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Original poster

Accident on Motorway

15 replies

Lisa78 · 06/10/2004 18:44

I've just been stuck on the M62 which made my journey home 2.5 hours long...
An accident caused the problem and as I was stuck in the tailback, I was sat there bored and cross cursing the jam.
When we neared the site of the accident, there was only one lane open cos of the metal and glass across the other two, so they were filtering us from 3 lanes into one - which meant that I couldn't avoid seeing the accident, (which I usually obstinately don't look at)
Which really upset me - 2 or 3 cars mangled beyond belief, what was left of the rooves on the grass verge so obviously they had to be cut out, plus a big van and then 3 or 4 more cars who'd been shunted, presumably not stopped in time.
So there I am, sat there trying not to take in this absolute carnage whilst I waited to go, and in my rear view mirror I see a car, driven by a woman with a little boy (about 6 years old) in the front seat. No car seat. No seat belt.
FFS, he was clambering about the front of the car, on a bloody motorway, right next to the scene of a major pile up. What is wrong with people, the stupid stupid cow

OP posts:

JoolsToo · 06/10/2004 18:48

oh don't this is really one of my pet hates and also when you see them in the back sat between the two front seats - I always want to flag them down and say 'do you love your child or what!? - its SO irresponsible!

Amfs · 06/10/2004 18:49

no words just

golds · 06/10/2004 18:49

It is so frightening when you see this sort of thing, it makes me think thank god I didn't leave 10 minutes earlier.

As for the child behind, these people have got no sense at all, they just don't seem to care about the most basic of safety, I hope it doesn't happen to her. I couldn't live with myself if I did that and something happened (not that I would, or course)

Original poster

Lisa78 · 06/10/2004 19:12

I know
I just feel so mad at myself for being so mad in the jam when something so horrible has happened to someone
And so so so angry at that woman, God I can't shift how mad / upset / both I am

OP posts:

KangaMummy · 06/10/2004 19:32

that is awful

at that stupid woman it is one of my pet hates too.

We went down M23 on saturday and a car that I was a bit behind/level with just flipped over on the hard shoulder and landed upsidedown but I couldn't pull over as I had cars behind me and I didn't want to cause a pile up crash so I phoned 999 from the carphone

[BTW it is an integrated one operated from the steering wheel with microphone by mirror and earpiece in headrest]

she told me to carry on driving as I had DS in car and that it was safer for me not to leave him on hard shoulder. I was shaking so much and it was hard to tell the police my address I couldn't speak properly, DS was asleep so didn't see it thank goodness. I saw in my mirror that plenty of people did stop to help.

CleanKittyCat · 06/10/2004 19:37

Was this woman stupid or just plain irresponsible? I really hate it when I see this kind of thing. If you try talking to them about it they look atyou as if you are stupid or ask you what business is it of yours? Child safety is a matter of the law not just our opinion.

Tinker · 06/10/2004 19:37

KangaMummy - saw a car flip over on the M6 a few months ago. It is very surreal isn't it, seeing a car suddenly in the air. I had to stop, I couldn't drive for a bit I was so shaken. We did ring the police and lots of people stopped but was very disturbed at seeing a young male arm sticking out of the upturned car

Tortington · 06/10/2004 20:03

iget stuck behind car crashes more often than i would like. i came home the other day at 12pm after an evening meeting which ended at 9.30 when dh asked why i was late i answered " someone was inconsiderate enough to die on the motorway on the way home" - i felt a little shaken at the time but its practically the norm - that the horrible thing is how mot bothered i am about death on the motorway

Tortington · 06/10/2004 20:03

12am not pm

TwoIfBySea · 06/10/2004 20:51

Oh Lisa how awful. I know exactly where you are coming from as about 15 years ago I was coming home from work, sitting on the top deck of the bus chatting to a friend. There was quite a delay which was unusual as it is near enough countryside in the area we were going through.

What had happened I am not exactly sure but I do know it involved a van and a motorbike and from what we saw the motorbike driver most certainly didn't make it.

I can still see it clearly now.

And on the other matter, one of my school friends was very badly hurt when she went straight through the windscreen of her grandparents car in an accident. She survived only to die in another accident aged 16 (the driver was drunk and she shouldn't have gotten in the car.) The first accident happened in the 70s, before people really knew any better but now there is no excuse for it and it is shocking to see how many people don't buckle their children in.

From the lurker formerly known as Paula71

TwoIfBySea · 06/10/2004 20:52

Oh and DH and ds twins are banned from ever owning a motorbike after what I saw. Ever.

SenoraPostrophe · 06/10/2004 21:13

Spain has an absolutely frightening accident rate per head of population - and given that in general, people drive less here (less commuting, and more people live near their families not to mention that the car-ownership rate is lower) I dread to think what the stats are per mile driven.

What upsets me most is seeing people on mopeds with kids perched between then and the handlebars. Usually no-one has a helmet, although I have seen parents with helmets, kids without. The other day I even saw our neighbour out on his motorbike with both of his young sons on board - he drove straight past a traffic policeman, who just waved him on.

What is it with people?

KangaMummy · 06/10/2004 21:19

one of DS friends sits on back of his dad's motorbike as does his little brother

Just how is a 4/5 year old supposed to be able to hold on properly.

They do all wear helmets so I suppose that is a bit positive.

Flip · 06/10/2004 21:35

My boyfriend (now dh) was driving me home one night when I was eighteen and the car right in front of us turned into a side street wiping out a middle aged woman on her moped. I was out of the car before dh had even stopped and rushed to the woman. She was trying to get up and was very disorientated. I'm shaking now thinking about that night. Dh ran to the nearest house because back then mobile phones weren't the norm. It was a funeral parlour and I administered first aid. I was so calm but afterwards I was a wreck. I was never one to take charge or speak up but that night I did and the paramedics said it saved her life. Other people wanted to remove her helmet and let her sit up but I wouldn't let them. One lifted the bike off her and her leg started gushing. It was horrendous to see but I'm just glad I was calm in a crisis, I never thought I would be.

Both legs were shattered along with her right arm. Her left leg was ripped open from her ankle to her knee. I still remember the paramedic cutting back her leggins and her leg opening up. She had a fractured section in her spine to around her neck and if they'd taken her helmet off she would have been paralysed. It was a freezing night and I took my jacket off and kept her warm. I couldn't wear it again afterwards because of the reminders.

The young lad who did it got community service and a £100 fine. She got weeks and weeks of traction and ever lasting scars.

I know what you mean about people who don't wear seatbelts to, or they do but don't strap their kids in. It's a real hate of mine and I want to pull anyone over I see and give them an ear bashing. My best friend at high school died in a car crash. She was fourteen and was out with a couple of boys and another friend. Another car crashed into theirs and she was thrown through the window and died two days later in hospital. The other three in the car were all unhurt because they'd been wearing seatbelts. Ds1 tells me if I forget to put his belt on. That's the way it should be.

bundle · 07/10/2004 11:10

on the southbound M6 on Monday I put my hazard lights on because the van driver (would be huh?) behind me was so close i couldn't see his number plate in my rear view mirror. after a few minutes he got fed up of being behind me and overtook..then stayed dangerously close to another car which had to brake suddenly and i was looking in my wing mirror and god knows how he missed hitting the back of it (at about 75mph), he was probably only 1cm away and there was lots of smoke from his tyres as they screeched and he braked. w**r (both my dds were in the back)

Flip