“When ‘Drive Safe’ Doesn’t Include Dodging Flying Rocks” (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter KitaYama
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Sorry for that. Unfortunately admins have removed the possibility of deleting the first post in a thread. So I couldn't delete my post.Now you left us hanging
There are a lot of reports for the following lawsuit. I found it interesting and wanted to share. As I said, so far the only sources I could find is Facebook and youTube. Just to satisfy your curiosity, it was what I wanted to share.
A Georgia school bus driver is facing a lawsuit for $500,000 following a 2026 incident where a large rock broke through the windshield, causing the driver to break five ribs and leading to accusations of improper handling of the bus after the injury, according to a Facebook report. This and other lawsuits involve intense scrutiny of driver actions during accidents.
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First, @KitaYama, you double-posted. It happens sometimes. I will remove the extra post just to declutter the thread.
Second, I hate to say it, but it's like "chumming" waters when you want to attract sharks. The bloodthirsty members of that community were looking for "free money" - as if it would EVER be free. It would have come from school fees or school-board taxes or the increased cost of insurance that the county would have had to pay. "Myopic" doesn't come close to describing this kind of leech looking for public blood.
And I say "Good for the judge" who dismissed the suit with cause, so that if they appeal looking for "found" money, the trial will be more difficult. I hope that jurisdiction follows the rule that court costs are paid by the loser of the suit.
Second, I hate to say it, but it's like "chumming" waters when you want to attract sharks. The bloodthirsty members of that community were looking for "free money" - as if it would EVER be free. It would have come from school fees or school-board taxes or the increased cost of insurance that the county would have had to pay. "Myopic" doesn't come close to describing this kind of leech looking for public blood.
And I say "Good for the judge" who dismissed the suit with cause, so that if they appeal looking for "found" money, the trial will be more difficult. I hope that jurisdiction follows the rule that court costs are paid by the loser of the suit.
Cotswold
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We have road signs over here which are a little disconcerting.
One is a red slope with rocks falling down it and underneath "Beware of Falling Rocks" and another is "Weak Bridge".
I have never known anyone have rocks dropping onto their cars, or of cars dropping into a river from a bridge.
The ones with a deer with a death wish leaping across a road appear to be the more of an accurate prediction.
One is a red slope with rocks falling down it and underneath "Beware of Falling Rocks" and another is "Weak Bridge".
I have never known anyone have rocks dropping onto their cars, or of cars dropping into a river from a bridge.
The ones with a deer with a death wish leaping across a road appear to be the more of an accurate prediction.
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Now, not to steal KitaYama's thunder, but I've been hit by road debris, similar but not identical to the case of that bus driver . In my case, I was in the front passenger seat, part of a car pool group. We were heading for work on I-10, in the left-most lane - for our non-USA friend, the "fast lane" because we drive on the right side of roads. In the center lane (of a 3-lane highway), a speeding panel truck drove past us, moving faster than us, and rolled over a section of a truck's leaf spring that must have broken off earlier. Basic road debris. I'm going to guess it was 7 or 8 inches across and approximately square - but slightly curved, not flat. Maybe 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick.
Apparently the panel truck rolled over it in a way to flip it up into the air. I didn't see it coming, but that bit of metal sliced through the windshield on my side, and hit my briefcase, which (fortunately for me) was reinforced steel-frame construction, lying in my lap. The metal segment bounced off the briefcase, which was slightly dented but still structurally intact. I still have it as a reminder.
The bouncing debris hit my hand, and then bounced up and caught me in the jaw. Most of its force was absorbed by the impact on the briefcase, and the hand strike was glancing - but the jaw hit was square. No broken bones or teeth, but - as we say sometimes about boxers - it rang my bell. The driver took the fourth hit but only as a glancing strike, and she was not knocked out. She was able to bring the car to a safe stop on the right-hand shoulder of the road. The third member of the car pool was not injured because the debris ended up in the floor beside her in the back seat. None of us had cell phones at the time because this was in the late 1970s and cell phones were clunky things that wouldn't fit in a pocket. Therefore, we couldn't call for help. The third person directed the driver to a nearby hospital with an emergency room, which she knew about because she had been there herself in the past.
I remember the post-impact drive in flashes of momentary consciousness alternating with a few blurry "don't give a damn" moments, but by the time we got to the hospital, I was a bit more coherent. Still dizzy, but eventually able to walk on my own without losing my balance. No stitches, and the X-rays said nothing broken. The next day I visited my dentist to verify no tooth damage, and I was lucky, I guess. Didn't even dislodge any fillings. The aftermath was that for a few days, my cheek and jaw were swollen like one side of me had become part chipmunk, and I had a little bit of a black eye.
From personal experience, I can tell you that a road debris hit is no joke. I also have a great deal of reluctance to throw away that old briefcase for some reason, perhaps because of what it shielded during the incident.
Apparently the panel truck rolled over it in a way to flip it up into the air. I didn't see it coming, but that bit of metal sliced through the windshield on my side, and hit my briefcase, which (fortunately for me) was reinforced steel-frame construction, lying in my lap. The metal segment bounced off the briefcase, which was slightly dented but still structurally intact. I still have it as a reminder.
The bouncing debris hit my hand, and then bounced up and caught me in the jaw. Most of its force was absorbed by the impact on the briefcase, and the hand strike was glancing - but the jaw hit was square. No broken bones or teeth, but - as we say sometimes about boxers - it rang my bell. The driver took the fourth hit but only as a glancing strike, and she was not knocked out. She was able to bring the car to a safe stop on the right-hand shoulder of the road. The third member of the car pool was not injured because the debris ended up in the floor beside her in the back seat. None of us had cell phones at the time because this was in the late 1970s and cell phones were clunky things that wouldn't fit in a pocket. Therefore, we couldn't call for help. The third person directed the driver to a nearby hospital with an emergency room, which she knew about because she had been there herself in the past.
I remember the post-impact drive in flashes of momentary consciousness alternating with a few blurry "don't give a damn" moments, but by the time we got to the hospital, I was a bit more coherent. Still dizzy, but eventually able to walk on my own without losing my balance. No stitches, and the X-rays said nothing broken. The next day I visited my dentist to verify no tooth damage, and I was lucky, I guess. Didn't even dislodge any fillings. The aftermath was that for a few days, my cheek and jaw were swollen like one side of me had become part chipmunk, and I had a little bit of a black eye.
From personal experience, I can tell you that a road debris hit is no joke. I also have a great deal of reluctance to throw away that old briefcase for some reason, perhaps because of what it shielded during the incident.
I still don’t understand why your road design includes shoulders on both sides, left and right.
Also, why aren’t these shoulders properly maintained? In many cop cam chase videos I’ve seen, when a patrol car drives over a shoulder at speed, the tire noise changes significantly, almost like reduced traction on a loose or unpaved surface. You can also see debris and particulates being thrown up, which suggests poor surface compaction or lack of proper pavement treatment or a lot of sand/dust.
Isaac
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Because sometimes, on a large highway with 8 lanes going in one direction, your only choice may be to pull over left.
and the noise of the shoulder is because some shoulders are made of gravel where the main road will be pavement etc
it's all about the budget. some places have a budget wiht proper shoulders, which in my opinion means left and right + pavement throughout. some have less. it's just like anywhere, you will have some roads 'better' than others - $ is not unlimited here, ya know!
I am very thankful because in Arizona we tend to have excellent highways, esp. compared to California - well any where is better than CA highways - but I think mostly because 1) they tend to be new, and 2) the weather doesn't wear them down as it does in many parts of the country
I’ve seen many freeways and highways with three lanes in one direction and shoulders on both sides.
If I’m in an emergency situation and need to stop on the freeway, I prefer to pull over onto the shoulder near the slow lane. I wouldn't even dare to get out of my car if I were near the fast lane with cars passing me at 70+ mph. The wind and air pressure created by passing cars at that speed, is way too intense.
Isaac
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I completely agree with you but I feel that sometimes people have no choice but to sort of crash land their car in the left Lane all of a sudden. Safest thing is to have it on both sides
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Many USA highways do, in fact, have "inside" and "outside" wide shoulders when there is a center divider. Some do not. Shoulder availability depends on how much land was available at the time, and in the case of the road with my accident, it was a highway through an old residential area.
I'm guessing the cost of obtaining the right-of-way was prohibitive. Yes, could have done an "Eminent Domain" procedure, but the number of homes affected might well have made it unlikely to be able to get ALL of the land, and that kind of construction is "all or nothing at all." One good holdout that defeats an Eminent Domain and the road gets pinched. There is also the added factor that the neighborhoods in that area were predominantly black, and an excessive Eminent Domain action would have triggered racist accusations.
Another factor is that if it was an older section of Interstate, it is possible that the "inside" shoulder and part of the outside shoulder got consumed after-the-fact by making a two-lane highway into a three-lane highway. That HAS happened in New Orleans a few times in my lifetime. A second Eminent Domain along the same corridor would have caused more than a few lawsuits of some sort or another.
Net result, I can't tell you WHY there was no inside shoulder, but we got to the outside shoulder OK, so no harm done for that part of it.
I'm guessing the cost of obtaining the right-of-way was prohibitive. Yes, could have done an "Eminent Domain" procedure, but the number of homes affected might well have made it unlikely to be able to get ALL of the land, and that kind of construction is "all or nothing at all." One good holdout that defeats an Eminent Domain and the road gets pinched. There is also the added factor that the neighborhoods in that area were predominantly black, and an excessive Eminent Domain action would have triggered racist accusations.
Another factor is that if it was an older section of Interstate, it is possible that the "inside" shoulder and part of the outside shoulder got consumed after-the-fact by making a two-lane highway into a three-lane highway. That HAS happened in New Orleans a few times in my lifetime. A second Eminent Domain along the same corridor would have caused more than a few lawsuits of some sort or another.
Net result, I can't tell you WHY there was no inside shoulder, but we got to the outside shoulder OK, so no harm done for that part of it.
