Just Lucky almost got seriously hurt - tell your story

XR-351 · 12-03-2008, 10:19 PM

Today me and my mum were in her VY 25th Aniversary commadore, we wernt too far from home and we were waiting to exit on the highway, there was a bit of traffic at the time and we kept looking for an opening, i was in the passenger seat and i was just looking as well, when all of a sudden i spotted what looked like a wheel a good 500m away...

the wheel was coming very very fast and i was in a bit of shock as this thing was coming rite towards us, by the time i yelled and told my mum too move we both looked to our left and from 500m all of a sudden this wheel was within 10m of us by this time i knew it was too big to be a car tyre and clicked that it was a truck wheel with 2 tyres... in shock all i did was cover my head and my mum...

with a massive jolt and a thumping sound we were hit by this thing, after a couple of seconds i checked we were both ok we got out. The car was comlpety smashed and it just missed me, hitting the rear door and 1/4 pannel...

the wheel landed a good 120m away and the people who stopped to help told us that the wheel went higher then the power lines after it hit us...

the wheel came off a truck and the driver didnt even know luckily his mate was behing him and told him to pull over... people said the wheel hit us before the truck even passed us and this was on a hiway with the speed limit of 110km

the car is a rite off and an absaloute reck, its times like that we thank god to be alive, we are still in shock, lucky everyone was ok and the trucky was very upset but helpfull...

on closer inspection to the wheel it was the whole rim with the 2 wheels still on, and it even landed standing up....

a quik pic to explain:

may post pics of the car

anyone else got any close calls

stockNAfairlane · 12-03-2008, 10:41 PM

Whoah thats insane, you don't hear about that very often. Good job on protecting your mum too..

benoxr · 12-03-2008, 10:48 PM

They sure can do some damage. Could have killed you easily.
It wasn't as though your mum could just plant her foot to get out of the way of the wheel, seems you would have hit oncoming traffic if she had. Lucky that the wheel didnt go up and then land back down on the car roof!

When I was younger, I was standing on a enclosed trailer, on the frame that hook between the trailer and the towbar. (A frame) I could only just reach the thin bars on the edge of the rooftop of the trailer (we delivered milk to homes) Anyway, my old man standing next to me, yelled to my mum, 'turn left here, paused, then yelled nah turn right.' As the car went sharp left then back to the right, I fell off and went straight down underneath the trailer. The 2 wheels on the left side ran over my thighs. I was laying on the road waiting for my dad to run back and pick me up because I couldnt move my legs. Straight after my dad picked me up and we got onto the footpath, a car came around a bend, and drove over the exact spot where I was. Was a few hours before my legs came good though. Never forget that...

Sam · 12-03-2008, 10:49 PM

Glad that you and your mum are OK the car can be replaced, nice pic BTW.

Fev · 12-03-2008, 10:49 PM

christ, go buy a lottery ticket!!
is the car a real write off or it just looks reallly farked up?
just lucky it didnt hit either of you

and thank god it hit the commo! and not you on ya bike or in your other rides

XR8putts · 12-03-2008, 10:50 PM

Nothing that rivals that! Good thinking on your part and glad you're both okay. The car can be replaced (by a shiny new FG :P) but you and your mum can't!

As horrible as it sounds, I'd love to see the pics!

Fev · 12-03-2008, 11:36 PM

id love to see a video!

Agent86 · 13-03-2008, 02:52 AM

a bogey assembly would cetianly do a bit of damage!

there have been a few deaths caused by stray truck wheels.
I've got a video somewhere of a poor guy filling his car up when one comes off the hiway and runs him over between his car and the fuel pump..

chances are the bearings have grabbed and spun the locking tab then undone the nuts and good bye! ive had tht happen but i caught it before it came off..

**Charliewool** · 13-03-2008, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AceofSpades

there have been a few deaths caused by stray truck wheels.

You and your Mum were so lucky.
Similar happened on the Westgate freeway only last year.. Poor guy on a ride-on mower killed.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599...43-421,00.html

MITCHAY · 13-03-2008, 09:10 AM

On the way back from the coast once, a watertank came off the back of a truck and nearly wiped out our VT

:

broken_suave · 13-03-2008, 09:37 AM

Damn.. that'll shake you up a bit. Glad you're both OK.

Aside from actual MVAs there was one inncident on the freeway years ago, travelling behind a partially assembled pre-fab house being moved on the back of a truck.
We noticed that the guttering on one side was flapping around a bit. I was looking for a gap to merge into the right hand lane, as traffic was pretty thick. Next thing I hear this "-common expletetive-!" I look around to see a large spear of metal flying towards my windscreen. I stomped the brakes and pulled towards the shoulder, when it hit... and bounced off harmlessly with a screech.. Looked back to see it fall to the ground on the shoulder, looked at my girlfriend at the time, looked back at the truck a little further ahead.. accelerated back up to speed and then sat in silence for about 5 minutes. A stunned expletetive later and we turned off the exit ramp for where we were going.

The only damage? new windscreen and rubbers, and buffed a little scuff mark off the bonnet, presumably when the tail end hit it.

james22 · 13-03-2008, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MITCHAY

On the way back from the coast once, a watertank came off the back of a truck and nearly wiped out our VT

:

Do you mean like a rainwater tank? Or a tanker truck like tank?? Either way, jeez that would be scary.... Only a VT though lol

MITCHAY · 13-03-2008, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by james22

Do you mean like a rainwater tank? Or a tanker truck like tank?? Either way, jeez that would be scary.... Only a VT though lol

Yes a big bloody rainwater tank filled with water. Close call

:

sgt_doofey · 13-03-2008, 09:50 AM

A number of years ago, I was driving in my Gemini. I pulled up at the Gepps Cross intersection here in Adelaide, which has 3 major arterial roads converging at the one intersection.
Anyway, I was in the right turn lane waiting to turn right from Main North Road on to Grand Junction Road when I looked right and saw a 7x5 trailer coming straight for my car! I was literally looking at the A-frame of the trailer skidding across the road towards me. I had a car both in front and behind me, so I couldn't move, so I just braced for impact.
Nothing.

I honestly have no recollection of what happened next.

I got out of my car afterwards and had people asking me, "Are you alright?" I just replied, "yeah, I'm fine."
I then looked at my car and noticed that there was a dent in the roof, a scratch down the C pillar and the boot, and a traffic light sitting on the medium strip next to my car. It seems that the trailer must have taken out the light and the light came down on my car, yet I didn't feel a thing or remember it.
Scary what the mind does.

All I can say is that I am glad that the traffic light was there, otherwise I would have had the pointy end of a trailer plowing in to my drivers door!

DBourne · 13-03-2008, 11:57 AM

that is intense!

snapper20lb · 13-03-2008, 12:23 PM

Just an hour ago I was on my way home. Was doing 100km/h down a back road and this truck and trailer rig pulls out of a quarry entrance 30m ahead of me, covering both sides of road. Hit the picks as hard as I could expecting the worse, then I saw a gap in gravel driveway he just pulled out of, and managed to swing myself into it under brakes. Managed to miss everything, gates, truck etc. the driver by this stage had stopped and jumped out of his truck expecting the worse. had a relieved look on his face to see everything was ok, much apologising and handshaking from him.
Thank God for ABS brakes !! Would have totalled my ute ( and maybe me too ) otherwise

BENT_8 · 13-03-2008, 12:31 PM

Glad to hear your both ok mate, could have been real nasty.

I've been on the other side of the coin before, years ago when i worked for my brother in NSW as a Jims mowing contractor.
I was towing an 8x5 caged trailer full of grass, which weighs heaps when full, on the back of an XD panel van .
I was heading down this road towards a roundabout where i had to turn right, as i turned the towbar ripped off and sent the trailer smashing through a school fence.
i got out and stood there stunned as this was the first real incident in my driving career, then the school bell went and kids started streaming out.
Everytime i think about it i think if it had been 2-3 mins later i could have killed a kid, it sends shivers through me still.

Binnie · 13-03-2008, 12:54 PM

Glad to hear you’re alright, Shame about the car but as long as you and your mum are in one piece its all relative. It could have been a lot worse.

XR-351 · 13-03-2008, 01:57 PM

yeah car is actually a rite off, ill add pics tonight... just luky i guess and some of the storys above are also pretty damm bad

Dezza · 13-03-2008, 02:07 PM

One time my mum was driving along in her EB. She was sitting behind a truck doing about a 100. Anyway, all of a sudden a long skinny piece of metal came flying off the back of it. I think it was part of a split rim. It looked like it was coming straight for the windscreen but it's trajectory dropped and it slammed into the front tyre. It blew a hole in it about 4cm in diameter. Mum managed to pull the car up safely but the truck kept going.

Hunter · 13-03-2008, 02:50 PM

Ahh very lucky there! I had something similar once but it didn't hit me. Was driving down the Gateway here in Brisbane, just passing through Nudgee. Had been behind this truck for some time and could see something dangling from his trailer. Being far enough back to stop I couldn't really make out what it was. A few minutes later his spare wheel dislodged from underneath the trailer and began its journey down the highway. Bounce bounce bounce bounce right towards me then it must've hit a bump in the road because it bounced over my car and landed behind me. Then it kept on rolling down the highway causing people to swerve off the road and several people drove into the culvert between the opposing lanes...

Took me a few minutes to work out just exactly what went on and then the realisation that it could've taken my head off dawned on me... the truck kept on steaming, didn't even stop.

:

Scott · 13-03-2008, 03:04 PM

That's wheely bad luck mate! You must be tyred of all the puns coming your way..... I better tread carefully ;) Well atleast you're both ok, looks like a Goodyear ahead!

ELtim · 13-03-2008, 03:39 PM

I almost killed a guy in a smart car earlier today.

I was driving along the Sturt Highway at 100km and the guy pulled out in front of me. I hit the skids and slid onto the dirt and back on the road. Missed his door by inches. If I had hit him, he'd sure be dead. Luckily no car was damaged, and luckily I slid back on the road instead of into the hill on my left.

I hate those smart cars.

ELtim · 13-03-2008, 04:03 PM

AND ANOTHER:

I thought I'd post my parents story as well. This is from about 8 years ago.

My brother had been out driving and he rolled his VK. My parents were out in the middle of the road with the tow truck and the tow trucks rolling it back over and getting it hitched up to the truck. All of a sudden a loaded tanker truck came round the corner and hit the skids...The thing was sliding sideways towards them. And some insanely good driving the driver got the truck straightened again.

1970XW351 · 13-03-2008, 04:31 PM

Geez, truly miraculous that you both got out of it alright! But look on the bright side... at least it's one commodore less to worry about...

: .. I've had a couple close shaves (none quite as exciting or deadly as yours) One that sticks with me is I was driving along in my XW with my 2 year old daughter in the back. I was doing 100k's in the left lane and I noticed a 4wd (pathfinder I think) waiting to exit from a servo up ahead, I decided to do the nice thing and got into the right lane and he turned out, then the A&*^hole waited til I was about 50m away and lurched into the right lane to do a u-turn across the divided highway at about 30-40k's. I had to hit the gas and go round the front of him, missing him by maybe a foot on my left and going off the bitumen into the centre straight towards a large sign, I turned left again to get back on the road, and the ar$e of the dub must've missed the sign support by a similar distance. Scared the crap out of me and I think how lucky I am to still have my little girl after that, becuase a couple inches either way, or a split second slower and I would've porobably hit him, rolled the dub and gone through the sign posts. Scary stuff.

Buddy 1 · 13-03-2008, 04:34 PM

Crikey am Glad you & ya Mum are ok, it must have been a mouth open in disbelief moment.

Trucks once again mmmm , I have never heard of a wheel coming off a car & writing off a Truck lol

Dezza · 13-03-2008, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buddy 1

Crikey am Glad you & ya Mum are ok, it must have been a mouth open in disbelief moment.

Trucks once again mmmm , I have never heard of a wheel coming off a car & writing off a Truck lol

Wheels certainly come off cars! I doubt they'd do too much damage to trucks though.