TruckingIndustry.news

4 Dead After 3 Separate Rear-Ending Incidents in North Carolina

by Jana Ritter - Published: 10/21/2016

Three tragic accidents have occurred within days in North Carolina involving motorists rear-ending semi-trucks and vice versa. The most recent accident happened Friday morning at around 2:30 am at the intersection of I-85 and Little Rock Road in west Charlotte, NC. According to police, a passenger vehicle hit the rear of a tractor-trailer and both vehicles pulled over to the side of the highway. The truck driver (whose name has not yet been released) got out of his cab and began walking towards the passenger vehicle to check on the driver’s well being. However, as the Good Samaritan truck driver was walking on the interstate's right lane, another tractor-trailer came along and ran him over. The truck driver was killed instantly and the second truck driver and motorist were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

                                                             

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Three motorists also lost their lives on Wednesday, after a chaotic chain of events occurred along Interstate 95 in Johnston County, NC. According to the State Highway Patrol, it all started at around 12:00 pm with a single vehicle accident involving a tractor-trailer driving off the road and into a line of trees. The truck driver was left pinned in his truck for hours as rescue crews worked to get him out of the cab and as a result, traffic in both the north and southbound lanes were slowed to a standstill. But things escalated into a far worse situation at about 12:30 pm when a recreational vehicle rear-ended a tractor-trailer that had been slowed by the delay near Exit 95 in Smithfield. The truck driver had been on the job, transporting dry chemicals and the impact caused the chemicals to ignite into a massive inferno. Fortunately the truck driver survived, but the driver of the RV died at the scene and the toxic smoke burned for hours, forcing the evacuation of homes, businesses and schools within a mile of the crash site.

                                                            

With the traffic backed-up even worse on both sides of I-95, a third crash happened at around 2:25 pm and took two more lives. According to the Highway Patrol, this time it was a tractor-trailer failing to stop before hitting an RV from behind in the northbound lanes near Exit 88. Tragically, the final crash of the day resulted in the deaths of two RV passengers; 36 year-old Christopher Michael Porter and 30-year-old Mitchell Alan Vandenburg.


Carl R. Pierce Jr
Carl R. Pierce Jr
Sad but the last wreck was uncalled for. Tell me someone didn't know about a backup for 2 hours. Do you guys that have no use for a CB have some kind of app on your phones to tell you were there is a wreck and traffic backed up? RIP drivers. 😔
Phil Killerlain
Phil Killerlain
Only fools don't have CBs they can complain about the language and noise but they can save your life and others ! But the old ways are sadly going away !
Carl R. Pierce Jr
Carl R. Pierce Jr
Phil Killerlain I 100% agree
Larry Bolden
Larry Bolden
The old days are gone my brother
Carl R. Pierce Jr
Carl R. Pierce Jr
Larry Bolden never surrender.
Shawn Mobley
Shawn Mobley
Yes, it's called Google Maps. It tells you where the backups are.
Victor Collins
Victor Collins
Shawn Mobley, might be so, but at least with a CB one doesn't have to look to know. With a CB you just need to listen, don't even have to talk back, much less take your eyes off the road!
Shawn Mobley
Shawn Mobley
I have both a radio and Google maps, however, I find Google maps far more accurate than the turds arguing over what lane to be in on 1-9. Maybe, just maybe, if you old timers weren't such cranky pricks, then more drivers just might keep their radio on.
Beth Howells
Beth Howells
dont think the old guys are the one running smack on the radio thinking its funny
Carl R. Pierce Jr
Carl R. Pierce Jr
Beth Howells I agree. Old guys usually don't act like 12 year old kids. Mine is always on and usually don't hear from me unless I am running with someone or letting someone know that something is wrong ahead of them.
Jeff Guyton
Jeff Guyton
Old guys act like cranky pricks,because of the nonsense. IE; waiting until you see a backup to turn your radio on, and THEN asking what lane you need to be in, when it's been said on the CB 5,011 times.
Carl R. Pierce Jr
Carl R. Pierce Jr
I disagree Jeff. I think it's the guys that have been out here for 2-4 years that's the cranky ones
Jason Stearns
Jason Stearns
Jeff Guyton...if you had your radio on in the 1st place then you wouldn't have to ask what lane and what's going on 1000 times and you would have known about the detour possibilities well in advance onstead of waiting until you come to a stop just to join the other idiots that are all asking the same things 1000 times. I'm no old guy and have never heard the old timers talking smack...always the young bucks.
Cody Blankenship
Cody Blankenship
We need to raise the standards of the drivers coming into the industry.. Take off the headphones and turn on a CB.. If the company doesn't allow it, buy a handheld just to monitor radio traffic..
John Crooks
John Crooks
You're supposed to keep 6-7 seconds of following distance anyway, that's one of the first things you learn.
Michael A. Welch
Michael A. Welch
That doesn't happen and will do nothing but get worse with regulations requiring all trucks to have speed limiters. This industry is going to be a rolling disaster if the government gets all these regulations passed
Mark Miller
Mark Miller
It's called paying attention to the god damned road.you don't need technology to do that.pull your head out of your ass and be a professional!
Mary Seney Yakely
Mary Seney Yakely
I couldn't have said it better.
Ray Horacek
Ray Horacek
When they take the limiter of the truck that willl stop, no one can get away from one another, and who the hell wants to keep backing up, it gets to the point of drivers don't give a shit, all this electronic bull shit is making things worse!
Randy Grant
Randy Grant
R.I.P everyone involved in these accidents!! Not paying attention, four way flashers on, speed, this why speed limiters are going to be enforced on is all, sad
Michael A. Welch
Michael A. Welch
Speed limiters will not apply the brakes. They will promote more safety problems
Warren Hampton Jr.
Warren Hampton Jr.
Speed limiters on trucks aren't gonna make 4 wheelers pay attention nor stop them from tailgating. Tailgating is one of the most dangerous things you can do in a vehicle. Combine that with speeding and some distracting activity like messing with your cell phone and you've got a real recipe for disaster!!
Randy Grant
Randy Grant
Warren Hampton Jr. Not in this case, not paying attention was!!
Warren Hampton Jr.
Warren Hampton Jr.
Yeah, well I wasn't there. If you were, I suppose you know the details. I was just saying what I see going on every day.
Shirley Dale High
Shirley Dale High
But I have also been behind trucks that never put their brakes so you don't know their slowing down. That's why I don't ride behind semis unless absolutely necessary.
Donnie Crawford
Donnie Crawford
These dam drivers today won't turn on there CB radio, if thay even own one. You can't get anyone to talk to you anywhere. These phones are great, but you can't drive and talk , text and Facebook!! I can drive from Main to Fla and can't get 3 drivers to respond on a CB . Some tell me there company's won't let them have them anymore, which is bullshit. It's a tool of our trade you dumb fucks!!
Catheryn Curry
Catheryn Curry
Keep your eyes on the road. Don't need to see anything that happened. Don't need to take pictures. Just mind your own business & keep moving.
Brian McCoy
Brian McCoy
I was stuck in all traffic from first two when 3rd happende right behind me
Software Scripts
Software Scripts
Yeah:D
Matthew Tubbs
Matthew Tubbs
Such a tragic loss the Porter guy was a great guy if you read about him just a singer songwriter trying to make a living. ... http://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2016/10/alabama-born_country_singer_ch.html#incart_river_mobileshort_home
Warren Hampton Jr.
Warren Hampton Jr.
Speeding and tail gating. Deadly combination. Drivers turn their CBs on after they see a problem.
Derril Salter
Derril Salter
The last I heard they still don't know who was driving the RV. He was thrown out but the Highway Patrol was asking for help from the public.
Kenny Palmer
Kenny Palmer
A.D.D. Drivers of today. Attitude. Distraction. Disrespectful.
Leah Michelle Gosline
Leah Michelle Gosline
David Novotasky, is this the accident you were telling me about?
Glen Pearson
Glen Pearson
The accidents today are beyond horrific! The DOT has blood on their hands with these large trucking companies and their driver approvals!
Justin Hoke
Justin Hoke
Its called steering wheel holding cock jockeys..."I dont need my cb"
Software Scripts
Software Scripts
thanks for that!
Brian Bickel
Brian Bickel
D a y m n!!!!
Rich Glover
Rich Glover
Just a reminder,put the goddamn phone down!
Software Scripts
Software Scripts
Much Agreed
Eric Dashiell
Eric Dashiell
WOW.not good
Chris Jewell
Chris Jewell
Crazy
James Cadwell
James Cadwell
The old ways aren't all gone!!
Software Scripts
Software Scripts
totally :D
Jason Stearns
Jason Stearns

Art Jacobsen
Art Jacobsen
Get off the fucking phone
Software Scripts
Software Scripts
Agreed...
Tiny Mcfee
Tiny Mcfee
CB would have been helpful. Also...PAy attention
Nancy Hinshaw
Nancy Hinshaw
How awful! Be safe!
John Crooks
John Crooks
Can't tell them enough, spread out!
Software Scripts
Software Scripts
Who else thinks is cool ?
George Martin
George Martin
Be careful Dixie
Kenny Crooker
Kenny Crooker
Sammie Veach
John McLemore
John McLemore
Joy Prior-Brown 😞