TWO CARAVANNERS DEAD AFTER HORRIFIC CRASH
It saddens me to no end to bring you the news that two caravanners tragically died in a horrific crash in the Northern Territory.
The couple, aged in their 70s from Tasmania, were headed north on the Stuart Highway just north of Barrow Creek, when they collided with a motorhome after their van and tug jack-knifed, before bursting into flames. The motorhome travellers were pulled from the wreckage and are currently in a stable condition in the Alice Springs Hospital, but sadly the vanners died at the scene.
Police and detectives on the scene believed the rig ran off the bitumen, which caused the driver to over-correct and jack knife the van.
This, my friends is a very tragic incident. This couple were on their way to the Top End to live the dream we all have or aspire to. We’re yet to hear what caused the van to come off the bitumen, and perhaps we will never know – but now isn’t the time for speculation or pointing fingers – now is the time for us, for me, to pass on our sincere condolences to the loved ones of these caravanners. The whole RVing community is thinking of you.
It might seem like all fun and games from the outside, but what we do and how we travel isn’t as easy as people may think. Towing can become dangerous very quickly, and it takes moments like this for us to stop and remind ourselves to always live our lifestyle as safely as possible.
I urge every vanner reading this to use this tragic incident as motivation to get your van and vehicle up to scratch and in perfect condition. Get it weighed and fix your balance issues. Get that weight distribution hitch you’ve known you’ve needed for the last 4 months. Get your bearings inspected and your tyres rotated. New to towing? Book that towing education course – don’t be too proud.
Do everything you can to ensure you’re towing as safely as possible; because it’s not just your safety at risk, it’s those around you.
At happy hour tonight I’ll be raising a glass to our fellow vanners whose lives were cut too short, and I encourage you to as well.
Until next time,
Fred Wright.
