Eight Dead In Will Rogers Turnpike Crash

OMG, we were just there at the same location yesterday. My heart goes out to all the families involved. Geez, this is horrible!

Oh, my. Looks aweful.

From the comments made on the tv, sound like the truck driver was either asleep or on a cell phone to not see a line of stopped traffic and just plow into them never hitting his or her brakes. I drove truck for 40 years and we didn't have problems like they do with the drivers today. You can't learn to drive a truck from a book. What a shame, all those people gone.

Dave wrote:

From the comments made on the tv, sound like the truck driver was either asleep or on a cell phone to not see a line of stopped traffic and just plow into them never hitting his or her brakes. I drove truck for 40 years and we didn't have problems like they do with the drivers today. You can't learn to drive a truck from a book. What a shame, all those people gone.

Amazing that you should mention this. I drive I44 Turner Turnpike alot and lately I'm shocked at how many truckers are on their cell phones! What happened to CB's, it's scary out there!

I'm so sorry for the lives lost. Very tragic.

Cell phone use and texting while driving is just as dangerous, if not more, than driving while intoxicated.

As always, there appear to be several people jumping to conclusions. Has anyone stopped to think that maybe something else happened to him/her, such as a heart attack or seizure? I drove a truck for the better part of twenty years and have found that there are more things that cause accidents than just talking and/or texting. I'd suggest we wait for the investigation to be over before making any judgments.
BTW, one news report I heard said there was already an accident ahead of him/her, not that he/she caused it.

God bless those families involved. My thoughts and prayers to you. what a loss. so sad

Hey...I'm a trucker too and i see just as many people in cars on their cell phones. So don't go blaming a trucker. And we don't know the whole story of who caused this accident.

Noone should draw conclusions on this sad day... we should wait until all the details come out and then we can lay the blame.. His brakes could have failed do to the heat... he could have been trying to avoid something on the highway... any number of things besides the physical problems that could have caused this wreck...Let us pray for the loved ones of those lost!!!! and pray for the truck driver because even if it really wasn't his fault... he may never be able to drive again after this horrible scene... it does things to your mind...Let us Pray!!!

It does not mater what the trucker will be blamed for every thing just like they always are and we will never know the truth of what did happen. As a trucker this happens every day some where.

I find it funny most are blaming the truck for being on a cell phone. You arm chair detectives have NO clue what happened and should wait to comment until the investigative truth comes out.

Thoughts to the families that lost loved one. Tragic day indeed.

Now do you people understand why it is so EXTREMELY DANGEROUS to STOP on the FREEWAY??

This is what happens.

Over and out.

That seems to be a deadly stretch of highway right there. I if it's not planes crashing into it, it's awesome wrecks like that, and most that I remember involve a big rig.

If traffic was already stopped for a wreck already, why wasn't he slowing down? How do you not see a parking lot?

yes i drive atruck too. im heading that way tonight. its a local truck. they haul to sav a lot. its a day cab. sorry for all them people and the driver.

Night Bandit wrote:

Hey...I'm a trucker too and i see just as many people in cars on their cell phones. So don't go blaming a trucker. And we don't know the whole story of who caused this accident.

Also you have to take into account the heat plays hard on car and truck tires causing blowouts.Also tailgating goes on alot on the turnpikes. I know I drive them everyday!Also folks if your going to drive slow use the right hand lane and dont hold up the passing lane cause you want to enjoy the scenery.

Oh boy! as always you can't just read and shut up if you don't have something respectful to say. Leave the fault finding to the investigators and go back to doing whatever it is you do besides whine...

* 5,212 people were killed in crashes involving large trucks in 2005, representing about 12-13 percent of all traffic fatalities. Of these, 78 percent were occupants of another vehicle, 15 percent were large truck occupants, and 9 percent were non-occupants. An additional 114,000 people were reported injured in those crashes (based on data published in 2004 Projections, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), April 21, 2005),

* The annual death toll from truck-related crashes is the equivalent of 52 major airline crashes every year, one crash every week resulting in 95 deaths.

* Large trucks are 9 percent of all vehicles involved in fatal crashes and represent 11-13 percent of all crash fatalities despite the fact that large trucks make up only 3 percent of all registered vehicles (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), 2001-2006; NHTSA, 2001-2005).

* The fatality rate for big combination truck (tractor-trailer) crashes in 2005 was 2.34 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (MVMT), almost double the rate for passenger vehicles (1.14 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled)(NHTSA 2005, FMCSA 2007).

* Large trucks are more likely to be involved in fatal multiple-vehicle crashes, as opposed to single-vehicle crashes, than are passenger vehicles. Eighty-four (84) percent of all large trucks fatal crashes were multiple-vehicle collisions in 2002, compared with only 62 percent for passenger vehicles)(IIHS, 2004).

* Almost 3 times as many large trucks are involved in injury crashes than passenger vehicle per 100 MVMT (FMCSA, 2004).

* Passenger vehicle occupants die in record numbers in collisions with large trucks because of the great difference in weight between cars and large trucks. In two-vehicle crashes involving passenger vehicles and large trucks, 98 percent of the fatalities were occupants of the passenger vehicle. More than 1 out of every 5 occupant deaths in passenger vehicles that had multi-vehicle fatal collisions in 2002 was the result of crashes involving large trucks (IIHS, 2004).

LvCntryLife wrote:

<quoted text>
Amazing that you should mention this. I drive I44 Turner Turnpike alot and lately I'm shocked at how many truckers are on their cell phones! What happened to CB's, it's scary out there!

Is a CB any safer to use while driving than a cell phone?

Night Bandit wrote:

Hey...I'm a trucker too and i see just as many people in cars on their cell phones. So don't go blaming a trucker. And we don't know the whole story of who caused this accident.

After having many near miss's while driving a 40 foot motor home, I tend to think cars are usually the cause even though truckers usually get the blame.