Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/740508
On the morning of the accident, refrigerated straight-truck driver John Doe was rolling along Friendly Road toward Greensboro, N.C., en route to the Fiesta Fresh restau- rant with several boxes of Mrs. Hotstuff's Chili Con Carne. At the moment, Doe was listening to a dramatic account on Channel 19 of a heroic Quebec-based trucker who'd taken a trailer load of broccoli hostage – as a protest against unsafe working conditions – before his capture in Iowa. Holy hollandaise! Ah hah … there was the "Trucks Only" delivery entrance to Fiesta Fresh dead ahead. Doe slowed to a crawl, cautious- ly entered the tiny dock area behind the restaurant and began a wide swing toward the right, at 5 mph, in anticipa- tion of parking by the loading area. His right-turn signal was flashing. Without warning, tragedy struck. Betty Brashly, a sleep-dazed, late-for- work waitress, accelerated wildly into the gravel-covered dock area behind the wheel of her pink Mustang, seeking a shortcut to the employee parking area. Suddenly aware that Doe was turning across her bow, Brashly leaned on her horn, hit the brakes and started to slide. Simultaneously, Doe saw a flash of pink enter the yard and panic-stopped within a few feet but … WHUMPO! Egad! Brashly's pony car had skidded right into, and slightly dented, Doe's right- side saddle tank! Since Doe contested the preventable- accident warning letter from his safety director, the National Safety Council's Accident Review Committee was asked for a final verdict. NSC immediately ruled in Doe's favor, noting that he'd proceeded with caution and was stationary when struck by the speed- crazed Brashly. • 34 www.bigrigowner.com N OV E M B E R 2 0 1 6 Preventable Or Not > Doe dinged at the dock