Some disturbing news about the accident ...

... on 421. The Winston paper now has a news story about it. Three people died in it. Here are the details:

The crash happened ... after a tractor-trailer headed south crossed the centerline and overturned and slid into a northbound pickup driven by Thomas Simon [Simon and a couple riding with them were killed; his wife is still in critical condition].

The driver of the tractor-trailer was identified as Curtis Isaac Mondy, 47, of St. Petersburg, Fla. He was exceeding the posted truck speed of 30 mph, said Trooper Joe Berrong. Mondy was treated and released from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. He was charged today with three counts of misdemeanor death by motor vehicle and one count of reckless driving, Berrong said.

Hard to say what exactly happened. It could simply be that the driver was speeding, or that he was having a hard time controlling the truck on that grade. You sure don't get much experience with mountains in St Pete, Florida. Or that his brakes had burnt out. But this time, I am afraid the driver was at fault. The Simon's pick-up occupied a spot on the highway my car is in four or five times a week, often with a semi-rig coming down the other way. This is not the first time I have seen an overturned truck that has swept across the median and through the traffic lanes coming the other way.

Somedays getting to work is a bit more difficult than others.

.