100 car pile-up in TX
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Great story, Brenda, since it had a happy ending!
What truck were you driving, and when you got home and inspected it, was there much damage?
Black ice is one scenario where positraction is bad. I hit black ice, went into a slide but couldn't get out of it as both wheels (rear-wheel drive) were spinning, and couldn't use the brakes. This was before ABS, not sure if ABS would have saved the day. As it worked out, I hit dry pavement so no crash. Lucky day.
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DON’T let them eat cake.
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. Wow!!!!!!!Brenda, glad that your slide was okay.
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@rainman said in 100 car pile-up in TX:
Great story, Brenda, since it had a happy ending!
What truck were you driving, and when you got home and inspected it, was there much damage?
Black ice is one scenario where positraction is bad. I hit black ice, went into a slide but couldn't get out of it as both wheels (rear-wheel drive) were spinning, and couldn't use the brakes. This was before ABS, not sure if ABS would have saved the day. As it worked out, I hit dry pavement so no crash. Lucky day.
Rainman, it was the truck I still have, my 1991 3/4 ton Chevy 4x4. Yes, hubby was driving my truck and put it in the ditch. That's why he asked me what we should do to get out of the ditch. I have more experience with the vehicle.
I took my truck for an inspection at the dealer after we got home. My concern was all that pressure as we slid backwards through the ditch, especially since we were still going so fast. The dealer we use has quite a good service department, and they said they couldn't find any damage. Since I've had the truck in use since then, they must have been right. I would have loved my truck anyway, but that it got us out of that ditch, it's an extra bond.
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Final death toll 6. Took them 30 hours to reopen the highway.
Some details about the victims here. Parents on their way to work, mostly. Sad.
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@friday said in 100 car pile-up in TX:
Amazing there weren't more deaths. I guess this just goes to show how good cars are now.
Brenda, even though I knew you ended up fine, I was still tense reading your story.
Friday, the experience was surreal. It was all like slow motion until we started going backwards in the ditch. First, we slid forwards for hundreds of feet, the gradually swung sideways. We slid sideways, covering both lanes of the highway, for several hundred feet more. We were so lucky no one else was in our path in either lane.
Slowly, we turned again while sliding and ended up backwards. It was all so gradual, and rather graceful, until we left the pavement and hit the ditch. There was so much time to talk, note the other vehicles, check on our little girl, and wonder what would happen next.
Most people describe an accident as happening so fast there was no time to react. This was so slow, and yet we were still going so fast. We still marvel that we came out unharmed.
I love my big blue truck.
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@jon-nyc said in 100 car pile-up in TX:
Harrowing, Brenda. Glad it’s behind you and you were all ok.
It's been over 20 years, yet whenever hubby and I hear of a bad situation with black ice, not only do we feel terrible for the people in the current situation, we revisit our good luck and feel so incredibly grateful.
