Every Friday, FreightWaves takes a look at the past week or so in social media, highlighting images in trucking, transportation and weather. This week features a trucker in floodwaters, early season snow out West, a nearly disastrous helicopter landing and more.
Turn around, don’t drown
Heavy rain slammed portions of the Northeast on Wednesday and Thursday, with some places reporting 5 to 9 inches. Flash flooding ensued in several cities, but high water across a Baltimore-area road didn’t stop one trucker from continuing his run.
Despite cars stopped (possibly stuck) in the deluge, as well as police and fire vehicles trying to block the area, the trucker went around the cars and through the flooding. It’s unclear whether the driver had permission to proceed. The trucker made it through, but If the road was weakening, the weight of the 18-wheeler could have caused it to cave in, leaving the driver in a sinkhole.
Summer snow
An end-of-summer snow Sunday and Monday created a winter wonderland in the northern Rockies. Places like West Yellowstone, Montana, and the Grand Tetons in Wyoming appeared to receive the most, and National Weather Service meteorologists told FreightWaves they estimate 3 to 5 inches piled up, based on liquid equivalents.
Despite no official measurements, there was enough to build a snowman in Yellowstone National Park, where people and bison alike enjoyed the snow. Fall began on the calendar just a few days later, but minor snow accumulations aren’t unusual in this part of the country in late September.
Close call
FreightWaves isn’t sure where or why this happened, but a helicopter pilot somehow lost control of his or her aircraft shortly before landing. Somehow, the pilot regained control just in time to avoid crashing, skidding down the runway to safety.
Safety first
Rail Safety Week kicked off Monday in North America. This annual event is a collaborative effort among Operation Lifesaver Inc., state Operation Lifesaver programs and rail safety partners across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
The focus is to save lives by educating and empowering the public to make safe decisions around trains and tracks, as well as raising awareness of the need for rail safety education.
Click here for more FreightWaves articles by Nick Austin.
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