Loose Trailer Slames Into Car.. Ex-firefighter and daughter, 6, help at Stourport crash

Ex-firefighter and daughter, 6, help at Stourport crash

2:53pm Monday 17th August 2009

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AN EX-firefighter and his six-year-old daughter sprang into action when a trailer crashed into a car in Stourport.

A flatbed trailer had come unhooked from a Peugeot 406 estate and hit a Citroen Xsara travelling in the opposite direction in Wilden Lane at about 6.15pm yesterday.

Jim Bainbridge, who was taking his daughter Eleanor to Stourport Swimming Baths, was driving behind the trailer when it came loose.

The car that was hit contained a husband and wife with their two daughters, aged about two and four years old.

While Mr Bainbridge tended to the woman, who was later taken to hospital with a cracked vertebrae, Eleanor comforted the young children on the side of the road.

He explained: “To be fair to Eleanor, because she’s only six, she was very calm and sat and looked after the girls to keep them out of the road.

“Afterwards, when we got home, she was very interested with what would happen to the family next and if they would have gone to hospital.

“She wasn’t upset in any way and was very resilient. She must be a budding firefighter or nurse.”

The eldest daughter of the family involved in the crash had blood in her mouth, “probably due to a bitten lip”, he added.

Mr Bainbridge, a training and development instructor for the fire service in Droitwich, explained he was experienced at dealing with similar incidents, having been a watch manager in Redditch and Bromsgrove.

“I’m used to dealing with emergencies and being in charge so this was nothing new to me,” he added.

A fire crew from Stourport, an ambulance service rapid response vehicle and police also attended the scene, with the road closed until about 8pm.

The father of the family was uninjured and his wife is currently being treated at Worcestershire Royal Hospital...

7th August 2008

Backing for trailer campaign

There is just a week left to sign a petition started after the death of a four-year-old boy in Heage.

Finlay Martin was killed when a trailer being towed by a car came off in Old Road.

He had been walking with his mum, Zoe, to pick his sister, Millie, up from the village primary school when the accident happened.

The trailer was later found to have defective breaks and no breakaway cable fitted – a device that should have stopped it from moving once it broke away.

After the incident Juliette Blake, borough councillor for Heage and Ambergate, started an online petition to the Prime Minister to make sure all trailers undergo MoTs and are fitted with the cables.

It currently has 1,284 names and a poll on the Belper News website asking whether MoTs should be introduced for trailers saw 96 per cent of readers vote for yes.

Cllr Blake said: "I am over the moon that the votes cast in the Belper News indicate an overwhelming support for the trailer safety MoT campaign.

"I intend to report the results to the government to strengthen our case for this much-needed common sense legislation."

To sign the petition click here.

Runaway cement mixer causes smash

Runaway cement mixer causes smash

By Tom Shepherd

A pregnant woman, an elderly couple and three netball players escaped serious injury when a runaway cement mixer skidded across a busy road causing mayhem.

The machinery flew off the back of a trailer, which had been approaching the A420 from the Bampton direction near Buckland, and collided with a car on Wednesday night.

A blue Land Rover seen pulling the trailer failed to stop at the scene.

Last night police confirmed they were hunting the driver and issued an appeal for witnesses.

Miraculously, no one suffered serious injuries in the smash on the busy Oxford to Swindon road.

Marlene Snow, 65, from Bampton, was driving along the A420 with friends Andrea Wellington, from Faringdon, and Katie Clarke, from Carswell Marsh, when the mixer smashed into the front of her Nissan X-Trail.

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The friends, who are all members of Shrivenham Netball Club, were travelling to a match in Banbury.

Mrs Snow said she was no more than 20 metres from the junction when she spotted the mixer.

She said: "It flew like a bobsleigh. It clipped the front of the car and pulled me towards the middle of the road where vehicles were ready to turn to Bampton.

"I tried to pull back to the correct side of the road, but I hit an elderly couple's car.

"I didn't know at the time it was a cement mixer, I just saw an orange rusty shape hurtling across the road.

"It could have been so much worse. If it had hit the side of my car, it would have probably killed my friend."

The mixer came to rest in front of a blue VW Golf driven by heavily pregnant woman Victoria Pattison.

Ms Wellington, who suffered whiplash, was forced to take the day off work yesterday.

She said: "I was in the back. I saw the mixer coming at such a speed - it was really going fast. I closed my eyes. I knew we were going to hit something.

The Nissan struck a Toyota Yaris driven by pensioner Harry Benford, 82, from Kennington, who was taking wife Eunice out for dinner to celebrate her 82nd birthday.

He said: "Sparks flew and a mixer came careering across the road - my wife was left very shaken."

Ms Pattison, from Watchfield, said she felt lucky not to have been hit by the mixer.

She urged police to track down the driver of the Land Rover who failed to stop.

She said: "I was fine - I was more worried about the elderly couple.

"I can't believe the driver failed to stop."

Call police on 08458 505050 or 0800 555111.

6:13am Friday 13th June 2008

WebMaster Note:

We were able find this in our research.

Mrs. Juliette Blake was able to find in her research.

• Published Date: 07 August 2003
• 
  
• Location: Ripley & Heanor

Rogue trailer in street rampage

The accident scene in Heanor on Sunday. Photograph by Jason Hicking.

A TRAILER broke free from a tractor and hurtled 200 yards down a steep Heanor street.

The trailer, which was laden with bales of hay, uprooted a lamp post as it raced down Mansfield Road and two cars collided in an attempt to avoid it.
The cars were badly damaged in the accident, but the occupants - who are thought to have included a family - escaped uninjured.
The runaway trailer eventually came to a standstill when it crashed into a wall near to Watson Avenue.
The accident happened as the tractor was travelling up the road, towards to Market Place, at 5.20pm on Sunday.
Mansfield Road was closed at both ends for five hours while the debris was cleared away.
A spokesperson for Derbyshire Police said: "The trailer just broke away and hurtled down the hill. We're still investigating what actually happened."
Jason Hicking, of Heanor was visiting family in the area when the accident happened. He said: "I think a family were in one of the cars involved and it looked very serious. But then we heard that no-one had been injured, which seemed incredible.
"The trailer took a lamp post with it as it travelled about 200 yards down the hill.
"It made a real mess - there was just hay everywhere."

BREAKING NEWS: TRAILER BREAKS FREE AND HITS LORRY

BREAKING NEWS: TRAILER BREAKS FREE AND HITS LORRY

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An articulated lorry was badly damaged when it was hit by a trailer that had come loose from a car today.

The collision happened at about 1.40pm in Nottingham Road, Alfreton today.

The trailer was being towed by a 4x4 vehicle and, after breaking free, became trapped underneath the Mercedes lorry.

The driver of the 4x4 did not stop and was last seen being driven in the direction of Selston.

Recovery crews were called to free the trailer and remove the lorry, which it is understood was being driven by a Pole.

Anyone who witnessed the incident should call police on 0845 123 3333

Driver crippled in freak accident

A LORRY driver crippled when a freak runaway trailer collided head-on with his cab near Howden told a jury of the moment he thought he was going to die.

Father-of-three Clive Wade (44), said he could see he was on a collision course when a trailer owned by Hutton Cranswick licensee Clive Tomlinson appeared in front of his milk wagon.

Mr Wade of Holme-upon-Spalding Moor had to be airlifted from the horrific smash on the A614 on Thorpe Road, near Hygena. He suffered serious injuries including several broken bones to his legs. He needed surgery at Hull Royal Infirmary after the smash and now is unable to work and walks only with crutches.

He had been returning from Bristol to the village with an empty wagon after delivering condensed milk when the crash happened. His cab was hit by a breakaway trailer loaded with a mobile bar and marquee.

Giving evidence in a written statement at the start of a trial at Hull Crown Court Mr Wade said: "I could see I was on a collision course. The trailer was hurtling out of control towards me. I took hold of the steering wheel as hard as a could as the only place to go was to the left. I didn't try and turn too fast as the vehicle could have jack-knifed. I thought I was going to be killed. I heard a loud crunch."

Mr Wade, formerly of Wilson Close, Market Weighton, sat in court with his family as the statement was read. The court heard he still had two 13-year-old twins to support and had worked for the same dairy firm in for 21 years.

The driver of the Iveco van, Simon Saxby (46), pleaded guilty to driving a van dangerously on September 21, 2006.

Mr Saxby of Past Heap Farm, Pembury, Tunbridge Wells, told the jury he had had begun work for Mr Tomlinson in May, 2006 in the bar tent business and had no experience of towing a trailer or instruction "whatsoever".

He had been due to set up a bar and tent in a marquee in Derbyshire on the day as part of a nationwide mobile bar business. The court heard the firm had seven vans and four trailers and the drivers never knew which combination they would be taking out. He said he had been staying at the White Horse Inn at Hutton Cranswick at the time and the trailer had been loaded up for him before he set off. He said: "I didn't do my job correctly that day. I didn't do what I should have done. I am very very sorry about what happened. I had no training. I didn't know there wasn't a breakaway cable."

Crown barrister David Hall told the jury Mr Wade had done everything possible to avoid the collision and was in no way to blame. Mr Hall told the jury the accident happened when nuts and bolts sheared on the back of a tow bar, which broke away from a blue Iveco van towing a trailer. He said police had found there was wear and tear on the tow bar and lack of a breakaway cable. He said other issues to consider were a seized load sensor valve, defective hand-brake, overloading and a problem offside brake caliper. He said the tow-bar defects should have been spotted by Mr Saxby before he set off if he had been a careful and competent driver.

Clive Tomlinson (47) had denied any wrong doing. A jury was instructed to find him not guilty of the charge of aiding and abetting a van and trailer to be driven dangerously on the third day of a scheduled four-day trial. He was not in the van and denied knowing it was a danger.

Mr Saxby is due to be sentenced in around four weeks time and was allowed to walk free from court on bail.

Published on 14th February 2008 in News.

Bus stop woman hit by runaway trailer

Bus stop woman hit by runaway trailer

From the Bolton Evening News, first published Saturday 29th Jun 1996.

A RUNAWAY trailer ploughed into a woman standing at a bus stop in a freak hit-and-run accident which left her fighting for her life.

The trailer broke free from a car travelling down the East Lancs Road in Swinton and careered onto the pavement before hitting mother of four Mrs

Maria Young, aged 41, of Sportside Avenue, Walkden.

Police said she had been waiting for a bus at the side of the busy main road.

Detectives are now hunting the driver of the car who did not stop after the accident and are appealing for witnesses.

The accident happened yesterday at 3.40pm on the East Lancs Road, close to its junction with Eccles Road.

The vehicle was travelling west bound down the carriageway when the trailer became detached.

Mrs Young was rushed to Hope Hospital with serious injuries. This morning she was described as "critical" in the intensive care unit.

Any witnesses able to help trace the vehicle - believed to be a "small, possibly light blue car" - are asked to contact PC Gerrard at Salford Traffic Unit on 0161 856 5078.

Mrs Young has three daughters, aged 20, 18, and 11, a 13 year old son, and two grandchildren

She had been to visit her eldest daughter in Swinton and was waiting for the bus to take her home when the accident happened.

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