Truck Driver Killed While Chaining up Tires
by Jana Ritter - Published: 2/01/2016A truck driver was struck and killed by a motorist on Sunday morning while he was placing chains on his tractor-trailer’s tires along Interstate 84 in eastern Oregon. The tragic accident occurred less than two weeks after the Oregon Department of Transportation issued a press release reminding truck drivers to use the designated chain up areas, which have wider shoulders, signs and overhead lights.
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At about 8:30 am, 50 year-old Igor S. Nikolaychuk of Vancouver, Washington had stopped on the shoulder of the westbound side of the interstate near Milepost 281, close to the town of North Powder. As he was in the process of chaining up the trailer’s left rear axle, a 2007 Cadillac, also traveling westbound, lost control on the slick highway and began to slide. According to the Oregon State Police, the car’s front bumper struck Nikolaychuk and the impact from the Cadillac pushed Nikolaychuk underneath the trailer. Police say he was pronounced dead at the scene.
While the accident is still under investigation, police have confirmed the identity of the Cadillac’s driver as 21-year-old Mckenna Hamilton of Star, Idaho. It was also confirmed that she was wearing her seat belt and that her air bag deployed upon the impact. Police also said that the road conditions were icy at the time of the crash, and that the foggy weather had reduced visibility to about a quarter-mile. Sam Martin, chief of the North Powder Rural Fire Department, also responded to scene Sunday morning and said that Nikolaychuk’s truck was parked behind a line of trucks that extended for about two miles. It’s exactly the situation ODOT has been hoping to avoid and the reason for creating several chain up areas over the last decade. In fact, one of those chain up areas is located a mile up the road from where Nikolaychuk was killed.
On January 19, ODOT District 13 Manager Ace Clark had issued a press release reminding truck drivers to use the designated chain up area. “During a recent storm event when chains were required there were two miles of trucks parked along the shoulder and in the travel lanes, while a designated chain up area directly ahead of them sat nearly empty,” said Clark. “By not using the chain up areas, vehicles are blocking traffic and creating a safety hazard. We have already had a couple crashes and road closures this winter due to trucks stopping in travel lanes to install chains or pulling out in front of traffic. Being out of your vehicle on the ground performing chain operations adjacent to traffic moving on slick roadways is dangerous enough. Please use the designated chain up areas when they are available.”
People have no respect for no one working on the side of the highway after I had to stop driving truck I ran tow truck out on 80 one night a car brushed up against me and the mirror hit my arm when I was cleaning up a wreck to say the least the state cop showed them what happen when you bump a emergency worker
I was sitting on the edge of a traffic cone leaning over the edge of a manhole we were repairing. Cones where in tight because of lane width. This was the only way we could do the job. Dump truck driver took the cone right out from me. Damn near hit me. She laughed about it when we flagged her down on the next pass through. You're right. Not to many care. I have many stories about 4 wheeler alsom
I have never and will never use chains on my truck. If it's that bad I am not going anywhere until it's clear. I work with a young guy that got chains from our shop... " in case I need them." He can't wait to use them. I told him he's crazy!! Too dangerous.... Find a safe place to park and wait til it's clear and move on. Feel bad for the driver and his family but it didn't have to happen. RIP driver.
RIP driver, Sounds like Oregon needs to put signs out maybe like 4-5 miles before chain up to let drivers of trucks ,cars & all other vehicles.
May God bless his family and friends during such difficult times
God Bless his family and friends..
Seeing this picture makes me tear up. God bless that driver.
R.I.P driver
Rip driver
R.I.P. driver
R.I.P.driver! !
RIP driver.
RIP driver
R.I.P Driver
Is that name Scandinavian? RIP
Sounds Ukrainian or Russian to me.
😞
😢
Sad
RIP driver!
Moral of story my ass! there have been other truck drivers killed while chaining at designated chain up stations. My condolences to his family rest in peace driver!
Exactly. The reason that "Designated Chain Up" area was empty is because of the backlog effect traffic has. My take on it is create longer wider spaces for chaining so people have more than enough room. Some of these states have more land they can use.
When drivers killed by cars the driver of car should automatically get 10 years accident or not they need to slow their assess down it saves lives and some common sense.
RIP Brother!! This is just one more reason I've never hung iron in 25 yrs of driving. If it requires chains then wait until it doesnt
25 years never thrown iron?
Nope and never will
18 yrs here, never have, never will
I have only thrown the iron 3 or 4 times in 11 years. 2 times in the beginning of my career cause I was dumb and didn't check it out before I rolled. They can keep that crap. It gets bad I get out the way, park it, let them have at it. Too many people out here now that don't belong in trucks, plain and simple it has gotten way more dangerous the last 5 years than the previous 5. To much technology to play with while one drives, to many I don't give a shit attitudes, and to many it won't happen to me cause I am Gods gift to trucking.
Your right Robert!! Now if it was part of my job, say like in Alaska or northern Canada, then of corse is throw them, but runnin US interstates/roads, the customer and brokers can and will wait. They'd rather their product arrive late than not at all. It's the ones that throw iron for a trailer full of sneakers or fish sticks, then call themselves "hero supertrucker" that really gets me. Lol
Wise man once told me "use chains to get yourself OUT of a situation not IN to a situation", and to practice installing chains in the summer so when the time comes you know what you're doing and minimize your time doing it.
14 year's otr an I've never slung iron.
Sad news. RIP truck driver. This is why I don't chain up.
No chaining up? You a flat lander? Can't haul in Washington and Oregon legally if you won't chain up
Michael Meier. I LIVE in WA. You must certainly CAN haul without chaining. Yes, I CARRY the required chains, but my company's policy parrallels my own. Chains required sign = park it.
Some passes require for 10k gvw or over, anynow is that's what suits you great. Log haulers aren't scared,to throw,iron, I do everyday
Mark See: you lying sob. You don't chain because you are too lazy. And a wussy to boot.
Bill Fields I don't chain because I haul flammable liquid. Be safe driver.
Once opon a time we had a healthier respect for any activity on a shoulder or even communication from each other as well as yielding to a slower driver or flashing them away from such issues.Now I am willing to bet this tragedy was avoidable, unfortunately only the driver (s) know...
Maybe if Oregon scraped the snow off the road, instead of just pushing it around. They save a ton of money on plow blades, but unfortunately, people get killed in the meantime...
It's my opinion that no driver should ever have to chain up. There is no freight worth a life! And if there's companies out there forcing drivers to continue in hazardous conditions then those companies need to pay the price!
I always told the dispatcher when I parked it "my ass is worth more than your freight". If they wanted their shit moved that bad, I told them to re-power it.
Oregon and its chain up law for wet pavement
Not wet pavement
you can thank the tree huggers for that incedent the DOT doesn't use salt in that region apparently because of the tree huggers I was told
That sucks to hear but when chaining up you're always a target and have to pay attention and move quickly.
Those foreigners never use the right places to park. Will drive by a rest area then park on the shoulder or pass a ramp and the pull on shoulder. Follow rules and common sense go a long way in life!
According to the report, there was a two mile line of trucks parked along the road. I guess some stupid Americans did the same thing.
Sadly a driver on the shoulder in a line of trucks in trouble either means odot put the chain area past the point of incident or every truck could not make it there. In our world If you are putting chains on its because you are having a traction issue. If he had a blown tire that is a safe use for that area but not chaining? And the reality is that if an out of control automobile is the reason not to use a shoulder then we are all in trouble. Why does the truck driver get the blame? Who is to say half a mile up he would not have spun out and jack knifed before getting to where the dot believes is the safest place to enforce safety? Who is in control of our own safety?
Very sad to read posts like this... Rest In Peace, Driver...
Moral of the story, wait until you don't need chains!
Ya. Around here it's mach or april
And like Mr. Miyagi say.....Danielsan best way to avoid punch, no be there!
Michael Meier You've made your point!
Or just stay away from areas that have chain laws until spring. If you live in one of them, move.
Chaining up is for company drivers.
prayers going out to this gentleman's family. RIP driver
The moral of the story: If you need chains, park it until you don't!
Sad California make us chain on wet roads
The heading in this post I disagree with. U can see the white line, what was the car doing that far over to hit him in the first place?
Rest in peace Driver.
Rest in peace driver
Rip that why I don't used chains
Don't use chains? How you get unloaded or loaded? How get to destination?
I pull over and park I dont chain up.
F that chaining if i need to put chains on im not rolling
It's a bad deal, condolences to the family of the fallen.
Yes but some areas are too small.
It dose not matter where he was move over on Lane when anyone is on the side of the road.
need chains? PARK IT
Why park it if chains are needed?
Really? No load is worth my life/license. Been out here to long to throw iron. Enjoy it!
I did my time fighting the shit conditions, you can have it all you want. If chains are required, I park, go have fun playing in that shit.
Damn R.I.P. Driver
RIP DRIVER
I thought u suppose to move over
R.I.P. driver
Rip