A grey nomad couple’s Big Lap dream is in tatters after their vehicle burst into flames on the Stuart Highway.
While Ron and Jenny Purdie lost all of the gear they had packed for their four-month odyssey … they can consider themselves lucky to have escaped uninjured.
The South Australians were on their way to the Northern Territory when their caravan and four-wheel drive jack-knifed just south of Coober Pedy.
Mrs Purdie was stuck in the vehicle for a short time as a fire started.
Adelaide Now reports that, as the fire intensified, a gas bottle exploded, and both the car and caravan were burnt out.
The Purdies were left with just the clothes on their back and a bag. The caravan and four-wheel drive are covered by insurance … but the trip they had been planning for years was left in tatters.
Other items destroyed included GPS, tools and fishing equipment.
“How could this happen?” Mr Purdie asked Channel Ten. “It was just unbelievable.”
Have you ever jack-knifed? Have you had any brushes with disaster on the road? Comment below.
It’s not good when hearing of an accident like this and this story makes me glad that we are getting the ESC brakes fitted to our caravan that is currently being built.
Surely there is some sign of a caravan wandering or zig-zagging before it becomes too late to do anything about it. Having no “feel” for the vehicle being towed mystifies me.
Gary, I drive and have driven 3,4,and yes 5 trailer road trains for the last 33 years and would prefer to drive them than pull my 21 foot bogie caravan behind my 4wd. What happened to these people can happen in a instant. Yes some people make me wonder how they can handle a wheelbarrow others are just unfortunate!
I once drove semis for a living in the UK and have jacknifed once. That was on Ice from a broken water main which then had snow inches thick over the top of the ice .I was in my late twenties with ten years experience driving semis, and even with a young man’s reflexes it was over in a split second. I was lucky I survived uninjured.
When it happens to a tug and van it’s the same, so quick even for the experienced and as we get older our reflexes are slower so it can negate experience.
I think if the technology is available out there to prevent Jacknifing it should be incorporated in every van built. If it’s on every van it will reduce the unit cost and make it more affordable.
Unfortunately safety costs.
I have been up the stewart about 15 times towing my 21 ft van its dead bloody straight so it makes me wonder how this happened
I think unfortunately it can happen to anyone! Lets not be quick to judge the people it has happened to. We do not what the circumstances were.
We shouldnt judge this was a horrible thing to happen to anyone it may have been driver error or mechanical doesnt matter too much ,we should all feel for these people they are after all grey nomads trying to live there dream,only good thing was that no deaths occured,we wish them the best.
It certainly would be interesting to hear from the unfortunate couple directly on the lead up and actual incident so we could all possibly learn something from it. Too many news stories seem to lack real data to learn from.
Exactly my feelings on News stories….they usually lack any really useful information…but yes….I have just taken delivery of a new Nova van and it is the first one of two or three vans to be fitted with Alko ESC on a Simplicity independent suspension. I hope it never has to activate.