Truck Drivers Beware

[Ed Kennell 38,136]

Edited April 5, 2017 by Ed Kennell

[Ed Kennell 38,136]

This runaway truck  demolished this church located three houses below the home where I was born.  The town sits at the bottom of Savage Mountain in Southern Somerset Co. Pa. and is subject to many runaway trucks.

My Grandad lived two houses above the church and his garage was demolished in the early '60s. The Sturtz family lived beside the church in a two story home.  A runaway milk tanker went completely through their home and was stopped by this same church.    MR and MRS Sturtz were sleeping on the second floor at the time and they were not injured.  They replaced their home with a one story modular home  and within a year, shortly after they left to go shopping, this home was demolished by another runaway loaded with shelled corn.  They never built a home on this site again.  

It is difficult to believe , but the reports are this driver only suffered a broken thumb.    No one was in the church.

[953 nut 55,189]

Amazing that there were no serious injuries, certainly feel sorry for the congregation of the Church. We have a few "break failure" truck collisions each month in the mountains here. The breaks worked fine, they were just used too late and gravity wins every time!

[WVHillbilly520H 10,373]

Ed, would you believe that Cumberland MD used to be some of stomping grounds, used to go to Lakemont Park by way of there, got an uncle in Oakland/Deer Park and my mother was originally from Keyser WV,  so I have been through there at least once if not more on my journeys north, Jeff.

[Ed Kennell 38,136]

Tis a small world Jeff.   My Mother still  lives in Cumberland today.  After high school, I started my college studies at the WVU local campus in Keyser WVa.   While still living in Wellersburg, Pa, at the time, I commuted thru Cumberland, Md. to Keyser, WVa. every day ....about 20 mile.

When I was about 10 years old, we  built a new stone home about half way up the mountain  above  Wellersburg  where I experienced many runaway truck accidents. Our house was right at the drivers decision point ....ditch the truck or try to ride it out to the bottom.    The experienced ones bailed out and ditched the truck into the woods.

One of the more memorable ones involved a Heinz Food truck from Pittsburg.    My dad was a scavenger and we had a pantry full of all 57 varieties of mustard, ketchup, and pickle relish that lasted for years. 

 

[squonk 41,067]

Years ago a truck driver fell asleep and went off the road and went thru an Amish house. In one side and out the other. Left a big hole but the walls and roof stayed up. About 10 years after that an Amish fellow came into the Napa store I was working at. He paid with a check and I read the check. The address was about the same location of that house. I asked him about it and he says, " That was my house. I was sleeping on my couch and awoke to a tractor trailer going thru my living room! " 

Edited April 5, 2017 by squonk

[6wheeler 603]

Thanks for posting that Ed. Being a driver. I can definitely attest to the runaway issue. Believe me, there isn't a good driver out there that doesn't think of that scenario. It doesn't always have to involve a mountain road either. Ice, snow or wet roads can and do create an "out of control" truck. I am sorry for the congregations loss. But grateful that only minor injuries were sustained. Always give trucks plenty of room. Don't adopt that " I gotta get in front of that truck" attitude. We leave that 4 or 5 car cushion in traffic for a reason, so we can stop 80,000 pounds before we crush something........ If you have to dive in that stopping area? Just to get in front of that truck? You could be under it.    Put the phone down and drive.......

[rmaynard 15,434]

What is curious to me is how they select an area for a runaway truck ramp. I drive I-68 west to Deep Creek Lake (Maryland) every couple of weeks. There is only one runaway truck ramp along the way, and it is at Sideling Hill (elevation 2300 ft). So if a trucker loses his brakes while driving west on I-68, does he have to wait until he crosses the mountain at Sideling to use a runaway ramp? 

[6wheeler 603]

2 hours ago, rmaynard said:

What is curious to me is how they select an area for a runaway truck ramp. I drive I-68 west to Deep Creek Lake (Maryland) every couple of weeks. There is only one runaway truck ramp along the way, and it is at Sideling Hill (elevation 2300 ft). So if a trucker loses his brakes while driving west on I-68, does he have to wait until he crosses the mountain at Sideling to use a runaway ramp? 

I would agree with this question. What I do know is, Most ramps are on an 8 percent or greater slope. It also depends on length of descent. I have been in many places in this great country that I thought could use runouts. Sometimes there just isn't anywhere to put them due to terrain or City or County ordinances. I can guarantee that if some of these folks ever needed one? They would be everywhere. Unfortunately, it takes several incidences to catch the attention of these entities. But, with all of the newer equipment and tremendous strides in braking ability ie; engine and transmission braking, along with disc brakes and ABS systems? Trucks are much better than they were. That may be the very problem. There may be a false sense of security that these new upgrades will solve the problem. But these systems are relatively new to the industry and are still experiencing operational troubles. Since I have come off the road and am a local only driver now? I can see that Class 8 vocational trucks like Concrete Mixers, Dump Trucks, Milk trucks and the like are finally starting to get some of the upgrades that alot of the road trucks have. When the systems work? They work well. However, they still cannot defy gravity. Though I am not familiar with the area that this accident occured in? Perhaps the local entities there may take a look at the info. about past incidents in this area and take the appropriate actions. 

[Ed Kennell 38,136]

On ‎5‎/‎1‎/‎2017 at 2:55 PM, rmaynard said:

What is curious to me is how they select an area for a runaway truck ramp. I drive I-68 west to Deep Creek Lake (Maryland) every couple of weeks. There is only one runaway truck ramp along the way, and it is at Sideling Hill (elevation 2300 ft). So if a trucker loses his brakes while driving west on I-68, does he have to wait until he crosses the mountain at Sideling to use a runaway ramp? 

I also drive I-68 on a regular basis Bob.    Exiting at Cumberland, Md. to visit my Mother and at Keysers  Ridge to visit my Sister in Sand Patch, Pa.

I think the runaway ramp you refer to is on the West bound lanes of 68 and to my knowledge it has never been used.  The  I-68 highway in this area is really undeveloped and relatively straight allowing a runaway to come to a stop without incident.     IMO, the most dangerous section is the East bound lanes coming off Big Savage mountain into Cumberland.   There is no place to for a runaway to avoid the very sharp left turn as they enter downtown Cumberland.    There are mandatory brake checking pull offs for all trucks and many warnings to gear down and stay geared down until they are thru Cumberland.  My Dad was a over the road hauler and his rule of thumb was to descend a mountain in the same gear you have to use to climb it.       That works pretty well until the two speed rear end gear shatters during a gear shift and the engine stalls due to the overrev losing all vacuum assist braking.    Don't ask how I know this....

 

[rmaynard 15,434]

Ed, the runaway ramps have fascinated me since I was a kid, and I-68 was old Rt40. There is a ramp eastbound and westbound on either side of Sideling Hill, and I saw deep tracks in the gravel two years ago. You are right about coming into Cumberland. I look on every trip to see if someone has crashed through the Jersey walls and into the Potomac River.

[ebinmaine 67,422]

Whole bunches of good thoughts and info in this post.... also, makes me very thankful I now work for a company that focuses alot on safety and inspections and we rarely even go out in snow anymore... in Maine... "warehouse days" suck but I like the safety aspect.