad at the Kodak photo web page you linked offers us the chance to purchase a coffee mug with one of the photos on it. :eek: !!!
[QUOTE=LucyInDisguise]
In Nevada (as well as many other states) the law requires big trucks (and others) to reduce their speed and move over whenever there is anyone (NHP, service vehicle, tow truck, emergency or other vehicle) in the break down lane.
[/QUOTE]
Shit, I do that in my Corolla. Seems like common sense, no?