Y’all knew I was going to talk about it. The viral TikTok by LazaroeElLechon of the driver just ripping and pulling the trailer against a set of concrete bollards until the whole tandem assembly failed. The trailer had to be 20 feet up in the air when the tandems flipped upside down. The I.C.C. bumper gave way from the force, allowing the tandems to flip up and smack the doors of the trailer. This is how you do a “full send”, as in full send yourself to the unemployment line…
There’s also Part 2, a shorter video in which the driver finally stops and notices “Oh, What have I done?” Yeah, the profanity used does not say if it’s used for the situation, being caught on camera, or having witnesses.
My question is “why did this happen in the first place?” From the footage, especially Part 2, it looks like the driver did not or was not able to get a wide enough swing to bring the trailer around the corner. As the truck was too far left, I think he was not able to back the rig without scraping the building.
So, realizing your “in a pinch” situation, your options are kinda limited. You could try to slide the tandems up far forward as possible in order to shrink the radius of the turn. Hopefully that gives you enough room to get the truck out. Another option is to call for help. Yeah, that tow truck call might be expensive, especially with some of the scam charges going around. But it’ll be less than the criminal charges this guy will be facing.
Hit and run, damage to private property, and who knows what else the driver can and should be charged with. This is the reason good drivers preach “Get Out And Look” (GOAL) to the greenhorns. Building that habit of stopping as soon as you know you are possibly in a bad spot can save your career. And could quite possibly not make you as famous as this guy.
