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Thought about Dan’s accident
After reading about Dan & Judy’s mishap, I’ve been thinking about how most of us would get out of our coaches under the same circumstances. I know that we all hope and pray this doesn’t happen, but looking at Dan’s bus we know it does. I hope Dan will chime in and let us know how easy/difficult it was to get out the emergency exit. My thoughts have been that most of us are not in our 20’s and not as nimble as we use to be, so do we just open the exit window and fall out and hope it works out ok, should I have some kind of rope ladder inside to climb down, and how do we get our pets out, I know that most travel with small dogs, so how would you get your Great Dane or Doberman out a window without injury.
I would like to ask everyone what there plans are and what they have come up with to get out. As you saw Dan’s entry door would not open, so now we have to either go out and climb or fall out. Thought are appreciated!
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20 Replies
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Depending on circumstances the issue of exiting a coach can be a serious problem. Obviously if the coach remains upright we have options, especially if things like cabinets and furniture haven’t flown around such that we are injured. We have several windows that are emergency escapes and if we have to I am fully prepared to start kicking out a window.
I’ll be honest and state here and now that I am scared of getting into an accident and that fear keeps me driving slower than most would like to drive, avoid all use of the phone, and backing out of the gas as soon as I see tail lights ahead. I am an aggressive car driver and probably push a little too hard in the cars I drive, but the bus is big, heavy ponderous, and takes a long time to turn and stop so I drive it like a sissy and I hope I never have to think about emergency exits.
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Hi Mark,Good thread and it poses some important questions. And as pointed out we’re not in our 20’s anymore. In our 70’s some are more nimble than others. I’d like to think I could climb out a window without a problem but what about my wife or others in the bus, including pets?
One of my first posts I talked about my original trip from Austin, TX to Murphy, NC rouphly 1100 miles. There was a problem with the computer and I couldn’t go faster than 55 mph, not the speed I’d have chosen to drive home. But I found out something very interesting, NO ONE wanted to go 55! I had no one in front of me and no one behind me the entire trip and it was great. Something I’d have not known were it not for the computer restriction. And you know what? I got home going 55!!!
And like Jon said, if I see brake lights I’m slowing down. It didn’t sound like Dan had much a chance and we know things happen we just can’t do much about. Slow it down, be proactive and stay off phones or anything that distracts. Good idea no matter what we drive.
It seems to me one of the easiest ways out is through the windshield. Would it be wise to carry something to help knock it out? Mine has two windows which should make it easier.
Harry
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Mark as you well know, I’m an ATHLETE,(-: . Seriously, I just crawled out the window feet first, got a foot hold on the rear fender skirts and hopped down. Eventually we grabbed the folding ladder out of the bay. Doug made a suggestion later about stopping at a Walmart and getting a rope fire escape ladder, haven’t done that yet, but my next bus will have one.
1999 XLV X-6872, liberty #440 -
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Triple Foxtrot, that article is PRICELESS!
As far as the original question, I have thought an aweful lot about those rope ladders they sell for egress during a fire from an upstairs bedroom. Most people have a closet or something they can store it in. I am still thinking how the best way to offer attachment points that aren’t too “ugly” inside the coach that would make them easy-use items. Just a thought.
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If the bus somehow ended up on its side or roof, the windshields would probably be the best direction for exit, if one were able to move about. The windshield glass in that scenario might even be broken or popped out. If not, you’d need one of those emergency hammer tools to break the glass. Linda
P.S. Kirby said to sign my name on this because it sounds like a girly way. A real man would just kick out the glass with his feet.
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Hi Linda, But a real man may have hurt his foot in the accident!
Jeff and Lindsay
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Those little hammers designed to break glass won’t do much good on safety glass. The glass they will work on is the tempered glass such as on a car side window glass. To get a safety glass out of its frame is going to take a pretty good pounding such as repeated kicking. I think the larger concern is the height from the ground and the safety ladder idea is a good one because no matter which window is chosen for escape the distance to the ground is going to be six feet or more.
It is unlikely there will be a need to kick out any windows because with the number of windows along the side I am sure at least one can open. From personal experience I can say for certain when something serious happens everybody inside the coach does need to understand they must get out of the coach instantly.
When our first coach had the fire my wife and I were accompanied by her sister and our nephew. As soon as I got stopped my nephew and I exited the coach immediately. Despite all four of us knowing the coach was on fire it took a few seconds for my nephew and I to realize my wife and her sister were still in the coach. We went back in and both were “frozen” in place and did not know what to do. We quickly got them out but I was shocked to realize they did not intuitively react to the threat of a fire.
I mention that because our coaches have a lot of energy within them which have the potential to be a cause for the need to immediately exit the coach. We have a lot of fuel. Consider the potential the fuel has and combine that with wiring and batteries that have the potential to become the ignition source. At the very least, if we are involved in an accident the first thing to do is turn off the engine, followed by immediately leaving the coach. Once we are assured there will be no danger we can go back in, but until we are sure everything is safe we should stay outside.
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Dan thanks for the input, I have no doubt that I can get as you did and have taught Gail how to handle things, though all she will say is follow me. I’m with Jon on trying to break the windshield since the lamination process is to make them shatter proof. I think that I will look for a rope type ladder to help passengers out, as for our dogs, if bus is burning they will be pushed out the window kicking and screaming. I hope everyone reading this comes up with some sort of plan now and not when its needed. Like Jon said he and his nephew we out before they realized 2 people were missing. As any of us pilots know, we are the authority and the others in the bus will be looking to us for guidance and direction.
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Ben, Amazon has a 2 story kiddie ladder that hooks over the window edge for less than $35. You wouldn’t have to build anything into the coach
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I’m thinking a single strand of thick rope with a hook would be enough to execute a graceful landing out a window. The rope ladder would be easier to tangle, more effort to deploy, and slow the decent.
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The windshield scenario was if the coach was on its side. Jon’s comments re safety glass are noted, but if (God forbid) we were flipped on one side we’d have difficulty reaching up to get to the side windows. Good to think about emergency reactions ahead of time, though.
Linda
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The good news is if the coach is on its side, and nobody has been injured by the cabinetry that is definitely going to either be flying around or getting people hit with the contents. the windshield is likely to be out or easily popped out.
I doubt if the windshield frame will remain undistorted which is going to make any remaining glass easily kicked out. In a rollover or even a sudden stop or impact my greatest concern is going to be the stuff flying around.
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I had a lady from Randolph County, NC call about the need for a traffic signal at an intersection near her home. After several minutes of discussion she clearly defined my primary job responsibility. “Your job is to anticipate our stupidity and take action before we hurt ourselves.” Now let’s translate that primary job responsibility to driving a Prevost. “Our job is to anticipate their stupidity and take action(s) so we don’t hurt them.”
In my daily commute to and from Raleigh on US #1, I have found Prius drivers to be the worst. I refer to the drivers as a P***k in a Prius. They will pass at a high rate of speed, then cut over in front of you, slowing down abruptly in order to take the exit ramp a few hundred feet ahead. Maybe it is the electrical system that gets to them and the abundance of torque available with electric drive. Who knows. When I see a Prius ahead of or approaching the coach I go into a sense of hyper attention to what they are doing. I anticipate their stupidity and develop courses of action in my mind to take if they reveal their stupidity.
Some weeks ago there was a double fatal wreck on US #64, which is a median divided four to six lane 65 MPH facility. Seems Mom with her child had missed her exit. Instead of continuing to the next exit, she decides to take advantage of a break in the median guiderail to execute a U-turn. The break is for use by emergency vehicles only and is signed as such. Sounds somewhat similar to the situation Dan faced with the Prius. Well the Mom was not able to complete the U-turn and was T-boned in the passenger side by a vehicle going at, or most likely more than, the posted 65MPH limit. The Mom and her innocent child both were pronounced dead at the scene.
So be on your toes, bring your A game with you and watch out for the stupidity going on around you when driving the coach.
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I have a long Chain ladder in the bedroom closet … It has hooks to attach to side of bus and I’m sure it would scratch the paint pretty badly.. but if I wanted out I couldn’t care less about the paint. I also have a med size pik to smash the window if needed.
I opted for the chain as it hold up to 400lbs. Praying we don’t ever need it.
Cheers, Diane
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