Post by scootman on Jun 17, 2008 9:11:57 GMT 10
"It's a miracle they are still alive"
Crash couple very lucky to escape with lives: police
Story: Dennis Amor
POLICE said they were amazed a Queensland war veteran and his wife escaped with their lives in a horrifying caravan accident.
The wrecked caravan and 4WD at the side of the Gore Highway. Photo courtesy Goondiwindi Police
The Hervey Bay couple's rig flipped and rolled several times when they were caught in turbulence while attempting to overtake a B-Double on the Gore Highway north of Goondiwindi in the Sunshine State.
The accident happened as Mr John Barnes and wife Janina were returning from a six-week trip to attend a war veterans' reunion in Adelaide.
"They were very, very lucky to walk away with their lives," Constable Michael Sweby told Caravanning News. "I would say they used up all their luck in this one accident. It is a miracle they are still alive."
Constable Sweby said the caravan and 4WD - driven by Mrs Barnes - ended upside down, the caravan being reduced to virtual matchwood. "The dashboard of the tow vehicle was squashed across the seats and anyone seeing the wreckage would have thought the occupants were goners," he said.
He said no one was to blame for the mishap. "It was a pure accident. Turbulence from the truck caught the caravan and caused it to flip."
Mr and Mrs Barnes, both in their 60s, were taken by ambulance to hospital and admitted for overnight monitoring and treatment for minor injuries.
Meanwhile, their two frightened small pet dogs were freed from the wreckage by veterinarian Dr Anna Gates and a colleague from the University of Queensland's Pastoral Vet Centre in Goondiwindi, where they were cared for until their owners recovered.
Dr Gates and her colleague were second on the scene and were amazed the travellers had escaped serious injuries.
"The caravan and 4WD were absolutely shattered and I do not know how the husband managed to get his wife out, but he did," Dr Gates told Caravanning News. "She was in agony and bleeding at the side of the road and her husband was going back into the wreckage for the dogs."
After using her veterinary gear to render first aid to Mr and Mrs Barnes, Dr Gates turned her attention to releasing the trapped dogs from the badly damaged 4WD.
"Luckily they were in harnesses but it took ages to unbuckle all the straps," she said. "The dogs were shaken up in the accident but fortunately they had seat belts."
Dr Gates and other helpers formed a human chain to recover Mr and Mrs Barnes' belongings - including war medals, jewellery and personal documents - from the debris and load them into the back of the vet centre car for safekeeping at the clinic.
SES volunteers controlled single lane traffic past the accident scene while breakdown teams cleared the wrecked vehicles.
Crash couple very lucky to escape with lives: police
Story: Dennis Amor
POLICE said they were amazed a Queensland war veteran and his wife escaped with their lives in a horrifying caravan accident.
The wrecked caravan and 4WD at the side of the Gore Highway. Photo courtesy Goondiwindi Police
The Hervey Bay couple's rig flipped and rolled several times when they were caught in turbulence while attempting to overtake a B-Double on the Gore Highway north of Goondiwindi in the Sunshine State.
The accident happened as Mr John Barnes and wife Janina were returning from a six-week trip to attend a war veterans' reunion in Adelaide.
"They were very, very lucky to walk away with their lives," Constable Michael Sweby told Caravanning News. "I would say they used up all their luck in this one accident. It is a miracle they are still alive."
Constable Sweby said the caravan and 4WD - driven by Mrs Barnes - ended upside down, the caravan being reduced to virtual matchwood. "The dashboard of the tow vehicle was squashed across the seats and anyone seeing the wreckage would have thought the occupants were goners," he said.
He said no one was to blame for the mishap. "It was a pure accident. Turbulence from the truck caught the caravan and caused it to flip."
Mr and Mrs Barnes, both in their 60s, were taken by ambulance to hospital and admitted for overnight monitoring and treatment for minor injuries.
Meanwhile, their two frightened small pet dogs were freed from the wreckage by veterinarian Dr Anna Gates and a colleague from the University of Queensland's Pastoral Vet Centre in Goondiwindi, where they were cared for until their owners recovered.
Dr Gates and her colleague were second on the scene and were amazed the travellers had escaped serious injuries.
"The caravan and 4WD were absolutely shattered and I do not know how the husband managed to get his wife out, but he did," Dr Gates told Caravanning News. "She was in agony and bleeding at the side of the road and her husband was going back into the wreckage for the dogs."
After using her veterinary gear to render first aid to Mr and Mrs Barnes, Dr Gates turned her attention to releasing the trapped dogs from the badly damaged 4WD.
"Luckily they were in harnesses but it took ages to unbuckle all the straps," she said. "The dogs were shaken up in the accident but fortunately they had seat belts."
Dr Gates and other helpers formed a human chain to recover Mr and Mrs Barnes' belongings - including war medals, jewellery and personal documents - from the debris and load them into the back of the vet centre car for safekeeping at the clinic.
SES volunteers controlled single lane traffic past the accident scene while breakdown teams cleared the wrecked vehicles.