High Speed Traffic Accident

[Sir Henry]

I was traveling south on I-94 just south of Madison in my van today and witnessed an accident. I was in the right lane traveling at 60 mph pulling my teardrop in moderate traffic. The middle lane was going maybe 65 and the left lane was doing the speed limit which was 70. The car ahead of me was also doing 60 and was twice the safe distance ahead of me. The middle land was bunched up and there was not enough distance between vehicles so that is why I was twice the safe distance.

A semi went by me in the middle lane and cut me off as he took the right lane because he was doing 70. A second later I saw a car spin in the middle lane and then shot off the road to the right. I stopped quickly but didn’t slam on my brakes. By the time I walked back to the car that had spun out the lone driver had exited and was sitting on the grass crying. She didn’t appear to be hurt but was terrified. I told her she was going to be alright and she calmed down and told me two semi’s had squeezed her out. It appeared they both didn’t see her and both tried to take the middle lane. One was in the left land and one was in the right.

She was lucky as it could have been a lot worse. The bad part is it was caused by speeding semi’s that were weaving in and out of traffic and she will probably be found at fault.

[dave77]

That's why it's a good idea have a camera mounted in your car. Here's a front and rear one at Amazon for $170, I've thought of getting one although I haven't yet.

https://www.amazon.com/Nextbase-222XRWC ... r=8-5&th=1

[RetiredSeabee]

You are a good man Gene, too many people just keep driving. Did the trucker stop?

[clovishound]

While there are plenty of good big rig drivers, there are some that need to be in a different line of work. I know time is money for them, but some are just in too big of a hurry given the destruction their large rigs are capable of.

[CT_Shooter]

I was traveling south on I-94 just south of Madison...she calmed down and told me two semi’s had squeezed her out. It appeared they both didn’t see her and both tried to take the middle lane. One was in the left land and one was in the right.

She was lucky as it could have been a lot worse. The bad part is it was caused by speeding semi’s that were weaving in and out of traffic and she will probably be found at fault.

Other than her being freaked out, I hope there wasn't any other damage. There may not have been a police report. But, she has at least one witness. Glad you stopped to help.

I totally avoid Interstate Highways. Of course, I'm lucky that I don't actually travel by car very much or very far anymore; but when I do, I avoid the three interstates (84, 91, and 95) because of the number of eighteen wheelers and the increasingly more common "Indy Driver" wannabes... and the rubber necking slow downs and the dead stops for phantoms somewhere ahead.

For the twenty years before I retired, I traveled state and local roads to get to the university (44 miles in each direction) instead of taking I-95. It cost me about an hour of time each day and some may think it was a waste of time. But it was so much less stressful. And that (wasted) time was spent looking around or daydreaming and enjoying the slower pace.

[North Country Gal]

Gene, another thank-you for helping. You're a good man.

[Sir Henry]

I was traveling south on I-94 just south of Madison...she calmed down and told me two semi’s had squeezed her out. It appeared they both didn’t see her and both tried to take the middle lane. One was in the left land and one was in the right.

She was lucky as it could have been a lot worse. The bad part is it was caused by speeding semi’s that were weaving in and out of traffic and she will probably be found at fault.

Other than her being freaked out, I hope there wasn't any other damage. There may not have been a police report. But, she has at least one witness. Glad you stopped to help.

I totally avoid Interstate Highways. Of course, I'm lucky that I don't actually travel by car very much or very far anymore; but when I do, I avoid the three interstates (84, 91, and 95) because of the number of eighteen wheelers and the increasingly more common "Indy Driver" wannabes... and the rubber necking slow downs and the dead stops for phantoms somewhere ahead.

For the twenty years before I retired, I traveled state and local roads to get to the university (44 miles in each direction) instead of taking I-95. It cost me about an hour of time each day and some may think it was a waste of time. But it was so much less stressful. And that (wasted) time was spent looking around or daydreaming and enjoying the slower pace.

The police arrived as traffic was blocked and it turned out she made contact with one of the trucks. The airbags also went off and the bottom of the car was torn up.

[Sir Henry]

Gene, another thank-you for helping. You're a good man.

Thanks. She was okay after I told her she was going to be okay.

[Cowboy Gun Fan]

Good to see you had stopped and glad to see she will be okay, but I hope the truckers stopped or were tracked down.

[BigAl52]

Neither one of those guys are truck drivers. Probably both company drivers who could care less about the company they represent on the door of the truck. There isnt many truck drivers left anymore. Glad she is okay and I can understand how she felt right after the incident. Good job Gene.

[brm4450]

Good on you Gene!

[Cowboy Gun Fan]

Neither one of those guys are truck drivers. Probably both company drivers who could care less about the company they represent on the door of the truck. There isnt many truck drivers left anymore.

I agree. Although there are still some old school type drivers out there, that is basically true. In my area, we have I-81. There is a tractor-trailer crash on it just about every day. A lot of the old truckers today call them "steering wheel holders". I'm glad, although I wouldn't have it any other way, that I'm far enough away from it that I very rarely need to use it.

[Luv the lever]

Neither one of those guys are truck drivers. Probably both company drivers who could care less about the company they represent on the door of the truck. There isnt many truck drivers left anymore. Glad she is okay and I can understand how she felt right after the incident. Good job Gene.

Sad but true, it used to be a profession. Now it’s just drivers and there just isn’t a safe road anymore.

[Hatchdog]

Back in my prior life when I was a worker I unloaded over the road trucks often. Some of the drivers I dealt with were very sketchy. Had one so bad he couldn’t back into the dock with yellow lane lines painted on the ground that extended out for 100 feet.