Driver arrested after semi crashes into Fife office building
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FIFE, Wash. -- A trucker was arrested Wednesday for reckless driving after he nearly killed a 10-year-old girl and her mother in a horrific accident that ended inside an office building.
Police say the semi-truck blew through a red light and t-boned a minivan carrying a mother and her child. Both vehicles crashed into an office building, leaving glass and debris everywhere.
"A screeching, kind of loud rumbling and the building was starting to shake. It was getting louder, and then it was impact," said witness Jada Wood.
Workers inside the building rushed outside and tried to help the little girl who was pinned inside the minivan.
"I'm pretty sure she was unconscious and when she became conscious she was hysterical," Wood said.
Fire officials were able to remove the girl and both she and her mother were taken to a local hospital. The driver of the semi-truck was arrested for reckless driving.
The owner of the office building, a woman named Donna, arrived at work just moments after the crash.
"Angels were looking over me today," Donna said. "I saw the semi truck jack-knifed and I said, 'That looks like the semi is in my office.'"
Donna said it's not uncommon for large trucks to speed down the road outside her office.
"Oh, I've had that fear many a time, many a time. Especially when they slam on the brakes and the whole building shakes. I think, oh one of these times they're going to come through my office. And it did, it did," she said.
The crash knocked power out for much of the area, but crews have since restored most of it.
The semi is registered to a California-based company called Aggressive Transport. Company officials refused to comment on the crash.
The driver, whose name has not been released, will make his first court appearance on Thursday.
Police say the semi-truck blew through a red light and t-boned a minivan carrying a mother and her child. Both vehicles crashed into an office building, leaving glass and debris everywhere.
"A screeching, kind of loud rumbling and the building was starting to shake. It was getting louder, and then it was impact," said witness Jada Wood.
Workers inside the building rushed outside and tried to help the little girl who was pinned inside the minivan.
"I'm pretty sure she was unconscious and when she became conscious she was hysterical," Wood said.
Fire officials were able to remove the girl and both she and her mother were taken to a local hospital. The driver of the semi-truck was arrested for reckless driving.
The owner of the office building, a woman named Donna, arrived at work just moments after the crash.
"Angels were looking over me today," Donna said. "I saw the semi truck jack-knifed and I said, 'That looks like the semi is in my office.'"
Donna said it's not uncommon for large trucks to speed down the road outside her office.
"Oh, I've had that fear many a time, many a time. Especially when they slam on the brakes and the whole building shakes. I think, oh one of these times they're going to come through my office. And it did, it did," she said.
The crash knocked power out for much of the area, but crews have since restored most of it.
The semi is registered to a California-based company called Aggressive Transport. Company officials refused to comment on the crash.
The driver, whose name has not been released, will make his first court appearance on Thursday.
Like ELITEMOTORS pointed out, this truck has been involved in other incidents before and pieced back together on the cheap. As there are clearly 3 different colors, 2 on used parts, light blue hood & green fender on a medium blue truck. It makes me think the prior incident was there fault and costs for repairs came out of pocket. No time or money for MATCHING PAINT .
It's Thursday, what happened in court?
"Â Aggressive Transport"
Pretty much says it all.
Yep, this guy was an ass, but how come you folks never mention us truck drivers that never have an incident. You know we log up to 130,000+/- miles a year compared to people who just commute their 13,000 miles a year. That gives us a pretty good record of safety don't you think?
@Toby T Moravec I bank a number of truck fleets and in the past 10 years I've lost maybe 4 trucks in about 400 that I finance. The number of accidents involving bigs rigs is very small, especially compared to the number of accidents involving passenger vehicles. I have had to use insurance proceeds to pay off 20 or more passenger vehicles I have in my portfolio, and I have very few of those, maybe just over a hundred. Unforunately, one bad driver casts a shadow on the good ones in some folks' minds. Not me though.
 @Toby T Moravec Yeah but the problem is when trucks crash they crash big. Wish more would understand the appointment times mean nothing. Just slow down and get the truck and the freight their in one piece.
If you notice in the picture, the hood is a different color than the truck, this truck has been in a prior accident.
nomen est omen
Maybe the Fife cops can start patrolling the Flats.Marine View Drive is a danger zone especiallay the trucks that pull out of Schnitzer Steel.Also along Alexander Ave.
 @2ndstartothenorth
 Marine view Drive is not within the city limits of the City of Fife. Schnitzer Steel located at 1902 Marine View Dr. Again, is not within the jurisdictional limits of the City of Fife. Most of Alexander avenue, north of the 1500 block is located in the City of Tacoma. Go check a map. 509 is a state highway. Contact the Washington State Patrol.
@PacificNWRunner I don't care who should be patrolling it,BUT it's needs to be patrolled..
 @2ndstartothenorth Yeah, it would help if they'd nail the idiots going 50,55,60 in that 40 zone there on 509 by Schnitzer. I can't count how many times I've been doing 40 or just a touch over even and had some jerk come right up on my rear end and whip around me, with my child in the car.
There are thousands of unqualified Semi-Drivers out there many of whom are illegal aliens or worse. Don't know if this person was one or not but I'm a driver who knows. Of course, the Marxists in charge today will excuse these people since they voted for them.
Rant much.
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A child and her mother were t-boned by a semi and without knowing anything about the driver you take the time to bitch about illegal aliens, and sling some political mud.
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Way to stay classy
 @Eric Johnson What's worse than an illegal alien?Â
 @TheTruncheon  @Eric Johnson Nothing.
Calling an illegal alien an "undocumented immigrant" is the same as calling a drug pusher an "unlicensed pharmacist".
Aggressive Transport likes to hire aggressive drivers it seems.
"Aggressive Transport" might have to change their name to "Aggressive Lawsuit" after this.
I hope the mother and child make a full recovery. I cannot imagine the terror they went through because of this reckless driver.
Plenty of dangerous drivers not just semi's. Although, with the weight and size of a semi they are a greater hazard during a wreck and with their reckless driving.
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Last night I was heading up to the outlet mall in Marysville. There was a three car wreck right by the exit. Traffic was backing up at least a mile prior to the scene. People were driving like nuts trying to get around the back up. Some dork in a jacked up white colored Ford Pickup about took a trooper out because he thought it was fine to speed through the scene while driving on the shoulder.
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Slow down people! If traffic is backing up ahead there's probably a reason.Â
 @HonkeyCat I hear ya, it seems like so many people on the road are so self-absorbed they just don't give a #H*T about anyone or anything else out there. It's sad really. I used to enjoy driving, these days, not so much.
It sure feels good to be right, doesn't it?
Ive been a trucker for 2 years and yes there are some aggressive drivers out there. But in the same token there are also you four wheelers out there that have no respect for us 18 wheeler people think we can stop on a dime like a car and that's why we can't avoid them becuase they leave us no room to stop.Still reckless driving especially for a truck driver has no bussinees being on the road!!! hope he loses his job and is kicked out of the industry he is giving the rest of us a bad name.
 @System Trucker I used to drive a little metro and I was always very cautious around 18 wheelers since I know I'm in a car that is not exactly easily seen. I still drive a small car, but not as small as my metro, and I still give you guys a wide birth if I have to get into your lane!
 @MoonDragonWitch  @System Trucker A wide berth and an extra long turn signal so they have time to react.Â
@MoonDragonWitch @System Trucker And they all thank you for it, every time you do it.
Aggressive transport name sure fits what the driver was doing. Driving agressively.
Thanks once again to deregulated trucking and non-union drivers killing people while racing to the bottom.
 @T_BONE_WALKER Unions only protect the fools. You dolt!
 @Eric Johnson No, Unions help protect the welfare of the member's families, a service nobody else seems to provide in the US.
 @chandler I wonder if a nation wide sub-standard agreement with Hostess would result in sub-standard agreements for the rest of the member's families in the nation wide baking industry? You can take out one rat employer to protect from the majority of employers following suit cant you? Isn't that the Unions fiduciary responsibility to protect the majority of the families? The next employer to take on the Bakers Union will have a little better idea of what they are gambling with.
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I am not saying thats what happened but, it aint inconceivable. At any rate, thats democratic trade unionism, the members voted (not the union leadership) and sometimes democracy cuts both ways.
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Those members have the same right as you to withhold your labor from any employer. We need family wage jobs with family benefits if were going to rebuild this economy and country but it will take a few real men with balls and they seem to be in rather very short supply lately.
 @T_BONE_WALKER  @Eric Johnson they sure protected the Hostess workers.
@T_BONE_WALKER Um the Teamsters have been asked a million times to organize companies like swift and they have refused. care to comment on that?
 @wynooheeman Of course I'll comment on that. Why haven't you bothered to ask the Teamsters Union why? I certainly don't speak for them.
@T_BONE_WALKER The teamsters want nothing to do with long haul frieght. That has been their stand for a long time.
Probably in a hurry to hit the Flying J before all the parking spots were taken. Its a big problem here in Washington. Not very many truck stops to park for the night. Doesn't excuse what he did of course.
 @Blindman What Flying J? There isnt one on this side of the Cascades for over two years now. You must be thinking of Love's in Fife.
You really dont know what youre talking about, again. Its required by Federal law that drivers can only be behind the wheel for 11 hours a day. Their log books are checked, most companies have computers onboard the trucks to ensure they stay within the regulation.
@DarkRenegade @Blindman Love's in Fife was a Flying J. There are ways to work the log book and avoid weigh stations where the log book can be checked and crossing times are tracked in some states. Not all companies have truck computers. Truck computers don't call the feds when the company tells the driver to deliver the load on a certain day-time full well knowing the driver can't legally do it. Ex-husband was a trucker for a few years til 2010 and was not happy with the things his company asked him to do.
 @DarkRenegade  @dontneedheels Local drivers are not required to carry a log book and although the Feds perform audits there are still ways around. Local can haulers skirt the scales so that their plates are not logged as going thru a scale shack. You can tell when the I-5 scales are open because highway 99 is full of "Can Haulers". Allot of immigrant labor either operates and/or owns these trucks, that coupled with the fact that they are paid per can move results in aggressive driving and poorly maintained equipment. If you check cities that have container hubs whether it be a port or rail yard, you will probably find the same statistics.
 @dontneedheels Unfortunate your husband worked for such a company but when the Feds perform a company audit, all records are checked including log books, maintenance, computer readouts, etc. True not all companies have these computers yet but in a few years they all will.
 @Blindman That guy is a local can-hauler. He was on his way to TOTE , paid per load and always in a hurry. It also doesn't help that some of these terminals keep banker hours when the transportation industry is 24/7.
Aggressive transport.....uh, great name
 @yeahguy Sounds fitting for this driver.
 @yeahguy I was thinking the same thing. Sure fits their drivers, apparently. Truck drivers in the NW are horrible for the most part. There are some who are great, I'm sure, but by and large, they are aggressive, careless and downright dangerous with the trucks they drive. I have seen more close calls and almost been run off the road by many trucks since I have started driving. They all seem to think they are driving a zippy little car and can be as crazy as they please.
 @dg54321 For every 1 truck driver there is 10 regular drivers who think they own the road. It frazzles the nerves of the truck drivers I know when they are driving through the Puget Sound region because of this treatment because its this mentality by average drivers.Â
Several of my friends are accomplished truck drivers who have been behind the wheel since the 70's, they love the profession and love to drive. They agree that the new influx of truckers are more aggressive or easily distracted due to wanting to get their money but that is a small minority compared to the veteran truck drivers still on the road.
How can you tell the difference? When you let a trucker into a lane ahead of you, double flash them to signal they can merge. If they flash their lights back at you, they are the good drivers.
Regardless of the outcome in the court, this driver has lost his CDL drivers license the minute he blew through the light and hit this mothers van. I hope both her and the daughter are alright in the aftermath.
 @DarkRenegade  @dg54321 Agreed. Most truckers are considerate caring drivers. A few are idiots who tailgate at the most trying of times and cause great danger in their stupidity. Most are young. That's why they are young. Most of them won't be around for long since an accident is surely in their future. I have 14 years of no issues on my record as a truck driver.