# Major Accident!!!



## JeepPlow18

Sorry guys no snow in these pics. This was a major accident in the middle of Sparta, NJ. What happened was a tractor trailer coming down a really steep road, Stanhope for you Spartans, he made his food delivery at one of the schools (Helen Morgan). After he was done he when down Stanhope and lost his brakes. He was aproaching a mojor intersection (181 and Winona) he realized that he lost them and slammed on the brakes locking up the only working brakes his front single tires. He had lost them in all of THE DOUBLE TIRES! There was a line of cars and he layed on the horn and managed to go around the five cars that was stopped at the light. He then went through the intersection with only the front two tries locked up. Then the worst happened he slammed into a 2005 ford expedition broad sidding it. The car was air born (all tires were off the ground) and then the other side of the car hit a porch of a nail salon. Lucky that the two passengers walked out! amasing! As for the semi, PFG foods, from the impact of hitting the car he fliped over on the drivers side and slid through the rest of the way on his side then coming in contact with a traffic light and the box for the traffic light just shearing it off like a toothpick. The two guys in the truck also walked away with no injuries. AMASING! The driver said that he just picked it up from the garage. IT HAD THE BRAKES FIXED. I asume the the mechanic is going to be in deep ****.


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## Synergyracing

holy *****!!! Very lucky... good driving for the semi driver... could have been horrific!!!


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## Rickco

Glad i wasn't the passenger in that ford!


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## starc

Everybody needs to learn to slow down, not sure what it's like where some of you guys are from but here in the last couple of years.... 
Nothin better that some ***** passin you in the dead of winter speeding along, only to see him a couple miles up the road flagin you down after he went in the ditch. I say to myself, yep, right buddy, as I drive by slowly givin him the beep beep from the horn and a wave....


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## 4x4Farmer

I wonder why only the front ones locked up, if had lost air pressure, they would have all locked up, or should have. Must not have had them set up right I guess. Someone needs to learn how to adjust slack adjusters!! at least no one was hurt.


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## Sweetpete

Doesn't sound like he did a pre-trip inspection, especially checking that his service brakes would engage if his airbrakes failed.

Very scary, but I'll say this, that Ford looks like it took the hit EXTREMELY well. I expected it to be torn in half. 

As a matter of fact, that may just have sold me on my next vehicle. WOW!!


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## Craftybigdog

Wow someone was looking out for them!


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## DBL

wow thats a good one and ive handled some bad ones everyones lucky he didnt hit more people because he really could have


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## Detroitdan

4x4Farmer;333138 said:


> I wonder why only the front ones locked up, if had lost air pressure, they would have all locked up, or should have. Must not have had them set up right I guess. Someone needs to learn how to adjust slack adjusters!! at least no one was hurt.


Right, the only way that could have actually have happened as described is if the mechanic accidentally backed off every slack adjuster. Maybe because the brakes were on when he adjusted them, so the fronts were the only ones he did right.


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## JeepPlow18

Yea about only the front ones locking up. My friend that works at the Gulf station was pumping gas at the time it all happened right in front of him. He said that was the worst sound that he had ever heard.


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## iakentdoz

It sounds like the breaks were not installed all they way. It seems like they worked for a while. The extra force put on them by going down the hill might have made the cam to come apart. The brakes on the Single tires on the front is not same set up as the duel wheels. I believe there is no adjustment to the front.

It's also odd that both that tractor and trailer brakes failed at the same time. I don't think both the tractor and trailer tandems would have been worked on (by the same guy) at the same time, enough to cause both to fail. I would think even if they were not adjusted right, the driver would have noticed it right away while driving out of the lot. I wonder if the air system on the tractor was worked on or replaced? The valves that control the front and back tandems and trailer tandems are different, so he could have only front brakes if no work was done to that valve.


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## Grader4me

Detroitdan;333282 said:


> Right, the only way that could have actually have happened as described is if the mechanic accidentally backed off every slack adjuster. Maybe because the brakes were on when he adjusted them, so the fronts were the only ones he did right.


That makes sense as with the park brake on it wouldn't effect adjusting the fronts. But my god we are talking about a mechanic and I would say that the driver was putting his full trust in the guy's work.
Then again anyone can make a mistake, but you would think that someone mehanic or driver would have tested these before leaving the yard. Maybe everyone involved with this was in a big rush to get the truck going etc. Perfect recipe for an accident.


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## Detroitdan

One time I got bumped up to a bigger truck at work. While I had driven the truck before, it was only rarely, and for some reason they thought I was aware of the problem with the slack adjusters, but they never told me about them. The wrong ones were put on, and they had to be adjusted every day if it was driven, as the shoe wearing down moved away just enough they wouldn't work. Anyway, going through town one day and a Tahoe stopped quick in front of me, I almost ran it over because all over a sudden I had barely any brakes. Couldn't really tell what had happened, started going again and testing them lightly they felt okay, but definitely failed under hard braking. So I'm looking for a place to turn around to take it back to the shop (I was only right up the street) when I come to a crosswalk, naturally one of the rich academy kids has to walk out in front of me like they always do, (they have to assert themselves) once again I have to stop hard, and while I was only going maybe 10 mph, I just cruised right through with the air horn pulled. The kid jumps out of the way. There was a police officer stopped on the other side of the crosswalk, he looked up when he heard the horn, yelled at the kid to pay attention then shook his head and rolled his eyes at me as he passed. I guess his perception was that the kid darted out at the absolute last second, rather than me not slowing down for him. Big scare there. Limped it back to the shop and parked it until they put the right slack adjusters on it. Apparently the nitwit who drove it before me had no problem adjusting them every day.


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## finnegan

brake fade or overheated brakes ????? you said he was coming down a hill


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## streetsurfin'

Iced up or defective valves? Lines to the valves removed and put back on wrong? Did it say he had made previous stops? They must have worked earlier. I've had to readjust slack adjusters after the "mechanic" did them on several occassions. On a few occassions one axle would be adjusted right while the other was backed off completely. Turn some people around twice and they get lost (i.e. moving on the creeper from one axle to the next)..


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## iakentdoz

streetsurfin';333617 said:


> Iced up or defective valves? Lines to the valves removed and put back on wrong? Did it say he had made previous stops? They must have worked earlier. I've had to readjust slack adjusters after the "mechanic" did them on several occassions. On a few occassions one axle would be adjusted right while the other was backed off completely. Turn some people around twice and they get lost (i.e. moving on the creeper from one axle to the next)..


I was thinking about a Iced up valve, but by the look of the pictures I don't think it was cold outside. The lines could have been installed wrong. I have had to replace the Air Dryer before and it is very easy to hook up the lines the wrong way, but I don't think the mechanic could have mixed them all up  I still think it was a equipment failer, of the 5 axles on the truck, I would think that more than just one set would work.


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## JeepPlow18

Yea he made his first stop at the elementary school and then was on his way to the high school and yes he was going down a steep hill. Was still full of food luckily that the doors didnt bust open that would had been an even bigger mess. And for the truck driver all he said was that he picked it up earlier that morning and had the brakes done.


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## repo_man62

Terrible wreck...but BEAUTIFUL professional looking recovery! (For all you fellow drivers)


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## Detroitdan

repo_man62;334302 said:


> Terrible wreck...but BEAUTIFUL professional looking recovery! (For all you fellow drivers)


Makes me kind of miss the fun of doing that. I used to work for a heavy towing and recovery company, we did a lot of training and it was cool to go out and do something like that in front of a crowd and look professional. Can't say that I ever saw a truck driver thoughtful enough to turn his truck over out in a wide open area for us though, it was always in the median or over the embankment or something. That one they could get at it from every side, Looks like they were using about three different methods at the same time: the ten wheeler was doing a reverse roll, the six wheeler was pulling perpendicular, plus they had airbags under it, but I didn't see where anyone was hooked to the tractor...wish I knew how to post pics here, I've got some neat heavy recovery photos.


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## JeepPlow18

Detroitdan;334423 said:


> Makes me kind of miss the fun of doing that. I used to work for a heavy towing and recovery company, we did a lot of training and it was cool to go out and do something like that in front of a crowd and look professional. Can't say that I ever saw a truck driver thoughtful enough to turn his truck over out in a wide open area for us though, it was always in the median or over the embankment or something. That one they could get at it from every side, Looks like they were using about three different methods at the same time: the ten wheeler was doing a reverse roll, the six wheeler was pulling perpendicular, plus they had airbags under it, but I didn't see where anyone was hooked to the tractor...wish I knew how to post pics here, I've got some neat heavy recovery photos.


Correct! and they were using the airbags to do all the work and the tows were on both sides making sure it didnt go over to fast or slipped but basically it was the airbags doing all the work. When they had flipped it upright they actually towed it in one piece, from the front of the cab. This was the very exciting to watch. It happened at 1pm and they just had flipped it over about 3 Hours later. Talk about mojor GRIDLOCK. I have lived in sparta,NJ for 11 years and I have not ever seen something that horrific in the middle of town.


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## QMVA

I don't know how much this affects things but if you look at the picture the truck only has one rear axle.


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## Detroitdan

shouldn't make much difference. Obviously a ten wheeler would have one more set of brakes, but chances are they wouldn't have worked right either. Maybe a little better compression braking but not much. There is a PFG Northcenter near where I live, most all their tractors I've seen are daycab 6 wheelers. They aren't carrying anything real heavy and the 6 wheelers are much more maneuverable for city driving.


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## JeepPlow18

Just putting this to the top for those of you that have not seen this. Be careful out there with the rain and wet leaves.


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## tkahike

Hey All,

Just a little FYI-I know the person that was in that wreck in the Ford. She is a Life time member of the Sparta Squad, which I'm also a member of, we joined about the same time, she no longer runs. I never got to see pics of the wreck. She is doing ok, and so is her daughter who also was in the car. I have always bought my cars with the one fact of seeing them after being in a wreck.

Thanks


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## JeepPlow18

True that was a really bad wreck. I still cant beleive that they all walked away with no major injuries. They are very lucky.


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## TurbDies2500

That wreck is unbeleivable. Must have been pretty icey.


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## JeepPlow18

TurbDies2500;414204 said:


> That wreck is unbeleivable. Must have been pretty icey.


The thing was is that is was not icy at all. That mild winter last year it was raining in december lol. But it was slick misty all day, was in the 40's I beleive.


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## Supper Grassy

there lucky it was't worse


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