Killed while refueling on the highway

"Takuro Spirit" (takurospirit)
02/17/2016 at 10:03 • Filed to: car crashes

18 year old Ryan Yauck was struck and killed Monday at around 12:30PM while filling his car with gas on the side of a four lane divided highway.

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As more and more of the story is released, more and more questions have been answered, but a few major ones still remain:

1. How does a seemingly bright, college bound young man with a late model Honda Civic run out of gas in the first place?

2. Why did he not fully pull off the shoulder, presumably knowing his fuel door was on the traffic facing side of the car?

3. Did he have the gas can with him in the car, possibly indicating that he knew he had a bad gas gauge? Or did he walk to the nearest gas station or house to obtain the can, and the gas?

4. How and why did the 34 year old unnamed driver of the van not see him? Why was he out of his lane (as was reported)?

Hopefully the details of the story are released, though as most things in small towns go these days, unless you know the victim or the accused you’ll never hear what truly happened. Or it’ll be buried by the next news story to hit the headlines.

DISCUSSION (28)

Klaus Schmoll > Takuro Spirit
02/17/2016 at 10:14

And this is why you get a ticket when you run out of gas on the Autobahn. Vehicles are complex machines and there are many different reasons for them to stop working. Running out of gas is pure user error.

Short-throw Granny Shifter is 2 #blessed 2b stressed > Takuro Spirit
02/17/2016 at 10:19

What a tragedy, but it now makes me realize that having the fuel filler door on the passenger side may be a safety feature. Up until now, I thought it was nothing but an inconvenience, being a NJ resident and having to reach over the passenger to hand over my money every time the attendent filled up my gas.

Takuro Spirit > Klaus Schmoll
02/17/2016 at 10:26

To me it seems the easiest variable in this tragedy to avoid.

ttyymmnn > Takuro Spirit
02/17/2016 at 10:36

I think it’s a “moth to the flame” situation. Drivers look at something on the side of the road and unconsciously move towards it. That’s why we have move-over laws for emergency vehicles on the shoulder, and why I try to move over for anybody stopped on the shoulder.

And, according to the salesman who sold me my Golf, why the gas fill is on the right side of the car, so you aren't standing in traffic if you run out of gas.

Rico > ttyymmnn
02/17/2016 at 10:47

Seriously, one thing they get right is the location of the fuel door. I never understood this concept of being more convenient being by the driver door.

Either way, my car would never run out of gas on the road. You’d have to be an idiot for that to happen.

EL_ULY > Takuro Spirit
02/17/2016 at 10:55

fuuuuck man that sux :’(

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Takuro Spirit
02/17/2016 at 10:55

This is probably not what happened here, but I was driving my grandmother’s car for two weeks and ran it out of gas because I wasn’t watching the fuel gauge closely and forgot that the gas tank in her car is 1/2 the size of the tank in my car.

Takuro Spirit > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
02/17/2016 at 11:03

Story claimed the car was his. But who knows.

ttyymmnn > Rico
02/17/2016 at 11:16

I think they put the fill on the left side not because it’s more convenient but because drivers (in most of the world) are used to driving on the right side of things. My Golf has the fill on the right side, but our Odyssey has it on the left side. And I have to stop and think every time I pull up to the gas station, and still get it wrong from time to time, but mostly I get it wrong in the Golf. We are simply conditioned to drive on the right.

Takuro Spirit > ttyymmnn
02/17/2016 at 11:19

We have a move over/slow down law for emergency vehicles/road construction/tow trucks, but nothing in the law about stopped civilians. I try to give them ALL room, because I’ve been on the side of the road. No fun with vehicles whipping by you at 70-80mph.

I’m calling it now, family will sue Honda for putting the filler neck on the passenger side, causing the dangerous situation.

Your boy, BJR > Short-throw Granny Shifter is 2 #blessed 2b stressed
02/17/2016 at 11:22

Oh hai fellow NJ person.

Or in our language: AYYY!

Short-throw Granny Shifter is 2 #blessed 2b stressed > Your boy, BJR
02/17/2016 at 11:25

I’m from South Jersey so YOOOOOOOOO!

smobgirl > Takuro Spirit
02/17/2016 at 11:28

Eh, I’m not going to judge too much about #1. I have no idea how much gas is left in a Civic when the light comes on (it didn’t work in my old one) but I’ve definitely pushed the limits with our company car when I really just couldn’t stop (either no time or no gas stations anywhere nearby). That car goes over 60 miles with the fuel light on.

I actually about had a panic attack in my Fiat the other day because the light came on - I thought I could make it to my preferred station, but about 5 miles away the screen started insistently flashing “WARNING LOW FUEL.” I stopped immediately but it turned out I probably had 20 miles until empty.

Takuro Spirit > smobgirl
02/17/2016 at 11:32

But to be driving in the winter THAT CLOSE to empty is asking for trouble. Light or no.

Strangely enough, I worked at a place near where it happened. He was only about 1/4 mile from a Mobil station. :(

Your boy, BJR > Short-throw Granny Shifter is 2 #blessed 2b stressed
02/17/2016 at 11:50

Oooohhhh!

Whereabouts?

Short-throw Granny Shifter is 2 #blessed 2b stressed > Your boy, BJR
02/17/2016 at 11:54

Collingswood, Camden County.

BigBlock440 > Rico
02/17/2016 at 12:05

It is way more convenient to have it on the drivers side. Pull up to the pump, swipe card, fuel up, and get back in all without having to move more than 3 steps. I much prefer the convenience of the weekly occurrence than have the car designed for the convenience of something that’s likely not ever going to happen and I have complete control over whether or not it does.

Your boy, BJR > Short-throw Granny Shifter is 2 #blessed 2b stressed
02/17/2016 at 12:10

Know the place pretty well. They have an awesome comic shop. And Wiljax steaks is mad good. My dad did a Edgar Allen Poe play/tour at this historic house down there.

smobgirl > Takuro Spirit
02/17/2016 at 12:52

I’m not saying it isn’t. Just that people in a hurry aren’t necessarily rational! I mean, the max range I’ve hit on the company car was something like 460 miles without stopping, simply because I wanted to get to the kennel before it closed. The rational thing to do would’ve been calling to ask if they could wait 10 minutes and stopping to put gas in the car.

Rico > BigBlock440
02/17/2016 at 13:28

But walking to the other side of my car isn’t inconvenient to me. I also park as far away from people as possible which is the opposite of convenient.

BigBlock440 > Rico
02/17/2016 at 13:42

How do you park far away from people at a gas pump? And sure, it’s not a dealbreaker, but having the fuel door on the drivers side is just that much more convenient and my preference. Especially when it’s cold, zero or below with the wind blowing, it’s just much nicer to hop out, start fueling, and hop back in the car until it’s done. That example is fresh in my mind from Saturday. I’m also fairly impatient, so the quicker I can get in and out of the gas station, the better.

Rico > BigBlock440
02/17/2016 at 14:30

How do you park far away from people at a gas pump?

I know you’re probably joking but I am talking about parking in a parking lot.

I get what you are saying no doubt but I’ve never been to a gas pump that has a pull lock or whatever to keep it pumping, I have to squeeze it to pump it. Also in NYC you have to prepay so there’s the added step of having to go back and get your change when your car doesn’t take the full amount or you can just prepay less than what you think will be a full tank and not have to bother to go back inside.

BigBlock440 > Rico
02/17/2016 at 14:41

Really? I rarely come across a pump without a lock for the handle, though maybe it’s a law in NY for a station to have it. Also, every single pump I’ve been to in at least the last 5 years has had the option to pay at the pump. The only thing I go inside for anymore is if I want a coffee or something. If you’re walking in to pay then it doesn’t really matter which side it’s on, I agree. If you pay at the pump though, and it’s on the driver’s side, you never have to take more than 3 steps to fill the car up. No waiting in line, barely any walking, in and out of the station in under 2 minutes. It’s great.

Rico > BigBlock440
02/17/2016 at 16:41

Most gas stations here have a cash price and credit price unfortunately with the credit price being 10c more per gallon sometimes as high as 20 cents.

BigBlock440 > Rico
02/17/2016 at 20:00

Wow. The stations here that have separate cash/credit prices is only a 3-5 cent difference. Most don’t have a cash/credit price, and even have a loyalty card that take 3 cents off. On top of that, credit cards will give you a percentage cash back so there no real incentive to go in and pay. Really makes me resent any extra steps, like walking to the other side of the car.

Tohru > Takuro Spirit
02/18/2016 at 09:22

When I was driving the TohruTruck (‘86 C10) it had a boat tank in the bed with a range of about 100 miles. I’ve had to stop 3 or 4 times with it and fill it up with the gas can I always carried in it. Which meant standing at the back and filling the tank, then popping the hood and feeding some into the float bowls.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Rico
02/18/2016 at 16:27

Idk if that always makes you an idiot. I have never run out of gas but I have come damn near close with less than a gallon to spare. Once the gas gauge hits "E" there is generally about 2 whole more gallons to go. This makes it rather difficult to tell when you will actually run out. I have only come close to this while driving in Vermont since some of the more rural areas do not have many gas stations or any cell service to try and find one off the route.

Van Man, rocks the Man Van > Short-throw Granny Shifter is 2 #blessed 2b stressed
02/22/2016 at 19:25

AYYY!