The chain-reaction accident in which two dump trucks hit a school bus, killing four special-needs children, apparently started all because of this slug:
According to The Cass County Sheriff office, the dump truck that hit the school bus swerved to miss a motor scooter ridden by Raymond Gust. Gust had slowed to turn into his driveway off U.S. 24, forcing the dump truck to try to avoid him.
Gust declined to talk to Eyewitness News on camera, but told us he didn't see the two dump trucks coming up behind him.
Records from the Cass County Sheriff Office show that Gust has been convicted five times for driving related offenses and had his license suspended 11 times. His scooter is his only transportation.
Since this guy has a history of losing his license, I presume the story should have been talking about a moped. If it goes more than 25 miles an hour, it's classified as a scooter and has to follow the same laws as a motorcycle. Does anyone else think it is insane for the state to allow people not deemed fit to drive to be able to weave in and out of traffic at 25 mph on vehicles that aren't even licensed or regulated?
Comments
Isn't it funny what happens when traffic slows in front of you, say like when someone wants to turn into a driveway. I know with me, it means I have to slow down. Except, of course, when the traffic in front of me is someone with a bad driving history. Then, I am "forced" to swerve into oncoming traffic.
That's a tough one. Ultimately, the fault lies with the dump truck driver for not paying attention to the traffic (albeit a moped) in front of him.
It also, as a separate issue, makes perfect sense that those without drivers licenses should not be on public roadways with a motorized anything. The cops used to impound our "mini-bikes" when we were caught on the street, now they are a cottage industry for DUI recipients and teenagers.
No, Tim, Leo is right. The fault is with the drunk driver, who wasn't drunk and wasn't driving. It's insane to have guys like him weaving in and out of traffic, even though he wasn't weaving in and out of traffic. How can we expect TWO commercial drivers, driving large, inherently dangerous vehicles that require special licenses and special insurance, to maintain a safe distance from the traffic ahead of them, on a heavily traveled two lane road, when the traffic is a "slug" like this guy?
Hell, we've got a guy on our street with four DUI arrests over the last five years (one of them a FELONY)...and he's STILL driving the hell around (speeding and driving backwards up the street). I feel safer already.
Yepper...sure glad the justice system is working fine...!
(I KNOW it's being played like a cheap fiddle)
Never take for granted that everyone else driving around you has complete control of their vehicle, and never think that they're sober for one minute.
That at least prepares you for the unexpected.
(which happens with regularity)
Dad always said that DRIVING was your 2nd job.
Seems he is still right.
B.G.
Sometimes the worst things that happen in the world don't happen to be the fault of the worst guy in the area at the time they happened. Life just doesn't guarantee that sort of symmetry.
Well said Doug.
It might turn out that the dump truck was going too fast, and if that's so, that driver bears some responsibility. And all the drivers are being tested for alcohol, which makes sense -- except for the moped driver, which doesn't. According to Indiana law, those things aren't allowed to go more than 25 mph, so they aren't even supposed to be on the interstates. The story says he was "slowing down on U.S. 24" to turn into his driveway. The moped driver might not have technically been "in the accident," but it's not fair to say he wasn't a big part of it.
If the dump truck "had" to swerve, he was going too fast and/or not paying enough attention. Since that happened, *what* he had to avoid is irrelevant.