Driver dies after truck plummets from Bay Bridge at S-curve

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 11/9/9 | Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer

[SmithL]

A truck driver died early today after losing control on the Bay Bridge S-curve at high speed and plummeting 200 feet below to Yerba Buena Island, the most serious collision yet since the new detour was installed, the California Highway Patrol said.

[Pete-R-Bilt]

years ago (early 80’s) I hauled fabricated steel for the tunnels that run under the bay and we were made to drive into the tunnels to unload.

My mother is the only thing (person) in my life that I truly feared but the thought of being under that much water made me nervous...

[beaversmom]

LOL Here's the perfect pic:

[Sloth]

but a drop of 20 feet (@ 32 ft/sec/sec) would take less than .55 of a second.

20 feet would take 1.12 seconds.

200 feet would take 3.53 seconds.

[rlmorel]

Awesome...just awesome...:)

[beaversmom]

Drowning and falling to my deah—definitely not two of my favorites :)

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

I have even thought of designing some glasses with blinders to help me cross such bridges.

That is not hard to do. Get some thick opaque plastic sheeting, cut a rectangle, punch two holes in it in line and thread it on the earpiece of your eyeglasses. One rectangle on each side.

it works!

Or you can get some welder’s safety glasses with dark side shields.
That works also.

[Condor51]

***As time has gone by, I find I cannot drive over these types of bridges unless I am in the inside lane. ... Don’t know what causes this fear, but it is real. ***

You're not alone.

I grew up in Chicago and we have a lot of bridges that cross the Chicago River. They're not long or high but I never 'liked' crossing them. And when the 'Chicago Skyway' was built I freaked crossing that thing as a kid -- it is high, long and 'open'.

But yet, I have (or had) no problem going up 500ft in a Construction 'Man Hoist' (wire cage elevator) on the outside of a building. Or going to the edge of a floor slab 40 stories up, only 'protected from falling' by a wire attached between to columns. (now the barriers are much better)

There's prolly some fancy name for 'fear of bridges', but like you say, its real. Go figure ?!? :-)

Oh and then when I had Motorcycles I really hated crossing them as the bridge decks are all metal grating and the bike's tires would wiggle...... arrrgh!

[no-s]

Maybe it's just the video angle, but the impact point is not consistent with the truck departing the roadway at 50mph. Looks more like 35mph per distance from the exit point.

Seems that Caltrans closed the lane again and took some aerial photos. Perhaps they also note some inconsistency...

[Pete-R-Bilt]

in Cal. they view through their bellybuttons

it’s the most popular method there that I have noticed...

[rlmorel]

<"...200 feet would take 3.53 seconds..."

I don't want to make light of the poor man's fate, because I don't mean this as such, but remember that everything slows to a crawl in times like that.

To me, 3.53 seconds of full enlightenment, knowing full well the end is approaching, is a lifetime.

[RobRoy]

>>there’s nothing to keep it on the road surface.<<

Actually, there is:

[editor-surveyor]

"Lotta crashes since they stuck that S curve in there..."

Yep! - About 1/3 of Bay Area drivers have their hands full with just going straight. (hard to read paper, apply make-up and lipstick in the curves)

[the_devils_advocate_666]

Don't guess we'd find you hiking this trail ("scariest hiking trail in the world"), either?

[Harold Shea]

I`ve been over that one in Colorado on our Gold Wing bike.

Scary as the dickens,but so are many other spots in beautiful
Colorado.Riding through the RMNP almost getting blown off
the road comes to mind.

The bridge that scared me the most tho is that Mackinac Bridge in Mi.

[editor-surveyor]

"but you would be hard pressed to find anyone in the Caltrans engineering organization that could explain it in English"

That's a fact! - Most incompetent bunch of buffoons on Earth. Can't even pave a flat straight piece of freeway.

[OB1kNOb]

My experience in NY (and I don't drive all that much) is that such problem areas here tend to have 24/7 police presence with flashing lights and glowering men in blue, pulling folks over.

I rode in a NYC taxicab one time from the airport to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel and I saw my life flash in front of my eyes the whole way. NASCAR didn't have anything on that guy!

[Travis T. OJustice]

Caltrans is about as bad as they get.

[OldEagle]

"...but a drop of 20 feet (@ 32 ft/sec/sec) would take less than .55 of a second. "

I don't believe that. You drop 16 feet in the first second.

[beaversmom]

Here's a truck driver going down the Mokee Dugway near Mexican Hat, Utah. Coming out of Glen Canyon, we got close to this area, but after seeing the sign that said it was a scary road, I had my husband just go onto Monticello, UT instead. We will have to see Monument Valley some other day:

Truck going down The Mokee Dugway

[varina davis]

The Florida Sunshine Skyway Bridge is better now, but still scary for those with acrophobia.