Rollover Piano Flat

[Still Unbroken]

http://www.odt.co.nz/regions/otago/2997 ... plunge-4wd

I'm writing this to get it off my chest and to avoid all the rumours and opinions that pop up by people that weren't there.
I do not expect (want) any replies, simply read, absorb, and learn.

After lunch last Tuesday after traveling 300 plus km off road through Central Otago over several days, a group of 4 experienced trucks from different clubs started out from piano flat.
The plan was to travel back up a farm track we had come down the previous day then head off towards cromwell way.
It had rained overnight and the track was rutted and slippery (clay).
The lead truck and one other went up the track at a slow pace while myself and one other waited at the bottom for a sitrep. The lead truck got half way up and lost traction so applied the brakes. He reversed slightly and braked again.
At this point the truck simply moved sideways a metre or so which was enough to put it on an angle that had it teetering on two wheels for a moment before it inevitably rolled. From there it was all over and I saw three slow rolls before it disappeared a large distance down a hill rolling violently several times.
Myself and the truck behind me drove up (probably too fast) to the scene and saw the carnage.
The locater beacon was set off immediately followed by a mountain radio call.
I got down to the truck just as the passenger got out bleeding heavily with the driver still stuck inside. The seatbelts were released and after a careful and thorough assessment of his injuries I decided to remove him from the vehicle and in to a sleeping bag. Wounds were dressed as best i could and it was just a matter of waiting for the chopper.

LESSONS TO LEARN...

Be bloody careful out there, shit can happen when you least expect it.
Always carry a locater beacon and if poss another means of communication.
Always wear your seatbelts in that sort of terrain.
Carry a good first aid kit.
Donate lots of money to the rescue helicopters.

Andrew.

[mudlva]

Good report

It just goes to show its not if a accident happens but on how you react.
Sounds like the team did every thing right with coms at the start to looking after the injured and getting them to hospital following.
Cheers for sharing

[Smurf]

Goes to show it can happen to anyone heading offroad.
Well done on stabilising the two injured and getting emergency services on the move ASAP.
Sounds like the best possible outcome considering the scenario.
Well done.
I hope they recover quickly.

[On-Track 4WD]

Hi,
Yes, the same thing nearly happened to me on New Years day about 8 or 9 years ago, about 1/2 way up. Luckily, after sliding backwards for about 5 mtrs the vehicle stopped about 15cm from the edge.
Someone else died in about the same spot about 3 years later. The local council did major repairs to the track about 3 or 4 years ago but it is becoming dicey again.
I have done that hill 2 x upwards and about 10 downwards. Give me downwards any day.
I always carry HF radio and EPIRB

Malcolm

http://www.On-Track4WD.co.nz

[tallsam66]

A scary piece of track ...been down it in the dry & that was back enough.
Good someone had a PLB ... I always carry one & recommend everyone get 1...not expensive either mine was under $500

[Twodiffs]

Hey bud...tough being first on the scene and knowing who you are - kudos my man, i'll have a beer coming your way!!

Just wanna say i'm glad the club concerned had a protocol of carrying an epirb and a mountain radio on board. We are proud to be a part of that club.

For various reasons (not including this topic) I suggest given the cost of personal locater beacons or epirbs and the fact that we are either keen 4wders, fisherman or hunters that the investment in such a device is well worth while!!!

Cheers
Jamie.

[ChurchurDan]

These are cheap insurance and can be registered in NZ, just tell them you want a NZ version.

http://www.adventuresafety.com.au/survi ... n-signals/

[NJV6]

Someone else died in about the same spot about 3 years later. The local council did major repairs to the track about 3 or 4 years ago but it is becoming dicey again.

The chap that died was not on the track, he was taking a short cut in the wet and that is where he went wrong. Steep terrain + clay + wet + no tyre chains meant it was a very scary trip to the bottom. The vehicle landed on another vehicle that had gone off a week earlier.
The work the council did was great but yes, it is slowly going backwards due to all the water runoff.

[albundy]

Someone else died in about the same spot about 3 years later. The local council did major repairs to the track about 3 or 4 years ago but it is becoming dicey again.

The chap that died was not on the track, he was taking a short cut in the wet and that is where he went wrong. Steep terrain + clay + wet + no tyre chains meant it was a very scary trip to the bottom. The vehicle landed on another vehicle that had gone off a week earlier.
The work the council did was great but yes, it is slowly going backwards due to all the water runoff.

Yeah I clearly remeber that event, made a techically hard drive easy but shit loads safer. I watched three vehicles roll on ANZAC weekend at Landcruiser Mountain Park. One of the tracks have had 9 roll overs this year thus far. It wasn't until moring that Rude and I realised we had driven the same track at about midnight. When I looked at it during the daylight there would be no way I would attempt it.

[NJV6]

About 2 weeks ago along with 4 others I was involved in rescuing this vehicle.

The driver and his passenger are extremely lucky to be with us on this planet still. The pictures go to show how quickly things can go wrong in this country.

The Landcruiser would have rolled 120m down off the track, it was rolling both over and over and end for end. For some reason, part way down it changed trajectory and headed out of the gut it was following and out onto a slight ridge where it came to a standstill.

Centre of this photo shows the landing spot (barely visable from track)


Same spot zoomed in


Our Tools


Making its way slowly up the hill


Almost there


Trip down the hill


BAck to bottom and onto trailer


The wreck was tirfor'd onto its feet first. The winch off the VX was lowered to the wreck as well and it was the safety rope for when the main pull rope was shortened. However given the sheer weight of the laden wreck the winch was used for a bit of a pull when the tractor lost traction. The Hilux was anchored on the front as well with a ground anchor. All in all a good trouble free recovery, it took about 3 hours from first set up until it was on the track.

Be careful on this track guys! If it is wet, it is clay! It is slippery and there is often no stopping if you start to slide. Also always wear your seatbelt off road in these circumstances, this would not have ended with such a good outcome otherwise!

[kiwipete]

Well done on the recovery.

[SMOKEY]

Well done team, I know the owner driver, he is making a good slow recovery from his injuries but is going to be away from work for a long time. ----- As said "the importance of wearing Seat Belts", and by the look of the wreck and from my own experience A Roll Cage, as far as I know this vehicle was fitted with the Factory FRP roll cage and by the look of it saved their lives.

WE ALL PUSH THE BOUNDARIES,

FITZY.

[snotgoblin]

I was talking with one of the guys at work about this event and EPIRB's/PLB's in general. Yes they are great bits of kit. However if they are the only method of emergency comm's you have they can be limited in the event of injured personnel.

When you activate it the signal is picked up by RCC in Wellington and after they have called the registered phone number to confirm whether it is a false alarm or not, the first thing dispatched is a helicopter - no medics or anything just a chopper.

The ability to get comms out about what the situation is and what injuries etc there are is absolutely vital, mountain radio and or HF radio are ideal for this.

The EPIRB's that we have for one of the clubs at work are registered with the main gate of our Air Force base which is manned 24/7 and details of the activity are held there so info can be passed to RCC when they call.

Worth the investment as is having a decent first aid kit and the skills to use it.

Also feeling a little more assured of the integrity of the factory roll bar of the 74 series..

[DaveM]

The EPIRB's that we have for one of the clubs at work are registered with the main gate of our Air Force base which is manned 24/7 and details of the activity are held there so info can be passed to RCC when they call.

Worth the investment as is having a decent first aid kit and the skills to use it.

Also feeling a little more assured of the integrity of the factory roll bar of the 74 series..

Mountain Radio's and Epirb's are cheap to hire for those venturing out

[NJV6]

Worth the investment as is having a decent first aid kit and the skills to use it.

Also feeling a little more assured of the integrity of the factory roll bar of the 74 series..

Correct, having basic 1st aid in invaluable no matter how gung-ho u may be.

The factory rollbar stood up well but also this vehicle was full of gear. The roof could not really collapse any more. Much stuff had not moved too far inside which says it was either tightly packed or tied down. We reckon the fact the group were on a long trip meant they had lots of gear and helped save their lives!!!

[Twodiffs]

They had a mountain radio on board and that was made operational as well as the epirb.