A caravanning couple have escaped with only minor injuries after a serious accident on Queensland’s Bruce Highway.
The Townsville Bulletin reports that two people, a man and a woman in their 60s, were treated at the scene of the single-vehicle accident and transported to Ingham Hospital.
Early reports suggest that the towing vehicle appears to have drifted off the Bruce Highway and overcorrected right, then left, before crashing into Mosquito Creek just north of Frosty Mango.
According to the Townsville Bulletin, passers-by are understood to have come to help the pair who were initially trapped in the vehicle.
Emergency services quickly attended the scene. PIC: Queensland Police
Although the rescue helicopter was initially tasked to respond to the accident, it was ultimately not needed after the patients were assessed as being in stable conditions with only minor injuries.
Queensland Police Service said a crane was being brought in to remove a vehicle and caravan following the single-vehicle accident
The Townsville Bulletin reports that the accident closed the notoriously skinny highway that leaves no room for error. It says it is the latest in a series of accidents on the road linking Ingham and Townsville.
The newspaper says that three people lost their lives in two separate accidents in less than 24 hours near the latest crash in June last year, and a male motorcyclist died in a traffic accident near Frosty Mango early this year.
The accident comes at a time when there have been renewed calls for caravanners to have to undergo mandatory towing courses in order to reduce the number of incidents like this one.
Get real people you can talk about compulsory towing courses and special license to the cows come home but it ain’t going to make any difference until people stop speeding . Keep their mind on the road while driving and pack their caravan correctly. You can’t make or legislate to make people be responsible . We’re full time grey nomads 5 1/2 years
Again these accidents are on Bruce Highway. One would ask “should the authorities be looking at the highway” and not just the drivers.
Yes inexperienced drivers towing van need to do a certification when they purchase their new, larger van that act like a big sail in windy conditions or while overtaking larger vehicles that are doing 100 kph and they fly past them at 110kph. Give RPL to those drivers who have been driving for years and test/certify those who are new to careening , and start to look at reducing the size of some of these off-road vans and match vehicles to size of vans.
Drive to conditions, whatever they may be. Have travelled on the Bruce with no probs. Many speed and that is recipe for disaster. They should ask their Insurance Company what is the safe speed. We do 90 if safe.
Has to what Helen has written quite correct I drove this Hwy 30 odd years ago with the kids you might say Young Nomads 6yrs with a 22ft van when there were no rules and regs back then except rego using what used to be common sense not used these days so much doing it this time without the kids up the Bruce to Carns 6weeks ago with again 21ft van considering all the bad publicity surrounding this Hwy it wasn’t that bad apart from roadworks again using Common sense and Driving to road Conditions people need to learn the fundamentals Driving on public roads. We’re full-time nomads this time of 4yrs
Bryan we lived east of Ingham for 20 years before we started travelling 5 1/ years ago. Nothing wrong with that highway it’s the people who drive it are the issue. I’d like a $ for every time we transversed the Bruce highway.
The Bruce Goat track we are travelling on right now from Gin Gin north to Ayr, where we are now is an absolute disgrace, so many huge potholes and multiple holes in one place. No wonder there are so many fatalities. You can’t see them when it’s raining or dark. Trying to dodge them is a dangerous nightmare. Never seen it this bad.
Heading to Cairns, hoping it isn’t as bad. An embarrassment for our country when European roads are so much better.
Have you noticed how much rain has been over the past few months? Road works cant be fixed overnight. How bout checking road conditions before leaving?
I like the way everything comes back to us older adults, look at all the younger drivers who are no longer on this earth, it’s not always the older drivers fault.
Seems some people are quick to pick from a list of reasons as to what causes these incidents and other similar incidents of late. Armchair experts giving their opinions.
If the tow vehicle drifted (steered) off the road then there has to be a reason. It appears there are witnesses to what occurred. I hope this wasn’t another medical episode, tired sleepy driver or mechanical failure situation. In these cases, towing courses, improper loading etc, will not prevent incidents of this type.
Fatigue is a killer in the trucking industry. I believe there needs to be a massive increase in rest areas to cater for not only trucks but caravans, motor homes and campers. From experience I’ve found the habit of making regular rest stops can reduce fatigue. However, being overcome by tiredness can come on fairly quickly and finding somewhere to rest with a caravan in tow is a problem. Truck bays are for trucks only and the drivers need to lawfully stop and take breaks. Therefore finding a suitable place may force that fatigued driver to become a human stopwatch ticking away to disaster.
Was my mothers aunt and uncle, they were swerving to avoid a run away truck tire…which they were successful at
Was my mothers aunt and uncle, they were swerving to avoid a run away truck tire…which they were successful at
Always get an interesting mix of views when the all too frequent caravan accidents occur. Being in ‘control’ of around 7 tonnes of fast moving articulated vehicle would suggest that some form of skills and knowledge would be useful, however what that might entail is open to debate.
From my perspective (as someone who has been towing vans for several years) the biggest problem seems to be the almost total lack of awareness of the physics of towing and what happens when the van is heavier than the tow vehicle and the load is incorrectly spread. I don’t believe that any practical test will do much for increasing safety, this can only come from experience. What may be useful, however is some sort of (online?) theory test which deals with overloading, weight distribution, vehicle requirements, etc.
I never cease to be amazed at the lack of awareness that supposedly experienced caravaners have around weight. Go into any caravan park and ask a punter what his van weighs and he/she will likely
say no idea.
Ask them about how much their vehicle can tow and they will say 3 or 3.5 tons but ask them how this is calculated and they don’t know.
Anyone who is towing more than 80% of their tow vehicle weight is asking for trouble in my opinion.
Then there are the caravans that are inherently unstable because of design and manufacturing faults.
Ask people why they tow with full water tanks and they often say to provide stability. Carrying around 180Kg of water to make their van stable sounds ridiculous but there you are.
I like a lot of others would benefit from having information on accidents to see what if any common issues arise, then we might be able to have a more informed debate.
180 litres is adequate for a five day/night stopover at roadside areas without disrupting those that want to glamp it up on the bouncy castles etc.
Chris, I am a “learner”, how-in-the-devil can you make 190lts. last? Please, I need some hints on how to stretch the water; I stop the flow between soaping up and rinsing, leave the tap off whilst cleaning teeth, use very little cooking, what else can I do. Have a “pommie” wash ever second night, please, HELP.
Just another revenue raiser, Forced towing courses would be as effective as forcing people to install imobilisers in their cars to stop car theft, that worked a treat didn’t it?
I undertook a caravan driving course thinking I would do the “right” thing. I did-not-do-too-bad BUT, you need FAR MORE than a course. Practise, practise, practise and I have not had the opportunity to do this. I am still hopeless at backing the van and my first experience in a caravan park has been terrifying. I watch these (not all), experience travellers and think, ” I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO MANOEUVRE THE VAN LIKE THAT”. Learning to reverse, hitch up and off you go, is NOT what happens in the tight confines of a caravan park. I will just simply have to keep going forwards EVERYWHERE I go.
The Bruce is a disgrace, courting disaster at every turn. Where’s the road shoulder??? Hardly any. Hate to have a flat tyre on this road because you cousin changing it
I travel at 90 to 95km per hour and I fell safe and confident towing our 13ft caravan, if the roads were safer because some of them are no more than sealed goat tracks.
Take the Yelarbon to Goondiwindi road and the Goondiwindi to Condamine road in Qld are like riding a bucking bull when it comes out the shute at a rodeo.
The amount paid in rego and fines should be channelled back into making country roads safer.