Don06

Tragic result. I assume something happened to the driver before the collision. It looks like the seat back is tipped forward. Wonder if he had something in the back that got pushed forward into the seat. I don't know the stretch of road or the visibility available to the truck driver but, unless he was following another semi, the driver should have been able to see farther than anyone in a car. If it was dark and the HHR didn't have lights it's a different story.

Sitting on the side of the road doesn't always help. One driver I knew crashed into the back of another one of the company trucks that was parked on the side of a wide open stretch of Interstate highway in Minnesota. He died in the crash so nobody knows why he went out of the travel lanes and onto the shoulder. Driving is a full time job and any distraction can be costly. When you drive something that takes a long distance to stop, you need to keep that distance in front of you.

whopper

Did no one read the attached newspaper article? "The driver of the tractor trailer, Jose Delcid, 44, of North Brunswick, reported the same situation to police, and he was unable to stop before striking the slow-moving vehicle in front of him. Delcid, Jones said, was uninjured in the crash."

Sounds like they will be doing some further investigation. Too strange. Very unfortunate.

hyperv6

You answered yourself. Untill you have all the facts. Like I said till you are behind the wheel and had this happen in front of you the story can change fast.

I have had things happen in front of me so fast that it was just buy skill, luck and the fact I was not moving 20 tons of vehicle that got me around it.

If you have the time behind the wheel of a large truck as stated you know very well what peole do in front and round trucks.

Too often I see people stop in a freeway when they had a chance to pull over and create a chain reaction crash that just piles up. Yes they should have stopped but they don't. Best way to be safe is be defensive and take care of yourself. Part of that is to get off the road asap if you are having issues. The life you save may be your own.

Anymore I am not thrilled even being stopped on the side of the road. So many get hit there anymore.

Krash Kadillak

I don't necessarily agree with the logic that if something happens in front of you, you should be able to avoid it, otherwise it's your fault if you run into it. Things can happen pretty fast on the highway, and if you're travelling at a safe speed, with a safe following distance, and you are able to react quickly to a sudden, unexpected event, but still had a collision, what did you do wrong? Obviously a large semi trailer needs a very long following distance, but if all those parameters apply, how can you blame the truck driver?

hyperv6

In todays world a trucker leave enough space to stop will often get cut off buy five cars trying to fill that space he has left open.

I really feel for the truckers today. Few people give them a break.

843de

There is a reason truckers don't like us "four wheelers", too many people ignore the fact that a truck doesn't react like a car. Imagine driving an 80,000lb whale of a truck while cars duck and dive around you like stoned minnows in a pond, it can be frustrating, trust me. Try to think about that Wal-Mart semi you just passed, give 'em room, and remember he or she can't stop/swerve/accelerate like you can.

09 Silver Bullett

I agree but would add to your statement, very few. It's amazing that people put their lives (and others) in danger not honoring the space around them. If there is one car link in front of a truck they think they can fit into, they take it. Here in MI is is a bit different with some trucks that are legal at 164000lbs. Most drivers are not aware that these trucks are that heavy. Yet they still jeopardize themselves and cut the truck off just to stop at the light that is/was red.

Greybeard999

Another point that may be relevant here, the trucker may have been following a moving car at a safe speed and distance that suddenly swerved to avoid a slow moving HHR, leaving no time for the truck driver to do anything but slam on the brakes and pray.........

hyperv6

Yes too often many cars are all traveling in a tight group at 70 MPH and the closing rate on a 10 MPH car is pretty fast.

They have min speeds for most freeways for a reason.

hyperv6

Yes too often many cars are all traveling in a tight group at 70 MPH and the closing rate on a 10 MPH car is pretty fast.

They have min speeds for most freeways for a reason.

Cars all can avoid this guy easy but a truck can neither turn or stop in anything close.