In this Preventable or Not accident scenario, an aggressive truck driver initiates a risky maneuver to try and get around an angry motorist. However, this maneuver only leads to a collision between the truck driver and the motorist. Was this accident preventable?
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It was early afternoon, and John Doe was headed westbound on narrow, two-lane Bumpkin Blvd. Looking ahead, he noticed a blue Triumph Spitfire (can be any car) driven by a habitually impatient and ill-tempered driver who had stopped, with his left turn signal flashing, waiting for an opportunity to turn left into a local business.
Doe slowed to a crawl and then attempted to squeak past the vintage car, pulling partially onto the shoulder to complete the maneuver.
At that instant, the car driver became frustrated and decided to accelerate back into the center of his lane, which was now unfortunately occupied by Doe’s tractor. Whammo! The driver steered right into Doe’s left fender.
Because Doe questioned the preventable accident warning letter issued by his safety supervisor, the National Safety Council’s accident review committee was asked to settle the dispute.
NSC immediately upheld the preventable ruling, noting that a defensive driver would have waited for the frantic car driver to complete his turn instead of attempting to pass on the shoulder.
