Crash at Henderson and I in Eureka Backing Up Traffic
Emergency personnel at the scene of the crash. [Photo provided]
One vehicle is upside down on the roadside.
We have very little details at this point, but please avoid the area if possible.
Please remember that information gathered from initial reports is subject to revision as more facts become available.
Update: EPD Releases Information on Fatal Collision in Eureka
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How do they do it? It’s like gymnastics. H and I, Harris and Henderson, and often 7th through 9th… these are like the Olympics of the car-flipping world.
How fast do you have to be going (or does a vehicle that hit you have to be going) to cause a car to flip over? It happens SO often lately. What the heck– it’s truly a mystery. Unless these people actually drive down I St., etc., at freeway speeds.
It actually has happened all the time for a long time but there weren’t news blogs to let you know it happened.
Back in the 50’s and 60’s cars had steel frames, and cast iron motors and running gear. They were built like sleds. It would take a forklift to turn them over. Today everything is built with no frame, are top heavy and most everything will flip them upside down. But, they are built for you to survive a crash. Fortunately.
I agree with you Ernie. Basic dynamics: steel frame, heavy chrome bumpers, heavier engines all down low means a lower center of gravity. The cars now strike higher above the wheels so if hit from the side, they will tip over the opposite ground-wheel contact as an axis of rotation. In the old days they were more likely to skid sideways.
Disagree. Car flips are always dramatic, and even way back in my childhood, any small-town paper would rush their photographer out there. Front-page news.
Well at least you didn’t downvote me. Thanks Laura!
Oh no, i have no quarrel with you, Ernie! It is true that there may have been fewer in the old days, which was exactly WHY they were front-page news. Now it’s: Another day, another flip-over! (The funny thing is, this and other upturned vehicles i see photos of are not always tall or top-heavy-looking. That’s why it’s hard to figure out how they do it.)
This is a very old article that indicates anti lock brakes, while decreasing skidding and over all accidents, do increase rollovers. It makes sense that keeping better traction would also cause the tires to act as a fix point to turn the vehicle’s forward linear momentum into rotational momentum.
IDK but here it is for what it’s worth. “a (39 ± 16)% increase in rollover crash risk compared to the risk of a non-rollover crash” so keep your seatbelts on.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10286589908915737
Irrational drivers know they can get away with unsafe acts as there aren’t enough LEOs to enforce traffic laws. Citizens need to assume a survival mentality and be hyper alert to the aggression on our streets.
It is like an Olympic event, with every town having its own gold medalists. The fame and glory are too enticing to resist.
Seems to happen often.
My theory is that modern oversized vehicles have a higher center of gravity, making them easier to flip, even when making a tight turn at speed.
Our tiny econobox stays pretty planted and has a very small turning radius. It also gets great gas mileage.
that is a subaru outback. flipping your car is a Eureka thing and related to people that can’t make proper decisions in the few seconds they have to react.
This intersection is a perfect one for a roundabout.
An accident like this would not happen in a roundabout.
Hope everybody is OK.
Roundabout? Yeah. You can still get hit by someone if they aren’t following the law.
True.
But it wouldn’t be a broadside and probably wouldn’t have flipped the vehicle onto its roof.
Because of this, accidents at roundabouts are significantly less likely to result in serious injury.
That they save time, gas, and brakes, are other neat bonuses.
how do they save time, when you slow down traffic, roundabouts are inefficient, waste space, and won’t change how people drive.
Because you don’t have to com to a complete stop or wait at a red light.
You simply slow down and proceed through.
Okay for slowing cars in low traffic areas but, when car traffic is unrelenting, people can be pretty aggressive trying to get into one. That is scary when there are pedestrians because drivers are always looking away from where a pedestrian might be to find a break in the traffic. And is there enough room to put one in as Eureka has buildings pretty close to streets?
Roundabouts handle a higher volume of traffic more efficiently: “30 to 50% increase in traffic capacity”
They also reduce pedestrian and bicycle incidents.
https://www.fdot.gov/agencyresources/roundabouts/benefits.shtm
Most intersections can accommodate some form of roundabout.
Henderson and I has more than enough room.
It’s actually an ideal location.
Capacity is not the sole issue. This is more what I was thinking about – “In a busy town or city environment, roundabouts do not work well because excessive traffic from one direction with right of way can completely stop all other traffic causing congestion in other directions. ”
https://engineering.stackexchange.com/questions/63/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-a-traffic-circle-versus-a-traffic-light-intersecti
I can’t remember the intersection at the moment but aren’t there houses on all four corners?
The great thing about roundabouts is that when you do have crashes they’re at slower speeds and therefor less deadly.
Roundabout is a good idea. Good luck running that idea through the planning department. Don’t forget the 5 year study by an outside contractor.
Nobody in this country knows how to usea roundabout. Also very poorly designed compared to Europe.
Well certainly not the asswipe who almost t-boned me near the elk valley casino. I was clearly in the right, but his stoopid look…priceless.
How are Europe’s better? The only European roundabout I ever experienced was three lanes and crossing the street as a pedestrian was a scary mix of dashing and dodging.
That intersection was not helped in the least by the FUBAR bike lane addition!
The bike lane addition is for the bikes. How does that correlate at all to this accident?
You have to admire his reach, ’cause that was a long one.
Funny how the people who live on the streets love the changes; it’s the people who used to drive through their neighborhoods at 50mph who are upset.
And the curb extensions. Its a narrow nightmare now.
Then slow down.
That crash look pretty nasty. I don’t know who was at fault but hopefully all the parties involved are ok. Thank you to Humboldt Bay Fire, EPD and other first responders.
Ditto.
I moved away from eureka not too long ago after 30 years. I thought eureka had the worst drivers. Now living in the baking crap city of visalia, I realize that there is a whole new level of pavement idiocracy.
A simple sign saying “cross traffic does not stop” at Henderson and G and Henderson and H would drop the occurrence of these by 90%. There’s even a cable overhead each intersection to hang them from…
So many idiot drivers around town.
I was very sorry to read just a couple of minutes ago that the driver involved in the Henderson and I Street crash had suffered a medical emergency. That is why the vehicle was on its roof. Despite a tremendous effort by Humboldt Bay Fire, EPD and other first responders getting the driver into an ambulance, they were pronounced deceased at St. Joseph Hospital. I am sending my most sincere condolences to the driver’s family and friends. I pray God will give them the love and support that they need at this most sad time in their lives. May the driver forever RIP.