MarkSeekamp.com
Trucking
The Crash:
On April 15, 2011 at approximately 8:30 PM CST I crashed Time Zone Transport truck #104. I was traveling westbound on I-24 in Tennessee heading home for the weekend on a very rainy night. I had passed through Chattanooga when the weather suddenly got worse. The rain was coming down so hard I could barely see the car that was about 100 yards ahead of me in the left lane. As I got to the 163 mile marker, I suddenly lost sight of the other driver's tail lights... but then just as quickly, I saw his headlights! He was spinning out of control in the left lane! Knowing that it was a bad idea to slam on the brakes (my trailer was loaded with bricks!) I gently
feathered the brake pedal and steered as far to the right as I could, trying to steer clear of his car as he bounced off the guardrail. Then his car suddenly regained traction, but it rolled backwards right in front of my truck making a collision unavoidable. I was looking directly at the driver as I hit his car head-on, hoping I wasn't about to kill him. The impact was HARD! So much so that it took me a few seconds to regain my bearings after impact. When I did, I realized that my truck was heading for the ditch! I grabbed the steering wheel and turned hard to the right... but nothing happened. My steering column was broken! The ride into the grassy median was rough to say the least, and just when I thought it was over, the trailer turned over onto it's right side taking the cab with it. My driver's side door was now the roof of the truck. I stayed in the cab until the rescue squad came and used the "jaws of life" to break out the metal bar in the windshield to get me out. I stuffed an old blanket around the broken glass and climbed out with some help from the firemen. Thank God the driver of the other vehicle only suffered a minor head injury and a broken leg, and the passenger had a few cracked ribs. Below are some photos of the truck that I took the next day.
On April 15, 2011 at approximately 8:30 PM CST I crashed Time Zone Transport truck #104. I was traveling westbound on I-24 in Tennessee heading home for the weekend on a very rainy night. I had passed through Chattanooga when the weather suddenly got worse. The rain was coming down so hard I could barely see the car that was about 100 yards ahead of me in the left lane. As I got to the 163 mile marker, I suddenly lost sight of the other driver's tail lights... but then just as quickly, I saw his headlights! He was spinning out of control in the left lane! Knowing that it was a bad idea to slam on the brakes (my trailer was loaded with bricks!) I gently
feathered the brake pedal and steered as far to the right as I could, trying to steer clear of his car as he bounced off the guardrail. Then his car suddenly regained traction, but it rolled backwards right in front of my truck making a collision unavoidable. I was looking directly at the driver as I hit his car head-on, hoping I wasn't about to kill him. The impact was HARD! So much so that it took me a few seconds to regain my bearings after impact. When I did, I realized that my truck was heading for the ditch! I grabbed the steering wheel and turned hard to the right... but nothing happened. My steering column was broken! The ride into the grassy median was rough to say the least, and just when I thought it was over, the trailer turned over onto it's right side taking the cab with it. My driver's side door was now the roof of the truck. I stayed in the cab until the rescue squad came and used the "jaws of life" to break out the metal bar in the windshield to get me out. I stuffed an old blanket around the broken glass and climbed out with some help from the firemen. Thank God the driver of the other vehicle only suffered a minor head injury and a broken leg, and the passenger had a few cracked ribs. Below are some photos of the truck that I took the next day.
