Thread: The value of roll over protection.

I agree, recently we attended a rollover (lrooc= left road out of control) involving a D2, the owners had fitted a cargo barrier just behind the front seats and replaced both front seats with stratos/recaro type seats.

The vehicle rolled and collided with a tree, we attended and cut and rolled the roof off but it was obvious that the cargo barrier and seats had done their job (on impact with the gum tree a branch fell and also impacted the front and roof but was stopped by the cargo barrier!) and extracted the driver after she had been fitted with a flexi spinal board and neck brace (fitted in the seat before we extracted her). we then lifted her from the seat to a spinal board and a very short time later chopper arrived and she was medivaced to ADELAIDE.

I later was told by her hubby that she had 2 or 3 fractured vertebrae that would have paralised her mid chest down if any movement had been too much. She was in intensive care and was wearing a "halo" for a while. Last I heard the lady was transferred to MELB by rail but the outlook looks good.

I have no doubt this lady is still able to walk (and in fact both of them can breathe) purely because of the vehicle set up they had planned out and fitted correctly.

Also when feeling "uncomfortable" after the accident they both decided she should stay in the seat until we (CFS/AMBOS ETC) had arrived... smart move.

Today a cruiser rolled not far from town whilst towing a small bobcat, the vehicle went over, the trailer threw the bobcat (chains broke or pulled out of trailer fixings) and then as the vehicle came onto drivers side the trailer hit apex first and impacted the driver. He also was medivaced out and hopes are that he is OK (he was concious and had a badly injured arm but only concerns he had were for his family..they were OK, incl a 3 year old who was secured correctly in a capsule/seat and completely uninjured. And we almost missed the local Christmas pageant at 6pm! ( we supply marshalls and the pagent "end " vehicles after Santa!)

so what Im trying to say is.. remember how vulnerable we are, and if you are going to fix something like a cargo barrier or rops in, do it correctly as if you dont it will do more harm then good!. Also dont underestimate the value of seatings, good supporting seats for us, and decent safety seats for kids/babies (don't have to put the money you saved by buying a cheap seat towards a wheelchair!).

Im afraid that the turnout rate for prangs will only increase over the holidays drive careful folks and those attending prangs watch your back, (the amazing amount of pillocks that dont do 40 or less past the red and blues on the side of the road is spectacular.... although the bigger the prang the slower the drivepast seems to be (as they gawk or even video with their phones!!) -but thats another rant for elsewhere!!)

cheers guys.. be careful!

The early troop carriers were shocking for poor or no roll over protection.
I attended a a roll over way up the Arumpo Road towards Mungo several years back. The vehicle had rolled at about 90-100 kays an hour and done several rotations before coming to rest on it's side out in amongst the blue bush. Sitting out on the flat was something that looked like an alumium punt. My first thoughts were there must have been a boat on top of the troopy. It was the fibreglass roof of the troopy, all the rivets had popped as it rolled, then the sides crumbled in like a deck of cards. The cab was flattened to bonnet level.
Three backpackers all sitting in the front seat were not wearing seat belts and as a result they were ejected. They had cuts and abrasions and all were spinal packaged as a precaution, but later cleared of any major injuries at Emergency Dept. Had they been wearing seat beats and ridden the old girl out till the end of her rolls, they most definetly would have been seriously injured or worse....a very rare occasion where the carelessness of not wearing seat belts saved them.
But the point is how poorly constructed the troopies were, they should have had a decent ROP system.

Cheers, Mick

Many moons ago, I attended the roll-over of a Pajero.

By counting the impact markers, it was determined that it rolled 7 times before coming to rest on its wheels.

The rear cargo area, right up to the B pillar was crushed. The driver was just sitting there in the wreck, but the front part of the cab was pretty well ok. (10 mins after we got there, it was scrap metal )

Whilst the front of the car held up fairly well, if it had been a 7 seater, and the last row of seats had been occupied, then the outcome would have been a lot lot worse. It would appear that the C pillar did its job, and only deformed a small way, but the D pillar was nearly flattened.

Now, I know that manufacturers cannot build a car to survive every type of crash that it may be involved in, the cost would put the out of business very quickly, but it was a concern that instead of this driver being ok, the result could have been a lot worse.

As for seatbelts, the tourists were very lucky. 5 kids in a Camira who were not wearing theirs wern't so lucky. All 5 ejected. 2 went straight into the white van with no windows, 1 more got a helicoptor ride, and ended up a quad, 1 of the others spent many many months in rehab, whilst the last one was comparitively ok in the end. The weird thing being, that the car appeard to be in fairly good shape, considering what it had been thru.

But your right, we know that seatbelts save lives, but for that 1 chance in 1,000,000 they may cost a life. I'll take my chances & wear it.

I sometimes wonder about todays cars. They tell us they are the safest they have ever been, and no doubt they are. But, are they relying too much on air bag trickery, and not enough on good old steel? I understand that there are lots & lots of forces that have to be dealt with during a sudden de-celleration, but I still wonder. Even this week, there was a story about a woman who hit a fence, and a piece of that fence went thru the floor of the car, and impailed her leg.

Whilst I will always err on the side of caution, and even more so when the kids are involved, I do sometimes wonder that if your time is up, its up.

sobering
I was in a rollover in my D2a (wasnt driving) and well came out ok, but it emphasied the usufullness of a cargo barrier - which we still havent fitted.....

didnt think about seats and how they might provide more protection, will consider those now. Usually there are only two of us in teh car and so a cargo barrier behind the drivers seats would be best but that means (from what I cn work out) removing the rear seats - which then removes the flexibility of the vehicle.

anyway, thanks for your service when attednding the incidents

Hay Ewe

for all the mention of other brands, I would have to guess that a defender be the worst for ROP... I really must get around to building my new tray with roll bar incorperated

Thanks for the post Pat and Digger, I was about to post about seatbelts.

Had a few jobs last 2 weeks with the occupants (not wearing seat belts)being ejected from the vehicle.

I had a "reflective" return flight to Alice looking at one of those absurdly beautiful sunsets on the ranges below and then thought of the patients in the back whose partners had deceased while they were left with no injuries other than the memories of the day and a very lonely time ahead in a strange town and country, all for the sake of a seatbelt.
I cant begin to explain the heartache I witnessed at another incident with children and adults in a Troopie.

Buckle up folks. You can lose or forever change your life at any speed without a seatbelt.

cheers

Having been in the RFS for many years where we are the primary emergency services I've actively avoided MVAs because I know I'm not strong enough to deal with the emotion of it.

The thing that really scares me about the 110 / Defender is the cast windscreen and brittle B pillar. If they brake its sharp and violent and right next to your head.

A couple of times I've investigated ROPS and have been told its too much trouble.. but that just isn't the right answer. I don't have a Cargo Barrier now as I need the full length of the 110 for my paddles when I go kayaking.. but one of my first jobs when I get my new TIG is to make one up that I can open or something so I can have the best of both worlds.

I'm going to make up some form of proper ROPS, and get it properly approved etc eventually..

Originally Posted by flagg

Having been in the RFS for many years where we are the primary emergency services I've actively avoided MVAs because I know I'm not strong enough to deal with the emotion of it.

The thing that really scares me about the 110 / Defender is the cast windscreen and brittle B pillar. If they brake its sharp and violent and right next to your head.

A couple of times I've investigated ROPS and have been told its too much trouble.. but that just isn't the right answer. I don't have a Cargo Barrier now as I need the full length of the 110 for my paddles when I go kayaking.. but one of my first jobs when I get my new TIG is to make one up that I can open or something so I can have the best of both worlds.

I'm going to make up some form of proper ROPS, and get it properly approved etc eventually..

check out "safety devices" in the UK for ideas on different 110 ROP's