Everyone needs to read this.

[V8Ian]

April 17th 1995 - Easter Monday.
We woke early, excited to be going in the truck with Darren (cracka)
Tamika aged 2 years and Khaleb aged 1 year.
Tamika worshiped her daddy. He would ring whenever he was able and Tamika would get on the phone and say "me go daddy" me go". She loved going with her dad in the truck and occasionally she went with Darren on her own. She would wait at the front door for him to arrive. I'd get a quick kiss and they'd be off.

It was 6.30am when we left home. We loaded the B-double with sheep out of a paddock. It was bitterly cold, so, I stayed in the truck with Khaleb and Tamika while Darren loaded. We were held up for longer than usual, as the truck had 2 flat tyres. By the time Darren changed them time was getting away. We followed Phill, he loaded at the same property and was a driver also.
I had only just met him that morning. It was Phill idea to stop for an early lunch.

It seemed to be getting colder as the day went on, we went into the cafe and ordered lunch. Khaleb ran a muck, he was so full of life. Our lunch arrived and we all sat together and ate.
We arranged to go to Phil's for a bbq tea when we got back home latter that day.
We were on our way again, Phill leading the way in his B-double, I talked to him on the UHF
finalising details for tea that night.
Tamika & Khaleb were in the bunk. Khaleb was pigging out on lollies and Tamika was playing with her doll. This doll was her favourite. If you kissed it on the forehead it would talk. It said 120 different things.
Khaleb (man-o) as I called him, was getting sleepy, so I put him on my lap and gave him his bottle. He loved to be cuddled to sleep.
Tamika tapped my arm, she wanted a cuddle also, I said "let mummy get man-o to sleep then I'll cuddle you" She was so patient. she moved forward and sat on the fridge between Darren & I.
I glanced at my watch, it was 11.05am. we were going up a hill. The road was under repair, loose gravel and a lot of dust.
Darren told me to look in his mirror, I could see a car trying to overtake us, but he thought better of it and pulled back in.
We topped the hill and started our descent. We had travelled this road 100's of times, I knew there was a narrow bridge at the bottom of the hill.
Darren broke the silence "look at this idiot" I looked and here was that same car trying to overtake us again, he was only 1/2 on the road. I looked ahead and saw the bridge, looked back in the mirror and the car appeared to be in the same spot. Man-o sat up. Darren swore, he moved the truck over to allow the car extra room. I watched that car go onto the Bridge but the truck seemed to be leaning, falling. I grabbed man-o, I wrapped my arms around him firmly and said aloud "please god not like this" I looked at Darren and told him I loved him, then shut my eyes.

I could hear Darren calling me, I opened my eyes, I couldn't move. It was pitch black and something was so heavy, crushing me. I called out to Darren, but he couldn't see me. I could hear him throwing things, then people were talking.
I had trouble breathing, my nose was bleeding and something was so heavy. Why was it so dark I thought?
Darren was yelling for people to help him find me, I heard him say "someone ring an ambulance".A man was talking to me. Asking my name who else was with us, then I remembered man-o and Tamika. Tamika must be with Darren but Man-o, my arms were pinned underneath me, I was laying face down, I could not move. Man-o was under me. I was on top of him, I squeezed my stomach in as tight as I could, there was no movement. No sound. I tried with all my might to pull my arms out. I was trapped, the only part of me that I could move was my head.
I could feel myself going to be sick, I started vomiting and at that moment I knew if I panicked I would die. I would choke on my own vomit and blood,
I prayed....


I asked God to watch over Darren. I asked that God could make the ambulance hurry, and please let me black out. After what seemed like hours I asked a rescue worker what time it was, he replied 2.30pm. At that moment I felt panic rising again. I had been trapped for 3 hours. I had no idea where Darren and Tamika were.
I'd already gone through 3 oxygen bottles that had been taped to a stick and poked down through a hole in the floor of the truck. I understood that I had been thrown down an embankment and the truck had rolled on top of me.
The rescue workers were unsure how to get me out without crushing me further, so they decided to cut the truck apart piece by piece. The truck & trailer weighed 42 ton, it had a full load of sheep and there was no way of pulling it up the embankment. The pain was unbearable, I prayed again that I could go to sleep, "please God let me sleep."
At this point I heard a voice say "Talk to me" "talk to me" The people above shouted to each other "one's alive" ' there is still one alive. I tried to tell them that it was just Tamika's doll, but they couldn't hear my whisper over there excitement.
Finally they asked which child was talking and the agony I felt as I said again "its a doll" I knew then that Tamika was gone also.
Why was the doll talking? it was trapped with me, it should have been talking all along or at least until the batteries went flat. Did God have a hand in this, to keep me holding on?
4 1/2 hours after the truck went over I felt myself being dragged through burrs and dirt
I could finally see daylight. I was moving along the ground on my belly, someone was pulling me by my ankles.
Then I saw man-o. No one, in your wildest dreams will ever know the anguish I felt at that moment. Seeing my baby laying there. I tried to reach out and grab him but I was being dragged in the opposite direction.
I arrived at Yass hospital about 4.10pm, where I was wrapped in heated blankets, neck brace and straps so I couldn't move. I asked a nurse " where are my babies?" She told me that they had been brought here. I begged her to let me see them.
She left and returned a few moments latter holding my baby wrapped in a white hospital blanket. she lent down and I could see my baby's face.
I was strapped down. I couldn't move or hold my own baby, She placed Tamika's face next to mine and I kissed her little cheek, she was so cold, tears filled my eyes, my heart ached, her life was gone. The nurse left and returned a few minutes latter with man-o, she went through the same motions as did I.
I told him how sorry I was ' I was sure I killed him" I desperately wanted to warm them, breath life back into them, but I knew it was useless.
I was airlifted to Canberra in a critical condition, I still had no idea where Darren was. I was placed in intensive care, still conscious.


I remember seeing Darren walk in and I was flooded with emotion, "Thank you God for saving him"
The next few months were sketchy as I was sedated heavily. I underwent several major operations, blood transfusions and skin grafts. Gangrene had set in to my left thigh, I had crushed several vertebra's in my back and I had many cuts and bruises.
Darren was told "she will never walk again, it is a miracle she is alive, she has the cold to thank for saving her leg."
I should have been a quadriplegic as the bones in my spine were crushed and piercing my spinal cord. After removing the gangrene and doing skin grafts I had150 staples holding it in place, only to be told on Mothers day, that I have an infection and they would have to re-do the whole operation again.
That was my lowest point, I wanted to give up.

It got harder, I was released from hospital after 3 months, but I was still unable to care for myself, Darren looked after me night and day, I had to wear a hard plastic back brace 24/7 and my leg had to be dressed daily, I was unable to walk so I was totally dependant on him for everything. It took a long time to heal physically, but the heart ache and sorrow will never go it is just tucked away under the surface.


I have been through the anger, the disbelief, the unbearable sorrow, the hurt, the feeling that your heart has been ripped out of your chest and stomped on, the dark cold loneliness.


The why me? why my babies?

I have had to look at two empty rooms with 2 empty beds and toys on the floor as they were left. I have cryed on there pillows with the smell of them still fresh. I have had to deal with my heart aching for the missing cuddles, deal with the feeling of helplessness and emptiness.
I have felt every possible emotion a person can feel.



With some of the currant topics being discussed on this site at present, this article is very relivant.
We all accept that people will die on the roads; occasionally we pass a "fatal' or know someone involved in such incidents and it may jerk us back to reality for a short while.
If any of you can read that article without shedding a tear or two, you're a harder man than me. No mention of the fate of the car driver was mentioned and it makes no difference to the result. If you stuck red hot needles in the car driver's eyes, on the hour, every hour, for the rest of his/her life it would not bring back those two beautiful kiddies.
Your actions don't only affect you, they can have deadly repecussions upon others too; could you live with it?
Take extra care everyone, look-out for each other.

[Eevo]

If any of you can read that article without shedding a tear or two, you're a harder man than me.
sorry but i think that is a load of crap.
some of us prefer logic and reason over emotion.

[V8Ian]

sorry but i think that is a load of crap.
some of us prefer logic and reason over emotion.
Am I missing something? I didn't know that logic and reason precluded emotion. In my opinion anybody who can read that first hand narrative, devoid of any emotion, must have characteristics in common with a mass murderer.
You are missing a lot Eevo.

[Pierre]

Eevo, you have to accept that others don't see the world like you. Your commentary is disrespectful.

Pete
an old guy.

[Eevo]

In my opinion anybody who can read that first hand narrative, devoid of any emotion, must have characteristics in common with a mass murderer.
You are missing a lot Eevo.


and how many mass murders do you know?

allow me to summarise your original post.
a d***head driver did something stupid and this was the end result.
remove the emotion, remove the religious bull**** and it might be an interesting story.

[Eevo]

Eevo, you have to accept that others don't see the world like you. i dont have to accept anything.



Your commentary is disrespectful.

the story is disrespectful to anyone with half a brain.

[V8Ian]

I feel sorry for you Eevo. :(

[Eevo]

I feel sorry for you Eevo. :(

i feel sorry for the mindless idiots who let emotion and religion control their life.

[Chucaro]

sorry but i think that is a load of crap.
some of us prefer logic and reason over emotion.
The more than I read your post the less that I can understand you.:(
Perhaps we can feel pity for those that do not know what it emotion?
Are the people without emotions feel love? Can be it possible?

[Eevo]

The more than I read your post the less that I can understand you.:(
Perhaps we can feel pity for those that do not know what it emotion?
Are the people without emotions feel love? Can be it possible?

wouldnt be human if we didnt have emotion. hopefully we've evolved far enough that it doesnt control our lives.

if you want, i can repost the story and highlight every emotional attachment that has been added.

[isuzutoo-eh]

I'm with Eevo, the religious crap in the middle just made me angry that I had been conned into having to read something by an innapropriate heading.
It could have had a far more important message attached, such as...seatbelts save truckies too... or mentioned that a responsible parent ensures his/her children are safely buckled up or in appropriate child capsules.

That duty of care that limited the childrens' chances of survival was to the parent who then blamed someone else for their own lack of preventative measures.

Not the smartest tool in the shed.

[Ausfree]

Ian, as a truckie, I guess you see idiots all the time and I bet you have had some close encounters. All I can say is "God must love idiots, he made enough of them".:o
In my job as a busdriver I drive in heavy traffic all the time (as you know) and boy do I see some morons who are on a death wish.:mad: The average car driver does NOT know how to drive near heavy vehicles.:(

[loanrangie]

Who is the author of that piece as i'm just a little skeptical when i see these kind of stories getting around the interweb with that religious crap in it.

[vnx205]

Who is the author of that piece .... .... ....

Home (http://www.sharonhourn.com/index.html)

[Eevo]

Who is the author of that piece as i'm just a little skeptical when i see these kind of stories getting around the interweb with that religious crap in it.
edit: someone else posted it

[Disco Muppet]

I don't know if it's a true story, but I don't think that's what the thrust of the message is about.
It's saying that all actions have consequences.
FWIW I didn't pick up on an overly religious tone, but even now re-reading it, it doesn't seem to be pushing it on anybody.
However it did occur to me that the children should have been properly restrained, but If the date of the story is correct then things would be a fair bit different.

[loanrangie]

Home (http://www.sharonhourn.com/index.html)

Well that just confirms what i thought.

[Eevo]

However it did occur to me that the children should have been properly restrained, but If the date of the story is correct then things would be a fair bit different.

it was 1995

seatbelt laws came in during the 70's?

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Its a tragic story of loss, but I just don't get it, why is it here?

God didn't save anyone, the RFS, SES, Police and Ambulance saved the two adults and unfortunately the two children died..

Or is it a story about impatient car drivers?

Still don't get it. :confused:

[Disco Muppet]

it was 1995

seatbelt laws came in during the 70's?

Sorry, only just realised I got the date wrong. Thought it 75 not 95

[Ausfree]

Its a tragic story of loss, but I just don't get it, why is it here?

God didn't save anyone, the RFS, SES, Police and Ambulance saved the two adults and unfortunately the two children died..

Or is it a story about impatient car drivers?

Still don't get it. :confused:
That's my take on it!!!

[Sprint]

What Ian posted was a plea for all of us to slow down and think before overtaking or even speeding on the roads. Any professional driver sees things happen on a daily basis that will cause them no end of worry, and the root cause of most of it is impatience and stupidity.
In the last 6-8 weeks i've been run off the road once by someone overtaking a truck without knowing if they had a clear run, nearly had to go for the tabledrain again this morning in a similar situation, and watched several instances of people overtaking on blind corners, coming up to crests, and rvrn people gambling that they have enough room to overtake, often forcing the truckie to brake to let them in. I dread the day it goes bad for someone and I'll have the ringside seat at best....

When you overtake in a risly situation, its your decision, but youre risking the lives of your passengers and everyone else on the road.

[UncleHo]

Yes,the story is from 1995,but it does not say what year model the truck is,and many an old truck was/is on livestock work long after they finish from the line haul companies,and as V8 Ian will attest there are some old bangers out there,not everybody can afford 1/4 of a million for a prime mover let alone the trailers,there are probably some old Mc Grath's still carrying loads which first hit the roads in late 50's early 60's.

[ezyrama]

Irrespective of any religious overtones, that poor couple lost two young kids in a tragic accident. Admittedly, yes they should have been in child restraints of some sort, but IHMO, no parent should ever have to bury their own child. It's not natural. I nearly came close 12 yrs ago when I parked a 4wd on the chest of my 3 yr old daughter who ran out behind the car as I was backing it up the driveway. It damn near killed me at the time to see my beautiful daughter lying in a hospital bed, and me as good as I am fixing thing, couldn't do a bloody thing to help her. I couldn't talk about it to anyone for years. Try putting yourself in their shoes and you might just be able to partially imagine how responsible they must feel.

[Sprint]

God didn't save anyone, the RFS, SES, Police and Ambulance saved the two adults and unfortunately the two children died..

I'm guessing youve never been first in scene at a fatal? Its something that you will live with for the rest of your life, especially when kids are involved. I can honestly say I have no idea how emergency services workers cope with it.

[Blknight.aus]

I hate to get all athiest on this but....

it was an us or them choice.

He didnt need to move the truck over. If I'd've been in the truck with my kid in it the truck would have stayed where it was, Id have tried to brake off speed but the idiot in the car was free to take his chances. Maybe, just maybe if I didnt have the kids in the cab I might have tried to give him some inches

From the athiests perspective
Praying; the ability to contribute nothing productive while feeling good about it.

[UncleHo]

I have,when driving Towies in the 60's,we were often first there,the thing that did my head in was,having to look for a 14 yr old girls arm down the side of a mountain,we had the rest of her,(late at night on the end of a 100ft tow line with a torch),came home to my then girlfriend,resigned the next day,took about 3 years to stop seeing that sight!!! Kinda like a bad dream.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

I'm guessing youve never been first in scene at a fatal? Its something that you will live with for the rest of your life, especially when kids are involved. I can honestly say I have no idea how emergency services workers cope with it.And you'd be wrong!

[vnx205]

Yes,the story is from 1995,but it does not say what year model the truck is,and many an old truck was/is on livestock work long after they finish from the line haul companies,and as V8 Ian will attest there are some old bangers out there,not everybody can afford 1/4 of a million for a prime mover let alone the trailers,there are probably some old Mc Grath's still carrying loads which first hit the roads in late 50's early 60's.

Apparently this was the truck.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/09/1191.jpg

[digger]

I read it as a tale of both woe and caution..

It is written by the mother who lost her two kids and blames herself,
if she wrote it without emotion or without religion then it may not have made her feel any better at all, and without emotion we'd then be talking about what a hard sod she is...

The tale of caution is both to others with unrestrained little-uns in the truck and to other drivers that your dangerous driving may kill others not just yourself.

Thanks Ian for posting it, if nothing else its a reminder to all of us to drive carefully.

Eevo, sometimes disagreeing with something can be done in a more agreeable way..??.. more like a sledgehammer wrapped in a slice of lemon rather than just a sledge! I think I see what you mean but did it harm anyone at all that the mother of these children wrote this in this way? Whatever she has to do to get herself through the day is ok with me.

[Eevo]

From the athiests perspective
Praying; the ability to contribute nothing productive while feeling good about it.
and think it influenced the end result.

[Eevo]

Eevo, sometimes disagreeing with something can be done in a more agreeable way..??..

i dont like to sugar coat things. it only dilutes the message.

[vnx205]

i dont like to sugar coat things. it only dilutes the message.

Sometimes calling a spade a spade actually dilutes the message.

People are so fixated on the offence that the comment causes that they don't notice the message at all.

The message is lost and the only thing remembered is the offence.

[MR LR]

I agree completely with Dave.

I've grown up with a lot of time spent on a family farm, and hence as a kid spent a lot of time in trucks. It's slowly becoming my turn to drive different machinery.

The truckie shouldn't have moved over, once a wheel come off the black stuff they can be pretty hard to pull back on! Especially when his family was in the cab!

Last year I started driving the machinery on the roads, during harvest. And I can tell you that car drivers have no idea what to do, or how to react. I've come within literal inches of sending a tractor and chaser bin off the side of the road, which probably would have cost me my life, all because of an ignorant, arrogant, idiot in an old Commodore, and my nature of looking out for others, just like the truckie in the story.

Story goes:

Driving in convoy between farm on the south west slopes. Escort in front with Canola comb, New Holland with chaser bin (me), John Deere header and then a rear escort. We were driving down a stretch of road that was on a flood plain, hence it was elevated with huge, deep table drains and frequent bridges. Dickhead in Commodore passed the header on the dirt (he hadn't had a chance to pull off yet), then comes up behind me.

Now the chaser bin is 4m wide, and about the same high (20 tonner), so this dipstick couldn't see anything around me. I was traveling at 30kms (flat out for the header) and was about 30m from the start of the bridge (2 lanes). I was driving in the middle of the road getting prepared to go onto the bridge (only had Armco sides). And I couldn't safely let the car past until the other side. Anyway old mate decided the pub was calling too strongly and went onto the dirt again, from here it went very fast for me. He got between my huge rear tyre and the Armco and the tractor, I didn't know until he was there because I'd looked over the check clearance on the left side, and picked him up in my peripherals. Had I not steered the tractor hard left the wheel would have gone straight over his commodore (hand throttle was set). He then sped off into the distance leaving a swearing an honking me behind him.

The header driver got on the UHF and couldn't believe what he had just watched. Apparently in my reaction I'd got within about 6 inches of cleaning up the Armco with the huge tyre, which would have sent the tractor over the edge had I hit.

So lesson learned, don't risk your own life for an idiots. I was genuinely shaken after that, and one of my early trips with an oversize load.

As to Ian's story, the truckie should not have put his family at risk because someone did to their own. But it is just another reminder that people have no idea, unless of course they've driven such a vehicle.

And in 1995 I don't think many people wore seatbelts in trucks anyway...

Cheers
Will

[Eevo]

People are so fixated on the offense that the comment causes that they don't notice the message at all.


i understand what you're saying but thats their problem not mine.
as they say: you look intelligent so i'll do you the courtesy of being blunt.

The only people that struggle with being told the blunt truth are liars, people who avoid dealing with things, naive people and people who don't listen.

Who wants to hear the bad truths? Therefore, when an individual is realistic about or observant of something that others would rather ignore, they are deemed as negative, brutal people. thats isnt the case

[Ean Austral]

Thanks for posting it Ian, I read it as having several message's within the story. Sure the grieving mother, but also the actions of the car driver and the outcome he help to deliver, the truck drivers actions , and the unrestraint kids.

I fail to see how any story that involves the issues in this story cant have emotion and some form of religious mention.

There would be plenty of very un-religious people out there that have prayed when they were staring death in the face, I know cause I am 1 of them. Haven't prayed since but I can certainly understand it.

If it makes 1 driver not attempt that overtaking manoeuvre or it makes someone strap their kids into a child seat, then its been well worth posting it and people reading it even if they feel tricked by the title.

As said earlier, if it helps a grieving mother get on with her life then that's fine by me too.

The main message is road safety and make sure your brain is engaged when your behind the wheel of no matter what you drive.

Cheers Ean

[laney]

Eevo I don't know what you do for a job but I'm thinking it's not in the emergancy servicers as Ihave seen far to much death on our roads and it ALWAYS hurts to be void of emotions must be a great burden it dosen't control my life but it still hurts to see another human suffer.

[Eevo]

Eevo I don't know what you do for a job but I'm thinking it's not in the emergancy servicers as Ihave seen far to much death on our roads and it ALWAYS hurts to be void of emotions must be a great burden it dosen't control my life but it still hurts to see another human suffer.

im not in emergency services. i work in IT (i am first aid officer at our work) and i was in the army where i saw death, sometimes by my own hand/rifle.


as long as your in control of your emotions and your emotions arint in control of your life.

[Chucaro]

Well said Ean, thank you for your post I share you view 100%/

[jerryd]

Quote V8Ian...

With some of the currant topics being discussed on this site at present, this article is very relivant.
We all accept that people will die on the roads; occasionally we pass a "fatal' or know someone involved in such incidents and it may jerk us back to reality for a short while.
If any of you can read that article without shedding a tear or two, you're a harder man than me. No mention of the fate of the car driver was mentioned and it makes no difference to the result. If you stuck red hot needles in the car driver's eyes, on the hour, every hour, for the rest of his/her life it would not bring back those two beautiful kiddies.
Your actions don't only affect you, they can have deadly repecussions upon others too; could you live with it?
Take extra care everyone, look-out for each other.


Good post Ian as I think we all need to "look ahead" when out on the roads these days. I was only thinking to myself earlier about these four beautiful kids who didn't get a chance to live out their lives :(

Thekids (http://www.thegreshlets.com/html/thekids.html)

I can't believe it's been almost six years since that fateful day, I planted four trees in their memory and every day when I pass those trees I think about them and their remaining family.

[Davo]

I agree completely with Dave.

I've grown up with a lot of time spent on a family farm, and hence as a kid spent a lot of time in trucks. It's slowly becoming my turn to drive different machinery.

The truckie shouldn't have moved over, once a wheel come off the black stuff they can be pretty hard to pull back on! Especially when his family was in the cab!

Last year I started driving the machinery on the roads, during harvest. And I can tell you that car drivers have no idea what to do, or how to react. I've come within literal inches of sending a tractor and chaser bin off the side of the road, which probably would have cost me my life, all because of an ignorant, arrogant, idiot in an old Commodore, and my nature of looking out for others, just like the truckie in the story.

Story goes:

Driving in convoy between farm on the south west slopes. Escort in front with Canola comb, New Holland with chaser bin (me), John Deere header and then a rear escort. We were driving down a stretch of road that was on a flood plain, hence it was elevated with huge, deep table drains and frequent bridges. Dickhead in Commodore passed the header on the dirt (he hadn't had a chance to pull off yet), then comes up behind me.

Now the chaser bin is 4m wide, and about the same high (20 tonner), so this dipstick couldn't see anything around me. I was traveling at 30kms (flat out for the header) and was about 30m from the start of the bridge (2 lanes). I was driving in the middle of the road getting prepared to go onto the bridge (only had Armco sides). And I couldn't safely let the car past until the other side. Anyway old mate decided the pub was calling too strongly and went onto the dirt again, from here it went very fast for me. He got between my huge rear tyre and the Armco and the tractor, I didn't know until he was there because I'd looked over the check clearance on the left side, and picked him up in my peripherals. Had I not steered the tractor hard left the wheel would have gone straight over his commodore (hand throttle was set). He then sped off into the distance leaving a swearing an honking me behind him.

The header driver got on the UHF and couldn't believe what he had just watched. Apparently in my reaction I'd got within about 6 inches of cleaning up the Armco with the huge tyre, which would have sent the tractor over the edge had I hit.

So lesson learned, don't risk your own life for an idiots. I was genuinely shaken after that, and one of my early trips with an oversize load.

As to Ian's story, the truckie should not have put his family at risk because someone did to their own. But it is just another reminder that people have no idea, unless of course they've driven such a vehicle.

And in 1995 I don't think many people wore seatbelts in trucks anyway...

Cheers
Will

Will, drive over the car next time if you have to, but don't flip a tractor and kill yourself because of someone like that. That's the problem with the original story, where a loaded truck with unrestrained passengers gave way to a car doing the wrong thing. That's one time when you've got to think of yourself first.

(Now, when it's the other way around and it's the big vehicle at fault I know from experience there's not much you can do. I stay a long, long way from roadtrains because of some of the things they've done.)

[LandyAndy]

Without searching,Im sure this was posted in the past.
A truck is a workplace.Unrestrained passengers in a workplace,not good????
My son worked at a hay/grains recieval plant last summer during his gap year.He saw several truckies kids ALMOST get run over by forklifts,the truckies then abused the staff over the incidents.Unrestrained children in a workplace,they were young and left to wander unsupervised.
Andrew

[VM_Motori]

I drive a truck with work at times 2 thing's learnt so far that they don't teach, One is there is a alot of people with licences but few with TRUCK licences,
2 - let them hit you didn't feel the ford run into the truck, I was in the right he wrote his car off in my opinion better them then me. (But I didn't see him)

In reading that story I see fault if you have a clown bugging you slow down pull over let him go it ain't worth it I say.

Sad Story tho I feel for those impacted.
Vm

[Blknight.aus]

Without searching,Im sure this was posted in the past.
A truck is a workplace.Unrestrained passengers in a workplace,not good????
My son worked at a hay/grains recieval plant last summer during his gap year.He saw several truckies kids ALMOST get run over by forklifts,the truckies then abused the staff over the incidents.Unrestrained children in a workplace,they were young and left to wander unsupervised.
Andrew


technically the truckies are right....

it sucks but the plant operator/guide has the responsability for the safety of every idiot who decides to impinge the safe operating area, its part of the reason I got out of crane driving. "whats that, you dont need a dogger, you know how to do it, ok sign this.." one accident later "sorry mate you gave the signal for the exact action I performed, your signed the indemnity that says you know what your doing and know the international hand signals, shall I review the camera footage, what do you mean you wouldnt have signed it if you knew you were going to be taped.....

[Davo]

Ah, but it's a workplace and kids shouldn't even be in there. (You'd think there would be the usual signs). Hopefully whoever runs the joint will start enforcing things before the otherwise inevitable happens.

[MR LR]

Will, drive over the car next time if you have to, but don't flip a tractor and kill yourself because of someone like that. That's the problem with the original story, where a loaded truck with unrestrained passengers gave way to a car doing the wrong thing. That's one time when you've got to think of yourself first.

(Now, when it's the other way around and it's the big vehicle at fault I know from experience there's not much you can do. I stay a long, long way from roadtrains because of some of the things they've done.)
I tell you what that steering wheel will be staying as still as when I'm chasing off the header next time! That was too close for me.

And Andy, that seems odd, at Graincorp over here, the driver is the only one allowed out, and must be wearing Hi-Vis. Why are kids running around?

Cheers
Will

[bee utey]

What I get from this thread is that praying to your favourite deity is
significantly less effective than

Advanced driver skills training

restraining the kids

trusting the emergency crews

putting trust in skilled doctors and surgeons

Observing all the rules in your work place.

It's a tragedy that could have been lessened by being sensible.

Drive safely peoples.

[V8Ian]

From my point the message was of road safety; simple, stop killing each other. That poor woman's account, for me, drove home a message far stronger than any other road safety message I've ever seen. To most of us road deaths are merely a statistic; these statistics had names, toys, a mummy and daddy and circumstances to which we could all relate. It became personal.
All the hoo har about kids in trucks, religion or whose fault it was are distracting from the primary message.
I'm not religious but I didn't find the religious aspect at all overbearing, I think it would be quite authentic for many people in that circumstance.
It's so easy to sit in front of a keyboard and say that Darren (yep, like you and me he was an ordinary bloke with a name) should not have moved for the car. Those people have not been in the situation; Will has, he knows it is a reaction and dispite him saying "next time...............", he will react the same way. The only truck I ever rolled was avoiding a head-on with a car, I didn't have time to think.
Seat belts in trucks, what a waste. Many truck cabs are less structurally sound than a Series Land Rover and cab mounted belts and suspension seats are a poor combination.
Sharon Hourn, the author, is involved with Transhelp I believe, helping found it and counselling.

Back to the point of the original post....LET'S STOP CRASHING INTO EACH OTHER.

[Davo]

I get your point, but a big part of road safety is to do whatever you can to avoid a tragedy, not drive a truck full of unrestrained people off a road and then wonder what went wrong. What I got from the story is that you can't amble around the place not thinking about what you're doing and then hope it'll be all right.

Seatbelts, even in a Series, will at least stop you from being thrown out and having your car land on you.

[isuzurover]

From my point the message was of road safety; ...

I got a similar message. The two people in the truck wearing seatbelts survived. The two that weren't didn't survive.

[wrinklearthur]

That mother was grieving after her two lost children and she did a brave thing to expose her emotions by writing up her story.

Unrestrained kids can cause more accidents than people realise.

A common cause; The mum makes sure that her two and three year old are strapped in well after doing the shopping and drives off.

Next she is in heavy go stop traffic and checks her rear view mirror to see the three year old is out of it's seat. She wasn't watching the car in front and there is a nose to tail collision.
.

[newhue]

V8ian, thanks for the reminder. Yes I did cry.
I'll do my best to remember this when I'm caught behind a truck, tractor, caravan, or anything that I perceive is slowing me up, or making my day not my way.


I'll leave the rest for others to kick around.

[vnx205]

Sometimes calling a spade a spade actually dilutes the message.

People are so fixated on the offence that the comment causes that they don't notice the message at all.

The message is lost and the only thing remembered is the offence.


i understand what you're saying but thats their problem not mine.
as they say: you look intelligent so i'll do you the courtesy of being blunt.

The only people that struggle with being told the blunt truth are liars, people who avoid dealing with things, naive people and people who don't listen.

Who wants to hear the bad truths? Therefore, when an individual is realistic about or observant of something that others would rather ignore, they are deemed as negative, brutal people. thats isnt the case

I believe that the issue we are discussing here is evident in the story originally posted, so I consider our discussion to be relevant to this thread.

There are aspects of what you are saying that I agree with, but I don't believe that what you are saying is universally true.

Sharon Hourne chose to tell her story in a particular way, yet the way she told it appears to have distracted you from the message about road safety that others here have found in her account. No doubt she believes what she is saying and is "telling it as she sees it", yet it turned out to be a rather ineffective way of conveying her message to you. Does that mean that is your problem or hers?

It would seem that if she had left out the emotion and the religious comments she might have been more successful in getting some of her message across to you. One of the road safety messages on TV at the moment has the message "road accidents affect more than just you" and her story illustrates that. You might not like how she described the way she was affected, but there seems little doubt that the impact on her was profound.

She was blunt about how she was affected and you seem to have missed the point.

In a more general sense, there is a problem with applying your principle of being blunt. It might be a useful principle to apply if things were always clear cut and if all truths were absolute. Furthermore often when people think they are "telling the truth", they are merely offering their opinion.

I think you have a valid point about the importance of logic, the necessity for people to accept reality and the dangers of allowing emotion to control your life. However your blunt first post was a particularly ineffective way of conveying what I believe is a legitimate point. You were so focused on being blunt, honest and direct and avoiding sugar coating that you completely failed to get your point across.

You say that if people are offended and miss your point then that is their problem. That is fine as long as you are happy to waste your time by having your message lost. I think a better approach is to try to present the message so that people are at least prepared to listen.

I won't apologise if any of this seems harsh. :p:p

And of course, all this is merely my opinion rather than a universal truth. :p:p:p

[3toes]

I got a similar message. The two people in the truck wearing seatbelts survived. The two that weren't didn't survive.

Can think of a car accident in Paris a few years ago that makes the statement here. Is such a classic example not sure why it has not been used in road safety campaigns. 4 people in the car which was speeding, drugs and drink involved. 3 died 1 survived. The survivor was the only one wearing a seat belt.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Will, drive over the car next time if you have to, but don't flip a tractor and kill yourself because of someone like that. That's the problem with the original story, where a loaded truck with unrestrained passengers gave way to a car doing the wrong thing. That's one time when you've got to think of yourself first.

(Now, when it's the other way around and it's the big vehicle at fault I know from experience there's not much you can do. I stay a long, long way from roadtrains because of some of the things they've done.)Actually its an offence to pull onto the side of the road and continue driving on the shoulder to let cars pass. While it may appear to be courtesy, as this story shows the shoulder may give way and it is a fact that trucks returning to the road to avoid obstacles on the shoulder have caused other crashes. (They're not accidents, because there are faults on behalf of human drivers.)

As suggested by people posting in this thread, there are numerous human factors resulting in the tragic outcome, unrestrained children, likely no seating for the two occupant children, neglient driving by the car and the truck leaving the made road surface.

It all gets too confusing to portray the important message.

[weeds]

i started reading the first post but stopped pretty quick as i could see which way it was heading.........

after reading some of the above replys i got the gist of the story........when i was young i was pretty reckless on the road, i count my lucky stars these days as i was lucky, i now drive to the conditions and defer rarely get the chance to overtake anything on the roads......

[Ausfree]

I believe that the issue we are discussing here is evident in the story originally posted, so I consider our discussion to be relevant to this thread.

There are aspects of what you are saying that I agree with, but I don't believe that what you are saying is universally true.

Sharon Hourne chose to tell her story in a particular way, yet the way she told it appears to have distracted you from the message about road safety that others here have found in her account. No doubt she believes what she is saying and is "telling it as she sees it", yet it turned out to be a rather ineffective way of conveying her message to you. Does that mean that is your problem or hers?

It would seem that if she had left out the emotion and the religious comments she might have been more successful in getting some of her message across to you. One of the road safety messages on TV at the moment has the message "road accidents affect more than just you" and her story illustrates that. You might not like how she described the way she was affected, but there seems little doubt that the impact on her was profound.

She was blunt about how she was affected and you seem to have missed the point.

In a more general sense, there is a problem with applying your principle of being blunt. It might be a useful principle to apply if things were always clear cut and if all truths were absolute. Furthermore often when people think they are "telling the truth", they are merely offering their opinion.

I think you have a valid point about the importance of logic, the necessity for people to accept reality and the dangers of allowing emotion to control your life. However your blunt first post was a particularly ineffective way of conveying what I believe is a legitimate point. You were so focused on being blunt, honest and direct and avoiding sugar coating that you completely failed to get your point across.

You say that if people are offended and miss your point then that is their problem. That is fine as long as you are happy to waste your time by having your message lost. I think a better approach is to try to present the message so that people are at least prepared to listen.

I won't apologise if any of this seems harsh. :p:p

And of course, all this is merely my opinion rather than a universal truth. :p:p:p
Eloquently written!!!!!:arms::arms:

[Tank]

it was 1995

seatbelt laws came in during the 70's?
Not in trucks they didn't, I gave up driving interstate in 1987 and seat belts weren't mandatory in trucks then, though passengers other than a second driver were not covered by third Party Insurance, regards Frank.

[digger]

Can think of a car accident in Paris a few years ago that makes the statement here. Is such a classic example not sure why it has not been used in road safety campaigns. 4 people in the car which was speeding, drugs and drink involved. 3 died 1 survived. The survivor was the only one wearing a seat belt.

But if that is true, how does this work?

Lady Diana died as she was involved in a vehicle collision at high speed and her seat belt was not done up... Fair enough...

Michael Hutchence was stationary and his belt was done up tight yet he died??? (I know... sorry! :twisted::eek: )

[THE BOOGER]

Digger are you posting from hospital that was a sick one:wasntme:

[digger]

Digger are you posting from hospital that was a sick one:wasntme:

No I'm out... sorry but I couldnt resist.

[Davo]

You're on some pretty hefty pain medication, aren't you? :D

[digger]

You're on some pretty hefty pain medication, aren't you? :D

No, but currently wishing I was!
Tried using the tractor today...not the brightest idea..
paying for that now!

I'll talk about that elsewhere Im sure this is enough of a thread hijack here
especially when I believe the original message was good.

[George130]

I see the story as an attempt to grieve from the tragedy. That situatiuon is where the car needed to man up and stop and pull back. Most won't and I have gone to overtake , spotted a car I didn't notice and pulled back. Wish more would be willing to back of when they go wrong.
Around here we have been having a lot of fatal accidents recently. And in the last couple of months I have also seen some of the worst driving displays by b double trucks ever. I was forced of the road by one after moving over to let him join the freeway in heavy traffic. Now wish I had ignored him.

Normally the trucks were the better drivers but right now I dont trust any other driver.
And no I'm not claiming I'm better as I can be dumb to.