Sunshine Coast road chaos after bizarre accident

[whynot]

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/s...6-3102,00.html

POLICE were amazed that a disastrous sequence of events did not end in tragedy on the Bruce Highway yesterday morning.

Traffic chaos unfolded when a car ran out of petrol at Palmview on the Sunshine Coast at 9am.

The driver pulled his late-model Toyota to the left side of southbound lanes and headed off to the garage at the nearby Ettamogah Pub.

After he left the car, it rolled across two lanes of the highway and came to a stop in the median strip.

A young Sunshine Coast woman saw the runaway car and, fearing for the safety of its driver, stopped at the side of the road and walked across to the median strip to check.

While standing in the median strip calling for help, she turned in horror to see a truck smash into the back of her Ford hatchback.

The truck then speared across the southbound lanes of the highway, crossed through a dip in the median strip and hurtled over the northbound lanes before landing in a ditch.

The truck miraculously avoided oncoming cars and its male driver suffered only minor injuries, but the woman's hatchback was destroyed.

The force of the crash pushed her car into a sign at the side of the highway before it rolled down an embankment and stopped on its side.

Sen-Sgt Sean McKay said the driver of the Toyota returned soon after, "oblivious" to what had happened. Police were investigating why his car had veered across the highway, but it's thought the handbrake had not been engaged.

"Nothing amazes me any more, in (terms of) the way accidents happen. It's just lucky no one was hurt," Sen-Sgt McKay said.

He said it was "unbelievable" no one had been killed or seriously injured.

Police said the incident was a reminder that minor oversights could lead to major accidents.

The visibly shaken driver of the Ford hatchback, her quest to help a stranger gone horribly wrong, watched as emergency workers winched her car on to a tow-truck.

Tyre marks and scratches were visible on all four lanes of the highway, left by the flat-tray truck, which was carrying a bobcat and excavator.

The accident caused traffic jams in both directions for about 30 minutes.

[05b8050]

thats big
OH WHAT A FEELIN TOYOTA

do you feel safe in small cars now

[alecrain]

Wow, and nobody got hurt?
I wonder what came through that Toyota driver's head when he came back with some petrol?

[Pinkbits]

Reminds me of an incident i came across yesterday morning.
Traveling south on Berwick-Cranbourne Rd and there is a Nissan Patrol towing a trailer in the left hand lane, hazards on.
Thought oh yeah, broken down. It was'nt until we had driven past that we saw the excavator bucket in the middle of the road that had fallen off the trailer.
I would think that he would be thanking his lucky stars that no one hit it.

[YOOT]

Originally Posted by 05b8050

thats big
OH WHAT A FEELIN TOYOTA

do you feel safe in small cars now

Mate that truck could have hit a tank and it would have killed the occupants. All trucks are deadly to cars. Big cars just cost you more money before they kill you.

[Bmobile]

I was wondering what had happened there. We passed it only a few min after it had occured, and the Emrgency services had not arrived yet. Ther were like 10 cars pulled over each side with people everywhere. It must of been a deep ditch the truck fell into as we could see where it had crossed the north bound with grass and mud on the road with broken shrubs and we could see something, but a big truck ????? [we were north bound]

I said to the Mrs, 2min either side and it could be us in the ditch or stuck in traffic. I could not imagine a loaded truck leap in front of us as we headed north.

We seen the car in the middle and thought they had pulled in there to help, not knowing it had caused it all. I am very supprised no one was seriously injured as we thought it was a fatal for sure.

[GTP owner]

speed cameras would have prevented that one....or maybe lowering the speed limits....not

amazing that noone was injured.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by GTP owner

speed cameras would have prevented that one....or maybe lowering the speed limits....not

amazing that noone was injured.

Actually the speed limit has already been lowered there due to the number of prangs.

I cannot understand why they build a high speed freeway and then have about a million turn offs to every little back road and tourist trap just to stop the whinging.

This is what service roads are for, if you need to get to somewhere that is beside a freeway you should have to continue to the next major intersection and then drive back.

This is how it works on the northern section (nambour to cooroy) and in most of the rest of the world but from caboolture to nambour it is just plain stupid at some of the exits/entrances.

Also it should be an offence to run out of petrol on a freeway. It really is driving without due care......

[Bmobile]

I tell you what, they are all f#!ken mad up here. Going dowm the hyw yesterday and in the major roadworks 80 zone doing the limit and had over 100 cars pass me doing at least 100kph. WE DO NOT NEED SPEED CAMERAS AT ALL. We need police pulling over offenders and putting the wind up them and booking them. With these speed cameras, it's just flash and they continue speeding. In the good ole days the cop would pull you over put you on the bag, check for licence, check rego, check blatant unroadworthy items like tyres, check for outstanding warrents, give you a serve for speeding and give you all nessacery tickets.

By the time that was all over you would putt off down the road with caution and doing the right thing thinking I'm glad I was not leaving the pub ,I put new tyres on the other day and paid my last fine and rego last week. All because back in the old days there was more chance of getting busted for these things.

[BIGJB]

Originally Posted by flappist

Also it should be an offence to run out of petrol on a freeway. It really is driving without due care......

Here here. This is a result of some moron running out of fuel and leaving
their car in the middle of the freeway.
I could've easily been killed if not for the bull bar.

[Lion Slayer]

Originally Posted by 99GHIA

Here here. This is a result of some moron running out of fuel and leaving
their car in the middle of the freeway.
I could've easily been killed if not for the bull bar.

Not good, i hope nobody was in the back seat.

[AUXRVIII]

It just proves again the poor attitude drivers have on the Sunshine Coast, it's like they don't take driving seriously up here, the laid back attitude up here sure has rubbed off into peoples driving.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by AUXRVIII

It just proves again the poor attitude drivers have on the Sunshine Coast, it's like they don't take driving seriously up here, the laid back attitude up here sure has rubbed off into peoples driving.

Interesting.

In the first case the samaritan was specifically identified as a sunny coast local implying that the idiot was not.
The second case shows NSW rego plates.

Maybe the laid back attitude has rubbed of on some people's observation and comprehension....

[samftr]

Either way flappist, I would imagine the driver of the vehicle above (the van) should have seen the vehicle and taken some measure to avoid an accident.
I live on a busy road and at times have to park my vehicle on it blocking one lane.
you can see it from the top of the road, but still people wait until right at the back of the car to change lanes, quite often there are horns blown, tyres screeching...
even if the truck is parked out front, theres still many drivers that dont look far enough ahead of themselves to avoid dangers on the road..

[DJM83]

Nothing surprises me on the run up the coast its nothnig to see half a dozen out of fuel cars on the Bruce

[Keepleft]

Originally Posted by Pinkbits

Reminds me of an incident i came across yesterday morning.
Traveling south on Berwick-Cranbourne Rd and there is a Nissan Patrol towing a trailer in the left hand lane, hazards on.
Thought oh yeah, broken down. It was'nt until we had driven past that we saw the excavator bucket in the middle of the road that had fallen off the trailer.
I would think that he would be thanking his lucky stars that no one hit it.

At least this bloke switched on the hazards in an attempt to alert approaching traffic, should have a triangle too (no offence readers).

Originally Posted by flappist

Also it should be an offence to run out of petrol on a freeway. It really is driving without due care......

It is in places like Germany, France, Hungary - but that you know....

Originally Posted by 99GHIA

Here here. This is a result of some moron running out of fuel and leaving their car in the middle of the freeway. I could've easily been killed if not for the bull bar.

* You were the van driver then?
* Did that vehicle have its hazard-warning lights on? (Let alone triangle et al).

I should know this road, but cannot place it - we tell folk to stop on the left emergency shoulder generally, but from your pic it appears non existent??

Originally Posted by samftr

Either way flappist, I would imagine the driver of the vehicle above (the van) should have seen the vehicle and taken some measure to avoid an accident. I live on a busy road and at times have to park my vehicle on it blocking one lane. you can see it from the top of the road, but still people wait until right at the back of the car to change lanes, quite often there are horns blown, tyres screeching...

Sure people should try and avoid crashing into illegally stopped cars, vans etc, or those that have genuinely broken-down.

But no point inviting that test either.

even if the truck is parked out front, there's still many drivers that don't look far enough ahead of themselves to avoid dangers on the road..

Agreed, most people are speed-limit conditioned.

[AUXRVIII]

Originally Posted by flappist

Interesting.

In the first case the samaritan was specifically identified as a sunny coast local implying that the idiot was not.
The second case shows NSW rego plates.

Maybe the laid back attitude has rubbed of on some people's observation and comprehension....

I made no reference nor am I implying anything towards drivers of the vehicles in the above pic with NSW rego plates. The OP is what I have made reference to.
Who enters a motorway without enough fuel to make it to the desired exit and also has difficulty applying the park brake?
Who cannot travel a dual lane carriage way without colliding with parked cars which are not on the carriage way?
Really how difficult is it?

[samftr]

Originally Posted by AUXRVIII

I made no reference nor am I implying anything towards drivers of the vehicles in the above pic with NSW rego plates. The OP is what I have made reference to.
Who enters a motorway without enough fuel to make it to the desired exit and also has difficulty applying the park brake?
Who cannot travel a dual lane carriage way without colliding with parked cars which are not on the carriage way?
Really how difficult is it?

I think you just answered your own question there!
Merging, roundabouts, lane changing.

All fairly straight forward tasks for a driver of average intelligence, however factor in tiredness stress, kids mucking about in the back or stupidity alcohol or drugs and there are bound to be problems and accidents.