June 12, 2009
As he attempted to slow his vehicle down for a red light, the truck driver realized that his brakes had failed. With every vehicle ahead of him decelerating, the hapless driver had no way to stop his truck without hitting someone.
The decision had to be made in the blink of an eye. Trying to avoid hitting an expensive Mercedes directly in front of him, the driver turned aside and ended up stuck between a bus and another truck.
Fortunately, no one on the bus was injured.
In an interview with the Chongqing Evening News, Mr. Xia, the driver, recounted his state of mind.
Wang: “My luck was really bad. First, the brakes went out, and then there was the red light…my first response was that I had to stop the truck, at the same time minimizing the cost.”
CEN: “How fast were you going?”
Wang: “All the vehicles ahead of me slowed down because of the red light. My truck wasn’t very fast. But I had to make a decision immediately.”
CEN: “Did you have any other options?”
Wang: “It was either drive straight ahead and hit the car right in front of me, or turn and wedge into the space between a bus and a truck. I chose the second option.”
CEN: “There were lots of passengers on the bus. Weren’t you concerned about their safety?”
Wang: “I had no time. I had to force the truck to stop to ensure my personal safety.”
CEN: “You could have hit the Mercedes. That would have stopped your truck too.”
Wang: “A Mercedes is too expensive. I wouldn’t have been able to afford it even I sold my truck.”
A government official commented at the end of the article:
It was situation in which one couldn’t foresee the consequences of an accident. Between the many lives on the bus, and the money that he might need to pay for a damaged Mercedes, the driver chose the latter. What a chilling outcome. Isn’t life worth more than a Mercedes?”
- Chongqing Evening News (Chinese): I can’t afford a Mercedes, so I hit a bus