I-94 Eau Claire WI fatal accident :(

Well before you know the facts or the details you should not assume. I was one of those drivers and I was not tailgating I was more than a quarter of a mile away in the pitch-black Darkness the other two trucks were sitting in the dark after they collided with each other I couldn't see them until I was too close to get out away

 

Well I know I was not following too closely it was proven from the black boxes in the trucks and the driver of the third truck I clipped the second truck trying to avoid them couldn't see them because they were sitting in the dark

 

so...Let me get this right, 2 trucks collide and all of a sudden, NO Lights, No Fire, No nothing? No debris, No smoke? Absolutely nothing to let you know something bad is about to appear?

Experience would have most likely helped you avoid that collision........Prayers for the deceased, And Hope You are doing well also

 

Well partner I'm not a rookie I'm the driver of the third truck the first two trucks done collided with each other until the second driver in which case they were also sitting in the dark and I didn't see them appear in the darkness until it was too late and I did not have the distance to Swerve without hitting the second truck

 

Well to be honest it was very windy it was also very cloudy with dark clouds so there was no Moonlight and that particular section of the interstate just before Eau Claire has no lights anywhere it's all trees it was extremely dark all I remember seeing is a dark Square silhouette of something in the Darkness I put my turn signal on looked in my mirror and when I brought my eyes back forward I had to swerve and Sewer of hard because something big and square was right there it turned out to be those other two trucks that is why I am the only one who is the victim and the other two are totally at fault I was the only one who made an evasive maneuvers to try to avoid them but when that second truck hit the first truck at 68 miles an hour without turning his wheel touching his brakes or turning off his Crews it crushed his entire cab and killed him instantly which then took out his lights and locked up his brakes now they're sitting in the dark

 

And as far as experience I think I'm pretty well experienced I've been driving for 25 years I have never flip a truck I have never ever gotten into an accident that was my fault and I have a clean record 425 years I think experience talks for itself I'm still alive and that's because of my experience if I would have reacted like most drivers would have from their Natural Instincts that they were taught when they were 16 years old driving a car not a semi I would have been dead because I would have reacted by slamming on the brakes and holding the wheel straight and I would have been in the same position as that second truck crushing myself against his trailer the only option was to swerve and not swerve and hit the break because then you flipped the truck the only option I had at that time was to Swerve and that is why I'm still here today

 

Well to be honest there was only one rookie and that was the guy who stopped in the interstate apparently he had an air leak on the Forward Air trailer that he was pulling and instead of getting off on the shoulder he stayed on the interstate until his valves popped and locked up his brakes in which the second truck from Transport America driving along at 68 miles an hour not paying attention and obviously didn't see the first driver sitting there in the right lane of the interstate all lit up with his hazards on slammed right in the back of him never touched his brakes killed himself instantly which then took out the lights on his trailer now they're sitting there in the dark and here I come more than a quarter of a mile away I couldn't see them until it was too close for me to get out of the way and I ended up clipping that second truck trying to avoid them could not see them in the Darkness until I was too close and didn't have the distance needed to get out of the way trailing at 67 miles an hour. But me or the second driver we're not rookies the first one was he was only 27 years old I've been driving myself for 25 years with a clean record the full 25 years

 

I wonder this when I drive: I see trucks and cars off in the median when the roads are dry. When it begins to get wet, I see a few more. When the snow flys, it looks like a junkyard in the median. And this is new to me because I am a child of the 80's and was raised in Michigan. Once in a while, there would be some cars in the median when there was snow. NEVER when it was raining or dry. This is ALL texting and driving. We all see it. Everyone I pass now is looking at their cell phones. It's truly insanity. You look down, type, and next thing you know, you're in the shoulder. Then freak out and over correct on your steering which leads to all of these vehicles in the median. The state needs to start punishing Poole for texting and driving the same as they do with drunk driving. After three times, it's a felony and you go to prison. I'm wondering if anyone agrees if it's texting that's causing all of this.

 

Hi shon, I apologize for the "rookie" remark. It does happen fast. I just find it a little hard to believe you didn't see this coming up. I was always a stickler for having my headlights adjusted properly, and some of these newer trucks with the plastic headlights I've seen, are so "clouded over", I'm surprised they can see anything at all. Everybody's an expert, I know, after the fact, but if I saw a dark square silhouette of something ahead, I would have immediately let of the throttle and not "hammer down" and see what happens. I'm glad you are ok, and quite frankly, you are right. I got out of trucking because 35 years of accident free driving, doesn't guarantee 36, and my time was coming. Just the law of averages. Again, thank heaven you are ok. Btw, did you keep driving? Something like that would for sure send me off to Walmart.

 

Yeah I understand what you're saying that if you saw a dark Square silhouette you would be letting up off the throttle butt when I saw this dark Square silhouette it look like it was quite a ways away but the second I saw it I turn my turn signal on and looked in my mirror at the same time for a fraction of a second and then look back forward and there it was it was so close I didn't have a chance to stop or let up off the gas all I had was to serve as hard as I could because the second I saw the dark Square silhouette of something that look like it was quite a ways away that I was coming up to apparently it wasn't quite a ways away my headlights barely lit up the square silhouette so I can see them and just in the matter of time it took to turn my head to look in the mirror and turn my turn signal on at the same time and turn my head forward again that's when I saw her the dark Square silhouette become was right there in front of me I was doing 67 miles an hour and they were sitting still I didn't have time to get out of the way. And I know it seems hard to believe that I couldn't see him sooner which I understand usually you can see Vehicles sit in the dark for quite a ways because of other lights or houses that might be shining or because of the moonlight that is shining down or because you have your high beams on well I had my low beams on it was extremely cloudy with dark clouds 30 below zero with high winds and there was no Moonlight because of the clouds and this particular area on I-94 is nothing but tall forest trees and Bluffs there is no lights anywhere you can't see lights from houses there's no street lights we weren't close enough to Eau Claire to see the city lights it's just nothing but dark dark trees and no moonlight and I had my low beams on and I'm driving a semi the distance from the time I seen the dark silhouette to the time I clipped it wasn't enough time for me to let up off the throttle and Brake I would have slammed right into him no way to stop in time then one thing I regret as I did not have my high beams on and the funniest thing was I just turn them off a few minutes prior to that because of another vehicle come in the other way before we got to the tree line but I also realized didn't seem like anybody was ahead of me anyway although I run that road every single night and I run my high beams from time to time especially in that area to look out for deer never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought a semi trailer in the dark would be so hard to see until you're too close and it's too late butt this time that's how that happened it was just so dark I couldn't see it until it was already too late and I was not texting I was not doing anything other than looking out my windshield driving down the road and thinking to myself I'm almost to my first stop and I just started my shift and I was thankful the roads were dry except it was very windy and it was blowing snow dust all over and it was 30 below zero and very very dark. Out of the state and federal investigators and insurance investigators May company investigators everybody has determined I did nothing wrong in fact I did everything right so I'm the only victim and because of that my company wants me back if I'm willing to come back and Abel but unfortunately I'm still out of work recovering from all of the injuries I was messed up pretty #### bad and I still have roughly two more years to go before I might be able to go back to work but yes my company wants me back my customers want me back if I'm able and willing and yes I'm willing and if I'm able I'm going to. I so appreciate your remarks it's been a year and I just happened to come across this site and started reading what some of the drivers are saying and it just amazes me how everybody knows everything when they don't know a #### thing but anyway I do understand some of the people's comments about following too closely or texting because sure I've been out there I've watched I've seen and I would say a majority of the accidents with semis are because of texting or falling asleep dozing off at the wheel or those Billy big rigger ######## that follow too closely. But unfortunately this accident had nothing to do with any of that following too closely or any of that stuff texting. This was because a young guy driver had no idea what to do until his brakes locked up on him while still in the interstate. So this incident basically started because a young rookie unexperienced had no idea what to do when he heard the air valve alarm and Light and never got off the road and then the air leak continued until his air valves popped locking up his brakes while he was still in the interstate . Now as far as the second guy I have no idea and nobody knows but it was so #### dark and this guy was lit up with his lights but the second guy apparently never seen him sitting there and slammed right into him but it damaged his truck so bad it took out his lights and now he's sitting in the dark waiting to jump out at me in the dark when I got there ... big nightmare and thanks for your kind words and if you are still driving or do still drive be careful out there it's the other idiots that will get you Tangled Up