Street sweeper dust causes accident on Highway 1

[Markham]

Hi guys

Many times I've worried about this kind of accident on snowy highways...

http://www.calgarybeacon.com/2011/04...-on-highway-1/

Markham

[diamondedge]

Hi guys,

A 48 year old Manitoba man is in hospital with serious injuries after a freak accident on Highway 1 near Canmore Tuesday morning.
At around 7:30 a.m. between exit 86 and 89 on Highway 1 at Canmore and eastbound semi-trailer truck crested a hill and was met by a cloud of dust created by a nearby street sweeper. The semi driver continued through the dust and was caught by surprise by an SUV driving slowly right in front of him which had been shrouded by the dust. The SUV driver was traveling slower than the posted speed on the highway as he navigated his way through the dusty conditions. Unable to avoid a collision, the semi truck rear ended the SUV.

The driver of the SUV was airlifted by STARS air ambulance to a Calgary Hospital. The driver of the semi was not injured.

Highway 1 was closed for a short time to allow STARS to land and one eastbound lane was closed for a couple of hours for investigation purposes. The collision is under investigation by the Canmore RCMP. If you have any information regarding this incident your are asked to contact Canmore RCMP Detachment at (403)678-5519 or your local police department.

[n1zm0]

^ you forgot

"Hi Guys"

[diamondedge]

my ninja edit was too slow!

[Muji]

Semi driving too fast for road conditions, seems straight forward.

Having another warning vehicle with flashing lights trailing the sweeper 200 feet behind, just out of the dust area would be helpful as well as signs indicating a slow down zone.

[ercchry]

Originally posted by Muji
Semi driving too fast for road conditions, seems straight forward.

really?

so you are driving a large heavy truck that takes LOTS of time to slow down... you crest a hill and all of a sudden you are greeted with a cloud of dusk... in that dusk you attempt to slow and keep your truck in your lane as to not takeout oncoming traffic... and then, bam you hit the tail end of a smaller suv that rapidly slowed as soon as they saw the dusk

i dunno... doesnt seem like his fault to me

[Zhariak]

Originally posted by ercchry


really?

so you are driving a large heavy truck that takes LOTS of time to slow down... you crest a hill and all of a sudden you are greeted with a cloud of dusk... in that dusk you attempt to slow and keep your truck in your lane as to not takeout oncoming traffic... and then, bam you hit the tail end of a smaller suv that rapidly slowed as soon as they saw the dusk

i dunno... doesnt seem like his fault to me

This is classic... Just like fog...

Can't tell you how many times I've driven in fog... I never know what to expect. On a 100km/h road, I'll slow down to around 75... Just to make sure if someone comes up behind out of nowhere I can quickly accelerate... (never happened, but still)... What does happen however, is I'll come up behind a small little toyota doing 15km/h with it's 4-ways on...

ugh! face palmery!

[alloroc]

Originally posted by ercchry


dusk

dust

[ercchry]

Originally posted by alloroc


dust

oh why thank you so much! what would i do without you finding and pointing out that error, people wouldnt have a clue what i was talking about!

[Xtrema]

Time for DRL for the back.

I hate it that people don't turn on lights for the condition.

[Zhariak]

Originally posted by Xtrema
Time for DRL for the back.

I hate it that people don't turn on lights for the condition.

Winter tires...

[Jay911]

Originally posted by Muji
Semi driving too fast for road conditions, seems straight forward.

Having another warning vehicle with flashing lights trailing the sweeper 200 feet behind, just out of the dust area would be helpful as well as signs indicating a slow down zone.

Volker usually does have a pilot truck with the sweepers, in my recollection. Having said that, you're bang-on (excuse the pun) with your first sentence. Anyone that keeps the hammer down all Days of Thunder-style going into limited visibility situations is lucky if all they do is rack up a couple vehicles.

I don't give a shit if it's a road train that takes 3/4 of a mile to slow down - the trucker is at fault in this situation. Just like, several years ago, the driver who screamed into a fog/snow storm south of the Springbank airport at 110 km/h who said "I saw the cones and I kept going and all of a sudden I hit it" (the tractor-trailer that was 1 of 25 or 30 vehicles piled up) was responsible for the broken leg suffered by the semi driver who was out assessing the scene. And the woman who nearly killed a Crossfield firefighter over a decade ago when she hit him while driving her SUV up the #2 at over 110 km/h in blizzard conditions - and he, to the best of my knowledge, still can't work either as a FF or in his normal job today.

Also, as was said later in the thread, rear-facing lights are a good idea in such situations - people on Beyond always lambaste and ridicule the use of hazard lights, but if I was doing 75 in a 110 zone, in a cloud of dust, snow, fog, locusts, or anything else, I would certainly have them on.

[SKR]

Originally posted by Jay911


Volker usually does have a pilot truck with the sweepers, in my recollection. Having said that, you're bang-on (excuse the pun) with your first sentence. Anyone that keeps the hammer down all Days of Thunder-style going into limited visibility situations is lucky if all they do is rack up a couple vehicles.

I don't give a shit if it's a road train that takes 3/4 of a mile to slow down - the trucker is at fault in this situation. Just like, several years ago, the driver who screamed into a fog/snow storm south of the Springbank airport at 110 km/h who said "I saw the cones and I kept going and all of a sudden I hit it" (the tractor-trailer that was 1 of 25 or 30 vehicles piled up) was responsible for the broken leg suffered by the semi driver who was out assessing the scene. And the woman who nearly killed a Crossfield firefighter over a decade ago when she hit him while driving her SUV up the #2 at over 110 km/h in blizzard conditions - and he, to the best of my knowledge, still can't work either as a FF or in his normal job today.

Also, as was said later in the thread, rear-facing lights are a good idea in such situations - people on Beyond always lambaste and ridicule the use of hazard lights, but if I was doing 75 in a 110 zone, in a cloud of dust, snow, fog, locusts, or anything else, I would certainly have them on.

The article didn't say that the trucker wasn't slowing down, only that he continued into the dust and was caught by surprise by the slow-moving SUV. That could mean that he was in the process of slowing down, and the SUV, in the dust, pounded the brakes.

Just sayin'.

[ercchry]

not to mention the cresting the hill part... so should all semis slow to a near stop when cresting hills then? that sounds practical...

[Type_S1]

Semi-drivers drive like assholes...it sucks it has to end in an accident.

This trucker should lose his license. You travel as fast as the road permits...the trucker was most likely speeding like most do and blaming all the other vehicles on the road.

[01RedDX]

.

[DJ Lazy]

Originally posted by Xtrema
Time for DRL for the back.

I hate it that people don't turn on lights for the condition.

This exact thing boils my blood when I'm driving home at dusk or just past dusk on deerfoot. So many people drive without taillights on in diminishing light conditions.

[Jay911]

Originally posted by SKR


The article didn't say that the trucker wasn't slowing down, only that he continued into the dust and was caught by surprise by the slow-moving SUV. That could mean that he was in the process of slowing down, and the SUV, in the dust, pounded the brakes.

Just sayin'.

True enough, I concede that - I've been behind more than my share of people who drop anchor at the slightest sign of anything (like for example a shadow crossing Deerfoot NB under Memorial).

[93VR6]

Originally posted by Type_S1
Semi-drivers drive like assholes...it sucks it has to end in an accident.

This trucker should lose his license. You travel as fast as the road permits...the trucker was most likely speeding like most do and blaming all the other vehicles on the road.

No way buddy was speeding, most trucks are limited to 106 km/h and where I work we have trucks that are unlimited and with a light load 10,000ish lbs they top out just under 120. In this case where the semi was cresting a hill I would be willing to bet he couldn't have been speeding even if he wanted to.

as for "Semi drivers drive like assholes" have you ever driven one?

[g-m]

Originally posted by DJ Lazy


This exact thing boils my blood when I'm driving home at dusk or just past dusk on deerfoot. So many people drive without taillights on in diminishing light conditions.

does it grind your gears?