On Tue, 18 Oct 2005 20:18:20 -0500,
(Matthew Russotto) wrote:

>In article >,
>Del Cecchi > wrote:
>>
>>You guys are all idiots or pretending to be idiots. The accident
>>occurred at 2 in the morning on a unlighted stretch of freeway. The
>>truck jacknifed and was laying on its side blocking both lanes. The kids
>>were mostly asleep. This was the lead bus in a convoy returning from a
>>competition. The truck driver was 22 and reportedly had a suspended
>>driver's license.
>>
>>If there was a wall that suddenly appeared on the freeway in the middle
>>of the night, could all you always stop by the time you noticed the dark
>>shape in your headlights? Remember they don't put lights or reflectors
>>on the bottom of a trailer.
>
>If the wall suddenly appeared, no. If the wall was there before I
>came within sight of it, sure. If I couldn't, it would mean I was
>either seriously overdriving my headlights or wasn't paying sufficient
>attention for some reason -- so-called "highway hypnosis" being one
>likely reason.

I think it is possible, and even reasonable, to be driving perfectly
safely, yet still hit a truck in a situation similar to this.

For example, there are areas where it is exceeding dark. There are
nights without a moon or stars. There are areas where few cars are.
In such an area, when cresting a hill, you might not be able to stop.

However, every circumstantial thing I have read leads me to believe
the bus driver screwed up to some degree, and likely a large degree.