摘要: |
A 38 year old male derrick hand died from injuries suffered while driving a 10 year old pickup that collided head-on with a later model pickup that was pulling a triple axle camp trailer. The victim had passed another vehicle and was returning from the passing lane of a two-lane road in clear daylight conditions when his vehicle struck an oncoming vehicle to the passenger side of each vehicle. The victim's pickup slid down the right side of the travel trailer, spun approximately 170 degrees, and came to rest on its wheels with the cab separating from the frame and coming to rest on the roadway. All five occupants of the two vehicles died from the impact, with the victim and his passenger being on the job and the occupants of the other vehicle being vacationers from out of state. Both of the workers had been drinking, with the victim/driver measured at 0.13 BAC and the co-worker/passenger measured at 0.08 BAC. The victim's vehicle was travelling at speeds in excess of 70 mph, on a two lane roadway posted for 55 mph as a maximum speed. Employers may be able to minimize the potential for occurrence of this type of incident through the following precautions: (1) Establish and strongly enforce alcohol and drug abuse policies that include sanctions against drinking while enroute to field locations. (2) Provide driver safety education to employees who drive to remote field locations. (3) Require, as a condition of employment for employees who operate company vehicles or who travel on behalf of the company, evidence of a driving record that is free of DWUI or similar convictions. |