Inattention wipes out a family

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 04/01/2019 at 10:50 • Filed to: None

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Three siblings and their friend are dead, and their mother is in a coma, because some guy in a big-ass brodozer wasn’t paying attention and rear ended them at speed. Cops said that video from a nearby surveillance camera indicated the truck driver didn’t hit the brakes until less than one second before he killed the kids. They suspect he was on his phone. The article doesn’t say, but I imagine the truck driver walked away unhurt.

I can’t even tell what kind of car that was. But it looks to be about the same size as the car my wife drives. When I drive her Civic, there are many times when I stop at a light and find the bumper/brush guard of a truck at my head level. So much for crumple zones.

This just makes me so angry. 

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412GTI > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 10:53

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Wow that’s terribly sad. They were in a 16-19 Corolla sedan by the looks of it. 

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 10:54

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From his vantage, he’d be looking right over the top of the smaller car. I watch people drive while on their phones and they hold the phones in their lap and look down at their lap, rather than even hold up the phone close to where they need to be looking. Aggravated stupidity. Hopefully, Mr. Brodozer will do some hard time for negligent homicide or manslaughter.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 10:55

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What makes me super pissed is the reckless way a lot of these young guys drive these trucks. They bully their way down a road like they know a crash will only hurt you, not them.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 10:56

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Three siblings and their friend are dead, and their mother is in a coma

Holy hell...I don’t know that I’d want to wake up from that coma if I were in that circumstance.

ttyymmnn > 412GTI 04/01/2019 at 11:01

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So, yeah, same as my wife’s Civic. 

ttyymmnn > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 04/01/2019 at 11:01

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They hold the phone in their lap because they don’t want the cop to see it (is CA a hands free state?). 

DAWRX - The Herb Strikes Back > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 11:02

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I don’t believe the book should be thrown at this guy.

It should be launched off a railgun.

Seriously this level of inattentiveness is socio pathic.

TysMagic > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 11:02

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Infuriating and terribly sad.

While not a cure all, I stand by my purchase of a third brake like flasher. Since installing it, it seems people stay further back. Prior, the majority of the time the only thing I saw in my rearview was a bumper waiting to give me a tap. Not sure that would have done much in this situation though.

Cash Rewards > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 11:03

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Oof. This is terrible.

This is exactly what makes my wife nervous about the Miata, and why she wants a roll bar in it. That car is small enough a truck doesn’t even need to be that lifted for this to happen. And I plan on dropping it an inch in a year or so.

ttyymmnn > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/01/2019 at 11:03

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Or they race and kill innocent kids that way, too.

ttyymmnn > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 04/01/2019 at 11:04

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Imagine the dad getting the phone call.

412GTI > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 11:04

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That’s the scary thing, they’re generally safe, modern vehicles, but one distracted moron can destroy a whole family with a truck he probably doesn’t even need to drive.. 

fintail > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 11:07

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Hopefully this won’t end up as an “affluenza” gross miscarriage of justice.  I’m not entirely optimistic.

GoodIdeaAtTheTime > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 11:08

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This is my biggest fear when driving my subaru. 90% of truck bumper s are at eye level. And my car is at stock ride. Which is why I am going to sell it and replace it with a larger vehicle like a T ahoe or Jeep . I will miss the 24 mpg in the city. Although I will not miss being constantly blinded by fog lamps and led light bars. No wonder CUV’s and the like are so popular. Mayb e time for new bumper height laws and inspections?

Tripper > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 11:08

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Man that is terrible. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Even if you don’t murder 4 people. You should catch a $1000+ fine for being on your phone and the police should hand them out like strip club flyers.

3point8isgreat > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 11:13

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This is why I’m always amazed that lifted trucks are even a tiny bit legal. It basically guarantees you’ll kill anyone you wreck into. Which, to me, seems pretty negligent. Makes me wish we could try them for premeditated murder since it’s so obvious what would happen in an accident.

It’s always nice sitting there next to one of these, and hoping that my bumper would hit their axle before their bumper hit my forehead were we to wreck.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 11:13

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This. The driving actually became worse when they made it illegal. Instead of ceasing to use them, people take their eyes further off the road and swerve around... Unintended consequences.

ttyymmnn > fintail 04/01/2019 at 11:16

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Out in Bastrop County it was more likely a country bro in a lifted truck or somebody who actually does work with their truck. 

ttyymmnn > GoodIdeaAtTheTime 04/01/2019 at 11:16

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Maybe time for new bumper height laws and inspections?

Yes, but don’t hold your breath.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Cash Rewards 04/01/2019 at 11:18

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Unless you wear a helmet everywhere, a rollbar is just another thing to crush your skull. 

ttyymmnn > Tripper 04/01/2019 at 11:18

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Except the cops are on their phones, too. Or their laptops.

Austin has taken it somewhat seriously. During rush hour (when nobody is rushing, and the worst accident would be a dented fender) they have put cops on city buses so they can see down into cars to look for drivers on the phone. Then they radio motor officers to swoop in for the score. But the real danger is out in the sticks where this accident took place. There’s just no way to patrol it. 

Chuckles > Cash Rewards 04/01/2019 at 11:19

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I had my Miata out for a long drive on Saturday, and you definitely feel like everyone else is too high up to see you. I get a little worried after dark, especially since my car is black.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 11:20

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Not fatal or an accident, but police charged an excellent role model and his processed sperm for a road rage incident with their bro truck.  http://www.waff.com/2019/03/28/athens-man-juvenile-arrested-over-online-road-rage-video/

ttyymmnn > 3point8isgreat 04/01/2019 at 11:20

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But then you open up the argument about used by “law abiding” owners of military style semi-auto weapons. As long as they use them safely, why shouldn’t they be allowed to have them? 

benn454 > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 11:22

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 He's probably on suicide watch right now.

Berang > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 11:22

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Last year a drunk driver in a jeep managed to jump a guardrail on 183, hit a car head on and killed three people. Father, mother, and son all dead, daughter in the back seat survived. I haven’t followed up on the case since, but I think he was charged with manslaughter. The law tends to be a lot tougher on people who’re drunk, than people who’re on their phones.

ttyymmnn > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 04/01/2019 at 11:24

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That’s why I don’t brake check or “pump” the brakes at tailgaters. I’ll lift and slow, then go back to speed. In that video, there’s every reason to suspect that those men were armed. It’s just not worth it. 

ttyymmnn > Berang 04/01/2019 at 11:26

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I remember that crash. They need to stop calling these “accidents.” This was not an accident. This was a crash caused by negligence or recklessness.

“Reckless” is an interesting word. “Reck” means care or concern. So these people are driving with no concern whatsoever for others on the road. 

3point8isgreat > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 11:29

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Oh yeah, I agree it’d turn into a legal mess, and probably opens up all sorts of other rules. Could definitely see it getting swung against people in old and/or small cars to protect them from their own decisions.

However we do have lots of regulations on vehicles, and I don’t think vehicle ownership has been treated as a “Right” yet. So I suppose this really should be a case of being careful what I wish for, since it would be so comparatively easy to add tons of regulations.

It’s just exceptionally frustrating seeing people do their best to work against the safety structures that are built into our cars in a way that is most likely to injure others.

Spanfeller is a twat > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 11:31

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Trucks should be taxed more heavily,

Mercedes Streeter > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 11:34

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There’s a sharp spike in these types of crashes in Illinois. Three state police officers have been killed since January by distracted drivers and if I recall, there have been 12 crashes in total in the same span of time . That’s more crashes than the past few years combined. I don’t even want to imagine what the numbers look like for the civilian populace.

A good and bad thing about my old motorcycles is that I have the vantage point of a SUV. You’d be surprised and depressed to see just how many people are on their phones or just in a state of “lights on, but nobody home”.

MM54 > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/01/2019 at 11:40

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I have literally had people tell me they drive massive vehicles so that they can bully everyone out of their way. I don’t associate willingly with those people.

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 11:45

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I dont know if youve been keeping up with illinois news but we have had 16 crashes so far this year involving people hitting state troopers on the highway. 3 of those crashes have resulted in the troopers losing their lives. 15 of which came from people not moving over and slowing down to pass the cops who had pulled people over on the side of the road and 1 was the case of a trooper intentionally hitting a drunk wrong way driver on I90 in order to save the people in the cars behind him. its insane the amount of inattention on the roads these days.

Tripper > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 11:45

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Well the cops are a different story. If the phone is proven to be in use even in minor accidents the driver should take a ding on their insurance and catch an even more extreme fine like a DUI. Maybe not fuck up your permanent  record but hit an offender with a fine that hurts.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 11:47

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To be fair, it’s Alabama, there is 50/50 chance that Bubba and son get gunned down legally the next time they pull that stunt. 

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > 3point8isgreat 04/01/2019 at 11:50

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An d in response to the hazard from vehicles like this automaker s keep making higher and higher beltlines and thicker and thicker pillars, reducing visibility and making accidents like this even more prone to happening so we just stuff the car with ever more sensors that we have no choice but to rely on until we’re all driving around in windowless boxes.

adamftw > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 11:54

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This is really shitty, and the kid driving sucks. But a leveled F150 isn’t even close to being a brodozer.

ttyymmnn > 3point8isgreat 04/01/2019 at 11:59

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“I drive a big SUV to protect my family.”

But what about my family?

BigBlock440 > GoodIdeaAtTheTime 04/01/2019 at 12:01

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ttyymmnn > Tripper 04/01/2019 at 12:02

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The cops get a pass because their use is supposed to be tied to their jobs. But what about the cop in Austin who ran a stop sign and hit a motorcyclist because he was entering something into his laptop? There should be restrictions in place on that--only allowed to type while stopped. 

Cash Rewards > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 04/01/2019 at 12:03

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That's the argument, exactly. But then I see NASA runs autocross at summit point, an hour and a half from me and 30 minutes from my in-laws, and they require a roll bar. And if I get a race seat then I can maybe get low enough to clear. Then Im cruising around in a race seat. And around and around I go.

Cash Rewards > Chuckles 04/01/2019 at 12:03

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My louder exhaust helps a hit, but I swear I want to put an orange bicycle flag on it.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Cash Rewards 04/01/2019 at 12:06

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There is a tall roll bar that is safer, but you still need to pad it. 

Cash Rewards > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 04/01/2019 at 12:07

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But the taller ones sit closer, and are more of a lateral risk. The shorter ones are farther back, bu t shorter. I really do go in circles about it

GoodIdeaAtTheTime > BigBlock440 04/01/2019 at 12:18

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I don’t have to worry about them. I live and work in a heavy residential, yet very affluent area and “ over the road” trucks are not permitted. Thanks rich white people and your community by-laws!

I have another vehicle for traveling long distance, Nissan Xterra. My Subaru is a back and forth to work car, good gas mileage, been very reliable, and comfortable for my 6 mile, 40 minute commute every morning and evening.

and 100 more > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 12:25

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Contractors are some of the worst inattentive-driver violators. Always 80 mph, always on a phone at the same time.

Just Jeepin' > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero 04/01/2019 at 12:27

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“ 1 was the case of a trooper intentionally hitting a drunk wrong way driver on I90 in order to save the people in the cars behind him”

Holy shit. 

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > Just Jeepin' 04/01/2019 at 12:29

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holy shit is right

https://www.lakemchenryscanner.com/2019/03/30/isp-trooper-killed-on-i-94-reportedly-intentionally-struck-wrong-way-driver-in-order-to-save-others/

i guess it was I94 not I90 but still

DAWRX - The Herb Strikes Back > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 12:33

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The answer they would give is “then you should  get an SUV”

Just Jeepin' > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 04/01/2019 at 12:35

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If he’d been carrying a weapon it would probably have been justifiable legally to run him down, but I’m sure the legal hassle would be immense.

Another reason I need a dash cam.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 12:41

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Yea, it’s heartbreaking just thinking about it

ttyymmnn > DAWRX - The Herb Strikes Back 04/01/2019 at 12:53

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Which then makes it an arms race.

duurtlang > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 13:25

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Exactly. It’s a race to the bottom.

I imagine in most first world countries those bro trucks would not pass the mandatory inspection. And rightfully so. Bumper height, headlight height and aim , probably suspension related issues as well. They’re huge hazards.

BigBlock440 > GoodIdeaAtTheTime 04/01/2019 at 13:40

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That’s great, everybody else does.  How are pickups any worse or more dangerous?

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 13:41

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Here’s my hot take. Since brush guards, monster lift kits, and leaving trailer hitches on 24/7 defeat crumple zones, putting them on any truck makes it intrinsically hazardous (not to mention the effects it has on forward visibility). In states where there are vehicle inspection (which all states should have), these modifications should disallow your vehicle for on-road use.

ttyymmnn > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 04/01/2019 at 13:43

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Sounds good to me. 

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 13:43

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They are just stupid.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 04/01/2019 at 13:44

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That.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 13:54

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BigBlock440 incoming...

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > duurtlang 04/01/2019 at 15:52

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From what I’ve heard many states DO have bumper height laws but nobody enforces them

kanadanmajava1 > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 15:57

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You’ll then buy a larger after another until you start feeling safe.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Mercedes Streeter 04/01/2019 at 15:59

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Lane splitting isn’t legal here, but I’ll do it from time to time to get away from people who have phones in hand. And if possible, I line up at lights at the edge of my lane so I can get out quickly if I need to. Some people you can tell are completely attentive and not on their phones, sometimes I’ll stay in front of them (not holding them up mind you) in traffic on purpose.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 16:00

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Fuck this douchebag with his rusty tailpipe

ttyymmnn > kanadanmajava1 04/01/2019 at 16:04

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How about this? Not the fastest, and it only gets .6 mpg. However, nobody will road rage on you.

ttyymmnn > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 04/01/2019 at 16:05

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Sounds good to me.

kanadanmajava1 > ttyymmnn 04/01/2019 at 16:47

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If you could have “easy to step in” kind of a door and a good infotainment system it should sell well.

duurtlang > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 04/01/2019 at 17:21

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Could be quite simple. It should not  pass inspection.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > duurtlang 04/01/2019 at 19:18

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Except only half the states have inspections to begin with :/

duurtlang > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 04/02/2019 at 08:17

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So there's a lot of room for improvement.

Victorinoo > Tripper 04/02/2019 at 09:20

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Totally agree. I think there should also be the same level of fines for lifted vehicles on the road. Eliminating the crumple zone and braining people should be just as illegal (if not more illegal) than being on the phone. Even a legitimate “accident” like locking up your wheels on black ice could be deadly for the car in front of you.  

Tripper > Victorinoo 04/02/2019 at 10:12

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Agree. Lifted trucks aren’t a common site around me but they are where my Sister lives in MD. I just can’t understand why you’d want to do that. Most of them are lifted the cheap way too, putting extra strain on multiple components and fucking up the whole geometry of the suspension.

Nothing > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 04/02/2019 at 10:42

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I’m willing to bet had this Super Duty been not lifted, the end result would have been the same, especially given that in the world of lifts, this seems pretty mild.

You know what I’m for? Treating device related distracted driving like any other form of impaired driving.