Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/566087
Voices 2 | Overdrive | September 2015 Kudos came in for Carolyn Magner's August cover story about individuals purposely stepping or driving into the path of oncoming semis and the additional tragedies created for the truckers who survive long after the wreckage is cleared. "I've read over the years of how common the suicide element of fatal accidents for railroad engineers is and more recently the whole suicide by po- lice issue," wrote Paul Bingham. "I've thought that there must be some share of truck-involved fatal accidents that were really suicides, too. You've found the evidence and found the personal link to affected drivers." M. Leora King noted she'd looked in vain for information on the subject three years ago after her hazmat-hauling husband was in- volved in such an incident. Now, "I am happy to have it out in the open, but saddened that so many truckers trying to provide for their families have to go through this situation." In her husband's case, his safety manager "told him to take the time he needed and return when he was ready," King adds. "They would take care of his wages. Never happened! I had to change jobs to be able to be more support for him with the situation." After rotator cuff surgery in 2013 and 2015, her husband "suffered greatly and was diagnosed with mood disorder, and it opened the door to PTSD (post-traumatic stress disor- der)." Treatment was cost-prohibitive and, since he was uninjured in the suicide accident, not covered by insurance. "Please," King advises, "if you find yourself in this situation, go to the hos- pital. The injury is internal, and you need to be your own advocate." More readers' anecdotes follow: Via OverdriveOnline.com: Jim Kennedy: My driver trainer had a head-on suicide, and all my best wishes go out to drivers who've had to go through this and the immediate knee-jerk reactions – blame the truck- er. How often do we constantly see bad four-wheelers on the road, illegal lane changes, speeding, swerving, etc. … And too frequently truckers are punished for four-wheeler mishaps. … Dashcams are a necessity now. Glenn Helmly: I was a safety manager for a midsized family-owned trucking company, and this happened to one of our drivers in North Carolina. It was devastating for the seasoned driver, who over his career had at one time owned several trucks. Our driver, hav- ing a strong faith in God, was able to overcome the incident and returned to driving again. … There was very little as a company we could offer him other than support. We even maintained his pay until he was able to return to full duty, but I personally don't feel that was enough! Workers' compensation did zero other than to notify us and him that emotional distress is not covered for a non-physical injury, which added insult to injury! David Wilmoth: The tire marks are faded away near the Flying J on I-20 East in Columbia, S.C. The civilian waited until I got close and pulled out in front of me and stayed across all three lanes. I had to lock it down and came within two feet of hitting him. 'They don't think of the driver' Polling at OverdriveOnline.com following release of the August "Suicide by truck" report reinforced the notion that such incidents may be more common than believed. To read the full report, search for "suicide by truck" at OverdriveOnline.com. Readers react to reporting on terrible aftermath of on-highway suicides How common are suicide attempts by motorists or pedestrians using unsuspecting truckers? It's happened to me I know someone who's had it happen to them I've heard about such events I'd never heard about it before Overdrive's coverage I don't know 5% 31% 39% 18% 7%