Hi all,
Just need to vent....
I had yet another scary experience on Sunday morning (about 2am) on my way home from work - yet again it was caused by a Drunk driver.
I finished work at about 1am at Runaway Bay (on the northern end of the Gold Coast) I left for my usual end-of-shift 1.5 hour drive to the other end of the Coast to drop off the empty containers and paperwork to head-office. My route takes me along the Pacific Motorway/Highway from Helensvale almost all the way to the NSW Border, then I turn around and go home to Helensvale again. When I finished my shift it was raining steadily, as it had been for most of the evening.
I dodged the 'drifters' on the round-a-bout out the front of work (don't get me started about this group of people!) and set off carefully due to the wet roads. The trip to HO was uneventful and I even remember noticing how few vehicles were on the highway compared to normal.
On my return trip I took a shortcut through the hills and re-entered the highway at Reedy Creek (roughly the same distance up the coast as Burleigh Heads - but inland a little) - it was raining quiet hard now. I pulled onto the highway at about 90km/h behind a VL Commodore. The water spray comming from the Commodore was making visibility very poor, so I backed off to about 80km/h and let it get further ahead.
I do this trip twice a day 5-6 times a week so I know the road quite well. I knew that there were a couple of deep ruts in the slow lane just up further (near the Caltex servo) which cause the water to pool when it is raining so I considered moving into the fast lane to avoid them. I glanced over my shoulder as I approached the ruts in the road to check that no-one was beside me and when I turned back I realised that I could now see both the back and drivers side of the Commodore - it's a straight road, so I knew that this wasn't going to be good.
I braked and began pulling toward the left hand side of the road as the Commodore continued to slowly spin around 180 degrees, crossing the fast lane of the highway and slamming into the trees and bushes in the center. At no stage did I see brake lights so it would appear that the driver made no attempt to stop the car - not that it would have had much effect.
I pulled up level with the now stationary Commodore (but on the other side of the Highway) and jumped out - I yelled out to the driver to see it anyone was hurt, but I didn't get a response. He was pre-occupied trying to open the door and get out. The impact with the trees had crushed the passenger side C pillar, back window and boot of the Commodore quite seriously and the contents of the boot (some expensive looking musical equipment) was not spread all over the side of the highway and into the bushes.
After a truck had passed I ran across the highway to check for injuries. The driver managed to get the door open as I crossed and he hurried around to the passenger side of the vehicle. I peered into the wreck and noticed that there was only one other person in the car, a female passenger sitting/laying in the front passenger seat. I heard the driver ask the passenger if she was OK and she confirmed that she was fine - the driver the turned away from the car and threw-up before falling over backwards into the long grass.
Another car had stopped by this stage and the driver went over to the driver to check on his health whilst I ran back to my car to get my phone and call the Police and Ambos. As I completed my call, the driver of the other car that had stopped came over to me and told me that the driver had a cut in the back of his head and both he and the passenger "had a skin full". He then left as he was going to be late for work.
Whilst I was waiting for the Police and Ambos to arrive the occupants of the car spent a short time having a conversation before the passenger began running around yelling "where is he, where did he go?" - When I enquired as to who she was looking for she informed me that there was a 'fella' in the car that she couldn't find anymore. I pointed to the driver of the vehicle (who was standing in the bushes on the passenger side of his car) and suggested "you mean that bloke?".
"No, the fella that was in the back seat - where did he go? Did you see where he went?". I looked at the driver and he quickly corrected her "no, he was driving - I'm wasted so I wasn't driving".... Hmmmm.
The passenger then began running around in the bushes yelling "where is he, where did he go?", whilst the driver began picking up the contents of the boot from the side of the highway - at one stage asking if I could give them a lift.
The Ambo's arrived first and the passenger continued her carry-on - looking for the imaginary backseat driver. Of course the Ambo's were a little concerned initially that someone may have been thrown from the wreck or perhaps wandered off, but when I informed them that there was definatly only two people in the car they smiled and commented 'we thought so'.
The police arrived soon after and also came over to check with me about the missing back seat driver. After asking me a few questions about what I had seen they went back and breath tested both the occupants of the Commodore - both well over the limit. A few stern words were said to the passenger and the search for the back seat driver was called off.
Whilst I waited for the Police to finish dealing with the occupants of the Commodore I took the time to look at the damage done to the car - the passenger was very lucky that the tree that stopped the car hit the C pillar and not the B pillar or the passenger door as I feel that she could have been seriously injured or worse if this had been the case.
I have seen many accidents happen on the highway, late at night - many of them only minor, but I have been unfortunate enough to see a couple of fatal accidents and a couple of accidents which resulted in serious injuries. Many of these accidents have been caused by people who have had too much to drink trying to drive - Why, with all the information that is fed to us by the media do people still believe that they are OK to drive - it is the Aussie "it will never happen to us" belief, is it peer pressure (surely not), is it stupidity, or is it something else?
I hope that the Police throw the book at these two clowns in the Commodore - I hate to think what would have happened if I had not slowed, but instead had tried to pass them... I may not be here now to be able to write this... Scary:o
Finally, a plea to all those who, for whatever reason, think that they can/should be allowed to drive after having a few drinks - please stop and think about everyone that will be effected if something goes wrong - I am aware that accidents happen to people that have not had anything to drink, but all the evidence shows that there is a massive increase in the chance you will have an accident if you have been drinking.
Please drive safely,
R 馃檪
ratty 63 路