Model A fatal reared ended crash in Montana.

[[email protected]]

Just saw this on the Internet.

How tragic. My prayers and sympathies to all involved.

Montana News
Antique car involved in I-90 fatal accident

Posted: Oct 10, 2011 8:27 PM by Judy Slate
Updated: Oct 11, 2011 8:32 AM



One person is dead after a crash involving an antique car.
The crash happened on I-90 at mile marker 284 between Three Forks and Manhattan at around 3 p.m. Monday. Troopers say a 1929 Model A Ford was traveling westbound at 40 MPH when a minivan, driving at regular highway speeds, rear-ended it.
The passenger in the Model A Ford, a 64-year-old woman from Boulder, was killed.
The driver of the Model A Ford received minor injuries. The driver of the minivan was not hurt.
Troopers say it is legal to drive antique cars like the Model A Ford on the highway.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

How tragic!

[Hitchhiker]

Sad. prayers for the family. RIP.

But I gotta ask....Did the Minivan drive not see there was a car in front of them?

[48Ratfink]

were They Members here? So sad.

[peters180a/170b]

that is really sad....My Godfather was just saying yesterday he wants to sell his 31 coupe.He is 80 years old and this is what he was thinking ....getting hit even going to church on Sunday which he loved to do now and then. 600 miles on the car.

[ivoryjohn]

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Very sad.

Perhaps I am overly cautious of the media but I think it is worth noting the the statement of the State Trooper. "It is legal to drive antique autos such as the model A on the highways." Just mentioning that implies that there is something to consider as to whether it should be legal to drive antique cars on the highway. If there is a story that will get time or lines of print for the reporter no story is too biased to report. That too is very sad.

[J Franklin]

There is no excuse for not watching traffic ahead of you, texting or not.

[Terry Longest]

You always have to be on the alert, antique or not. I was driving up I-85 last month on cruise at 70 MPH and got rear-ended ($3,600). Fella said he was distracted by his children in rear seat.

[WTSHNN]

Originally Posted by [email protected]

Troopers say a 1929 Model A Ford was traveling westbound at 40 MPH when a minivan, driving at regular highway speeds, rear-ended it.

I think it is terrible to monday-morning quarter back this thing but supposedly the speed limit on I90 in Montana is 75mph. If the A was really doing 40 MPH it was probably below any minimum speed and certainly should have not been on there.

A few times over the years I've been behind an old car on the interstate and slowed down, put on my hazards and followed them as long as I could.

One of the reasons I put LED tail lights in my '31 was not because of how bright they are at night but how much more visible they are during the day.

Sad story.
-Tim

[pj1931]

I live here in MT, and I'll ask some of the Big Sky A's if they know anything more. People on I 90 are traveling around 75 MPH and it's legal!!! Unless you have an A that can go at least 55 on that major HWY, no one should be on it! It makes me wonder if now they'll have a minimum speed you can go on I-90 in MT?!?!?

[1931 flamingo]

Orange placard (or triangle) becomes a "target". JMO. If the offender in this instance was texting or on the phone, they should be strung up.
Paul in CT

[700rpm]

Damn! It's getting to where there are so many fools on the road I'm afraid to drive ANYthing!

My sincere condolences tot he family.

[a sedan]

Vary sad. People do not watch god bless. Dont blame the poor old model a

[Dave Mellor NJ]

It was just a few years ago that a father and daughter were killed in a freshly restored 29 roadster pickup in Maryland.

[dean from bozeman]

Many times in Montana farm/ranch equipment is taken from one place to another via the interstate. In some places, the interstate is the only viable choice. Usually a pickup truck with flashing lights is following the implement for everyone's safety.

I just looked on line at our local paper (Bozeman Chronicle) and it said that the antique car was a Model T. With a top speed near 45 mph I wonder what they had done to make themselves more visible. Flashing lights or a rear pilot car may not have been options. Personally I (almost) always use an orange triangle when driving my tractor on a highway.

When I taught my son to drive I said that a most important facet of driving is communicating with other drivers. If I am driving 35 or more mph slower than the rest of traffic I need to communicate that.

Now I agree that we always have to have control of our vehicle. I also believe that we are responsible for reending anything. However, situations do occur that make it near impossible not to. A case in point happened to me a few months back. I was following a small but wide U-Haul truck down a narrow 2 lane highway. Any lines of sight down the highway were blocked out by its size. Suddenly the U-Haul swerved to the left revealing the bicyclist it was passing. One could accurately figure out the reaction time in such a situation but I'm sure that it wasn't much. If I had been ever so slightly distracted at that percise instant, there would have been another white cross on the roadside.

It is a shame whenever any life is blotted out prematurely. I extend my condolences to the family of the deceased.

Dean

[Ed Saniewski]

I put LED tail lights in also because of the brightness. Sometimes an old local highway is merged with an interstate and you are forced on to it. I was in New York state on 84 and had cars running up fast behind me and I was going 55MPH. When I turned on my headlights, the red tail lights stopped all tailgaters. I hate the look of the bulbs behind the lens but they are worth the safety.

[2manycars]

As the speed of traffic increases over the years, it becomes more and more dangerous to drive the early cars. When I was a kid, there were lots of model T fords on the road and at car shows, and there are very few around here today, unless trailered to the show. The model A new england meet has more and more trailers every year. I am not as at ease driving my model A as I was 30 years ago, when I drove up I91 to the Canadian border. I would not try that today. I find that I drive the model A mostly on back roads, and use my more modern antiques for the highways, and even take them on the interstate. We have been the minority on the roads for a long time, but we are a much smaller minority now then ever.

[Frank Miller]

At 45mph that could have been any vehicle. Inattentive driving for whatever reason seems to be the cause. When traveling slowly or even slowing down for traffic it is important to be aware of what is behind you. When I am in my truck I try to be courteous realizing the driver behind me cannot see what is ahead. A flash of the brake lights before slowing down or stopping is sometimes necessary.

[montanafordman]

Wow. I grew up in Bozeman and know that area well. Speed is an issue especially with how distracted drivers are getting these days. There is no telling what factors played in the accident besides the large disparity in speed but people have a hard enough time at 75mph with distracting thoughts let alone passengers, music, cell phones, etc. etc. Both drivers are going to have a very hard time dealing with the tragedy. My condolences to the family.

-Montanafordman

[Ghost of elmirage]

In MASS the driver who hit the model from behind would've been at fault because you're always supposed to be in control of your vehicle