Utah UPS driver killed 12/1/08

[Cementups]

After our PCM on Friday we were asked to come into the office and watch this video to remind us of sately.

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=4946499

I'm still a little in disbelief. When one of our drivers made the comment that it was the other guys fault, our center manager (who used to be a Safety Manager) started making note of the 5 seeing habits and other things that may have been overlooked. He may as well have said it was the UPS guy's fault because he didn't see it coming. I like our center manager, but DAMN!!!

A UPS driver was killed in a two-vehicle crash Monday morning at the intersection of SR-138 and SR-36 in Stansbury Park.

Alan Christofferson, 54, of West Jordan, was traveling 60 mph south on SR-36 in a UPS delivery truck at approximately 9:20 a.m. when a Peterbilt dump truck in the northbound lanes pulled out in front of him while attempting to turn west onto SR-138, according to Cpl. Andrew Prescott of the Utah Highway Patrol.

The dump truck, owned by Western Excavation, was stuck on the right front tire by the UPS truck, causing both vehicles to spin to the west side of the road.

Prescott said the impact left both vehicles severely mangled.

“The dump truck spilt in half and the cab was demolished,” Prescott said.

Christofferson was found pinned inside the UPS truck and had to be extracted. He was pronounced dead on scene, according to Prescott.

The driver of the dump truck, Steven Jakeman, of Tooele, was ejected from the vehicle. He suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries. He was airlifted to University Hospital.

Prescott said the dump truck was carrying a load of mud, which spilled on the road during the accident.

“It was a huge mess,” Prescott said.

UHP shut down the southbound lanes — rerouting traffic onto SR-138 — and the inside northbound lane until about 3 p.m. while crews cleaned up the mud and the two mangled trucks were hauled away.

Traffic in both directions was backed up significantly, Prescott said, although he was unsure how far in either direction.

Christofferson had been driving the Tooele route for more than 20 years and was well-known by local business owners.

The accident is still under investigation. No charges have been filed yet.

 

[metrophillyslub]

After our PCM on Friday we were asked to come into the office and watch this video to remind us of sately.

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=4946499

I'm still a little in disbelief. When one of our drivers made the comment that it was the other guys fault, our center manager (who used to be a Safety Manager) started making note of the 5 seeing habits and other things that may have been overlooked. He may as well have said it was the UPS guy's fault because he didn't see it coming. I like our center manager, but DAMN!!!

absolutely sad story! the link with the news feed and some additional views of the ups truck. my heart goes out to this mans family. as for the center manager.. its always our fault for any accident. any one at all!

 

[rod]

Damm I hate seeing stories like this. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family

 

[BLACKBOX]

It just goes to show how you could be following all the safety rules you were taught but if someone cuts in front of you you really have no chance. That picture of the engine lying away from the vehicle shows how devastating the impact was. Our condolences to this fellow pkg driver and his family.

 

[705red]

How ironic! The driver in the dump truck was not wearing his seatbelt and ejected while seeming to be at fault and survives, while the ups driver was wearing his belt and didn't.

As a ups driver it is impossible to determine how many decisions that we make on a daily basis, its so second nature to us that we dont even realize the thousands of decisions that are made throught the day. Please becareful everyone, its really sad when we have to bury one of our own.

 

[dannyboy]

cement

some center managers think they are doing everyone a favor by "reacting" to this type of thing with the actions yours took.

several things, speed was not an issue, the damage occurred because it was basically a head on collision because someone that was turning onto the road went wide and into the path of the ups truck. that would not really cause a driver to slow down until he saw the truck pull into his lane. my guess is the dump actually did/could not stop because it was carrying mud, something that is extremely heavy.

secondly, the driver was pulling a tp60. that would have added to the braking time of the vehicle.

so basically, yeah, our driver saw a truck going into the intersection, where the dumptruck was going to make a right turn into the road. the driver, as our driver entered the zone, went wide into the path of the ups truck.

so i would respectfully disagree with your center managers expert opinion as to fault finding. and it would seem that the police would agree about the charges they most likely will bring against the dump truck driver.

my thoughts and prayers are out for the family of one of our fallen brothers in brown.

may God give them peace and comfort in this time if grief.

d

 

[barnyard]

Very sad, indeed.

I wonder if the UPS vehicle had a lap belt or 3 point belt. I'd bet lap belt.

If something like that were to happen to me, I pray that none of my customers have to witness it or be 1st on the scene....

TB

 

[dannyboy]

or in the case of one of our fatalities here, your wife.

in our case, the top of his forehead and foot were all that was visible from under the front of the p500 that was on its side. they were about a foot apart.

still brings shivers to me even thinking about it.

one more thing, our trucks are not built to take a serious front end crash. we had a trash truck back into one of our drivers that was parked. it took them an hour to cut him out. not much there.

in this case, with it being head on, and the weight of both vehicles, our driver never stood a chance.

as for the dump truck driver, his cab came apart. but had he been wearing his belt, his injuries could have been less or more, hard to say.

d

 

[BigBrownSanta]

The article says the UPS truck was traveling south and the dump truck was travelling north. The dump truck made a left turn (west) directly in front of the UPS truck.

I don't want to assign blame in this accident. I'm just saddened that a UPS driver died this way.

 

[dannyboy]

please forgive me as i overlooked this little tidbit

"The light was green in both directions for both of them, so the driver of the truck made a left-hand turn in front of oncoming traffic,"

so our driver had a green light, as did the dump truck driver.

so how are they going to charge either one?

d

 

[But Benefits Are Great!]

please forgive me as i overlooked this little tidbit



so our driver had a green light, as did the dump truck driver.

so how are they going to charge either one?

d

Dump truck driver will get a ticket for failure to yield to oncoming traffic. Live with the guilt forever. Who cares who is at fault, who gets a ticket?

 

[barnyard]

please forgive me as i overlooked this little tidbit so our driver had a green light, as did the dump truck driver.
so how are they going to charge either one?
d

The dump driver made a left turn in front of our guy. Not all left turn lanes are governed by a turn arrow.

TB

 

[soberups]

Very sad, indeed.

I wonder if the UPS vehicle had a lap belt or 3 point belt. I'd bet lap belt.

If something like that were to happen to me, I pray that none of my customers have to witness it or be 1st on the scene....

TB

I spent some time looking at the photos. The package car did not have a 3 point belt. It is an early 90's vintage P-1000, a 18xxxx-series unit that did have power steering and a lumbar support seat....but not a 3-point belt.

I hope the scumbag who made the business decision to intentionally delete that critical safety feature can sleep well tonight, knowing that at least he saved UPS 30 or 40 bucks.

 

[BigBrownSanta]

please forgive me as i overlooked this little tidbit



so our driver had a green light, as did the dump truck driver.

so how are they going to charge either one?

d

My guess is the UPS driver had the right of way. Usually, the turning traffic doesn't have the right of way.

 

[barnyard]

I spent some time looking at the photos. The package car did not have a 3 point belt. It is an early 90's vintage P-1000, a 18xxxx-series unit that did have power steering and a lumbar support seat....but not a 3-point belt.

I hope the ******* who made the business decision to intentionally delete that critical safety feature can sleep well tonight, knowing that at least he saved UPS 30 or 40 bucks.

That worries me also. I drive a P-1000, have the seat as far back and as high up as it will go. If I hit something, my head is still going through the windshield.....

TB

 

[kingOFchester]

My heart goes out to the driver and family. I think this is my biggest issue with UPS. The seatbelts. There is absolutly no excuse for not having a 3 point seatbelt in EVERY truck they send out on the road.

A quick 5 second search on yahoo...I found this on first try
http://www.julianos.com/3_point_belt.html

90.00 for one. I am sure that UPS could find something similar in bulk for under 40.00. Keep the turkey and or gift cards and have 3 point restraints installed.

 

[BigBrownSanta]

I spent some time looking at the photos. The package car did not have a 3 point belt. It is an early 90's vintage P-1000, a 18xxxx-series unit that did have power steering and a lumbar support seat....but not a 3-point belt.

I hope the scumbag who made the business decision to intentionally delete that critical safety feature can sleep well tonight, knowing that at least he saved UPS 30 or 40 bucks.

Give 'em hell sober!!!

 

[scratch]

Its so sad when we lose one of our own in a tragedy like this. I doubt that a different type of seat belt would have made any difference in a tremendous impact like this.

May God bless his family and friends in such a time as this.

 

[soberups]

That worries me also. I drive a P-1000, have the seat as far back and as high up as it will go. If I hit something, my head is still going through the windshield.....

TB

As long as our "safety committee" can document that you were current on all of your asessments and had correctly regurgitated all of your acronyms for their Keter audit....UPS doesnt care whether your head goes thru the windshield or not. The most important thing is for the company to save that $50 by deleting the 3 pt belt. You as a driver can simply be replaced by a new hire in progression making $10 an hour less. Its all part of the equation.

 

[soberups]

Its so sad when we lose one of our own in a tragedy like this. I doubt that a different type of seat belt would have made any difference in a tremendous impact like this.

May God bless his family and friends in such a time as this.

It is difficult to say. The seat of the package car appears to be intact. if the driver was not crushed by the initial impact, it is entirely possible that he might have survived had his head not been propelled into and thru the windshield or dashboard.

The only thing that a lap belt can do is to prevent you from being ejected from the vehicle. As far as actually protecting the driver from injury or death in an accident, a lap belt is functionally useless. That is why they are illegal to install in new vehicles. Unfortunately, UPS has made the business decision to take advantage of a loophole that allows older vehicles with deficient equipment to be grandfathered in, since they did technically meet the absolute bare minimum safety standards that were in place when they were built.

It is appalling to me that UPS will spend hundreds of dollars on sensors to make sure that the driver wears a functionally worthless lap belt, yet they wont spend a dime to upgrade to a belt that might actually serve a useful purpose and keep the driver alive.