Mitch drove farm equipment growing up and started driving professionally at age 21. Within 10 years, he had started his own company and had grown to seven trucks. Mitch continued to drive regionally. The following is Mitch's testimonial about a crash that could have cost him everything.
"I have been driving large equipment for as long as I can remember. I was never one to take driving a truck lightly. On our family farm, if you crashed a tractor, it affected the entire family.
"I had a driver call in sick at the last minute, so I decided to take his load to Indianapolis. Even though it was supposed to be a quick trip, I left in a hurry and forgot my GPS. I wasn't too worried though; I thought I knew the way, but as I traveled westbound in the center lane on I-465, I realized I'd forgotten which exit to take.
"My first mistake was to call my wife on my cell phone for directions. I should have pulled over to write it down, but I didn't. I kept going and by the time she replied, I found my exit was next.
"Traffic was heavy at this point so I quickly flipped on my right turn signal and checked my mirror. The right lane looked clear, so I started moving over. Little did I know there was a small car in my blind spot, just ahead of my right-front steer tire. I must not have seen it while I was talking on the phone.
"I clipped its rear-end and sent it spinning to the left into traffic. The car was struck head-on by another truck that had approached from behind in the far left lane. That set off a chain reaction involving five other cars and shut down the highway for hours. Fortunately, no one was killed but there were a few injuries.
"The weeks that followed were not pleasant. DOT investigators came to my house to conduct a compliance review. To my wife's credit, she had all of our paperwork in order, and I was running legal at the time. My insurance company said that was key to minimizing the claims brought against our company. They also recommended a training video for me and my drivers.
"I thought I knew all about driving, but it showed me how I could have prevented this crash. First, I should have planned my trip better and not let myself get distracted. Next, despite signaling my intention to change lanes and using my mirrors, I should have used the 'lean and look' method to check my blind spot.
"I also decided to swallow my pride and install fender-mounted mirrors on all my power units. For years, I had scoffed at those things because they made my equipment look ugly. I was a fool. What made my truck look ugly was the thousands of dollars in damage I could have prevented."
We are here to answer your questions. Contact our Risk Management Specialist today!
Larry Barton
Risk Management Specialist | Joe Morten & Son, Inc.
O: 865.392.3777 | C: 865.771.9506
This material is intended to be a broad overview of the subject matter and is provided for informational purposes only. Joe Morten & Son, Inc. does not provide legal advice to its insureds or other parties, nor does it advise insureds or other parties on employment-related issues, therefore the subject matter is not intended to serve as legal or employment advice for any issue(s) that may arise in the operations of its insureds or other parties. Legal advice should always be sought from legal counsel. Joe Morten & Son, Inc. shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss, action, or inaction alleged to be caused directly or indirectly as a result of the information contained herein. Reprinted with permission from Great West Casualty Company.