Last Monday I survived a roll over on the Lincoln Highway towing a tandem trailer. I had returned to my Port Lincoln property to collect some Furniture and belongings and the hire tandem furniture trailer had a tyre blow out or flat on the sweeping bend 4 kms from Cowell. Combined with high winds the 12' x 6' trailer flipped taking my Land Rover Discovery with it, and we rolled with my brother and myself landing upside down inside the crushed cabin. We were suspended by our seat belts upside down with the motor still running and much diesel and oil. My brother managed to locate small folding knife in my pocket as my right hand was trapped outside and had gone through the front window. He cut both belts and we dropped on our heads to the upturned roof...
The SES, Ambos and Police were given incorrect information by one of the first on the scene on Lincoln Highway and they went to adjacent Cleve instead of Cowell, so we waited for over 25 minutes in this precarious position as no doors could be opened with the roof crushed..apart from glass splinters as all windows were shattered we incredibly got out with SES and Police shaking their heads after they eventually arrived....we were across the Lincoln Highway and some very decent folk were directing the B Doubles, cars etc round us in the interim....
My Land Rover was set up for round Australia trip with heavy duty shockers springs etc and I think that the 6th wheel, 18" and wide, I had mounted on my roof rack above our heads saved the cabin from crushing completely taking our heads with it...the car was leaning upside down on bonnet to tail with the wheel above us.....
I was travelling at my customary 80/85Km whilst towing anything. I managed to keep the whole rig despite the two flat tyres on trailer relatively straight for about 100 metres by accelerating slightly, not touching my brakes, but the trailer was hopelessly swerving from side to side and I knew I was losing it and told my brother to brace himself...it was almost like slow motion going over....
I relate this in some detail as I have never had an accident and this can happen so easily despite near new vehicle,tyres and heavy duty suspension set up....
I have only just made it to Bendigo and have had to leave my beloved vehicle in a farmers paddock as the Insurance Company cannot send an assessor for a week!..it is obviously a write off......been comprehensively insured with them without claim for many years and I have to say they have been less than helpful and I will only name them,very large Company, if they continue their present attitude....I have had to pay the local crane in cash to remove my vehicle and trailer and also pay local cartage contractor to take the damaged hire trailer back to Adelaide.My furniture was reduced to rubble and the farmer buried the debris on his property with bucket hoe...furniture in transit appearantly is not the same as contents 'situate anywhere in Australia'....I hope to sort this out....
Likewise I have been RAA Silver member with Plus membership for many years without a claim and when I phoned them while standing in the farmers paddock they stated that an accident is not a broken down vehicle and they don't want to know and to take it up with my Insurers....I would have thought they may help with the $590 I paid to remove my car and trailer off the road...they will however pay $55 for one night in the Cowell Hotel as a gesture...if only I had broken down appearantly it would all have been different for them...what if I wasn't insured and relied on their 'Plus' benefits for a tow off the road at least...
After many adventures I have been able to make it to Bendigo with some salvaged gear from my car....no thanks to Insurance or RAA.....although my Insurance has told me to keep any receipts and they will look at them....private individuals have helped me to get back....
At least we are both alive.....and it could easily have been much much worse.....
I don't know how to post photos on here but one of the first on the scene took some photos of our plight and just emailed them to me. I am happy to post some if anyone is interested in helping post them.....Hoo Roo.
-- Edited by Golddetectornomad on Saturday 6th of July 2013 07:50:42 PM
-- Edited by Golddetectornomad on Saturday 6th of July 2013 07:51:22 PM
-- Edited by Golddetectornomad on Saturday 6th of July 2013 08:00:04 PM
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'Without Going, You Get No Where'.
' Aspire to Inspire before you Expire'
Where Gold be....is where Gold be......old Cornish saying......
The older we get the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.......
What a ride! both very lucky to have walked away. A shame that the vehicle was you touring wagon with all the extras, but they can be replaced whereas life cant.
Good luck fighting the insurance & hope it all ends well for you.
To post your photo's; go to reply & at the bottom of page click on the ; Attach File(s) . this will bring up your pics. click on the one you want & at bottom of that page click (open) , this will upload to your reply page then click insert, job done.
Good luck;
JC
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Be your self; there's no body better qualified ! "I came into this world with nothing , I still have most of it"
As you say, at least you have walked away physically unscathed. It does make you wonder about insurance companies sometimes, my own experiences have been the opposite, never had a drama, in fact I had a dram but the insurance company just dealt with it.
You can replace a car and the contents, but you can;t replace a life. Isn't it just wonderful when total strangers help you along the way.
Shock can be delayed, look after yourself.
Regards
Mark
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Mark & Linda
A man who asks a question is a fool for five minutes, but ask no questions and your a fool for life!!
We had a similar accident with a hired caravan. It's brakes were faulty and jack knifed us and rolled us over. Husband said the same thing- hold on, we're going over. It all felt like slow motion just as you explained. Fortunately for us, our insurance company was very helpful and the cheque was in the mail when we got home. But it was also friends and strangers who came to our aid. As Mark says, shock can be delayed so take care of yourselves. Whiplash can also be evident later.
All the best. Hope you can soon be back on the road.
Will take you quite a while to get over that. You are now stepping on the merry-go-round of the Insurance companies. Hold tight and don't let them push you off. Good luck!!!
Good grief what a shock for you and your brother. Hope that you can get the insurance to pay up but at least you are both still alive and that is the main thing as disappointing as it is at losing all that you have you can always replace items but not lives. May you both rest up and recover well. Helena.
OMG, how terrifying. This has always been my biggest fear in my years of towing horse floats. Not only do I stress about how we would fare buy also the safety of my beautiful horses. Scary stuff so glad you're OK. I was an insurance sales consultant, so I know they'll use every trick in the book. Keep the screws tight on them, but also keep in mind that you catchmore fflies with honey than with vinegar. If you start getting cranky, keep inmmind, your claim depends on that claims consultant, not just the company themselves. Don't, yell, swear or threaten and keep the nimber of the insurance ombudsman close at hand. You're insurer should have their details. Ask them for the number, so they know you're not going to accept the run around. Good luck, glad you're OK.
Last Monday I survived a roll over on the Lincoln Highway towing a tandem trailer. I had returned to my Port Lincoln property to collect some Furniture and belongings and the hire tandem furniture trailer had a tyre blow out or flat on the sweeping bend 4 kms from Cowell. Combined with high winds the 12' x 6' trailer flipped taking my Land Rover Discovery with it, and we rolled with my brother and myself landing upside down inside the crushed cabin. We were suspended by our seat belts upside down with the motor still running and much diesel and oil. My brother managed to locate small folding knife in my pocket as my right hand was trapped outside and had gone through the front window. He cut both belts and we dropped on our heads to the upturned roof...
The SES, Ambos and Police were given incorrect information by one of the first on the scene on Lincoln Highway and they went to adjacent Cleve instead of Cowell, so we waited for over 25 minutes in this precarious position as no doors could be opened with the roof crushed..apart from glass splinters as all windows were shattered we incredibly got out with SES and Police shaking their heads after they eventually arrived....we were across the Lincoln Highway and some very decent folk were directing the B Doubles, cars etc round us in the interim....
My Land Rover was set up for round Australia trip with heavy duty shockers springs etc and I think that the 6th wheel, 18" and wide, I had mounted on my roof rack above our heads saved the cabin from crushing completely taking our heads with it...the car was leaning upside down on bonnet to tail with the wheel above us.....
I was travelling at my customary 80/85Km whilst towing anything. I managed to keep the whole rig despite the two flat tyres on trailer relatively straight for about 100 metres by accelerating slightly, not touching my brakes, but the trailer was hopelessly swerving from side to side and I knew I was losing it and told my brother to brace himself...it was almost like slow motion going over....
I relate this in some detail as I have never had an accident and this can happen so easily despite near new vehicle,tyres and heavy duty suspension set up....
I have only just made it to Bendigo and have had to leave my beloved vehicle in a farmers paddock as the Insurance Company cannot send an assessor for a week!..it is obviously a write off......been comprehensively insured with them without claim for many years and I have to say they have been less than helpful and I will only name them,very large Company, if they continue their present attitude....I have had to pay the local crane in cash to remove my vehicle and trailer and also pay local cartage contractor to take the damaged hire trailer back to Adelaide.My furniture was reduced to rubble and the farmer buried the debris on his property with bucket hoe...furniture in transit appearantly is not the same as contents 'situate anywhere in Australia'....I hope to sort this out....
Likewise I have been RAA Silver member with Plus membership for many years without a claim and when I phoned them while standing in the farmers paddock they stated that an accident is not a broken down vehicle and they don't want to know and to take it up with my Insurers....I would have thought they may help with the $590 I paid to remove my car and trailer off the road...they will however pay $55 for one night in the Cowell Hotel as a gesture...if only I had broken down appearantly it would all have been different for them...what if I wasn't insured and relied on their 'Plus' benefits for a tow off the road at least...
After many adventures I have been able to make it to Bendigo with some salvaged gear from my car....no thanks to Insurance or RAA.....although my Insurance has told me to keep any receipts and they will look at them....private individuals have helped me to get back....
At least we are both alive.....and it could easily have been much much worse.....
I don't know how to post photos on here but one of the first on the scene took some photos of our plight and just emailed them to me. I am happy to post some if anyone is interested in helping post them.....Hoo Roo.
-- Edited by Golddetectornomad on Saturday 6th of July 2013 07:50:42 PM
-- Edited by Golddetectornomad on Saturday 6th of July 2013 07:51:22 PM
-- Edited by Golddetectornomad on Saturday 6th of July 2013 08:00:04 PM
Thank you for such a descriptive post .The main thing is that both you and your passenger are safe and well and that no other vehicles or people were involved.cheers Ibbo.
Terrible accident but fantastic good luck in that you both came out of it in good physical shape.
You'll need to get that metal detector out & working hard to get set up again.
Good luck with the insurance lot. Your background in banking & real estate will now come in very handy as you go through the frustrating negotiations with them.
The previous advice about delayed shock & keeping calm in negotiations is excellent.
I am having serious thoughts about how I should rearrange my packing in the back of the Patrol in case of a rollover. A cage is top of the list.
Good luck with everything & please keep us updated.
Just received several photos from farmer who is minding my wrecked vehicle near Cowell S.A.......can you believe the 'Grey Nomad' sticker on the rear window survived on a tiny piece of glass left intact....look closely and you will see on rear right of photo.....proves us 'Grey Nomad' folk are a resilient lot and not to be taken lightly!..or trifled with!..even our identity stickers are survivors!..Lol.........Hoo Roo
-- Edited by Golddetectornomad on Sunday 7th of July 2013 07:11:36 PM
We know just how you feel. We survived a bad crash a month ago in which our car was a write-off. So glad to hear you did get out of this - at least physically - OK. Keep cheering yourselves up by repeating that mantra - AT LEAST WE ARE ALIVE. Over the next few weeks as you look for a replacement vehicle & go through a lot of angst to get your lives back on track, not to mention the damage to your wallet you will find you need cheering up. Also if our response is anything to go by you will feel a bit edgy & nervous 'on the road' for a while. Our thoughts will be with you. Alice
So sad to think we all do the right thing and pay our insurance to have that piece of mind if this unfortunate thing happens to us.And when you need that help it is another stress they (the insurance companies put on you )I understand what your saying regarding the accessor bloke taking a week to access the damage,Just is not good enough all this is never set out in the policies they send you,if it was I for one would not touch that type of policy,Ihad a coming together with a bull/cow twenty odd ks north side of Kunnunurra WA and after 20 odd phn calls the insurance company told me to ring back Monday as this was sunday and they did not take accident reports any more during the weekend ,they were a call centre over the weekend to canvas new cliental. On the Monday after many phn calls I was told the accessor would not be up in that area for another two two weeks or so..Long story short !! I ended up paying to have the damage repaired myself and changed my insurer by the end of the week.
Keep your chin up and head down and preserver from someone who was to damn mad to do that.
-- Edited by herbie on Monday 8th of July 2013 11:34:29 AM
Terrifying, and obviously nothing you could have done to prevent. You are both well enough to be angry at the insurance co., so that's good. But I'm afraid I have to tell you that I found out the hard way that contents cover "anywhere in Aust" does not include "in transit". I lost all my worldly possessions when my brother's removals van (uninsured) went up in smoke while moving my stuff from one (insured) home to the next. I was just grateful he was not burned with it, and I guess you will have to just be glad you and your brother survived. Everything else can be replaced (or done without if necessary). I feel for you tho', Marianna
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Cheers, Marianna.
The more I learn about people, the more I like my dogs (Mark Twain)
Good of you to write such an excellent post, Goldy. It's something we can all benefit from. Like everyone else here, I'm sorry to hear of your misfortune but also glad you managed to survive without physical injury. I hope getting back in the saddle won't be difficult. You ain't finished the trip yet.
Wow, sorry to hear you have been through so much. Thank goodness you weren't badly hurt. The trauma of the accident is one thing but the lack of service from insurance and road association sucks big time. How easily stuff happens.
hi mate glad your ok
are you still in bendigo , we left bendigo 6 mths ago sold our house to our son you would be welcome to stay there if you need a bed and somewhere to stay contact me i can give you our sons address
Don't feel bad about the 'limited' help from RAA. As they said, they are a "Breakdown" only insurance. Their agenda has nothing to do with assisting you after a crash other than to give you the name of the nearest towing company. You did well do get the $55 for the hotel.
Good luck to you getting out of the car unscathed though I am concerned the passenger doors didn't open, they look pretty undamaged.
Scary incident for sure.
Cheers Neil
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Neil & Lynne
Pinjarra
Western Australia
MY23.5 Ford Wildtrak V6 Dual Cab / 21' Silverline 21-65.3
The problem with insurance companies is they ALWAYS have an excuse as to why they will not pay a claim in the first instance and most people walk away and do not continue with the claim, changing your insurance is not the answer, the next one will do the same, they want their money on the due date but when it comes time to make a payout you have to wait until they are ready or not get anything at all.
Re insurance. I must have been lucky as a few years ago now a ute ran a red light and wrote my car off. I am insured with NRMA & the accident happened about 2pm on Thursday, I rang NRMA about 5pm that day and I had my insurance payout in the bank the following Tuesday am and picked up my new car that afternoon. All it took was one phone call.
Clare you must have been in the right place at the right time, so glad you weren't hurt!.
The NRMA were a lot slower than that when I rolled the Kia Sorrento. It was out in the mountains, had to wait till the tow-truck could go and bring it into Canberra before assessment. Then there was argument that it was insured for greater than its value... they'd happily accepted the premiums for that amount though! Then they wanted the seats (which had been taken out to make room for camping gear) to be returned... ok, fair enough.
Took nearly 3 weeks, but they paid the full amount. The GPS wasn't covered (it was stolen from the wreck), but we salvaged most of the other gear.
What a horrible experience! Good old Eyre Peninsula locals, always helpful on the isolated roads.
I have a very strong connection to Pt. Lincoln, and 2 of my daughters live down that way.
It's great to hear you walked away, but there must be times when you relive the experience. It's good to talk about it.
Those insurers love to take our money for years, but when it comes to claiming they make it as difficult as possible. Stick it to them! Your money, your insurance, your vehicle.
The trailer will be another issue. I don't know what the hire people will do, but if your insurer can prove it was the trailer at fault, they will have to battle it out.
You only deal with your insurer in regard to your vehicle. I sincerely wish you well in all of it.
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20ft Roma caravan - Mercedes Benz Sprinter - SA-based at the moment. Transport has no borders.
Management makes the decisions, but is not affected by the decisions it makes.