Truck Driver Gets 110 Years For Claiming The Lives Of Four People.

[JOSweetHeart]

Go here for the story.

Remind me again why the punishment is labeled in such a way. The driver is 26 now. I am guessing that parole is possible at some point.

God bless you and the families of the victims always!!!

Holly

 

[Concerned American]

Go here for the story.

Remind me again why the punishment is labeled in such a way. The driver is 26 now. I am guessing that parole is possible at some point.

God bless you and the families of the victims always!!!

Holly

How will the Waukesha murderer's sentence compare?

 

[MaryL]

Unfortunately I watched this live on the local news as it unfolded. It makes it abundantly clear that businesses can't just hire some illiterate schmuck to drive trucks. I don't ignore the humanity of the driver, but his ignorance of mountain driving and runaway ramps or inability to read English, implicates the Texas firm that hired him.

 

[Crepitus]

How will the Waukesha murderer's sentence compare?

Go here for the story.

Remind me again why the punishment is labeled in such a way. The driver is 26 now. I am guessing that parole is possible at some point.

God bless you and the families of the victims always!!!

Holly

No way, it was self defense. Those other drivers were blocking his way. He was in fear of his life so he had to get out.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Unfortunately I watched this live on the local news as it unfolded. It makes it abundantly clear that businesses can't just hire some illiterate schmuck to drive trucks. I don't ignore the humanity of the driver, but his ignorance of mountain driving and runaway ramps or inability to read English, implicates the Texas firm that hired him.

It's a huge problem in our industry. However I have yet to find a report of who this guy is and how he got his license.

Several times a year some foreigner would come running up to my truck "Please, please mister, you back in trailer. I know no how!" I would never do that of course, but in order to speed things up, I always ended up helping these vagrants.

As a very well experienced driver, I can tell you first hand many of these foreigners never took a CDL test in the US to drive here. They get some sort of reciprocity from their country where an equivalent of a CDL costs you five dollars and a pack of cigarettes. Here if you want any chance at passing our tests to get your Class A, brother you better know how to handle that vehicle.

So they stick these foreigners in these trucks, no experience, no training, some who can't even speak English yet alone read it, and expect them to safely pilot a potential 80,000 lbs vehicle. Pure stupidity.

I don't think he should go to prison, I think the bureaucrats that allowed him to drive in the first place belong in prison for life. I don't know because I can't find any details or testimony from this guy, but it sounds like he didn't know how to put the truck in gear while moving. Had he done that, he could have applied the engine brakes to slow that vehicle down. But you need the training and experience to do that. He probably didn't even know what engine brakes were.

 

[OKTexas]

Unfortunately I watched this live on the local news as it unfolded. It makes it abundantly clear that businesses can't just hire some illiterate schmuck to drive trucks. I don't ignore the humanity of the driver, but his ignorance of mountain driving and runaway ramps or inability to read English, implicates the Texas firm that hired him.

I've seen plenty of drivers in cars on that road that had no clue what they were doing, many with CO plates. Overheating breaks is a common problem and inexperienced drivers can panic, doesn't matter what they're driving.

.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

I've seen plenty of drivers in cars on that road that had no clue what they were doing, many with CO plates. Overheating breaks is a common problem and inexperienced drivers can panic, doesn't matter what they're driving.

.

Agreed and I would love to know if this guy passed a US test to get a CDL Class A. Years ago heated breaks were a problem especially on mountains. However all tractors have had engine breaks for many years and something tells me if he overheated his breaks, he was not using them. I suspect he really didn't know how to use them.

 

[john doe 101]

Go here for the story.

Remind me again why the punishment is labeled in such a way. The driver is 26 now. I am guessing that parole is possible at some point.

God bless you and the families of the victims always!!!

Holly

The sentencing was due to mandatory minimum's in Colorado. Even the district attorney said she would "welcome" a reconsideration of the prison term.

The term is for 110 years and by Colorado law, he must serve at least 75% of the term. Due to credit for time served, good behavior, etc that usually means around 50% of the term. So he's still looking at not getting out until he's around 80, essentially a life term.

There is a 91 day window to adjust the sentencing. This sentence should obviously be adjusted to something more reasonable.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

The sentencing was due to mandatory minimum's in Colorado. Even the district attorney said she would "welcome" a reconsideration of the prison term.

The term is for 110 years and by Colorado law, he must serve at least 75% of the term. Due to credit for time served, good behavior, etc that usually means around 50% of the term. So he's still looking at not getting out until he's around 80, essentially a life term.

There is a 91 day window to adjust the sentencing. This sentence should obviously be adjusted to something more reasonable.

What's being ignored in this case is how this guy got a CDL to begin with. Whoever gave this guy the ability to get behind the wheel of that thing is just as guilty as he is if not more.

 

[OKTexas]

Agreed and I would love to know if this guy passed a US test to get a CDL Class A. Years ago heated breaks were a problem especially on mountains. However all tractors have had engine breaks for many years and something tells me if he overheated his breaks, he was not using them. I suspect he really didn't know how to use them.

That's possible, but if you've ever driven that stretch, those runaway truck ramps can be intimidating, many are steep and not that wide.

.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

That's possible, but if you've ever driven that stretch, those runaway truck ramps can be intimidating, many are steep and not that wide.

.

I never drove through mountains, at least not in a truck. Those ramps were built many years ago and I don't think they get that much usage with newer trucks these days. That's why I said this foreigner had no training or much experience. It's less his fault than it is our government.

 

[j-mac]

As a 28 year veteran truck driver, I'd do anything to avoid running into stopped traffic at that speed including running the guard rail, the median, something, anything..

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

As a 28 year veteran truck driver, I'd do anything to avoid running into stopped traffic at that speed including running the guard rail, the median, something, anything..

Sure, you just drive off the road is all. You may get banged up as would your truck, but at least you wouldn't be killing people.

We had the same thing happen many years ago here. I believe it was 1976. A dump truck took a steep hill and overheated his brakes. He approached a stop light with traffic waiting. He could have drove off the road long before he got there, but ended up smashing into all those cars killing 6 people if I remember correctly.

 

[j-mac]

Sure, you just drive off the road is all. You may get banged up as would your truck, but at least you wouldn't be killing people.

We had the same thing happen many years ago here. I believe it was 1976. A dump truck took a steep hill and overheated his brakes. He approached a stop light with traffic waiting. He could have drove off the road long before he got there, but ended up smashing into all those cars killing 6 people if I remember correctly.

I can’t imagine not taking evasive action. But, then again, coming down a steep grade, I’d be at the proper speed, and gear, with the engine brake on high…I’ve been through that pass, and it’s not that tough if you take your time and let the truck do the work.

 

[Wild Bill Kelsoe]

Agreed and I would love to know if this guy passed a US test to get a CDL Class A. Years ago heated breaks were a problem especially on mountains. However all tractors have had engine breaks for many years and something tells me if he overheated his breaks, he was not using them. I suspect he really didn't know how to use them.

Not all Jake brakes are equal. Sometimes they don't work as well as they should. That being said, he should have known what his Jakes could do and acted accordingly.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Not all Jake brakes are equal. Sometimes they don't work as well as they should. That being said, he should have known what his Jakes could do and acted accordingly.

No matter how good they work there is no reason to allow that truck to go down the road at 80 mph. An experienced driver would have assumed the brakes were heating up, pulled off the road before they became disabled, and allowed them to cool off for about a half-hour or so.

 

[AZrailwhale]

I've seen plenty of drivers in cars on that road that had no clue what they were doing, many with CO plates. Overheating breaks is a common problem and inexperienced drivers can panic, doesn't matter what they're driving.

.

Overheating brakes is only a problem for people too stupid to downshift their transmission going downhill.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

I can’t imagine not taking evasive action. But, then again, coming down a steep grade, I’d be at the proper speed, and gear, with the engine brake on high…I’ve been through that pass, and it’s not that tough if you take your time and let the truck do the work.

You would, I would, most experienced American drivers would. But that's what I'm saying about our government throwing these foreigners on the road that don't have to go what we've been through to get a CDL. You can tell by watching them trying to back in a dock. You see they've never done it before or did it very little. Mind you it's been a long time since I took my test, but the company I worked for advanced our class B drivers to class A. They all told me how hard it was to pass and half failed the first time.

 

[j-mac]

You would, I would, most experienced American drivers would. But that's what I'm saying about our government throwing these foreigners on the road that don't have to go what we've been through to get a CDL. You can tell by watching them trying to back in a dock. You see they've never done it before or did it very little. Mind you it's been a long time since I took my test, but the company I worked for advanced our class B drivers to class A. They all told me how hard it was to pass and half failed the first time.

Hell, when I first took my walk around, I failed the first time.

 

[colfax_m]

Meanwhile, the South Dakota AG doesn't even get jail time for killing someone.

An Attorney General Won't Serve Any Jail Time For A Crash That Killed A Pedestrian

Jason Ravnsborg pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges, avoiding jail time despite complaints from the victim's family that he was being too lightly punished for actions they called "inexcusable."

www.npr.org