August 2010

'Utmost care and attention required'

Two caravanners die as police warn on fatigue

Telltale tyre marks lead to the accident scene where a Perth caravanner died in WA.

TWO elderly travellers died and others were hurt or had lucky escapes in a horror month of road accidents involving caravans.

A 74-year-old Perth man was killed and his wife seriously injured after their 4WD rolled while on a camping holiday in Western Australia's Pilbara region.

Police said there had been four accidents in as many days involving caravans in the area.

Meanwhile, an 81-year-old woman died on the Pacific Highway in NSW when her rig collided with a tipper truck near Port Macquarie.

The high number of crashes in the Pilbara prompted an urgent police warning for caravanners to take extra care on the remote highways.

"The north-west is a big place and the task of driving can be boring and monotonous at times, leading to inattention and fatigue," Sergeant Dan Anderson said.

"This is the time where we have an influx of tourists, particularly those towing caravans. The utmost care and attention is required at all times when behind the wheel and one small lapse in concentration or inattention can have horrific consequences."

No other vehicle was involved in the accident involving the Perth victim.

Police said his 74-year-old wife was driving their rig south on the North West Coastal Highway when the 4WD overturned about 17km south of the Pannawonica Access Road intersection.

She suffered serious head and internal injuries and was rushed to Nickol Bay Hospital.

The crash left debris scattered 200 metres along the highway which resulted in the road being closed for several hours.

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IN THE second fatal accident, the 81-year-old unconscious Victorian woman had to be cut free from the mangled wreckage of the 2003 Mitsubishi Pajero 4WD.

She was taken to Port Macquarie Hospital where she died about 90 minutes later.

Her 83-year-old husband and the tipper truck driver, 55, received hospital treatment and were discharged.

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TWO caravanners escaped in a fiery crash on a remote stretch of the Carpentaria Highway near Cape Crawford in the Northern Territory.

Their rig careered down an incline and other vehicle erupted in a ball of flames after the head-on smash.

Witnesses told police a utility travelling east allegedly veered into the path of the Toyota Landcruiser and caravan.

The 58-year-old male caravanner and his 50-year-old wife passenger suffered only minor injuries.

The caravanners helped drag the 36-year-old male ute driver, who was airlifted to Darwin suffering a broken leg and head and shoulder injuries, from his vehicle before it caught fire.

Police were investigating the cause of the crash.

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A COUPLE from Lake Macquarie in New South Wales has a lucky escape when their Toyota Prado and caravan rolled on the Bruce Highway near Cooroy in Queensland.

The 74-year-old man and his 72-year-old wife suffered only minor injuries and were taken to Nambour hospital for treatment.

Their rig rolled at least once, reducing their caravan to a pile of debris which was left scattered across the highway.

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A WOMAN was rushed to hospital with serious chest injuries after a two-vehicle smash involving a caravan on the Cunningham Highway near Willowbank in Queensland.

The injured woman, aged about 40, was trapped in her vehicle for about 15 minutes before firefighters were able to free her.

The highway was closed and traffic diverted as breakdown crews cleared debris from the accident scene.

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TWO caravanners were fortunate to escape serious injuries when their 4WD and $60,000 caravan flipped on the Newell Highway in north-west New South Wales.

The shocked couple was able to scramble from the wreckage after the accident near Waterloo Bridge south of Gurley.

Traffic was disrupted for several hours as police investigated the rollover and breakdown crews cleared debris from the highway.

Police ruled out speed as a contributing factor in the accident.

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A LUNCHTIME accident on the Pacific Highway near Coffs Harbour in NSW resulted in two caravanners being taken to hospital.

The grey nomads managed to escape with only minor injuries when their Toyota Prada and near-new Jayco Sterling caravan flipped onto their side and skidded for about 200m along the southbound carriageway at Corindi Beach.

The rig ended up in the northbound lanes, resulting in a traffic snarl-up in both directions.

An ambulance crew took the shocked and dazed caravanners to Coffs Harbour Health Campus where they received treatment.