Stillwater / Error blamed in SUV plunge

I am happy to know that the two survivors of this unfortunate accident are on the mend. What happened is a common mistake made probably every day. Stepping on the gas instead of the brake - especially in a vehicle one is not familiar with (rental car) is perfectly understandable. These two ladies have been through a nightmare and I wish them nothing but the best and hope they can move on with the rest of their lives now.

Move to the United Kingdom and try driving there.

I'm sorry to everyone involved in the accident, but the headline here is just so stupid!! Error blamed in plunge? Really??!!! I would have never guessed...

The head line should have read:
" Excess gas blamed for plunge in river"

How is it that these people are working 12 to 18 hours a day (as stated by the Police)? Is Ameriprise running some kind of sweatshop where it is taking advantage of these people who may not know that a customary work week is 40 hours in the US, and that you should get overtime after that? Or did Ameriprise work these people to the point that fatigue took over, rendering them unsafe to drive? The driver may have made a mistake, but perhaps the blame for this rests with Ameriprise for working these people like farm animals.

What wrote:

The head line should have read:
" Excess gas blamed for plunge in river"

Should have been "Ill-equiped and untrained driver kills friends".

So first bet on who they will sue. The auto maker for making the pedals so similar? The police for not taking them off the road sooner? The state for making her Uturn by a river? The rental car company for not giving her training before taking the wheel of the vehicle? I guess we'll find out in about 3 months.

What wrote:

The head line should have read:
" Excess gas blamed for plunge in river"

That would sound like an add for Gas-X

Former Customer wrote:

How is it that these people are working 12 to 18 hours a day (as stated by the Police)? Is Ameriprise running some kind of sweatshop where it is taking advantage of these people who may not know that a customary work week is 40 hours in the US, and that you should get overtime after that? Or did Ameriprise work these people to the point that fatigue took over, rendering them unsafe to drive? The driver may have made a mistake, but perhaps the blame for this rests with Ameriprise for working these people like farm animals.

Is this person nuts! Sounds liek former customers and must have screwed something up and is blaming the company now

Wait, it's NOT the SUV's fault?

When I first saw the headline it sounded to me like Stillwater was to blame for the accident. The first thing I thought of was the lawyers having a field day with this. My husband was in a car accident about 1 mos ago, and we had to send a report to the state. You should see the letters daily from lawyers and chiropractors looking for a cut of our tragedy. Its pathetic to me. After reading the article I have now re-interpreted the headline. God bless those who perished and also those who survived. Hopefully the lawyers etc. will leave these people alone and let them go on with their lives and not benefit from their tragedy.

di di wrote:

When I first saw the headline it sounded to me like Stillwater was to blame for the accident. The first thing I thought of was the lawyers having a field day with this. My husband was in a car accident about 1 mos ago, and we had to send a report to the state. You should see the letters daily from lawyers and chiropractors looking for a cut of our tragedy. Its pathetic to me. After reading the article I have now re-interpreted the headline. God bless those who perished and also those who survived. Hopefully the lawyers etc. will leave these people alone and let them go on with their lives and not benefit from their tragedy.

Lawyers can be vultures. Their first priority is getting what ever $$$$ they can for themselves. The cost of lawyers is the reason only some people can afford justice. If you have no money, you get no justice. Occasionally you run across a lawyer who keeps his fees within reality and those lawyers are rare. Good luck on your case. It seems like the only time there is any justice is in a legal case such as your own. Otherwise, forget it. The sky is the limit when you're in a situation where you have to pay a lawyer by the hour. That is a scarey experience.

Concerned in Twin Cities wrote:

I am happy to know that the two survivors of this unfortunate accident are on the mend. What happened is a common mistake made probably every day. Stepping on the gas instead of the brake - especially in a vehicle one is not familiar with (rental car) is perfectly understandable. These two ladies have been through a nightmare and I wish them nothing but the best and hope they can move on with the rest of their lives now.

What? How? What difference does it make what kind of car you're in? Accelerator is right, brake is left. This is standard no matter where you are, even if you are in a right-hand drive vehicle.

This is an unfortunate accident, but I will never understand how one can accidentally use the accelerator instead of the brake.

Stepping on the gas and standing on it is quite common. A friend is a drivers license examiner and has had that occur numerous times.

Once a driver stomped on the gas running into the parked car in front of them, tires smoking. And continued to stand on the gas until my buddy turned off the ignition key.

The brain is an interesting organ, for some reason some people lock up on the gas. Go figure.

Not to say I told ya so but this explanation was one of the first explanations out here.

BTW it has NOTHING to do with a persons country of origin/ethenticity.

However these green card employees are taken advantage of.

i have rented cars..before...gas pedal on right ..brake on left..always the same..
hopefully this response wont get censured as my 1st one did

Censors are busy, I guess they want to remind all of us what it's like to be in China or Russia!

Nip that free speach in the bud.

==========

terry wrote:

i have rented cars..before...gas pedal on right ..brake on left..always the same..
hopefully this response wont get censured as my 1st one did

Not that it's recommended but those who have a problem distinguishing one pedal from another should learn to drive with both feet - right foot gas and left foot brake. Then again, perhaps that would makes things worse.

Beyond that - the idea that they were overworked having something to do with the accident may be right on.

Strider54 wrote:

Not that it's recommended but those who have a problem distinguishing one pedal from another should learn to drive with both feet - right foot gas and left foot brake. Then again, perhaps that would makes things worse.
Beyond that - the idea that they were overworked having something to do with the accident may be right on.

My husband drives like that!!! He was used to driving a clutch/stick transmission and had to use his foot for the clutch and just got used to using his left foot for the brake too. We have all automatic transmissions and he still uses his other foot for the brake. Weird!

There is no difference in the pedals from one car to another, but maybe what can make a difference to an individual is the size of the inside of the vehicle and might disorientate some individuals. When I drive a different vehicle and it feels different like that I find myself being especially cautious when stepping on the gas. If you don't take the time to adjust the seat, etc., that could sure change the feel of the vehicle and be completely foreign to you. Even if it can't be understood, it does happen. It will never happen to the majority of us.

I should add, when stepping on the wrong pedal - it's likely a freak accident. It wouldn't be something an individual would usually have trouble with.

Something that happened to me one time that was a little scarey because it was glare ice in the winter time. The floor mats in the vehicle were not an ideal fit. I noticed that even though I was not giving the vehicle gas it was still going 30 with no sign of slowing down unless I hit the brakes. That's not a nice problem to have on the ice. I pulled into a lot and noticed that the floor mat on the drivers side had slid over the gas pedal and was giving it just enough gas to run at a good clip without my having to touch the pedal.(I didn't put the ill fitting mats in btw, hubby did.)

Concerned in Twin Cities wrote:

Something that happened to me one time that was a little scarey because it was glare ice in the winter time. The floor mats in the vehicle were not an ideal fit. I noticed that even though I was not giving the vehicle gas it was still going 30 with no sign of slowing down unless I hit the brakes. That's not a nice problem to have on the ice. I pulled into a lot and noticed that the floor mat on the drivers side had slid over the gas pedal and was giving it just enough gas to run at a good clip without my having to touch the pedal.(I didn't put the ill fitting mats in btw, hubby did.)

I drove a VW Beetale years ago that had little heat, if any. Snow would pile up around the pedals, which were mounted on the floor, and cause all kinds of problems.
BTW - I used to drive clutch/stick tranys too but I think the reason for two foot driving has more to do with driving in snow actually.

hey, anyone can drive into a river. I've done it many times.