Car was backing up to missed I-10 exit when wreck with tanker occurred

[jnelsoninjax]

An 18-wheeler carrying corrosive chemical waste overturned on Interstate 10 in Slidell after striking a motorist who had passed his exit and subsequently tried to back up to it Wednesday, according to Louisiana State Police. The collision happened on the eastbound side of I-10 about 12:10 p.m. near the split with Interstates 12 and 59 and bedeviled traffic the rest of the day.

Investigators believe Robert Muccino Jr., 25, driving a black, four-door car, partially went into the roadway while going in reverse and got into a crash with the tanker truck. The truck driver, 42-year-old Ned Robinson, lost control of the rig, which fell to its side on the interstate median.

Muccino; his passenger, Brooke Milligan, 24; and Robinson were all hospitalized with minor to moderate injuries, State Police spokesman Trooper Evan Harrell said. The car was heavily damaged, and the tanker began spilling some of the 4,000 gallons of spent caustic aboard that had been picked up earlier from a refinery in Chalmette.

The material can cause a chemical burn if contacted, but it does not pose an airborne threat, noted St. Tammany Parish 1st Fire Protection District Chief Larry Hess, whose personnel assisted efforts to clear the scene.

Chemical tanker slams into compact car, overturns on Interstate 10 in Slidell Chemical tanker slams into compact car, overturns on Interstate 10 in Slidell St. Tammany Fire District No. 1 Chief Larry Hess tells about a tanker truck accident Wednesday, February 22, 2012, in Slidell. The tanker plowed into the back of a black, four-door Toyota with Florida license plates that was backing up on Interstate 10 near the I-10 / I-59 split, State Police said.

Responders momentarily shut down the highway following the accident from the split to the Mississippi border before reopening one travel lane by 12:55 p.m. Crews then planned to drill a hole into the tanker; employ a suction tube to transfer the spent caustic to a separate container; and then haul the 18-wheeler away with a wrecker.

State Police estimated that entire process, which began about 4:30 p.m., would last throughout the night.

Anyone wanting to bypass the activity in the area can get to Interstate 59 by taking Military Road and heading north. To approach I-12, take Old Spanish Trail, Fremaux Avenue or Gause Boulevard to U.S. 11, which reaches I-12.

Troopers said they ultimately cited Muccino with improper backing. He and Milligan are from Port St. Lucie, Fla., records show.

Source

[Southern Patriot]

I live right beside an exit for an interstate and you wouldn't believe how often idiots do things like that. They also love turning down the wrong direction on the exit ramp against the flow of traffic. Usually it is because they think they are turning onto the frontage road about 50 feet away from the exit ramp, despite huge "Wrong Way" signs right there where they turn. We almost had someone hit us the other day while we were coming off of the exit ramp.

What really sucks is that we will be driving right through the area where this accident happened this Saturday afternoon. Glad that this happened BEFORE we were down there.

After reading the article more carefully I note the following: the drivers were from Florida going eastbound out of New Orleans on Wednesday afternoon after Mardi Gras. Anyone else want to bet they were at least tired from partying all night, if not at least somewhat buzzed (even if not over the legal BAC limit)?

[Original Poster]

My friend moved to america and got an american licence he said that backing up if you miss the wrong exit is what you guys suggest?!?! over here you just have to keep going till the next one get back on the over side and go back...

[episode]

My friend moved to america and got an american licence he said that backing up if you miss the wrong exit is what you guys suggest?!?!

No one should 'suggest' that. You should go to the next exit.

[threetonesun]

My friend moved to america and got an american licence he said that backing up if you miss the wrong exit is what you guys suggest?!?! over here you just have to keep going till the next one get back on the over side and go back...

No, it's completely illegal. We have a lot of stupid people around here though. I've even seen one drive directly into the divider between the highway and the exit because they couldn't decide if they should get off or not. :huh:

[t_r_nelson]

My friend moved to america and got an american licence he said that backing up if you miss the wrong exit is what you guys suggest?!?! over here you just have to keep going till the next one get back on the over side and go back...

Your friend needs to find some smarter people to get 'suggestions' from. Total bat****-crazy move to try and back up on an interstate roadway.

[KingCracker]

My friend moved to america and got an american licence he said that backing up if you miss the wrong exit is what you guys suggest?!?! over here you just have to keep going till the next one get back on the over side and go back...

Lol, whoever suggested that is an idiot.

[I am Reid]

My friend moved to america and got an american licence he said that backing up if you miss the wrong exit is what you guys suggest?!?! over here you just have to keep going till the next one get back on the over side and go back...

i have never seen someone do that, you just keep going.

[Charisma Veteran]

What an idiot. I knew it was FL even before I saw "I-10"... there is just such a concentration of dumbassery in that state...

[neufuse Veteran]

My friend moved to america and got an american licence he said that backing up if you miss the wrong exit is what you guys suggest?!?! over here you just have to keep going till the next one get back on the over side and go back...

no one would ever suggest that here... going the wrong way on the road is illegal, you miss an exit, you take the next one and go back

[Original Poster]

Your friend needs to find some smarter people to get 'suggestions' from. Total bat****-crazy move to try and back up on an interstate roadway.

that was the driving instructor .. he failed cause he answered with take the next exit .. when the "answer" was backup

[KingCracker]

that was the driving instructor .. he failed cause he answered with take the next exit .. when the "answer" was backup

[JonathanMarston]

that was the driving instructor .. he failed cause he answered with take the next exit .. when the "answer" was backup

Seriously?! Any idea what state this was in? 'Cause after hearing this I think I'll do my best to never visit that state again...

[jnelsoninjax]

What an idiot. I knew it was FL even before I saw "I-10"... there is just such a concentration of dumbassery in that state...

An 18-wheeler carrying corrosive chemical waste overturned on Interstate 10 in Slidell after striking a motorist who had passed his exit and subsequently tried to back up to it Wednesday, according to Louisiana State Police. The collision happened on the eastbound side of I-10 about 12:10 p.m. near the split with Interstates 12 and 59 and bedeviled traffic the rest of the day.

It is not in FL! In was in Louisiana, re-read the article, and you will see that!

[neufuse Veteran]

that was the driving instructor .. he failed cause he answered with take the next exit .. when the "answer" was backup

for some reason I don't believe that... when its a law across all 50 states, a test wouldn't want you to answer against the law... either the instructor was a complete dumbass, or that wasn't the real question on the test

[Original Poster]

Seriously?! Any idea what state this was in? 'Cause after hearing this I think I'll do my best to never visit that state again...

honestly I do not remember what state possibly Michigan?

[Charisma Veteran]

It is not in FL! In was in Louisiana, re-read the article, and you will see that!

Troopers said they ultimately cited Muccino with improper backing. He and Milligan are from Port St. Lucie, Fla., records show.

[AJerman]

We've got a bar that I hang out at sometimes that has an intersection of two state highways (granted not interstates, but decent traffic on both, one being one of the biggest roads for the city), and there is an exit off one onto the other right at the corner where this place is. I can't even begin to tell you how many ****ing idiots I've seen pull **** like this there. I've seen people backup because they missed the exit, I've seen people cut across traffic and medians to get to an exit, I've seen people stop in the middle of the road because they didn't know which way they wanted to go. Every day I'm somehow constantly amazed at how incredibly brain dead some of the people on the roads here are. I've seen SEMIS pull uturns in the middle of a 5 lane road!

The US desperately needs a drivers license issuance reform. You pretty much just have to drive down the road a mile, do a u turn, do a 3 point turn and here's your license! Anyone who fails a driving test in the US would have to be beyond stupid because here it's considered a right and not a privilege. It only costs a very small amount and no thorough testing is done, so even the people who can't manage to figure out a toaster can get a license in the US. Actually, at times you HAVE to have a license, though normally a state issued ID can take it's place, but I've seen people say those weren't acceptable, making it almost a requirement to have a license here. People eat while driving, they put on makeup while driving, they play with their phones while driving, they do just about everything except DRIVE while they are driving. I saw a cop one time in front of me too busy on his computer, swerving in and out of his lane. Needless to say I laid on the horn for a good 10 seconds to get his attention.

We need drivers licenses here to be more like places in Europe where they actually test you to find out if you really do know wtf you're doing, and the price makes it something you only pay for if you're willing to accept the responsibility. It's sad that moves like this are not your random dumbass, but a fairly common event here.

[Southern Patriot]

Getting off of my exit today, I AGAIN had some moron try to come the wrong way down the exit ramp while staring right at me and the ****ing Wrong Way signs!!!

What an idiot. I knew it was FL even before I saw "I-10"... there is just such a concentration of dumbassery in that state...

This wasn't IN Florida, it was in Louisiana. The driver, however, was from Florida. You do realize that I-10 runs through every southern and southwestern state from Jacksonville, FL to Los Angeles, CA, right?

[Tech Star]

The truck driver is screwed here. This goes on his record, gets fired (most likely), and will have to pay up, even though this was not his fault. :(

[shakey]

My friend moved to america and got an american licence he said that backing up if you miss the wrong exit is what you guys suggest?!?! over here you just have to keep going till the next one get back on the over side and go back...

Your friend sounds like the type of guy that really ****s up our roadways....

Every instructor, at least when I was in school and going to driving class, said that if you miss your turn, tuff ****. You go to the next.

But sadly, in this day and age, Louis CK said it right about how everyone wants to do just their most favorite thing. They wont settle for the 2nd favorite/best thing, no, it has to be only the first favorite thing." Missed a turn, owell, I'll just shove my life through these 5 lanes of traffic to make the turn I'm about to miss!"

[Southern Patriot]

honestly I do not remember what state possibly Michigan?

He either misunderstood the question or misunderstood the instructor, because, as everyone else has said here, backing up on a missed exit is illegal pretty much everywhere in the US.