Close calls

well you got lucky, but i had 2 different drivers come at me head on..
one was on I-295 in NJ, must have been a drunk driver...the other was on I-95 in CT and it was a very old man that got on the highway by using the wrong exit..

both times my heart raced, both times i escaped an accident, injury or death...

yep, fun out there, ain't it..??

 

Years ago, on a cold icy January about 4AM, I hit black ice on I 94 in Indiana, about the 30 MM running west. I knew it was slick, but suddenly I see lights coming at me, eastbound in the westbound lanes. Several cars had spun, and were facing east. I hit the shoulder about 35MPH, and got around them, without sliding myself, or hitting anything. To this day,I still don't know how.

I remember shaking for about 10 miles after that!

 

About a month ago on I-10 east in Fontana, ca. Traveling east at about 57 mph about 0600. White toyota p/u goes by in the hammer lane and starts changing lanes to the right, crosses 3 lanes, onto the shoulder, through the fence and into a tree. No turn signals, no brake lights. I stopped and contacted CHP and checked on driver. Not hurt but not very aware of what was happening. If I had bee 100 feet further down the road I think he would have driven right under my trailer.

 

This past winter, I was stuck outside Dallas/FT. Worth with couple of hundred other during the winter storm. I started rolling around 0500 and was leading a convoy of about 10 trucks or so. It was nothing but ice but a patch of road here and there. What I thought was a patch of road turned out to be nothing but more ice. I didnt spin but my steering wheel was free with trailer sliding. I told my wife to hold on as we were about to be in a ditch soon enough. I don't know how or what saved us that day but, THANK YOU.

 

When I was driving entertainer buses, I had several people come at me on the wrong side of a 4 lane highway, luckily I had my bus equipped with strobe lights, at least they didn't hit me head on.

I had a car in 1993 cross the centerline in broad daylight and run head on into me killing the driver and rolling my semi over. I still hear the crash at impact...........

 

Nope, No close calls.

Just 2 bulls-eyes !!!


Stevens Transport, he came across the median, but he missed me, and hit the overpass instead.

He died.

Rocor, slammed into me going down a little hill in wyoming.

He died.

 

January of 2007, I-65 SB just south of Gary, IN. Very bad ice that night in Chicagoland, and points South and East, plenty of big trucks and 4 wheelers alike in the ditch already.

Me and most other vehicles on the road at the time with common sense were doing less than 40 MPH, and my plan was to get to Lowell (exit 240 I think) and shut down.

Had a Chevy Silverado with a gooseneck start to pass me (When 40 was probably too fast to begin with) He clears my front bumper and begins to merge, and all i can see for the next few seconds is that trailer wagging back and forth like a baseball bat until it totally jacknifes stopping dead in front of me. I'm on the brakes and all I can hear is the ABS chattering.

I had nowhere to go but the left shoulder, and I cleared the front of the pickup by inches. my LF steer I know dropped off the side, since my face got plastered to the window, but maybe my drives and tandems hung on. looked in the mirror and at one point i knew i was leaning at almost a 45 degree angle. All I know is that I was sure I was going to dump that truck on its side. The instant I cleared him I yanked the wheel hard to the right and ended up back on the road. Literally dripping with sweat and shaking, i went no more than 20 MPH down to Lowell. the rest of the traffic behind me must have gotten caught behind him and stopped.

I credit staying safe that night to angels watching over me, and nothing else. NO WAY should my truck have stayed upright. My load (Roll Paper) shifted and slid and i ended up going to a warehouse and having it reloaded. If it wasn't for ABS I would have simply clobbered him.

 

if you're tipped that far you were very lucky to bring it back up. trying to pull it up is what usually finishes you off. if the ditch is driveable at that point usually you're better take it all the way into the ditch

 

Last summer on U.S. 10 West in Wisconsin right by Waupaca at about 2a.m. I saw a vehicle coming towards me so I dimmed my high beams and they did the same. When they passed me I noticed it was a red Jeep with a soft top. I drove about another mile before I realized they had just passed me going East bound in the West bound lanes. I called 911, discribed the vehicle and told them what had happened.