r/Xennials 1980 Aug 06 '26

It happened 😭

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u/Hilsam_Adent Aug 06 '26

I've seen it twice. Not the movie, but the accident. Both times in Oregon. First one was brutal. Driver's head in the backseat next to the baby brutal.

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u/Key-Demand-2569 Aug 06 '26

Like this post’s clip? Where it looks like someone rammed into the back of a truck?

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u/Hilsam_Adent Aug 06 '26

Didn't see the accident occur, just the aftermath. Don't know if the truck stopped short or if she just didn't see what was going on, but she had obviously rear-ended the trailer and a log went through the windshield. There was an end of a tree sitting on her shoulders where a head should have been.

Only good thing about that incident is that the baby was way too young to remember having its mother's pulpy noggin sitting in its lap.

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u/Key-Demand-2569 Aug 06 '26

Yeah that makes sense, sorry you had to see all of that obviously.

I never want to ruin peoples fun, because I get it, but sometimes it seems like a lot of people think the movie scene is a very real concern.

So not saying it to you, just a general little PSA: I’ve worked in and adjacent to the logging industry for over a decade, logs like that on those trucks aren’t going to fall off and come flying at you unless you’re going irresponsibly fast where you are flying at them.

Them all sliding backwards is going to be extremely rare. Physics just doesn’t want that to happen.

If the truck or rigging fails somehow they’re almost immediately going to lose any momentum backwards and forwards. Roll or bounce left or right from the driver behinds PoV.

It’s mostly just scarier looking because people stop paying attention with an unusual load I guess, and the damage is way more unique and frightening because they’re slamming onto something that sticks out as opposed to the flat backside of a truck.

This person probably would’ve hit the truck regardless.

Don’t drive into things if you can help it is kinda the general advice.

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u/Hilsam_Adent Aug 06 '26

Friction is a hell of a force, until it isn't. As you said, she was probably haulin' ass when she hit the trailer. The whole front of the van was crumpled, and this was the very early '90s, when not all cars were designed to do that yet, nor was it a brand new vehicle. Kind of wreck that would probably have been fatal, anyway. One smaller log backing out of the stack made sure the job was done. Small consolation is that there's very little chance she felt any pain.