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COUPLE WALK AWAY AFTER BRUSH WITH TANKER
An elderly couple had a lucky escape this morning, miraculously walking away from a multi vehicle crash which incinerated their car and caravan.
The accident happened on the New South Wales Far North Coast and caused significant traffic delays on the Pacific Highway at Iluka.
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My name is Brad. I was the driver of the car and caravan. Without going in to too much detail, I will explain a bit about what happend. I am 53 years old and am a truck driver holding an MC licence with a lot of experience driving heavy vehicles.
When we left Woody Head, I commented to my wife about the amount of oil on the road. The posted speed limit is 100kph, I travelled at 80kph, through the small town, the speed limit is 50kph, I travelled at 40kph. As I approached the intersection I was breaking as per the conditions of the road and was successfully breaking. At about the last 50 to 30 metres the car started to slide and the ABS started operating and was doing nothing to slow the slide. As I have electronice brakes on the van that where working and adjusted correctly, I attempted to use the manual operation but that had no affect either. I had two choices….enter the intersection travelling straight or try to turn left to avoid crossing the intersection. I decided to turn left. This caused a jack knife of the car and van….now I don’t know if that was the right decision or not. BUT If the van hadn’t have jack knifed we would have been hit right at the drivers door…..I will leave the rest to your vivid imagination Garth and Renae.
I spoke to the truck driver and he said it did not look like I was going fast. Even the police officer who viewed the video said the same. I can assure you I was not speeding and the police report will state that.
The driver behind me had actually telephoned his wife to let her know about the amount of oil on the road. Another witness told the police the same thing. Two more witnesses stated to police they saw a truck leaving Iluka leaking oil out of drums. Perhaps, when the truck had slowed to a stop at the intersection the oil got heavier and this is where the loss of control happend. I don’t like to get involved in things like this, but on this occasion as it concerns me, I felt I needed to state the facts.
I can only think of the fact that all where so lucky to be un-inured and no loss of life occurred. I agree with you Garth that elderly drivers should be tested at a certain age. But you have your facts wrong in this case
Brad.
Thanks Brad for telling the facts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRYdKOvKagA&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DIRYdKOvKagA&app=desktop
Thanks for posting the video link Renae. From my perspective it clearly shows the car sliding and not speeding. Thanks for confirming what others are thinking and what Brad has stated.
Not only that, but it shows that by turning left, Brad saved both his & his wife’s lives, and most likely the truck driver too. Well done Brad, you did the best you could have done in a life-threatening situation.
My husband and I drove thru that intersection only 2 minutes before the accident – my kids were held up in the school bus seeing all that happened. We didn’t come across any oil spill, but I am very glad no one was injured
The YT video has been removed, as a road safety lesson, in time, perhaps the poster could re-issue it.
Keep it safe folk.
“An elderly couple” ? The driver of the van, Brad, says he is 53 !