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Wife of truck driver in bridge collapse says husband has 'impeccable' record

Just because a bridge is old and gets poor ratings by today's standards doesn't make the bridge itself a hazard. My suggestion would be to ban such loads in the future from traveling over the same type bridge structures.

The design is a very strong one. That is until you take out any one of the triangles. Then it fails like a house of cards.

I don't see A class bridges failing - honestly . . . it's not that hard to decide. They grade them based on the ability to uphold modern-day loads. That's what the system is for. It seems senseless to care about standards 20 or 40 years ago - because we are living and using them today. An F means it's highly unstable and untrustworthy even for routine traffic - a danger.

So yes - if it was rated with an A or a B I doubt we would have seen this problem.
 
In looking at this picture of the truck, right after the collapse, the load appears
to have upper passenger side corner bent.
Look again. It's not just the corner that is bent. It's the entire side.
 
The bottom line, it is the drivers fault. I don't see this as a kneejerk reaction. He was driving, and nobody forced him to drive in the right lane upon approaching the bridge.

That is something you do not know. It has not been reported, so you are assuming he could. I have already said that I would have stopped to take both lanes to get across, but with that said, I do see your point, and as a professional driver, I always consider the responsibility of getting my load to its destination safely ultimately my own.
 
I don't see A class bridges failing - honestly . . . it's not that hard to decide. They grade them based on the ability to uphold modern-day loads. That's what the system is for. It seems senseless to care about standards 20 or 40 years ago - because we are living and using them today. An F means it's highly unstable and untrustworthy even for routine traffic - a danger.

So yes - if it was rated with an A or a B I doubt we would have seen this problem.
Will you find an A or b rated bridge built that way?
 
http://media.bellinghamherald.com/smedia/2013/05/24/10/46/fkchI.AuSt.39.jpeg
In looking at this picture of the truck, right after the collapse, the load appears
to have upper passenger side corner bent.
I think if the strike that did that little damage to the load brought down the bridge,
it was not a if , but a when the bridge fell.


Hmmm....I don't know about that....It appears that the entire top side of the load is buckled, and the reports earlier in the thread that the strike was substantial enough to list the truck at 30 degrees....That is not just a tap....Like I say, what my questions are, is that

a) the truck seems to be on his own, no pilot cars, no escort.

b) Why the driver didn't either slow down or even stop to take both directional lanes of traffic is beyond me.....

Seems like there is plenty of blame at every turn of this load.
 
Hmmm....I don't know about that....It appears that the entire top side of the load is buckled, and the reports earlier in the thread that the strike was substantial enough to list the truck at 30 degrees....That is not just a tap....Like I say, what my questions are, is that

a) the truck seems to be on his own, no pilot cars, no escort.

b) Why the driver didn't either slow down or even stop to take both directional lanes of traffic is beyond me.....

Seems like there is plenty of blame at every turn of this load.
The bridge was 12' 6' at the low side areas and 18' at the center.

Why wasn't he in the left lane?

If you have seen the bridge, it is two lanes each direction with a jersey barrier between directions. That's why I laugh at people saying crap like "oncoming traffic."

It is totally driver error. He was in the right lane, near the low point, and should have been in the left lane. I don't see how anyone can justify that mistake.
 
It was not aging infrastructure. It was inept engineering. They put the road path connectors RIGHT over the supporting concrete beams instead of overlapping the middle of the path section over the beams. When the truck hit the reinforcement above the bridge these connecting areas simply plopped right into the water.

And no one rescued anyone... Rescue got there hella late. They pulled themselves out. I should know I live a few miles from this bridge.

They got there like an hour late and the TV news milked the **** out of it. They where saying there might still be people alive underwater over an hour later and just farting around in a little rescue craft not really doing anything except showing off for the news.

I hope the mayor gets fired over this.
 
The bridge was 12' 6' at the low side areas and 18' at the center.

Why wasn't he in the left lane?

If you have seen the bridge, it is two lanes each direction with a jersey barrier between directions. That's why I laugh at people saying crap like "oncoming traffic."

It is totally driver error. He was in the right lane, near the low point, and should have been in the left lane. I don't see how anyone can justify that mistake.

Driver was a complete dip**** and I hope Canada plans to pay for it.
 
The bridge was 12' 6' at the low side areas and 18' at the center.

Why wasn't he in the left lane?

If you have seen the bridge, it is two lanes each direction with a jersey barrier between directions. That's why I laugh at people saying crap like "oncoming traffic."

It is totally driver error. He was in the right lane, near the low point, and should have been in the left lane. I don't see how anyone can justify that mistake.

Yes, on this narrow point, I think we are saying the same thing.
 
Yes, on this narrow point, I think we are saying the same thing.
???

Then why does it appear you have been doing so in past posts?
 
???

Then why does it appear you have been doing so in past posts?

I believe I said early on that I would have stopped and took both lanes....What I am pointing out is that driver error is not the only thing leading to this event.
 
I believe I said early on that I would have stopped and took both lanes....What I am pointing out is that driver error is not the only thing leading to this event.
We see it differently. I see no excuse for him to have been in the right lane.
 
We see it differently. I see no excuse for him to have been in the right lane.

Ok....I agree that he should have moved away from the right side. I believe the story lays out that another tractor trailer had him pinned in that lane, and I said I would have slowed, or even stopped to take the left lane, and or both.

So, I am not getting why you are hung up on that one point?
 
Ok....I agree that he should have moved away from the right side. I believe the story lays out that another tractor trailer had him pinned in that lane, and I said I would have slowed, or even stopped to take the left lane, and or both.

So, I am not getting why you are hung up on that one point?
No matter what else may have contributed to the accident, the driver was the last fail safe, and he failed.

I ask those who want to blame the pilot car. Would they follow them off a cliff if the drove off a cliff?

I'm sorry, there is no excuse for not knowing the hazards along a route with an oversize load. Not in this day in age.
 
Reports cited on this thread said there was another truck in the left lane.
That does not matter!

Do you stay in the right lane if you see one of these and another truck is next to you, or do you adjust your speed to move over?

lane%20narrows-1.JPG


This is how he should have treated the bridge.
 
Reports cited on this thread said there was another truck in the left lane.

I don't know why that is being ignored....With that said, I would think that he (the driver) could have slowed, or stopped and took both lanes....I mean he obviously was as far to the left as he could be and managed to avoid most of the other cross members at what LoP says were 12'6" at the far sides of the bridge....This could have easily been the fault of 4 wheelers, or another trucker being obtuse, and not yielding the right of way to this load...My experience is that there are many assholes on the roads, sharing the roads with those of us just trying to get the load there safely and get back home.
 
That does not matter!

Do you stay in the right lane if you see one of these and another truck is next to you, or do you adjust your speed to move over?

lane%20narrows-1.JPG


This is how he should have treated the bridge.

Just a question, do you drive truck for a living?
 
No matter what else may have contributed to the accident, the driver was the last fail safe, and he failed.

I ask those who want to blame the pilot car. Would they follow them off a cliff if the drove off a cliff?

I'm sorry, there is no excuse for not knowing the hazards along a route with an oversize load. Not in this day in age.

What do you think the responsibilities of a pilot car service are? Good God man. If you hold truck drivers in such low regard, then do us the favor of not commenting any further, because you just don't know what the hell you are talking about here.
 
What do you think the responsibilities of a pilot car service are? Good God man. If you hold truck drivers in such low regard, then do us the favor of not commenting any further, because you just don't know what the hell you are talking about here.
The pilot car is one level of protection from accidents. The driver is the last and most important.
 
No, but I have driven military 5 tons.

Oh man....5 whole tons? I carry more bread than that. Look, you really don't have a clue what you are talking about, and seem unwilling to read the responses to see that many agree with you to a point, but then you just want to bash truckers....I am not down with that at all.

I see people like you all the time, they drive a Ford F-250 and think they know what it is to drive 40 tons in a 65 foot combination vehicle down the road, with jack assed 4 wheelers thinking you can stop on a dime, or just simply jump lanes like they do when they cut you off at 65 mph in their Nissan tin can...I have had it with that kind of thinking. I risk my life on these highways every time I hit the road because numb nuts with no experience think they have more knowledge, and experience than my 22 years now and over 2 MILLION safe miles on almost every damned highway in this nation.

Sorry dude, but you just don't have a freakin' clue.
 
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