The consequences of making bad decisions

[osiris]

wisdom

for the drivers among us, please take a few moments to read this. this incident nearly claimed my life and i hope that others may learn from it.



on thursday march 29 2007, i left home for work the same as any other work day. i got up had a shower, got dressed and kissed my wife on the forehead and looked in on my kids before leaving. just a normal day.

on the way to work, i had no idea that i was about to have one of those moments where time just stops, and hangs still for a long time, before starting up again with a crunch.

driving along the highway, one does not expect someone coming the other way to pull out in front of you with no warning. but this is what happened to me. a young guy, at the back of a line of cars, decided that he wanted to be at the front of the line, and pulled out to overtake the 2 or 3 cars in front of him. he didnt look before he pulled out. he just did.

we collided at about 100kph each, give or take a few k's so about 200kph impact speed, nearly head on.

we were both trapped in our respective cars for a time, until emergency services got there, luckily, i didnt break anything major and they were able to get me out quickly. the other guy was trapped for about 2 hours before he was able to be extricated from what remained of his car.

i have no doubt that it was the airbag in my car that saved my life right there. altho the airbag itself did some fairly extensive damage, better that than dead. airbags deploy at a terrific rate of speed, and it is this piece of engineering that can save a life, or take it.

im a 6 foot tall, average built young guy, and what it did to me, probably would have killed a child. in that split second, i broke my nose, a cheek bone, an eye socket, 17 stitches in my face, 2nd degree burns to my arm from the airbag, possible fractures in several vertebra in my lower back, deep bruising across my hips from the seat belt, and dozens of cuts and bruises and grazes from breaking glass and bits of car.

most cars these days have passenger airbags, and these will do the same damage that a drivers will. for those that read this, please take some advice from someone who has experienced this shocking impact. DO NOT ALLOW CHILDREN TO SIT IN THE FRONT SEAT OF A VEHICLE, like the cars manufacturer will tell you.

i am quite frankly very lucky to have been able to survive this crash, let alone still be able to walk, talk and do those things we all take for granted every day, like hold my 2 kids and my wife, who is 7 months pregnant, altho i cant do many of the everyday things at the moment.


for those that read this, please please please, be patient on the roads and ALWAYS LOOK BEFORE YOU ACT because your actions effect not only you, but can also effect those around you, sometimes with shocking outcomes. life is too precious to waste with something so stupid as a car crash because you were in a hurry to pass someone.

the guy was 19. he made a bad decision and paid the ultimate price for it. he died on the operating table a few hours later.















this is a link to the article in the local paper the day after.
http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au...40_hpnews.html


please tell others about this post.

i want others to get the message, but not to learn it the hard way, like i have had to,



THROUGH IMPATIENCE AND STUPIDITY.

[Outbackjack]

I'm glad that you are OK, or at least getting there. Well written. I hope that lots of people read this.

[bodes-sh]

well that would have definitely been a life changing experience, it's great to see that you're still alive to tell the story, good luck with getting better

[DoreSlamR]

Wow, you are lucky to get out of that one with your life, i'm sorry to hear about the other driver, it's a sad waste.

I hope you have a full recovery!

Chad

[GXL078]

Wishing you a speedy and full recovery. Looks as it the safety features of your ute did what they were designed to do, no leg injuries?. Just out of curiosity, what was the other guy driving?

[jaydee]

Shite, what can U say after that, well told story osiris.

[aye you]

holy shite dude. glad to see your ok. at least you got to see your wife and kids again mate. hope you pull together after a smash like that

Wow - talk about an eye opener.

I was in a near head on collision at the same speeds in Dandenong, Vic 4 years ago - i wasn't driving as i was 14 at the time, but my grandfather broke his sternum and the driver of the other car (taxi driver) was killed. He just pulled out infront of us on the main road. I know what you mean about airbags, i never ever expected them to be that harsh. Just wondering, when you had hit/or were just about to hit the other car did everything seem to go in slow motion? Like the whole white powder in the air from the airbags, shattered glass, ear-piercing sounds.. it's hard to explain but it was as if time slowed down and i was able to take in everything that was happening around me.

Accidents are scary things. Feel sorry for the 19 year old and his family.

Thanks for posting.

[Full Noise]

I’m sorry to hear of your experience, Osiris.

Originally Posted by osiris

Driving along the highway, one does not expect someone coming the other way to pull out in front of you with no warning.

I have to disagree with you here. I drive a 26 metre B-double and people pull out in front of me without looking, almost on a daily basis. How they can’t see a vehicle this size is beyond me. I expect everyone to pull out without looking these days and always try to find a way out, just in case they do.

I hope that you make a full recovery and get your life back on track.

Cheers, Danny

[GXL078]

Originally Posted by Full Noise

I’m sorry to hear of your experience, Osiris.

I have to disagree with you here. I drive a 26 metre B-double and people pull out in front of me without looking, almost on a daily basis. How they can’t see a vehicle this size is beyond me. I expect everyone to pull out without looking these days and always try to find a way out, just in case they do.

I hope that you make a full recovery and get your life back on track.

Cheers, Danny

I find that the sheer length of B doubles makes overtaking THEM (going in the same direction) a very risky and dangerous exercise. You have to have your wits about you, and choose your spot very carefully, preferrably an overtaking lane especially if you car lacks power. When I got my license, B doubles were not allowed east of Dubbo, what happened?

[Keepleft]

Glad your okay Osiris.

FN, I agree and note your observations and recognise them, and appreciate you mean no disrespect.

XCGXL wrote: I find that the sheer length of B doubles makes overtaking THEM (going in the same direction) a very risky and dangerous exercise. You have to have your wits about you, and choose your spot very carefully, preferrably an overtaking lane especially if you car lacks power. When I got my license, B doubles were not allowed east of Dubbo, what happened?

Pity the Northern Territorians with road trains on a now 130 speed-limited road that was previously (//):-

They were travelling behind a TRIPLE TRAIN TRUCK they went to overtake in an overtaking lane the third TRAILOR was swinging all over the place, my mate was travelling at 130 BLOODY Kms and by the time they were beside the TRUCK itself, the overtaking lane ran out leading up to a bend he then was on the opposite side of the road and a Fourwheel drive was oncoming the opposite way.

[fiery]

Wishing you a speedy and full recovery not only from the injuries.
Very well written by the way, it made it feel like you were sitting in the room relaying your story.

That is one powerful story and one that I hope we all do take something from.

Sorry to hear the other driver died, but thankfully his silly mistake didn't take someone else's life.

[osiris]

Originally Posted by xcgxl

Wishing you a speedy and full recovery. Looks as it the safety features of your ute did what they were designed to do, no leg injuries?. Just out of curiosity, what was the other guy driving?

an older Nissan pulsar SSS

thanks for all the well wishes peeps. its appriciated

[GXL078]

Originally Posted by osiris

an older Nissan pulsar SSS

thanks for all the well wishes peeps. its appriciated

I used to own one of those, remember reading somewhere they were quite dangerous in a crash

[iCat]

this should be a sticky. it should also be something you have to read before joining these forums.

osiris, wishing you well on your road to recovery.

[Blue Oval Mopar Man]

I am so glad you survived this Osiris. You and your family are in my thoughts. The other guys family are also in my thoughts. I was a lucky one when I was young , living in cairns, going home from the speedway one night, I nearly made the same mistake this young bloke made ! Although there was no need to overtake, ( I should have just been patient and just stayed inline even though the traffic was doing less then the speed limit),I looked and could see no cars coming in the dark! What I failed to realise was that the road curved a little to the left and then to the right again, and oncoming cars were obstructed from my veiw by the cars I were following !I had my girlfreind in the passengers seat and I started to pull out ! As I did there was a set of headlights right there infront of me ! Must have been 10 meters away! I managed to reef my car back in just intime to miss the oncoming car by millimeters ! I tell you I learned a HUGE lesson that night about pateince and respect for other road users !

[Professor Farnsworth]

Originally Posted by iCat

this should be a sticky. it should also be something you have to read before joining these forums.

i wouldn't say that, but it's definitely worth reading.

osiris that must have been a rotten experience, and i'm sure knowing the other person died, even though it wasn't your fault in the slightest, must be hard to deal with at times. good luck with your recovery.

[ThoR_]

Hope you recover well. All the best. Just be thankful that god wanted you to be around a bit longer hey!

[normxb]

Originally Posted by mrcrackers

osiris, that must have been a rotten experience, and I'm sure knowing the other person died, even though it wasn't your fault in the slightest, must be hard to deal with at times. good luck with your recovery.

osiris

Hope you make a speedy recovery .

I'm afraid I know exactly how you feel , I have posted on here a couple of times , the exact thing happened to me a number of years ago .

You have started your "mental recovery" already by posting on here , in my opinion this is more important than physical recovery . TALK to people about what happened , Warn people , and never be afraid to "get emotional" .

When this happened to me there were no such things as "Counselors" (30 odd years ago) if you find the need , see them ....also this is when you find out who are really your mates .

Please don't flame me guy's , it's not meant to be a "downer" but after an incident like this , you " Never Forget , but you Can Learn to Live With it " .

All the best mate , Take Care

Norm

PS , Feel free to PM me , I'm only too happy to help .

[Bill_R]

it will always be with you but I hope you "recover" well Osiris.

We need PATIENCE and awareness people. It isn't a racetrack and nobody will prove anything or get home faster if you use the road to try and beat everyone else. Sit back and enjoy your driving - enjoy and focus on observation - enjoy and focus on that clean line - enjoy and focus on maintaining that safe distance.

[Dezza]

Sorry to hear about the crash, but it's good to hear you survived it. It only takes one mistake.

The simple fact is, something I have learned through experience as well, you have to PAY COMPLETE ATTENTION at all times behind the wheel. Don't pull out to overtake unless you are 100% certain that it's safe to do so.

[JG66ME]

Osiris

Wish you a speedy recovery.

Steve

[Hunter]

Quite amazing you came out that alive, very lucky mate. The Falcon seemed to keep itself relatively intact considering the forces involved in such a collision. Hope you're well on the way to recovering.

Was it a double-white line road?

Driving on single carriageways always make me nervous for this very reason... doesn't matter how good a driver I think I am, if someone decides to make a bad decision you no longer have a lot of say in the matter, its just up to the laws of physics to decide your fate.

[TZENU]

Geez, it certainly makes you stop and think...
Glad to hear you are ok...
And it could happen to anyone one of us too!

[Dauphin]

Thank you for writing about your experience. That is frightening and I wish you a speedy recovery.

[james22]

Wow, Your lucky to be alive mate. Wish you & your family all the best, someone upstairs must really like you. I've seen accidents nowhere near as severe as that kill all involved. Will make me think twice and look three times next time I'm overtaking...

[TheSneakiness]

Amazing.

Probably the most powerful thing I've ever read here.

Here's to a full recovery, and I've definitely learned something from this.

[dannyxm]

A sobering story to say the very least.
All the very best in your recovery

[Ringo]

I've read horrible stories like this before and they usually end with lines like "forward this to as many people as you can - Bill Gates will donate 5 cents for each time it is forwarded on" and you think to yourself it either bulltish chain letter or its in another country - whatever.

I've never read one that was so close to home and so true.

I wish you well with your recovery and wish the same thing never happens to me or anyone I know.

[SP.UTE1]

Good luck with the recovery Osiris, that is a very sobering read. My wife keeps enquiring about her driving a smaller car, I might just show her this thread as it relates well to the need of having a bit of metal around you.
Regards Bob