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Old    SamIngram            09-15-2010, 2:34 PM Reply   
This was one very lucky kid. God was definitely looking out for him.

I assisted at this accident yesterday north of Deer Lodge on I-90. The driver was appx 22 year old guy heading east to College. He had left central Washington early in the morning. He fell asleep at the wheel and drifted off the shoulder hitting the end of the section of guard rail.

The guard rail came through the right headlight, engine compartment, firewall, glove box, passenger seat, rear seat and exited out the driver’s side rear window. That is 120 LF of guard rail that threaded through the suburban.

No passengers and the driver was not injured.

I am sharing this as a reminder to all about NOT driving when you shouldn’t be behind the wheel (drinking, texting, distracted or just plain tired).
Attached Images
    

Last edited by SamIngram; 09-15-2010 at 2:37 PM.
Old     (deuce)      Join Date: Mar 2002       09-15-2010, 2:45 PM Reply   
WOW.....that is crazy....
Old     (wakesetter_WW)      Join Date: Jul 2010       09-15-2010, 2:48 PM Reply   
That is insane
Old     (meathead65)      Join Date: Sep 2006       09-15-2010, 2:49 PM Reply   
I tell ya, that shows there is still something to be said for full frame vehicles...looks like the doors on the drivers side still open and close normally, and with the exception of the window that the rail exited thru, no glass was even broken.

Good old heavy metal full size trucks....
Old     (bmcgee)      Join Date: Nov 2007       09-15-2010, 3:02 PM Reply   
Any idea how fast he was going? He's lucky that the guardrail exited through the back instead of doubling back and rolling up inside the car.
Old     (guido)      Join Date: Jul 2002       09-15-2010, 3:12 PM Reply   
Man... That's one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. I bet your photos end up getting passed all over the internet.

Glad he's OK, that could have ended up very badly.
Old     (grant_west)      Join Date: Jun 2005       09-15-2010, 3:43 PM Reply   
I see the pictures and think "Humm fell asleep"
people are like " Ooo Im glad he is ok" ect. This kind of stuff is a doubble standard IMO

What if he was Drunk or had been Drinking? People would quickly change there tune. "And Be Angry" What Im trying to say is this is "NO Accident" this is someone opperating a 5000 Lb SUV in a Very un safe manner. Just as Drinking and driving. You can kill some one just as easy falling asleep or texting but somehow its not frowned appon.

When you take someone out (kill them) IMO it dosent matter how you do it. Drunk Driving, Falling Asleep, Texting, It's all the same to me. That person is gone. People are killed everyday while riding there bikes to work or walking across a parking lott by a run away car. How many videos have you seen where some old lady gets the brake and gas mixed up and takes out some 16 year old kid. They get a slap on the wrist because its labled a Accident.

I guess what gets me going is because, When I see stuff like that I just think that Idiot could have taken me or my loved ones out just as easy as the gaurd rail
and it all could have been avoided. Hopfully this guy has got a lesson and will take driving more serious.
Old     (phatboypimp)      Join Date: Apr 2005       09-15-2010, 3:51 PM Reply   
It is amazing that no one was hurt. I was listening to a Drunk Driving Panel and this exact same thing happened to him. He was driving drunk, his best friend was in the passenger seat and the guard rail went right through his best friend and killed him. He was serving 30 year sentence. that is all he got was 30 years for killing his best friend. He said he was in an older Chevy Van. You could tell that even 15 years later, he couldn't even begin get over the guilt of killing his best friend.
Old     (ttrigo)      Join Date: Dec 2004       09-15-2010, 3:58 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by phatboypimp View Post
It is amazing that no one was hurt. I was listening to a Drunk Driving Panel and this exact same thing happened to him. He was driving drunk, his best friend was in the passenger seat and the guard rail went right through his best friend and killed him. He was serving 30 year sentence. that is all he got was 30 years for killing his best friend. He said he was in an older Chevy Van. You could tell that even 15 years later, he couldn't even begin get over the guilt of killing his best friend.
I am guessing that was not in california? I know of two guys who were killed last year by a drunk driver, who was on his third DUI. he was sentenced to ten years. not to mention he was here illegally!
sorry for the hijack.

Grant - falling asleep while coming home from work is an accident. crashing while being 12 beers deep is NOT an accident.
Old     (grant_west)      Join Date: Jun 2005       09-15-2010, 4:24 PM Reply   
ttrigo: I disagree, driving to and from work with out falling asleep sould be a NO Brainer. IMO your just as big as a Doush for driving 1/2 asleep as you are 1/2 Drunk or sick and on med's that could make you tired or not at your best. All can be avoided. And you can kill yourself and a innocent person/persons just as easy.

I understand what your trying to say. The guy didn't mean to fall asleep there for it was a accident. I do understand that most everything bad that happens if you monday morning quarter back the situation you could avoid it. I also understand you would drive yourself and everyone around you crazy if you were a person that thought about every way to avoid potential bad that would come your way and you would still not be covering everything. Some people say there is no sutch thing as a accident, Im not one but I do understand where they are comming from.
Old     (jonnymatrix5)      Join Date: Jul 2010       09-15-2010, 4:29 PM Reply   
That is crazy! Lucky to have made it through that one!
Old     (phatboypimp)      Join Date: Apr 2005       09-15-2010, 6:05 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by ttrigo View Post
I am guessing that was not in california? I know of two guys who were killed last year by a drunk driver, who was on his third DUI. he was sentenced to ten years. not to mention he was here illegally!
sorry for the hijack.

Grant - falling asleep while coming home from work is an accident. crashing while being 12 beers deep is NOT an accident.
Washington not California
Old     (polarbill)      Join Date: Jun 2003       09-15-2010, 7:53 PM Reply   
Sam, is that between Moses Lake And The Columbia or between Ellensburg and Cle Elum? You live in arizona don't you? What were you doing up in Washington?
Old    SamIngram            09-15-2010, 8:28 PM Reply   
I have no idea where any of those towns are. I buy hard-wood timber/real estate part time and travel all over the country. It pays the bills!!!

Its in Montana just north of Deer Lodge and south of Garrison. The driver had left Washington in the early morning and drove until he fell a sleep.
Old     (ritchieps190)      Join Date: Aug 2001       09-16-2010, 12:07 AM Reply   
being the victim who is hit by a driver who fell asleep is an accident. Being the tired driver who falls asleep is someone who made a series of poor choices that resulted in a bad outcome.
Old     (psudy)      Join Date: Dec 2003       09-16-2010, 7:13 AM Reply   
Dont you think there is something to be said about unsafe guard rails? Those are suppose to reduce the risk, not add to it.

Last edited by psudy; 09-16-2010 at 7:14 AM. Reason: misspella
Old     (buffalow)      Join Date: Apr 2002       09-16-2010, 7:55 AM Reply   
Holly F. That is insane.
Old     (bflat53212)      Join Date: Mar 2003       09-16-2010, 7:55 AM Reply   
There are so many different scenarios of why someone could fall asleep behind the wheel, to equate it to drunk driving is just ridiculous.
Old     (grant_west)      Join Date: Jun 2005       09-16-2010, 8:31 AM Reply   
HTML Code:
There are so many different scenarios of why someone could fall asleep behind the wheel, to equate it to drunk driving is just ridiculous.

I guess this is what Im talking about. Its the INTENT. Is what makes it ok. If you fell asleep and killed some people BECAUSE you didn't mean to do it it's some what ok and your gonna get a pass.
BUT if your .08 or above and you do the exact same thing your ass is grass and your the worst person in the world. In both senaros the people are gone.

Im not trying to stick up for drunk driving in any way, Im trying to say Please drive safe. I guess when your riding a bike or running on the side of the road its all the same to you. You don't care HOW or WHY a car could swerve into your lane, Your not saying "I hope I don't get killed from a drunk driver" your saying I hope a car dosen't hit me. This go's for people on motorcycles small cars or people walking down the street. You just hope people have enough common sence and skill to get from point A" to Point B" with out killing anyone
Old     (jps912)      Join Date: Jun 2007       09-16-2010, 8:33 AM Reply   
Holy crap thats nuts. Iv seen mangled guard rails but nothing like that before.
Old     (three6ty)      Join Date: Feb 2004       09-16-2010, 10:53 AM Reply   
The timing and placement of the crash above had to be exactly right.

Think about it:
If he didn't hit the guardrail exactly when the guardrail started he would have bounced off it and back into traffic. A second earlier and he or a foot to the right or left and the guardrail and wood footing would have stopped this car dead in its tracks. As it happens it looks like he hit the beginning of the guardrail just enough to peel it off the footings and also in a soft part of his car ( headlight area, skirting the engine block , right thru the thin firewall and then once inside there is nothing really hard to hit and then out the backside. Simply Crazy!!!!!
Old     (fatsac)      Join Date: Jun 2004       09-16-2010, 1:32 PM Reply   
Geez Grant...
I drove that route probably 50 times or more in college. It is a long, boring stretch east of Vantage. Do you know how many times I worked all day to earn that extra $75, then jumped in the car to make it for class or home for the holiday? A ton but I had no choice. I remember seeing dancing bears in front of my rig I was so tired. People make mistakes and it's human nature. Who knows what put him in the situation and if anything like my folks, I'm sure they're giving the what's what right about now. 20 bucks says he crapped his pants a little waking up to a Suburban skewer!!
Old    SamIngram            09-16-2010, 1:44 PM Reply   
Where the heck is Vantage? The place where this happened is east of Missoula on I-90 about an hour or 65 miles or so. I actually thought the road was nice since it followed the river and had lots of fun turns every fifty yards. My '97 Dodge Ram 3500 with the 12 Valve Cummins really enjoyed that stretch of road.

I know the kid wasn't even ticketed. They made him sign an accident report which will probably put him on the hook for damages or at least his insurance company. The Sheriff said people fall to sleep on that stretch all the time. In fact, he said they had just cut new "sound warning slots" in the road for this very reason.
Old     (hatepain)      Join Date: Aug 2006       09-16-2010, 1:58 PM Reply   
Vantage is of I-90 in Eastern Washington. I think fatsac is just equating it to that stretch of road.

I see Grants point, if you're dead tired or are getting dead tired STOP driving. Drinking and driving vs. driving super tired are both bad decisions. Sort of a sin is a sin philosophy. Societal norm dictates that one is worse than the other though, that being drinking and driving.
Old     (fatsac)      Join Date: Jun 2004       09-16-2010, 2:09 PM Reply   
Ahhhh... Montana is a little more interesting than the stretch I'm thinking of.
Old     (jaegermaster)      Join Date: Sep 2002       09-17-2010, 6:20 AM Reply   
The speed limit where the crash happened is 75. I have driven it tons of times and it isn't uncommon to get passed while doing 80.
Old     (behindtheboat)      Join Date: Aug 2006       09-17-2010, 11:07 AM Reply   
How many jack offs didn't merge over until they were about to hit the guard rail in the right lane?
Old     (kdr)      Join Date: Feb 2003       09-20-2010, 8:40 AM Reply   
Cool,

I just saw your pics on the British website, the Daily Mail.
Old     (zo1)      Join Date: Aug 2002       09-27-2010, 6:38 AM Reply   
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39214056/ns/us_news/
Old    SamIngram            09-27-2010, 8:02 AM Reply   
LOL...

I actually emailed my photos to one of the officers on the scene... Montana Highway Patrol my butt...

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