Flying Ice Injures Pa. Ambulance Driver

December 21, 2007

  • December 21, 2007 at 2:08 am
    Dread says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    Why was the truck driver stopped in the first place? No laws were broken. It’s physically impossible and equally impractical to expect a big rig driver to to clear the top of a trailer of snow & ice. There was no negligence hence no liability. This is purely natural phenomenon that falls into the ” _ hit happens” category. The other lesson to learn is not to follow close behing a big rig during winter storms.

  • December 21, 2007 at 2:18 am
    Hank says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    Hey Dread,
    I think it would more aptly be classified under the “WTF” category! Hell in a handbasket, I tell ya! That’s where this country is going!

  • December 21, 2007 at 2:53 am
    Hibbsey says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    Women Drivers……..

  • December 21, 2007 at 3:05 am
    Exactly! says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    This appears to be wishful thinking on the part of the ambulance personell. Ice off the top of a trailer is a road hazard & obviously, she was following too close. Would they expect the same result if it was a private trailer & she was tailgating?

  • December 21, 2007 at 4:05 am
    The Captain says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    Actually, in PA it IS a law that motorists do need to clean snow and ice from their vehicles before treading out on the roadways. It is suppossed to be considered a “negligent act” on the truck driver for not taking proper precautions but this is PA and nobody cares obviously. Reference PennDot Motor Vehicle Code, Chapter 37, Subchapter A, Code 3720. Merry Christmas!

  • December 21, 2007 at 4:54 am
    KLS says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    Law or not, how is it possible/practical/safe for truck drivers to get up there and get the ice or snow off the tops of their trailers?

    It isn’t like this is a common service at the Petro.

  • December 22, 2007 at 10:23 am
    wudchuck says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    um….it’s not where’s the beef, but where did the ice did blow?!

    i used to be an OTR driver trainer for 7 yrs. it might be a PA DOT reg, but you can’t force that reg on part for a big rig.

    1) no way for him/her to get ontop of that trailer and remove that.

    2) there are no common services anywhere that does that kind of work.

    this is a natural road hazard. it like stating that the PA State interior department is responsible for all the animals and when they come across the road, we would sue YOU and stop YOU the PADOT for not controlling your habitat. that is why these are filed as a comp clm for the vehicle and your employer’s workmans comp claim handles the medical. afterall, what is insurance for – it was designed for accidents in mind. that truck driver should have been not stopped for any reason.

    fyi: from the cold of the article –

    MERRY XMAS!

  • December 26, 2007 at 9:43 am
    Iceman says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    You really can’t expect a Truck driver to clean the top of the rig. However, it is not appropriate to accuse the ambulance driver of tailgating when you don’t know that for a fact. Some of those sheets of ice can catch a lot of air before crashing to the ground. I’ve seen it myself and dodged a few despite being a hundred + yards behind the truck (and it was in PA none the less).

  • December 26, 2007 at 9:55 am
    wudchuck says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    i know, having been a truck driver for 7 yrs OTR. you are correct, you could be 2 car lengths behind and still get hit, just like the alligator from the truck (for those not familiar with words of the trucking industry – the tire tread). either way, it can’t be a truck driver’s fault for the ice flying from the top of the truck. we don’t have deicers, like a plane would get deiced prior to a flight. we would not have anyway to get ontop (that would even be dangerous for the driver standing ontop of ice). so please, folks are just stupid thinking that this is an easy solution. next thing you are going to tell me is that we will create a heating bay that can melt the ice down from the top of the truck. um…that wud be interesting but that would mean every dock or facility that has trucks going in/out would have to have one of these onsite and every truckstop. but that would not be a satisfactory solution and very costly in time and money. so that is the reason why mother nature (comprehensive coverage is available and your medical benefits.)

  • December 26, 2007 at 12:39 pm
    Frank says:
    Like or Dislike:
    Thumb up 0
    Thumb down 0

    this does not sound like it was anyone’s fault. stuff happens and unfortunately it is bad. http://www.arizonaautoinsurance.cc



Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*