Truck-Tractor Semitrailer Median Crossover Collision with Medium-Size Bus on Interstate 35, Davis, Oklahoma, September 26, 2014.

摘要

On September 26, 2014, about 9:05 p.m., a 2013 Peterbilt truck-tractor in combination with a 2014 Great Dane semitrailer, operated by Quickway Transportation Inc., was traveling north on Interstate 35 (I-35), near Davis, Oklahoma. About the same time, a 2008 Champion Defender 32-passenger medium-size bus—transporting 15 members of the North Central Texas College softball team—was traveling south on I-35. In the vicinity of milepost 47, after negotiating a slight rightward curve at a speed of about 72 mph, the truck-tractor departed the left lane and entered the 100-foot-wide earthen median. The truck-tractor continued through the median, traveling more than 1,100 feet without evidence of braking or steering. The combination vehicle then entered the southbound lanes of I-35 and collided with the bus. Following the impact, the bus rolled onto its right side, and the truck-tractor continued off the roadway into a wooded area. Four passengers on the bus were fully or partially ejected and died, and both drivers and the remaining passengers were injured. This investigation identified the truck driver’s drug use, passenger restraint systems, crashworthiness of medium-size buses, vehicle data recording, and median barriers as safety issues. The NTSB made new recommendations to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA); the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA); the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico; the American Trucking Associations, American Bus Association, United Motorcoach Association, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, and Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance; and the American Association of Community Colleges. In addition, the NTSB reiterated five recommendations to NHTSA and two each to the FHWA and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.