Truck Dangles Over Bridge In Decatur - WHNT

A truck driver found himself in a dangerous situation Friday night. He was stuck inside the cab of his truck as it was dangling over a bridge along Interstate 65 near Decatur.

[Helpful friend]

Priceville vol. Were on scene until 11 o'clock untill DOT showed up and took over the scene.

[Nannie]

Thank you, Ch 19 for being an actual NEWS team & actually breaking away from FOOTBALL FRIDAY long enough to report this important news. Unlike the other stations who seem to think that nothing is more important than the all-important football scores. Amazing! NO other station was there to report a traffic accident on a major interstate in the are?! That's crazy!

[bama35640]

It can only happen again and again. I helped out several years ago with the same situation. We got the trucker out A-OK out of the front window looking down at the river and the front of his truck but then there were 2 more within a year or so. One was a trucker and then there was the gal that went off. Both died. Until they raise the side rails of the bridge this will happen again and again. So where is the stimulus money that is needed for it.

Bob

[Former Resident]

What a horrible article. No mention that this bridge has had numerous big truck related accidents in the same manner as this one. No mention that the big truck speed has been reduced and restricted for years due to this very same situation. No mention of who the driver was nor the company that he drove for. No REAL photo's, even though you mention that numerous people sent in pictures. No interview with any of the attendants on site.

Let's just pat ourselves on the back and tell us what a great station you are for being on the scene. How about some REAL information.

I would expect this kind of shoddy news reporting from some small town news station but not WHNT. Heck, there's nothing viewable from the ONE photo you did post!!! This article is a joke!

[Edgar]

I've worked for many trucking companies in the area, and their dispatchers and management are very prone to pushing truck drivers to the limit, not to mention substance abuse and alcohol that still goes on within the trucking industry. It going to take a lot more than raising rails on a bridge to curb such "accidents" that have repeatedly happened so often. The root cause of the problem stil seems to be swept under the rug and kept out of the publics ears and eyes.

When we finally see the truth about the situations that cause many accidents, then something can be done, but until then we will continue to see many more "accidents" and "incidents" occur over for whatever the reason.

In our "dog eat dog" nation and world where competition is so high, companies are forced to fight for their right to exist and "make a profit" in this world. In doing so, they are not finding the most qualified personnel to work for them, and continually push the ones they have to do more and more and more. Tiredness sets it, as does age of those who will do those type of jobs, or are forced to in order to prove to people (and themselves) they can do it. We will never solve the problem until we see and solve this "love of money" syndrome that spreads like a disease throughout the nation; especially with this adminstiration and Congress.

[Higpole99]

Well you may want to blame the truck drivers for big truck accidents, but you need to check the real facts. People driving, or attempting to drive "4 wheelers" are a majorif not the major contributing factor to big truck accidents. We are on the road everyday with these big trucks. Most would not believe what people will do, to get around a truck, get to an exit, or get around another car. We see it every day. Alabama State Police must agree as they are starting their Safety Campaign again, targeting this exact issue:
4 wheelers acting aggressively towards big trucks.

[Charles]

Former Resident wrote:

I would expect this kind of shoddy news reporting from some small town news station but not WHNT. Heck, there's nothing viewable from the ONE photo you did post!!! This article is a joke!

WHNT is a small town news station because Huntsville/Decatur is pretty much a small town.

[Proof Read]

Does anyone ever proof read anymore? This reads like a third grader wrote it.

[Willi]

Everyone relies on their computer's spell check to much. The words are all correct, just the order they are in. In some cases completely missing one or two words.

[amanda]

Charles wrote:

<quoted text>
WHNT is a small town news station because Huntsville/Decatur is pretty much a small town.

Not sure, but last I checked, Huntsville is the third or fourth largest city in the state behind Birmingham, Montgomery, and Mobile. Don't think that qualifies it as "small".

[local resident]

We saw the broadcast last night and were very confused. The reporter kept referring to the location of the accident as EAST bound I-65 (there is no such thing and Ms. Morgan did not correct him) and near or at I-565. This lead us to believe that the accident was on the interchange which is practically in our back yard. I was so concerned that I got on line today to see if the location had been clarified only to learn that the accident happened half way to the I-65 Decatur exit on the big bridge over the river.

This was a critical mistake on the part of the reporter. If you can't even get the location right then you are not giving people the information they need. People trying to avoid the accident have to know where it is! I agree with the above posts that other relevant info would have included the driver and his company as well as the cause of the accident (were other drivers to blame?). There was at least one other car involved according to the report last night which is not mentioned today. Was he wrong then or incomplete today?

This appears to be a case of rampant sensationalism. It may be very exciting to read that the driver was dangling off the bridge, but this is LESS newsworthy that all the above mentioned that was WRONG or ABSENT. And small town or no, that is NO EXCUSE.

[local resident]

Above location should read Mooresville, AL.

[Big Rig Driver]

local resident is NOT Mooresville.
It was on the Morgan County side of the bridge so its Decatur.
Higpole99 and Edgar are exactly right.
Greedy employers and 4 wheelers contribute greatly.
The bridge height has NOTHING to do with it.

[slp0014]

Supposedly this happened "...on the northbound side of I-65 near the Madison County/Morgan County Line." I have lived here more than 50 years, and there is no location on I-65 that is near the Madison/Morgan County line. The Tennessee River bridge at I-65 is near the Limestone/Morgan County line. Today's "journalists" don't care about facts, its just show biz and sensationalism. Channel 19 is losing a lot of credibility lately.

[Former Resident]

Edgar, I'm a truck driver, for 14 years and you're completely wrong. With the random drug testing that is done (FEDERALLY MANDATED) there isn't much of a chance that drivers are involved in drugs and alcohol as in years past. Of course there are the few who find ways around the law, just as with any field.

The main reason trucks in the past have went over the side is due to cross winds, hence the reason the speed limit is lower and trucks are restricted to the right lane. Where there cross winds last night?

As for Huntsville being a small town, surely you're kidding??? I was born and raised in Huntsville and it's far from Small Town, USA. WHNT has been in the national news (this is one of them) many times and this is the first time I've ever known of a reporter being completely ignorant of the facts.

If he/she were there, where are the facts? Where are the pictures? Where is an interview? The picture shown that was taken wasn't even a quality photo. Where are the pictures sent in by the public? I don't think flying over in a helicopter is being "on the scene".

Local Resident, I agree with you 100%.

I would think the heads of the station would want professional reporting instead of the public coming to their defense and saying "Oh poor us, we're only a small town station".

[Ron]

The Tennessee River is the county line for Limesone and Morgan county. The Madison county line is at the Huntsville airport.

[Eric]

Higpole99 wrote:

Well you may want to blame the truck drivers for big truck accidents, but you need to check the real facts. People driving, or attempting to drive "4 wheelers" are a majorif not the major contributing factor to big truck accidents. We are on the road everyday with these big trucks. Most would not believe what people will do, to get around a truck, get to an exit, or get around another car. We see it every day. Alabama State Police must agree as they are starting their Safety Campaign again, targeting this exact issue:
4 wheelers acting aggressively towards big trucks.

Actually that's pure BS. I have seen FAR too many truckers in accidents caused by their own doing, such as fish-tailing or falling asleep at the wheel (extremely common). Yes - there are people that don't respect the large trucks when they drive near them, but we are ALL on this road together. Stop this "us versus them" mentality and start working towards a solution. You don't own the road no matter how much you think you do. You call yourselves "professional drivers" - start acting like it and stop whining, bitching, and trying to place blame on everyone else.

[Ken - Decatur]

Charles wrote:

<quoted text>
WHNT is a small town news station because Huntsville/Decatur is pretty much a small town.

The two "cities" may be small compared in population and acres, but, in heart and the people thereof, bigger than any in the world.

[amy-Madison]

Actually, I was driving South shortly after the accident and Southboud traffic WAS down to one lane. Put me 10 min behind scedule.
"There was no impact to the southbound lane."
was untrue.

[Edgar]

I hope I am wrong about my opinion of the accident (incident) that occured, but I've also been around many trucking companies, and they do push their drivers still today to do many a stupid thing, and call them names if they don't do them. Truck drivers will still do things to keep them going and deliver a load, even if they haven't had a rest in the required time. Oh, and by the way, "drug tests" are too easy to get around these days for a real drug user who knows how to do it. Your comment doesn't prove a thing different to what I wrote.

In my commute to and from work I've seen drivers of those big rigs swerve in and out of traffic as if he or she were driving a sports care, trailers rcoking back and forth as they go. Despite the regulations and laws about CDL's now, there are still some "idiot" truck drivers out there who don't know how to do anything else with their lives except (of all things) DRINK and get drunk!