1ºLaurie Daniels and when your in the mountains going around a hairpin corner when it’s pitch dark outside with ice on the road in a semi first you won’t see the bison in time, because you’d probably have a second to react, if you slam on your brakes you’ll lose control and if you swerve you might go off the road or over a cliff. So what do you do? You’re absolutely right you slow down, because that’s about all you could do, but if you still don’t see the animal in time those are your options. I’m running it over every time if there is no way out. Trust me I think of that all the time as a semi driver.
2ºHow many of you clowns have actually driven a semi? You seem like your so quick to blame the driver, yet you have no idea what they go through, or in this instance what the conditions where. I’ve been down those highways in a semi, and I can tell you it’s dark, no highway lights, it’s curvy and parts of it are steep. Semis take about 10 seconds to stop at highway speeds, when you consider brake lag from reaction time with air brakes, and if the heard was right around a blind corner there is no way you could stop in time. I’ve ran into deer, raccoons and a dog on those highways, because they jumped out in front of me and there is no way I could have stopped without causing a major accident.
3ºKevin Sloan those bison just jumping put on the road like that.
Let's face it, when I am driving at peak deer crossing times, I make sure I drive carefully and keep a wary eye out for jumpers on the sides of the road. If you are driving near that park, you need to watch out for bison. This would be a doubly tragic story if the dude was in a car. There would have been an extra casualty. You bet he will check his speed and be wary going over hills and around corners in that area from now on.
4ºSue Zambo I also live in a state that is heavily populated with deer and you don’t see deer congregate in large groups like bison do. How do you think 13 got killed or euthanized if they weren’t in a large group to begin with. I suggest you use your head to figure that out. For those who are criticizing me for saying you should quit criticizing the truck driver, I’m sorry it happened as well but if you’ve ever seen a bison herd you know they often gather close to each other and it may have been nothing but an unavoidable accident. Those things do happen especially at night.
5ºI am baffled at the amount of hate this semi driver is getting. 13 bison is a lot, I agree but non of you know the circumstances behind what happen.
He could have came over a hill, or around a corner and there they were in the road, it could have been dark. There isn’t a lot they can do. Non of you know that information or what you would do if placed in that situation. Quit being ignorant! I doubt that drive woke up that morning and decide to take out a herd. I’m sure he was injured also.
6ºIt was dark. They were in the road--outside the park where the driver wouldn't really be expecting to see them on the road. It was dark--they are big dark animals standing on a dark highway. Deer eyes shine in the headlights and look how often they get hit. Bison eyes do not shine like that in the headlights so the driver wouldn't see them until he was close enough to tell they were shapes not just shadows. A big rig took out 12 or 15 black angus cattle on a highway here recently--same thing, dark animals on a dark highway, and a big rig cannot stop quickly.