Spectrum Driver Sacrifices Truck & Cargo to Save the Lives of 5
On July 19th, 2011, Spectrum Logistics’ team drivers Larry and Brian McLaughlin, father and son, successfully avoided a major collision with 3 vehicles on Interstate 10, thus saving 5 lives.
On the night of July 19th, a car was pulled halfway off the right shoulder of I-10 eastbound due to a blown out tire. A roadside rescue rollback vehicle was parked parallel on the left side of the vehicle, thus sitting in the right lane of the interstate. With no adequate lighting or barricades surrounding the two parked vehicles, all approaching traffic was forced to quickly swerve into the left lane to avoid impact. As another vehicle travelling in the right lane approached the stationary vehicles, it did not react quickly enough, colliding with the rear end of the rollback vehicle and forcing both the rollback vehicle and this vehicle into the left lane further up the highway.
Larry was driving in the right lane when he saw the vehicle with the blown out tire ahead and swerved in the left lane to avoid impact, but then quickly spotted the other two vehicles in the left lane, so he swerved again to the right, effectively “snaking” between all the vehicles. Larry executed the move beautifully, saving the lives of many people, but the imbalance of cargo created by such a speedy, sharp turn created a force that Larry could not control. As a result, his rig and container went on its side.
Two Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) officers arrived on site and I-10 was shut down until it could be cleared, and information between all vehicles was taken for the FHP crash report. One of the officers told Brian that his father did everything he could in this situation to avoid a major collision that could have resulted in fatalities for 5 people. There was no citation given to Spectrum Logistics or the driver for this incident.
Cliff Munger, Assistant Vice President of Trucking and Warehousing Operations at Spectrum Logistics, said “Spectrum Logistics is very proud of Larry and Brian for their quick thinking and expert driving. Life is much more important than a tractor and cargo.”
To read the local news report of the accident, click the link below: http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/Semi_Accident_Causes_Lane_Closure_in_i-10_125799378.html
Weather Watch
Hurricane Watch
