Rollover Wreck

On Wednesday night, I experienced something that we all hope to never experience. My truck was rolled over by severe cross winds.

I was west bound on US 20 in IA just east of Waterloo. I knew that I was coming up on severe thunderstorms. I was 7 minutes away from the Flying J where I was planning to park. The information I had about the storms didn't provide information about a high wind advisory. I keep numerous apps active that provide weather alerts. Nothing was indicating a high wind advisory. Also, I was driving with the belief that I would arrive at the truck stop before the thunderstorm reached that point.

Within seconds I went from clear weather to seeing debris flying everywhere in front of me. I had no time to react before watching the truck being taken sideways. I went down on the driver's side. My middle finger and ring finger on my left hand were traumatically amputated during the wreck. The tip of my index finger was crushed. It's currently not known if that part of my finger can be saved. I sustained multiple deep cuts and severe road rash on my left arm. I received a cut to my head that peeled a part of my scalp from my skull. I thank God that I am alive.

It will take several weeks for me to recover to begin thinking of returning to work. I don't know yet if returning to work will be getting back in a truck. That's going to take some time to figure out with my family.

Officers who responded to the wreck came to see me at the hospital and they told me that they didn't see me as being at fault. No citation given. My employer has that they do not see that I was at fault, so my job is not in jeopardy, aside from me choosing to walk away from trucking.

I will be looking at options to transition to a non-driving position as part of my process in deciding what to do.

Never take a single thing for granted. Even when you find yourself doing everything right, it all can end before you know it. I was able to walk away from that wreck literally, as I got out of the truck by stepping through the hole where the windshield had been. But this is not always the case with every truck wreck.

Be safe out there drivers. I pray none of you have to face this kind of road to recovery. It surely tests how tough you are.

I'm glad to hear you are mostly ok!

Winds like you encountered are extremely hard to predict. I've encountered it on my boat and in my car, but luckily never with a truck.

Wow! I'm really sorry that happened to you Ryan.

Take your time and make a rational decision. We wish all the best to you.

I'm glad to hear you are mostly ok!

Winds like you encountered are extremely hard to predict. I've encountered it on my boat and in my car, but luckily never with a truck.

Feeling a little bit better every day. Not hurting as much as the injuries would suggest that I should be. Really haven't had to rely on heavy pain medication since being released from the hospital.

The winds were definitely crazier than anything I have ever experienced in a truck before. I probably would have stopped sooner, but there just isn't any real place to park in the area before getting to the Flying J right outside of Waterloo.

Wow! I'm really sorry that happened to you Ryan.

Take your time and make a rational decision. We wish all the best to you.

There definitely won't be a rushed nor an emotional decision whether to get back in a truck or pursue work doing something else.

I'm really sorry to hear, and grateful you're alive. I'm in that area so much and frequently. We're based out of cedar rapids, I've had days where I've been through that stretch of road 4 to 5 times, usually with very light loads and empties.

What happened to you reaffirms why I am so obsessive about winds and severe weather. I'm also frequently in north Texas and Oklahoma. Both areas have been getting severe weather, unfortunately, many weather forecasts and reports don't give much attention to severe thunderstorms unless there's a high chance of tornados. But straight line winds, down drafts and microbursts are deadly to us. Also, sadly, they are often unforseen.

I've been using Max Velocity weather on YouTube a lot, he's one of the few guys out there that really dive into more elements of weather than just tornados.

Hopefully, whichever direction you go with, you meet with success.

I'm really sorry to hear, and grateful you're alive. I'm in that area so much and frequently. We're based out of cedar rapids, I've had days where I've been through that stretch of road 4 to 5 times, usually with very light loads and empties.

What happened to you reaffirms why I am so obsessive about winds and severe weather. I'm also frequently in north Texas and Oklahoma. Both areas have been getting severe weather, unfortunately, many weather forecasts and reports don't give much attention to severe thunderstorms unless there's a high chance of tornados. But straight line winds, down drafts and microbursts are deadly to us. Also, sadly, they are often unforseen.

I've been using Max Velocity weather on YouTube a lot, he's one of the few guys out there that really dive into more elements of weather than just tornados.

Hopefully, whichever direction you go with, you meet with success.

I was empty myself that day. I really don't know if having a load in the box would have made a difference. Running reefer loads, the trailers are a bit heavier than dry van trailers. The wind was so forceful that it basically threw the truck to the ground. It might have been the same result with a load in the trailer. I went to start getting stuff out of the truck on Saturday. I was quite surprised that the trailer looked to have little damage other than some scratches along the side. I was really expecting to see extensive damage to the trailer because of the force of the wind and how far I slid after going over.

Thank you for the kind words of support.

There's a good chance that it could have been a spin up tornado, which doesn't usually show on radar, microbursts can do that as well. Its not uncommon to see damaging winds in excess of 60 to 80 mph in highly localized spots with those types of storms. Almost like a giant dust devil on steroids.

I'm definitely going to redouble my weather forecasting and trip planning as a result of this. I've had several loads recently that put me in close proximity to severe thunderstorms and tornados, well under 5 to 7 miles from me, and I definitely am going to keep more of a buffer and shut down sooner.

Again, thank you for sharing, and my heart goes out to you.

Sorry to hear about that, Ryan. Prayers for your quick recovery and for what you may do in the future.

I just keep thinking it's important to add something to this conversation. For anybody new to this industry, or even those just curious, it is almost unheard of for a driver to be considered "not at fault" for a rollover accident.

I'm hoping Ryan can be employed again, but I fear he may not be as eligible as he wants to believe when it comes to being a driver. I don't think he's misleading us or anything like that. I'm just saying his opera may not be over until the fat lady sings. Right now everybody at his company is glad he's alive and well, just as we are. As time goes by, some considerations by folks higher in the chain of command can certainly affect him.

We all wish the best for him. I remember our member "Persian Conversion" surviving a rollover and driving again, but it's really unusual.