Last week Kenneth Rogers gave his life in order to avoid crashing in to three passenger vehicles. According to his family, Rogers had been a trucker for four years. The 40-year-old was described as a “strong, courageous person” by his family and “very heroic” by police.
It was just before 11 a.m. on June 19th when the incident occurred. A semi-truck headed southbound on I-94 near Racine, Wisconsin hit a construction barrier, overcorrected, and slammed into the median dividing wall. The truck hit the divider so hard, it pushed it into the northbound lanes.
Three northbound passenger vehicles smashed into the divider and each other. Coming from behind them, also headed North, was Kenneth Rogers’s truck. If he had slammed the brakes or just plowed straight ahead, Rogers might have survived the accident – but the people in the cars in front of him might not have been so lucky.
Instead, Rogers swerved hard right, sending his truck plunging 30 feet off of the highway onto a road below.
“I think this unfortunate, deceased individual is a hero in and of itself by turning down and risking his own life to avoid crashing into innocent people” said Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling. “He turned off the roadway, rather than crashing into three other vehicles and a semi. I would suggest to you that that is very heroic.”
The driver of the first truck which hit the barrier also lost his life in the accident. Rest in peace, drivers.
Source: People, gobytrucknews, transportationnation, wisn
Okay… So the driver of truck #2 was either too close to the vehicles in front of him, or driving too fast – maybe some of both. But let’s not all condemn him for his mistakes.
He paid with his life, and kept others safe, in doing so. His last act was to do the right thing. Let us acknowledge that the next guy can do better, witbout condemning this guy for laying down his life for others.
Rest in peace, brother.
I agree with your sentiments.
You’re a cold blooded egotistical know it all. I suggest to you even if he had been at 10 to 15 second following distance he had to make a decision. Maybe the traffic was heavy and vehicles had cut in front of him seconds before this happened. I’ve investigated accidents where drivers lost their lives. You should apologize for those remarks. Either way. The driver chose not to take another life but his own. That’s the problem with truck drivers always an expert of nothing. Just opinions
Tim, you summed up my thoughts on mryowler
Well said…
You took the words right out of my mouth. Too many know it alls out there. R.I.P driver
Thank you. The “know it alls” were not there and can only speculate.
Thanks Tim. You’re right about people being judgemental. The sheriff was there and didnt say anything about following too close. He simply said the man was a hero and that’s good enough for me. God bless his family. No greater love hath any man than he lay down his life for his brother.
I’m guessing you must not have much experience. If you’re driving 70 mph on the highway and suddenly an accident happens in front of you and the cars never had time to hit their brakes as a warning, no way could you stop in time. That’s a big problem with truckers these days, a few days of schooling and you think you’re a pro. The driver who chose to take his own life to safe others is a pro, the driver who caused it must not have had much experience. Here you have a hero and another crash dummy. As far as you stopping in time, you’re a danger and should be off the road and on a bicycle
You, my friend are a complete idiot, if that’s truly what you think..rip hero..
An incident like this, where a truck driver heroically gives his life, and the first thing some of us can think to do is to fall to rancor. What does that say about us as an industry? Is it any wonder the DOT is constantly scoping for us? With examples like this, it gives little to wonder at all.
I for one, applaud the individual. He found himself suddenly plunged into an extraordinary situation. It left him with only two choices. He made the right one. He saved people’s lives. I can only hope I have the emotional and mental wherewithal to make a like one, if I too find myself in that kind of situation.
“He found himself suddenly plunged” off a bridge.
The blaming and the what ifs by so many is the result of the steering wheel holders coming out of the wood work. Not to worry. They don’t usually last long. So many don’t seem to understand the wording of so many so called reporters that put into the article what they think instead of the facts and real situation. It is just headline grabbing and many on this post fell for it. Ignorance is running rampant in the industry today. and they drive ( almost) trucks too.
You’re the only buttplug brining it up.
nobody keeps enough space to not hit the vehicle in front of it if it comes to an immediate stop. There are no laws suggesting they should either. you keep enough space in front of you to stop if the vehicle in front of you makes an emergency stop, not if the vehicle in front of you hits a barrier and comes to an abrupt stop.
I too agree with your sentiments. I think there is more to this story than meets the eye. But ultimately this driver made a spit second decision that probably saved others,and I do think that he deserves credit due him. May those who knew and loved him take some solace from his heroism. The good book says that “No greater love hath any man than he who lays down his life for his friends. “
Have you been through there recently? At that time of day, in that 20 mile long construction zone, it is wall to wall. Even if he was driving below the posted limit it is so bad through there he wouldn’t have been able to maintain “proper” following distance. Get off your horse, driver. If you have more than a week of experience behind the wheel you’d know how wrong you are.
I guess lucky no one was on the road he landed on.
That’s what I was thinking but I guess he didn’t know what was down below and not enough time to see He is a Hero as a 25 Year driver that was my biggest fear of something like this cause I just don’t think I could live with myself always wondering what if’s
Sadly, his life would’ve been a living hell had he lived after being involved in a Preventable accident. There are NO PREVENTABLE ACCIDENTS if you hold a CDL.
Oops. There is no such thing as a NONPREVENTABLE ACCIDENT for CDL drivers.
Lethal weapon? Since when are trucks, or cars for that matter, used in combat? Maybe you should either stay parked or stay in 1st gear so you won’t ever run over anything
Well I saw 2 drivers this week using their trucks as lethal weapons ! Because they were impatient a holes that think they own the road and swerving at people!
That statement is ludicrous, Jack. I was involved in a non-preventable wreck 5 years ago. According to the Colorado State Patrol, the Yampa County Sheriff’s Office, and the insurance companies of all involved, there was absolutely nothing I could have done to avoid the Buick that lost control and hit me head on.
Quit trying to sound so superior
I’m going on board with you driver. In my 14 yr career I’ve been involved in 2 non- preventable accidents. As for this driver making the ultimate sacrifice I always said that if I was ever in a situation like that I would make the same decision I pray to never be put in that situation but of so I pray that I still have the courage to follow through RIH to both drivers
You’re a flipping goof ball.
I don’t know why they portray the deceased trucker as someone who intentionally drove off a bridge to save lives. He could have just as easily landed on 10-cars full of families with babies on the road below. What kind of a “hero” would he then be? He tried not to hit people ahead of him and he died. That’s it.
Just tell the story – don’t insert your thoughts when you have no clue what the driver was thinking. You cannot speak to someone else’s mind.
If anything should have come from this story, it should have been, “Inspect your vehicle, including your BRAKES to ensure you don’t drive off a bridge and kill yourself because you couldn’t stop”.
And slow down in construction cause very idiot in the world is in them, and you never know what they are going to do!
Exactly!!! Slow it down in construction zones! It’s not a freaking Indy 500 race ! Drivers lives matter! You could make a difference when you choose to be safe. God help the drivers families please.
It was an tragic accident for all involved, nothing more. Prayers for the family’s of those who died..
The focal point of the article is that a driver of a lethal weapon called a semi took a turn off the highway to avoid hitting and knowingly that hitting the 4 wheelers will most likely kill the occupants or some either way its just a tragic event that unfolded.
The real problem here is that CDL driver 1 was going way too fast in a CONSTRUCTION ZONE and because of that poor decision lost control of their truck hit the Median barrier so hard it moved it to the other lane on a busy highway. One person decision to not respect the fact that we so called professional drivers drive lethal weapons LOADED OR UNLOADED have a civic duty to ensure public safety.
Lethal weapon? Since when are trucks, or cars for that matter, used in combat? Maybe you should either stay parked or stay in 1st gear so you won’t ever run over anything
Douglas Kirk…..Dammti boy. here we go again. Someone that knows absolutely nothing about the accident other than what was read in an article spouts off .
We all drive lethal weapons . Whether it is our personal vehicle or a Semi or a motorcycle. It can kill someone if not used properly and safely. A dinner fork or a soup spoon can be a lethal weapon. Wake the hell up.
So many wanna b experts that know so little about trucking have to run their mouths. People like you are the problem with trucking today. NEGATIVITY.
Well a loaded truck with explosives killed 236 of my fellow MARINES in Beirut 1983 so I find it very easy to say when a truck was used as a Weapon.
He never chose to die, morons….
He reacted the same way 99% of drivers do when something gets in front of them: you try to avoid hitting said object. It’s a natural reaction, in spite of all the nonsense you read here. I’m highly skeptical there was anything else in play here. If he had time to contemplate the results, he had time to stop. Otherwise he was probably too close
It’s sad that anybody ever gets hurt or killed, but there are consequences that follow every decision
Agreed.
This hero could have killed others on the road below…
Another example for pro drivers and 4 wheelers to slow down in construction zones.
90% of drivers ignore const speed limits in metro areas.
At fault are police who enforce speed in safe wide open areas.
Agree
I see plenty of a holes driving trucks at high speeds where road work has either closed a road, narrowed it or redirected the lanes and just barely missing barriers..SPEED KILLS..and this is what probably happened to the 1st driver that caused the accident..I pray for both men, life is precious, we just need to start caring and thinking of the possible “what ifs” of our actions.
That part of the highway is so fijhygcked it’s been torn up too long the POS state should pay millions in damages to the families then maybe those idiots will stop leaving construction zones up for years at a time.
Call it what you want but he was definitely a Rookie Driver! A Veteran driver would have had enough time to stop by leaving enough space between him and the car in front of him! Use his flashers to let others know behind him to slow to a stop!! Slow down in construction zones people!!
Ok everyone, I live in the area. What no one has stated, is the fact that this is a instruction zone for twenty some miles. I have driven it many times. Every morning i turn on the news, only to hear of another bad wreck on that stretch of road. It’s a almost daily occurence there.
The one driver was going south,and the other was traveling north. One hit the barrier hard, knocking it into opposing traffic. Few drivers encounter this situation to be prepared for it. Cars were swerving into his lane space, eliminating his safe zone. (It’s happened to all of us).
First the lane changes are to many, and too sudden. The speed is posted at 60, so everyone is trying go go 70. At about the same point it narrows from 4 lanes to 2 lanes,so traffic gets backed up suddenly.
The posted speed there is way to high for the area. 40 would be more appropriate, but no one can enforce it hard enough to do any good, since there is no place to pull over.
The construction workers and state DOT have a lot of culpability in this, but will never be held accountable.
Like I said,I drive that section pretty regular, and if I have the choice i generally use alternate routes, a little slower, but a lot safer.
By the way, I recently retired from trucking after 47 years, and 6 million accident free miles. Been there, done that, seen it, and bought the t-shirt.
I only hope that none of your families ever have to receive that phone call.
Please, slow down. Leave some extra space for every possible mis-hap.
Rember, no one has to die over a load of freight, or missed appointment time even with E-Logs.
Thanks for reading.
Please stay safe.
You get there when you get there.
great post
perhaps i’ll be labeled a cold hearted, self centered sob….so be it,
but, unless reflexes get the upper hand, i am not going to sacrifice
my life for some schmuck’s stupidity.
Slow the f down & stop tailgating,
you morons…
Stop allowing your EMOTIONS to drive your rig…
4 wheelers are amatuerish at best
& rig drivers are SUPPOSED to be
Professionals.
Mr Rogers was the judge and the jury that day with the fate of those others in his hands whether they lived or died. May the good lord rest his sole.
I find it amazing just how many people who were not there know exactly what happened. Going against the words of the people who were there and saw it. If the people that saw it as well as the Sherriff say this guy was a Hero. Then swallow your fing pride take off your hat and call a fellow driver WHO DIED a Hero.
Someone made the comment that all truckers will always try to stop if they see danger. Come to Canada with our new canadians and then tell me that again. If you dont believe me just ask the Humbolt Broncos. A new Canadian killed 16 of them on when he hit thier bus. So with that said when a driver avoids and doesn’t kill someone they are a hero.
I have had my CDL since 1997 with not a single accident.
Well a loaded truck with explosives killed 236 of my fellow MARINES in Beirut 1983 so I find it very easy to say when a truck was used as a Weapon.
The 40-year-old was described as a “strong, courageous person” by his family and “very heroic” by police.
No offense to the innocent bystanders, but this will never be said of me. I’m not going out that way. No way. Nope. Never. However, I’m driving fairly good now so my survival looks good.
If he had plowed into the cars his name would have been all over the country by now, on every media outlet. I haven’t heard a single word about this incident. I wonder why. (sarcasm)
I heard about it on the TV in Houston, TX
This driver is a hero, and should be remembered as such. My sympathy to his family.
The real problem here it is a ongoing construction area with reduced lane width and a 60mph speed limit which most drivers travel 70 mph. This section has had 5 deaths since construction began. Four were CDL holders.
Area drivers are now avoiding this stretch of road for fear of their life.
I have been trying to get WisDot to lower the speed limit for month’s now and my request falls on deaf ears. I talked with three newspapers last week after last weeks double deaths. I am even involved with politics and have not succeeded as of Yet. Since I am friends with the Governor I may make a special trip to Madison next week. Did have a couple of state legislators sign and send a letter to the DOT.
Had one similar in Houston last week,Were a driver drove off the San Jacinto River bridge to keep from hitting a car that was in his lane stop at 3:30 in the morning, just happened in front of him and didn’t see him until to late according to the news, but you know how the news IS. Only tell what they want you to here.
Gary….I agree with you on that point “but you know how the news IS. Only tell what they want you to hear “. The Toledo Blade in 2005 said in their article on my accident “the truck collided with the car “. Really ? The car ran a red light into the right rear of my truck ! Funny how the police reports can be manipulated by crooked police officers, and the paper prints it ,and if it’s in print…..people believe it to be the truth. I lost my CDL because of the Ohio Police not telling the truth. You cannot fight crooked police who lie. no one holds them accountable for their dishonesty.
It’s really sad to see the comments here
Some respectful
Mostly attacking each other in such a paltry display of ego.
You imbeciles do realize that two men lost their lives in this incident…..correct?
If you deem it necessary to only think of yourself in this instance.
You are the problem within our society today.
And perhaps instead of correspondence with others you should have an introspective view of yourself and ask.
What would have I done in that instant he had to react to the situation presented ?
Sarcasm is mearly showing a lack of intelligence, and is blatantly disrespectful to the families.
Sometimes silence is the best reaction.
My condolences to the families for the loss of your loved ones.
Please keep in mind of your Safety and others. Remember following and stopping distance between you and others. Don’t be a crowd follower. You are the Professional and by all means, slow down, freight can be replaced but your life is irreplaceable……Trucker’s and Student Truckers be courteous to one another and to the public, please.
For everyone on here talking about he should’ve kept his spacing, I have to wonder how many of those same people drive down the interstate at night doing the speed limit 55 or 65. Remember you should only travel as fast as what allows you to stop within the distance of what your headlights illuminate. Think about That for a moment.