Bad Day On CA 60

In the drivers defense.

Think of it like this.

When you notice that your flammable load is on fire, are you going to be concerned where you are or getting out of the truck?

 

Personally, yes. I would be concerned where I stop the truck.

But like I said, I don't want to second guess the guy. For all I know it wouldn't roll anymore. But that's not what the article makes out.

 

Maybe you would. Most likely not.

I remember having employees tell me what they would do when their house is on fire.

Unlike them, I already know. My house had been on fire and I know what I did.

As a trained firefighter, if the truck caught fire and was flammable, I would be leaving the truck and trying to stop traffic.

You cannot do that if you die.

 

I was a volunteer firefighter for several years. I did a lot of SCBA training and all that. I'm not claiming to be a hero or anything, but I have entered burning buildings.

Like I said, I don't know what this driver faced, But if at all possible I would not have stopped there. Even if it meant spending several more seconds in the truck. That's my choice.


--You would have abandoned the truck under the overpass... good for you! LoL.

 

I said in his defense.

I would have been seeing the buildup of the smoke probably quicker.

I go into burning buildings as well. I just was making a statement, that a flight urge might have happened.

Most likely, the trailer was not burning very much when he stopped. However, maybe the trailer brakes seized.

Who knows.

 

Well, I must plead guilty to at least some of the above...In the 90's when I was hauling fuel for a "major" and a distraught young man decided to commit suicide by truck...The resulting fire caused the 710/405 junction to be closed for 36 hours..The fire caused the concrete to melt. To this day, I can still see scorch marks on the concrete at that junction. When you have 9200 gallons of fuel 18" behind you and it starts to burn...you bail..

 

I don't pull tankers. If I did I would have to study up on the subject.

But I believe if the tank isn't ruptured, but on fire it can burn for quite some time before a BLEVE.

It would still burn hot enough to melt your skin off, but unless the driver was "criminally inattentive" there was probably still time in this case to at least yank it past the overcross. I'm still not blaming the guy, but really curious. Pretty dumb luck if it just so happen to lock up right there...

But again, the article makes it sound like he really chose to stop right there. Then by the time he decided to move it the fire escalated.

 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBF65lCV4uc[/ame]

Video of the fire check out how close those firefighters got to the fire.

 

Not as close as you think.

They are shooting the foam about as far as you can.