Sad event - but not surprised
Submitted: Friday, Aug 05, 2011 at 08:49
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GoneTroppo Member (FNQ)
This is from ABC Far North this morning.
Man dies in motorcycles-4WD crash
Brad Ryan
Updated August 05, 2011 07:28:36
Map:
Bamaga
A 45-year-old man has been killed in a crash between two trail bikes and a four-wheel drive in far north Queensland.
The crash happened yesterday afternoon at Heathlands, about 150 kilometres south of
Bamaga on
Cape York Peninsula.
A 46-year-old man is in a serious condition in the
Cairns Base Hospital.
Police say their bikes crashed head-on with a four-wheel-drive vehicle as they turned a bend in a track.
Both men are from New South Wales.
Now I'm certainly not saying this is what happened in this case, any death is an enormously tragic event, and we don't know the circumstances here, but I personally have had several near misses on different Cape roads. Typically coming round a bend, next thing I'm almost wearing a bike or two coming sideways on the wrong side of the road! Always scared the ____ out of me.
I recall one time in the northern part of Lakefield NP where I ended up in the scrub to avoid three bikes, plus I got a heap of attitude and a finger for my trouble.
Obviously there are good and bad among all drivers/riders of whatever vehicles but there seems to be a bit of a bike "thing" on the Cape particularly. Has anyone else had this experience on the Cape?
Reply By: Member - RockyOne - Friday, Aug 05, 2011 at 09:09
Friday, Aug 05, 2011 at 09:09
Yes GT, it is an area (Heathlands) that tends to encourage faster fun riding on motor cycles yet any long term rider knows (as I have found out the hard way) you always drive/ride for what you can see. We took the short cut from near Bauhinia (turn right
well before Moura) to
Taroom 152kms. We came across a German tourist on a hired 600cc who had been lifting off on the many crests on that then gravel road.We used to see his tracks, no tracks over the crest, then where he touched down. Sadly,last crest before
Taroom, he would not know the road curves to the left. As he was in flight, he would have seen a red 4x4 tray right where he was about to land. Motorcycle was perfect, he died in front of our eyes as he bled to death. Nurse on UHF at
Taroom hospital said he would not make it. Truck had run over poor guy's helmet. Strange, but I had never seen anyone die before that. Same week we saw three people die when the concrete block, about two ton, fell in Queen Street, from CBA new building. Webbing sling broke I believe. Take care guys.
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Reply By: Bluefin48 - Friday, Aug 05, 2011 at 09:47
Friday, Aug 05, 2011 at 09:47
Any road accident death is a sad event, this reminded me of the trip to
cape York several years ago, wife and I was only travelling at about 45kph because of the corrugations approaching a sharp bend, a 4x4 vehicle came around the corner sideways at us, he managed to straighten up only missing us by inches.
It scared us so much we had to pull over to calm down.
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Reply By: Mr Pointyhead - Friday, Aug 05, 2011 at 13:07
Friday, Aug 05, 2011 at 13:07
Get the problem of trail bikes forgetting about other road users all the time in the high country. I have lost count of the times I have stopped hard of on the LHS of a road coming up to a corner and watched trail bike riders slide down the track towards me. People just forget to drive to the conditions in there areas, and unfortunately trail bike riders seem to be the worst offenders.
Speaking to a Ambo in
Bright (Near High Country) he said they average one medivac a week of injured trail bike riders just from the area his station covers ...
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Reply By: Patrol22 - Friday, Aug 05, 2011 at 18:07
Friday, Aug 05, 2011 at 18:07
Come across a couple of youngsters on dirt bikes who had crashed on the exit of Palm Ck southbound in 2001. They had a support vehicle....and really decrepit FJ40 cruiser....but unfortunately they weren't carrying a
first aid kit of any description and didn't even have a panadol between them. One of the lads was just shaken and had some serious gravel rash...the other had a broken wrist and 2 x broken collar bones. Fortunately were were able to apply
first aid and get him comfortable. They then got into their support vehicle and headed out to
Weipa for medical attention. We suggested that it might be wise to head to Bramwell Stn and call for help but they insisted on doing the drive to
Weipa. Never caught up to them again but reckon it would've been an awfully uncomfortable trip in the 40 with just the injuries imobilieed and 4 x panadol forte that we were able to provide.
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Follow Up By: Geoff H (Q - Friday, Aug 05, 2011 at 19:11
Friday, Aug 05, 2011 at 19:11
I dont know what gets into people on the road to the cape but I lost count of the number of idiots drifting onto the wrong side of the road.
I didn't see many bikes, fast ute's were the worst offenders.
Regards
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Reply By: kidsandall - Saturday, Aug 06, 2011 at 00:05
Saturday, Aug 06, 2011 at 00:05
We got held up on the road up the back of
warburton a few years back. Air ambo parked at the
intersection, police blocked the road. Turns out a bike took the corner hard, his
wheels were on his side but he was learning way over the white line. His head hit the headlight of the oncoming vehicle which then weered off the road. Air ambo was there for the vehicle occupants, not the bike rider. Seems to be if you add a dirt road to this it gets worse as there is no centre line. Nearly collected a couple of bikes on outback roads on our travels.
Josh
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Reply By: Member Ray M (QLD) - Monday, Aug 08, 2011 at 11:19
Monday, Aug 08, 2011 at 11:19
Hi GT
My son is up ther cape at the moment and said this accident involved the support vehicle for the motor bikes.
They had just crossed the Wenlock and the support vehicle turned around to see why two of their bikes had lagged behind, only to meet them headon as he rounded the bend on the north side of the crossing
Quite tragic really
Cheers Ray
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Follow Up By: Shaker - Monday, Aug 08, 2011 at 12:03
Monday, Aug 08, 2011 at 12:03
They should ahve realsied just how dangerous it is going back to check on riders.
When we did the
Simpson Desert with motor bikes we had a 15 kilometre rule, in other words the bikes stopped after 15 kms & waited for the vehicles or vice versa, this meant that we were never far apart & always in radio contact.
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