Accidents

[VTR1000]

I'm sure that most of us who have driven any period of time for a living have had a 'bump' or accident of some kind, me included.

Touch wood, I've only really had one that was my fault and one that I will put my hand up for. I was driving an old F7 unit with a tri-axle empty tipper trailer hitched up behind. It was about 5 in the morning and with the roads were covered with ice and snow I pulled out of the yard. Driving carefully I continued on towards my destination slowly catching up with another artic ahead. Anyway after following this guy for a few miles we come up to this crossroads and next thing I see is a car come spinning around from the other direction. The truck in front of me hits the car and then there's me, standing on the brakes and sliding and sliding until BANG, I hit the back of the trailer that was in front of me.

No real damage done, enough to put a few dents in the cab though and put the dashboard out of alignment and give me a little bit of a fright. Anyway, changed details, laughed about it and drove back to the yard for a little bollocking from the boss.

That's been my only one. What about you?

[billyboy]

comming out of Glasgow, 3 lane section, traffic lights change against me. I brake but the front wheels wouldnt grip the greasy road, something i had complained about before., I cant go right or left only straight ahead. i tried releasing and re applying the brakes to no avail. so headlights on and horn blowing i was straight up the back of the car in front. Fortunately the driver was observing what was going on and braced himself. excvhanged details and off we went. he was all right about it. when i gopt back the transport manager sent me for a tyre change (aparantl;y the previous driver had the same problem) after that no more problem mshe steered well, lighter than before. and on braking i had grip. so much for the brand of tyres advertised by that little white fat man. Afraid the "X's" were not a wise choice on a pantech with a good load on

[ray bloomfield]

Was on my way to Turon in Poland with a JCB when involved in an incident just past the Berlin split on the A12. Going up a hill at about 20/25 mph a Polish truck behind me got a bit to impatiant to pass me and pulled out a wee bit early clipping the back end of a little black Fiat in the centre lane. I heard a screech and the car then hit my unit or front of the trailer before sliding along to the front of my unit carreering across the front and down the nearside. Luckily noone one hurt and only cosmetic damage and a couple of broken indicator lenses was done to my wagon, but most disconcerting though. The other driver never stopped but was collared at Frankfurt De Oder. At the time I worked for Richard Long of Wymondham Norfolk hauling mostly JCB stuff out and anything back ranging from animal feed to agricultural machinery back, any where from Poland to Portugal, great job if you dont mind being away for awhile, wish I were doing it again.

[ray bloomfield]

sorry but Turon should be TORUN
By the same token I once wanted to visit a whorehouse but ended up in a wharehouse!!

hauling mostly JCB stuff out and anything back ranging from animal feed to agricultural machinery back, any where from Poland to Portugal

Hi Ray,, hows life mate,,,
Well your story reminds me of an accident whilst i was on my way from Southhampton to Lisbon when i worked for British International in 89 with the worst unit ever built for heavy loads an Iveco 120/90, anyway as i was going down this notorious 12km hill at Guarda Portugal on the IP5 in 3rd gear and pushing the exhaust brake thru the floor i looked in my mirror and saw this portugeuse old scania racing behind me at a very very unhealthy speed and as he shot passed me i knew and felt and smelt (that dreaded burning ferodo smell) that something was amis with him, well to cut a long story short about 15 mins later round a bend there he was halfway up the emergency escape lane (cant think what you call them) his lorry and trailer was sunk up to the doors in the sand and he could not open his doors but got out thru the window,, i gave the distressed (and quite drunk) driver a lift to the next town so he could use the phone and left him there...he was a very man lucky that day...

[billyboy]

I can remember comming down a steep hil with several bends in it with a coach once. as i aproached a bend there was a run of area (escape road) with a car parked in it. behind the car sat the family having a pic nic. God only knows what might have happened if a truck had run away on that hill.

Brake failure is never nice. I approached a set of traffic lights in east Grinstead once. the lights changed, put my foot on the brake and it went clean to the floor. hand brake had no impression either. (10 ton of bagged cement on the back) So, headlights on main beam and hand on horn button. I was very lucky as the Southdown bus driver read that i had a problem and waved me through. I was able to get it into first gear and aim it up the bank by the station then jam it against the kerb with a couple of bags of cement behind the wheels to await the fitter. It was a thames trader and the cotter pin had sheard on the vacuum ejector. The transport manager told me to continue to the drop using the handbrake!.. my request for him to retire and urinate was not appreciated by him. No sense of humor these transport managers eh!

[ray bloomfield]

Another minor damage scrape happened to me while driving a wagon and drag on the outskirts of Naples, while coming of a slip road a car tried to squeeze past on my blind side but there wasn't room. I pulled over and went to the car and sitting behind the wheel was one of the most beautiful Italion lasses I have ever seen wearing an extremely short pelmet and a skimpy top. She also spoke good english, and we exchanged details but she said 'No, i could not take down her particulars !!'. One scrape I didnot object to.

[billyboy]

This is Geralds accident. Hope the Mods dont mind me moving it here



Mercedes?? Well what does one say about them??? except "S####T I am a Leyland, Daf, Volvo, Man, driver. Mercedes+40 Foot Curtain sider + Melamine Chipboard, almost brought about my demise. The whoe issue rolled at 40 miles an hour on a shallow bend, approaching Bolham on the way from South Molton in north Devon to Tiverton via, A361 to Bolham and on to London.

I was pretty beat up after the accident. My Daughter was with me and as luck would have it she was in the bunk when it happened. I was thrown out of the cab, and suffered 3 broken ribs, a punctured right lung, Broken pelvis, and a cracked right cheekbone, plus cuts and bruises, Shona my daughter was ok just shookn up. It was only because of her that I survived. Because in the dark she went onto the main road and flagged down a passing motorist and got the emergency services, Shona was just 12yrs old.

But I remember much better times before that with better trucks.

[billyboy]

It was a good job you had your Daughter with you Gerald. Things could have turned out a lot worse for you mate.
The pneumothorax could have finished you for a start.
Having known you since 1971 i can only sat it did nothing to improve your looks mate ... ha ha ha

[Energumen]

Hi Gerald, is Concorde still there?.

Regards
Energumen