High Kamikaze pilot attempts to "take out" tractor-trailer (and fails miserably)

Friday, 7/18/2008

"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

On the 18th, all I have to do is to return the semi to Topeka, turn in my week's worth of paperwork and the truck owner's cell phone, then wait for my "pay" check so I can leave this state and head south. I am on my way back from an overnight trip to Hominy Oklahoma, where I unloaded at 7 AM. I am heading north on highway 75 towards Topeka, when I enter a construction zone. There have been at least 1 & 1/2 miles of warning signs stating "Be Prepared To Stop", "Fines Double In Construction Zones", "Flagman Ahead", "Wait For Pilot Car", etc., etc. I come to a stop about 15 feet behind a blue compact car, and see that the pilot car is already waiting to lead us (a half a mile's worth of waiting vehicles) through the work zone as soon as the remaining south-bound cars trickle past. Since the pilot car would be leaving any minute, I decided not to set the parking brake, but to just idle with my foot on the brake pedal. I am looking down opening my bottle of water, when my tractor-trailer shoots forward about five feet.

It felt like someone was laying on the bed (in the sleeper), and took both of their feet and kicked the back of my seat as hard as they could (leg-press style). I should mention that these seats have an air-ride system underneath, to absorb up-and-down motion from rough roads, and they have stabilizers to compensate for front to back motion too. So as for me, enduring this 'event', was nothing at all - comparable to having a german shepard running into the back of your car...

I immediately looked ahead, and could still see the entire car in front of me, so I didn't slide into her. As I look out the drivers window, I notice "shrapnel" of all shapes and sizes zooming past me on the southbound lane, and in the ditch. When I look in my mirrors, all I can see is a white billowing cloud rolling across the top of the flatbed trailer, heading my way.

So I set the brakes, and got out to go to the rear of the trailer. The smoke/blast wave cloud smelled of gasoline and anti freeze. I get back there and find this:

By the way, that is a mid-90's full size Chevy Blazer/Suburban. The driver acted drunk, and would not get out of his smoking and sparking vehicle, until he first found his cell phone, and then secretly called 'someone'... Later on it was discovered that he was on either crank or cocaine, and way past the legal limit; let alone beyond the limit of being able to function rationally. Mr. Kamikaze never hit the brakes at all...

Now it turns out that there was another man parked about 15 feet behind me, and he saw Mr. Kamikaze come barreling up behind us. That man decided to cut the wheels to the right (for the ditch), and to stomp the gas peddle - but not soon enough... He remembers his front right tire had just dropped off the edge of the highway, then the next thing he knows is that he is getting out of the back-right seat in his quad cab GMC:




All of the debris pictured above are the tools that were originally in the back of the green GMC pickup. And the white tool box was bolted across the front of his truck bed too...

The highway patrol estimated that Mr. Kamikaze hit the green pickup while traveling at least 70 MPH. When he clipped the green pickup, it turned the pickup around 180 degrees (in the direction he came from), with the back tires never touching the ground; for a total distance of about 68 feet. The back of the pickup lodged into the rocks that were protruding from the ditch wall, about head-height on me (I am 6' 4"...).

The highway patrol said that after sending the pickup on its maiden flight, the blazer/suburban then plowed dead square into the back of my trailer while still moving at least 60 MPH.

Even though I did nothing 'wrong', the highway patrol crawled over the tractor-trailer, my log book, and everything else. They found as much wrong as they possibly could, and the truck owner faces some expensive repair bills, as well as fines. All in all, the highway patrol had the wreck cleaned up in about 40 minutes, while it took them 3 and 1/2 hours of knit-picking me and the truck I was driving.

"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

So what, you may ask, would I have to be thankful for???

What would have happened to even more people if the "brick wall" tractor-trailer had been taken out of the equation?

Can you say Providence?

One last thing: The highway patrol also said that if Kamikaze would have hit my trailer at full speed (70 MPH), without the pickup to first slow him down a little, he would have most certainly died instantly upon impact. Even though this man may never know it, even he should be thankful to our Sovereign God, who did not allow him to commit self-murder - this time.

In Christ Jesus,

Lonnie