Turnpike accident was preventable
Crash kills three, injures four on the Pa. Turnpike. This was the headline in the York Sunday News (June 24, Section C, page 5).
This accident happened at the Lebanon-Lancaster exit 266 on the westbound lanes at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, June 23. Numerous calls were made to 911 more than 20 minutes before this accident, because of the unsafe traffic conditions on both the east and west bound lanes.
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I know because I called 911 at 12:10 p.m. while sitting in the east bound traffic on the shoulder of the road behind over a mile of cars, also on the shoulder, trying to get off at exit 266 for the Celtic Fling and Highland Games, a well publicized and heavily attended annual event.
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The response of the 911 call taker after I said I was on the Pa. Turnpike, “I guess you’re probably at exit 266, because we are getting a lot of calls. We will connect you to the Pa. Turnpike.”
I had asked both 911 and the Pa. Turnpike to send out a police officer to control traffic as it was getting dangerous.
At this time many cars were passing the mile or more line of traffic on the shoulder; racing ahead in the right lane and trying to force their way into the exit, while blocking the right hand lane of traffic.
Vehicles coming upon these impatient and self-important people, including tractor trailer drivers, would have to make a sudden stop or lane change.
About 20 minutes later we saw the first of the emergency vehicles going to help the injured and the dead.
An hour later we finally managed to get to the exit ramp as more fools continued to try to force their way into the exiting traffic.
Did we ever see any traffic control from Pennsylvania’s finest? The answer is no!
The only police cars we saw before that time and later in the day between Harrisburg and exit 266 were cars sitting along the side of the turnpike with their radar on looking to fatten the State’s purse with traffic fines.
Three dead, four injured. Calls to 911 for help to prevent this, 911 to Pa. Turnpike, no response from turnpike or state police.
Folks, this was a preventable accident.
No, Gov. Rendell, selling the Pa. Turnpike to a foreign company is not the answer. Accountability and responsibility are the answer. Think about it!
Jana Sindlinger
Dover
When I was in school, I remember reading the following sign during a field trip to a local factory.
"ACCIDENTS DON'T JUST HAPPEN-------THEY ARE CAUSED!"
If we believe that, (and I do), then it is possible to believe that ALL (or nearly all) accidents are preventible. In this instance, it was the driver of the truck who caused this accident by not being able to identify or adjust to changing traffic conditions properly.
The ability of any driver cannot be evaluated when he/she is "aiming" a vehicle down a highway where the traffic is flowing freely and/or unobstructed. Driving ability is measured by how any given driver is able to react to the unexpected event!
What you are complaining about has nothing to do with the accident that occurred. You weren't even going in the direction that it happened!
I was in the backup on the WESTbound side, the side where the accident happened (it happened behind me), and in the entire hour I was in the backup I saw only two passenger vehicles on the shoulder, and they were stopped. One vehicle was disabled and the other had pulled over while the driver talked on his cell phone. Moreover, orange highway trucks with blinking signs to warn about the backup were backing up along the shoulder, which they couldn't have done if there were drivers trying exit on the shoulder.
Having said that, I am certain the accident was preventable. I barely saw any warning signs before I arrived at the backup. After hearing what had happened I concluded that before the truck driver plowed into the stopped vehicles in front of him, he either hadn't heeded the construction warnings (his fault), hadn't seen the warnings (combination of his fault and PennDOT's for not properly placing them), or that there weren't any for him to see before he plowed into the stopped cars in front of him (would be totally PennDOT's fault for failing to anticipate the extent of backup and place signs at appropriate spots). However, people rudely passing YOU on the shoulder on the eastbound side so they could get to the games faster didn't kill anyone.