A two-vehicle accident is reported at routes 98 and 262. One vehicle is blocking the intersection. The other has struck The Mill Co-op Gifts & Antiques or a building by that location and there's "a lot of structural damage as a result." The vehicle that struck it is a 10-wheel box truck and the driver is not injured, but is trapped inside. Elba Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding along with law enforcement.
UPDATE 1:43 p.m.: A unit from Oakfield is asked to stand by in its quarters. A code enforcement officer is requested to the scene.
UPDATE 1:45 p.m.: The truck has a possible fuel leak.
UPDATE 2 p.m.: National Grid is called to the scene.
UPDATE 2:38 p.m.: According to Deputy Jon Szumigala at the scene, the box truck swerved to avoid a sedan which had turned in front of him. As a result, the truck hit a storage building owned by The Mill. The trucker got lucky. His vehicle was struck by large pieces of wood and beams in the crash and although no beam pierced the cab, one went through his trailer like a spear, about a foot above his head. The 60-year-old had to be extricated by firefighters and was taken to UMMC with no complaints of pain. The sedan is totaled and the front end is completely mangled, the driver unhurt. "The building appears to be weakened tremendously," Szumigala said, adding that they can't remove the vehicle until code enforcement says it's OK to do so. The roadway is reopened.
Nice pictures, Howard. It
Nice pictures, Howard. It looks like the wheels of that truck went partially over the front end of that car.
I sure wish people would make full stops and look both ways before proceeding. On my way to work yesterday morning, a driver in the lane next to me decided to try switching lanes without even looking or signaling. Luckily I have a WoLo horn on the bike and the guy just about came unglued when I let him know I was there. I could see his face in the side view mirror so I knew he could see me. He just never bothered to look.
A few weeks ago a pickup
A few weeks ago a pickup truck had struck the same barn..... driver of truck is really lucky-great shots Howard!-I went through around 2:30 and the truck was still there-roadway was opened back up. Once or twice a week I have someone in a hurry blow through stop signs to either get ahead of me or cross intersection-they don't want to follow a tractor trailer or wait(in a big hurry,I guess).....
Bob, I see people doing the
Bob, I see people doing the DUMBEST things around big rigs. Drivers dive under them to the right when the rig clearly has a right turn signal on. Just because the rig is in the left lane doesn't mean they're turning left! I can't stand it when cars/pickups pull back into the right lane so close to the front or a rig that the rig driver can't see the car or truck. I mean, don't these people realize how much potential is behind them? Crappy drivers everywhere and the cops just stick with pulling over speeders.
Nice pictures. Glad no one
Nice pictures. Glad no one got hurt. Good thing it wasn't last weekend at the other 98/262 intersection. I went to the Onion Fest and that was one of the first things I thought about while my granddaughter road the rides. The other was that it just did not seem to be the same.
Doug, Have to agree with you.
Doug,
Have to agree with you. I may not drive a rig but respect the heck out of there size and I drive a F250 4x4 Superduty. The worst part is that most of them that dont respect them are the 20ish or less.
you can talk abt how dumb it
you can talk abt how dumb it is until the time you find out that mangled car was holding irreplaceable cargo called your child!! her life is the most important thing ever!! so you can call her dumb or a crappy driver and all i can say is THANK YOU LORD FOR PROTECTING MY CHILD!! i understand you have your opinion but maybe you should take the time to remember that the these dumb crappy drivers, that you so carelessly nickname are someones child, mother, father, sister, brother ect...
signed a blessed mother
Sherry, whatever that rant
Sherry, whatever that rant was about, I have no clue. If someone does something stupid around a big rig, they're a crappy driver, period.
I suddenly have an urge to watch One flew over the Cuckoo's nest
Edit 8/8/12: Sherry, I'm glad your daughter is okay. I see she was cited for alleged failure to yield the right of way at an intersection. She almost killed herself and a truck driver and you're angry with me for finding fault with bad drivers? I'm honestly glad that everyone is okay but please don't take your anger out on me for saying a frog is green. I didn't even say anything directly about either of the drivers involved in this accident. My comments were a generalized observation about what I see drivers doing on the roads every day. I said that drivers do dumb things and that they're crappy drivers. I didn't say the drivers were dumb. In fact, I think it makes bad driving even more inexcusable when the driver is of average or above average intelligence. There's simply no excuse. Peoples lives are at stake, which you already know. Sorry if I offended you and I know you were scared for your daughter.
No disrespect intended, it's
No disrespect intended, it's probably not your fault, But "generally" people in cars are clueless about what it takes to bring a truck to a stop and they do this type of stuff ALL DAY LONG and the truck drivers are saving car drivers from their own ignorance all day long, as best they can..Sometimes you have to practically put the truck in reverse to save some of these "special people" that pull out in front of you... It is very frustrating and stressful on a truck driver and sometimes makes them bitter towards car drivers.. So just wait for the truck to go by and pull out behind it so everyone can go home safe.
Sincerely yours, A truck driver - who has saved many peoples lives and they don't even know it .
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"Special Note: putting a truck in reverse while driving down the road is meant to be a joke - It can't actually be done, so please don't start expecting us to do it.
Awesome photos Howard, Much
Awesome photos Howard, Much better than the competitors, if there even is one.
Spoken by someone who was run
Spoken by someone who was run off the road almost into a guardrail by a semi (who was trying to pass a bus without looking) not all truck drivers drive responsibly. And my husband drives a truck so I see both points of view. Don't assume it was the fault of the person in the car.
You're absolutely correct,
You're absolutely correct, Judith. I've seen truck drivers do some stupid things, also, but I must say I think they represent a small percentage of truck drivers that take their job seriously. It's so easy to have a CDL taken away these days that a truck driver can't afford to be a bad driver for very long. The same can't be said for drivers of passenger vehicles.
I travel 75 miles from cow country, to expressway, into the city of Rochester and back every work day and I see crappy drivers everywhere. It's not the driver that's 10 or 20 MPH over the limit on the expressway that I worry about. It's the idiot that wants to tailgate, dive in and out of traffic, pass people on the right through intersections and pass people on the left when there's a mile of cars in front of the car they just passed.
I could keep in listing the dumb things people do but I'm sure everyone else already sees it. For the most part, I give truckers the benefit of a doubt. People love driving in their blind spots and causing them all kinds of other grief. Some trucks are even outfitted with a sensor that takes the throttle away from the truck driver and applies the brakes if you pull back into their lane too close to the front of them. That's got to be scary for the truck driver.
Maybe everyone should take a CDL course to get a regular license just so that it makes them even more aware of how they should drive on the road. I took a "Ride with pride" motorcycle course in Derby, NY and I KNOW it made me a better driver, not just on the bike but also in my pickup truck.
I've been riding motorcycle for 7 seasons now, between 4000 and 7000 miles per season, and I've never had a mishap. I know that doesn't sound like a lot of miles but those miles are on a motorcycle in an ocean of vehicles being driven by people who change lanes without looking, text while driving...etc. Try doing that on a bike sometime. Not only do I have to drive my bike, I have to pay attention for all the other idiots who don't pay attention.
My point is, I sympathize with professional drivers who are expected to toe the line in an ocean of miscreant drivers.
I get your point Doug as I
I get your point Doug as I also drive back and forth to Rochester everyday. And ride on a motorcycle (one of those without leather on a 90 degree day). My point was that all truck drivers are not innocent and do have more stringent obligations given the nature of the vehicle. Just as not all car drivers are negligent.
A truck driver is responsible for knowing exactly what is in his blind spot before moving into it, regardless. That would be where the professional driver, protecting your CDL and operating a huge piece of potentially lethal machinery comes in.
My position is that once he came into my lane, there was nothing I could do to avoid it. I was certainly not "lingering" there. Whatever he was doing, he didn't look, hear my horn or stop after he hit me. Don't you worry though, I caught him. Regardless, I have most definitely learned not to pass a truck unless I have an escape route.