Who has wrecked their work truck?

[woodsman]

I rear-ended an old lady while I was trying to merge in a construction zone. She was driving a Saturn, I looked in the side mirror to check traffic, looked back at the road and she was stopped. I didn't do any damage to her car at all but it bent the bumper up on the Chevy Express. Worst part of it all, she was on the way to the hospital to visit her dying husband. She didn't want to call the cops and neither did the boss. Got lucky I guess.

I got rear-ended at a stoplight, tore the back bumper off the same Express.

[screws]

First van (POS) blew it up second week I had it. Fourth van new windshield every year for 4 years straight boss never said anything, Fifth van 3 accidents in 3 years all the other guys fault one of them I was hit by the manager of a local rest. boy friend (learn alot that day). When I got out of that van the next guy totalled it on the highway we feel it was cursed.

[amickracing]

1st ever wreck of any kind, was driving the old POS shop truck. Pulled out of their parking lot, which was also shared with the community action parking lot (aka lots of people who chose not to work go there to get stuff to live).

I was in 1st gear of the old dodge just putzin along, the lady in front of me turned out onto the road (side street), and I looked to my left to make sure no one was coming, and she had stopped in the road and I hit her. Man you'd swore I totaled her pristine </sarcasm> '90 ford Tempo out. After she was done yelling racial slurs at this white boy I said "well we'd better call the cops", she was in and gone in no time. Next day she went over to the owner of the company and told me we ran into her and we never stopped, blah blah blah. They knew better but still paid her like $2000 for her chiropractic bills over the next month or 2.

Next wreck I had, I was turning off a major road onto a side street, some guy behind me didn't see not only a big van slowing down, nor did he see a blinker, nor did he see brake lights and ran right into me. I actually didn't feel him hit me at 1st, just wondered "hey, why is my lunch box floating in the air?". It was a pretty decent hit, I had only had my van for a couple months and just knew the back was trashed.

As I walked to the back of the van I saw his van...
his van

Then I hesitantly looked at my van....
My van
Yup, that's all that happened, chipped my bumper cover! Woohoo! he ripped into me of course, said I slowed down too fast, wasn't using my blinker, was talking on my phone, was driving recklessly... basically ran down the entire list of why it wasn't his fault. He lost btw.

Last time I ran into a big fat turkey while goin down the highway. Man he did some damage! I think it was like $1400 or so, took out the grill, radiator, ac coil, tranny cooler and the fan blade. Actually he pushed the radiator back into the fan and stopped the fan. I was 200 miles from home, I shoved the radiator out of the fan and it worked fine for a month until lease plan got me all fixed up.

Knock on wood, that's all that's happened to me.
A coworker just flipped his van a month ago and destroyed it. He's not hurt too bad, but very lucky to be alive. The 1st place I worked I saw a lot of carnage, heck one guy actually ran into a house with his van! lol

[Tiger93rsl]

Pulled out a really nice chrome bumber on a 379 Peterbuilt while backing out of a grain elevator during corn harvest 10 or so years ago, I don't remember what it cost to fix but it had to be turned into insurance to repair it thats the only work related accident I've had. Not counting 1 broken rear window (my fault) And one locked up engine, lost oil pressure and by the time I got to the closest place to shut her down the damage was already done. Seems the people cangeing the oil only changed the oil and not the filter. Got a free engine from the shop we took it too for oil changes and one guy lost his job. The filter had been on the truck for 2 years and who knows how may ten's of thousands of miles.

[thoglow]

I can tell huge stories about what my guys have done to service trucks.

I have only completely torn one guy up, he pulled into our parking lot like a maniac and slammed into my service truck with his, got out and told me I should have put more salt down, should have fired him on the spot!

I have had a guy almost total a new truck, my only words were I am glad everyone is OK. It was a bad one and not his fault.

Your boss may be worried about being sued, I was sued by non other than Sam Bernstein over an accident an employee had, they got almost 200k from my insurance carrier.

It's a touchy subject!

I was hoping to get the bosses perspective on this and your right it is a touchy subject.The accident was my fault.I'm just glad that the lady didn't get hurt.Now I have to drive my POV to work.I hope that when my van gets fixed they let me take it home again.I work far away from home alot and always can be counted on to pick up a problem call even when I'm not on call.

[bjones]

My service manager assigned a guy a brand new service truck with less than 100 miles on it. That weekend he decided to pick up his Harley Sportster at his friends house with the truck, but not before having a six pack or two with his buddy.

On the way home while driving down a winding mountain road he loses control of the van (go figure) and goes off the road, hitting a huge boulder that dislodges and rolls down a hill and smashes into a car in the driveway of the house next door totalling the car.

He hit the bolder so hard all the factory installed shelves were leaning toward the front of the van at a 45 degree angle pushing the driver seat into the steering wheel. Amazingly and thankfully, he got of the totaled van without a scratch.

The bike had only minor damage.

We lost a good tech that day...

[Some Dude]

My service manager assigned a guy a brand new service truck with less than 100 miles on it. That weekend he decided to pick up his Harley Sportster at his friends house with the truck, but not before having a six pack or two with his buddy.

On the way home while driving down a winding mountain road he loses control of the van (go figure) and goes off the road, hitting a huge boulder that dislodges and rolls down a hill and smashes into a car in the driveway of the house next door totalling the car.

He hit the bolder so hard all the factory installed shelves were leaning toward the front of the van at a 45 degree angle pushing the driver seat into the steering wheel. Amazingly and thankfully, he got of the totaled van without a scratch.

The bike had only minor damage.

We lost a good tech that day...

Thats when you pull the Harley out, wipe off the steering wheel,and let the van follow the boulder.
Get back on the Harley ride home and report your missing service van.

[bjones]

Thats when you pull the Harley out, wipe off the steering wheel,and let the van follow the boulder.
Get back on the Harley ride home and report your missing service van.

He should of thought of that, huh?

[Diceman]

One of the most dangerous things in this line of work is how much driving we have to do. We go to new places all the time. Often we have to try and find addresses while we are driving and follow directions.
If you ain't wrecked you ain't been doing this very long.
Your boss over reacted, shiat happens.

[oogene]

when I was a truck mechanic ears ago, I bet my coworker $5 he couldn't do a dry pavement donut in our service truck ( I didn't think he would actually try). he started the donut and couldn't finish and ran the truck into a ditch so hard you could read the liscense plate numbers in the grass in the side of the ditch-I had my seatbelt on-never did get my five bucks-got 3 days unpaid vacation instead-he got a free trip to the unemployment office. I did back into a light pole and knocked it over. OOOPS

[dec]

in 30 years ..... totaled one , one pretty heavy damaged but not close to totaled, 3 were under $ 250 damage.

Only one that was my fault was the totaled one and that was just because of my stupidity and didn't envolve any other vehicals ............. Funny how a rear trailer hitch can catapult a vehical end over end if its stuck in the dirt in a ditch.

Never have been in an accident as an employee tho. That would be scary but I know if i have a good employee and it happened , I would not be happy but then $hit happens.

Not that I havn't screwed up ........


again & again


do it while having been drinking ......... might as well stay home cause you don't work for me anymore

[genesis]

the fact that you didn't get fired speaks volumes for the type of employee that you are... hold you head up and let it go.

Unfortunately this was your first and most likely wont be your last. When you are on the road as much as an HVAC tech is the numbers are against you. Sooner or later it happens.

[Dowadudda]

Get deer whistles. Got 'em on my personal truck, and never have had a problem. My father-in-law, who drove a semi for years, swore by 'em. Just be sure to take 'em off before you drive out to your favourite hunting spot.

Yeagh, a lot of guys swear by them. I grew up in WI where deer are very plentiful. Everyone has those deer whistles on their trucks, and they still hit em.

I hit one recently, about 55 MPH. That friggen thing come out of nowhere. It just popped right out of the low lying brush on the shoulder of the road. It's hard to say if a whistle would have stopped it. Any way. Brand New Chevy 1 ton. The front crumpled like an accordion. The auto body shop had the van for over a month. It still don't seem right, have some electronics issues.