Car Crash Scenario

Letter To the Editor:

Ref: 7/17 Front page news article, “Morristown man dies in SUV crash,”
relating the unsolved mystery of why did the SUV driver drive off the road at 6:39 am
and crash into the backend of a parked tractor-trailer. The state police Fatal Accident Unit, the state police Crime Scene Investigation Unit and the state police Incident Command Unit were all called in.

I wasn’t there, and I am not psychic, but I know how it happened! This isn’t the first time that the Daily record has published such a scenario, and I am surprised that those professional units don’t seem to be aware of the hazard, because it is not an uncommon occurrence on our roadways.

The SUV driver is a little tired, but he figures he can make it home ok, late at night or early morning, hardly any traffic, lots of roadway, lots of lanes. He is driving the speed
limit, staying in the right lane, obeying all the laws, driving safely. Then here comes the tractor-trailer, roaring up just inches behind him and then passing. Then up ahead, the tractor-trailer is slowing down, for whatever reason. Maybe it is going up a hill. So, the SUV overtakes and passes the tractor-trailer. This scenario repeats itself, over and over again. So, now the SUV gets ’smart’ and decides to just follow a ways behind the tractor-trailer, following his tail lights. The tractor-trailer goes around a curve, goes off on the side of the road and stops, with all of his running lights still on. Now here comes the SUV around the curve, still following the tail lights of the tractor-trailer. He thinks that the tractor-trailer is on a new right lane, and he just wants to follow the tractor-trailer, not pass it. So, even though his lane is totally clear, and there are no other cars on the road, --he pulls right in behind the (parked) tractor-trailer, and crashes into it.
That is how it happened. It took me 331 words, instead of the maximum 250 allowed, but maybe the Daily Record will make an exception in this case.

DONALD COLE
Dover