Two straight trucks collide downtown. Was this accident preventable?

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In this Preventable or Not accident scenario, truck driver John Doe is driving down Main Street in downtown Palm Beach, Florida when he notices a truck backing out of an alleyway ahead. Believing the other driver has seen him, Doe continues driving, but his assumption proves wrong, leading to a collision between the two trucks. After receiving a preventable accident warning letter, Doe decided to contest it, prompting the National Safety Council to step in and settle the matter.

Who did the NSC rule in favor of? Was this accident preventable?

CCJ's Preventable or Not series is sponsored by CarriersEdge, creator of interactive online training for small and midsize fleets, including comprehensive safety, compliance and best practices content for truck drivers.

Transcript

On an overcast and muggy Monday in Florida, trucker John Doe was heading south on I 95. After exiting onto palm tree-lined Main Street and driving his straight truck in downtown Palm Beach, he suddenly spied a blue straight truck starting to back out of an alley. As Doe’s rig approached, the other truck stopped dead. The cab was clearly visible, so Doe logically assumed the other driver had seen him and he continued on his way.

Without warning, the other driver hastily decided to exit the alley. Instantly alert to the danger, Doe leaned on his horn and swerved left, to no avail. 

BLAMMO! The other driver had accelerated smack into the right rear side of Doe’s luckless vehicle!

Because Doe contested his preventable accident warning letter from his safety director, the National Safety Council’s Accident Review Committee was called upon to render a final decision. NSC immediately sided with Doe, noting that he could not possibly have anticipated or avoided the other driver’s sudden and ruthless attack.