Spare a thought...
Discussion
I normally stick my rambling posts in the advanced driving forum, but this isn't really about driving as such, so I'll stick it in here.
It's a post I've been considering writing for a while now, but today seems like the right day to share this little story with you.
Sunday 31st July 1994
Jane had just turned 20 a couple of weeks ago. She was an outgoing, fun-loving girl who had just come back from her first holiday abroad with her boyfriend, Alan. Jane had an unremarkable but happy childhood, brought up with an older brother and working-class parents in a semi-detached house next to a busy main road on the outskirts of town.
Jane had left school at 16 and decided to work rather than go to college. She got a job with the county council, running the mobile libraries. It was a fairly ordinary admin job, but she enjoyed it and she made lots of friends in the office. She didn't earn much, but when she reached 17, she could afford driving lessons and passed her test the first time round. She saved up some more and then bought her first car - a Vauxhall Nova saloon in red. She ran around in the Nova for a year or so, and then swapped it for a Mk 2 Fiesta.
She was a safe, careful and considerate driver. Much more so than her brother, who was a bit of a speed-freak. Jane's parents worried whenever her brother went out in his car, but they'd both sat next to Jane and seen what a careful driver she was, so they worried much less when Jane was out in her car.
On that particular evening, Jane had visited Alan at his parent's house a couple of miles away. Alan didn't drive, and so he relied on Jane doing most of the running about. She had work the next day and she was looking forward to going in and showing off her tan, so at about 10.30 that night, she set off to drive home where her parents were in, watching television.
Her route took her along a couple of minor roads and then onto the main road which ran out of town, towards her home.
Meanwhile, a young man had been into town to meet up with some of his friends. He was in his early 20s and liked his cars. He had a job at a local garden centre, with which he funded his car - a Vauxhall Cavalier SRi. It cost him quite a lot to insure and run, but it was worth it, because he enjoyed driving it, and above everything else, he enjoyed driving it fast.
He had a few drinks with some friends at a pub which was popular with local youngsters. He didn't think that he was affected by the alcohol at all and felt fine to drive home. His route home was similar to the route that Jane was taking at the same time.
On the way out of town, the young man in the Cavalier was overtaken at speed by another young man in a red BMW, with a private plate. "Flashy sod" thought the young man, and decided to show the BMW driver the error of his ways.
Both drivers were of a similar mindset. The Cavalier driver wanted to overtake the BMW to show him who was best. The BMW driver wanted to keep the Cavalier behind him to show him who was best. They ended up in a race.
Meanwhile, Jane was still on her way home.
The BMW and Cavalier continued racing along the main road out of town. The speed limit is 40MPH on that road, because it's lined with residential properties and minor junctions. These days, it's width is restricted with cycle lanes, central bollards and ghost islands, and there is a good collection of speed cameras along it's length. In 1994, however, it was just a wide A-road on which 40MPH could sometimes seem a little slow.
Very slow in fact, compared with the 85-90MPH that the BMW and Cavalier were now travelling at, with barely a cars length between the two vehicles.
Jane was getting close to home now in her Fiesta. Her parent's house was on the right and so she checked her mirrors, indicated right, moved towards the centre-line and then started to slow down in preparation for turning into the driveway. It was quite busy for that time of night and because of the amount of on-coming traffic, Jane had to stop and wait next to the centre-line until a suitable gap appeared.
A couple of hundred yards behind, the BMW and the Cavalier were still racing each other at 85-90MPH. They overtook several cars, still with no more than 1-2 car lengths between them. The next car they needed to pass was a Mazda MX-5.
The BMW driver saw the situation ahead, and worked out that he could just get past the Mazda with enough time to allow him to swerve left and get up the inside of Jane's Fiesta.
The Cavalier driver, on the other hand, did not have the same view as the BMW driver. He was blindly following the BMW into every overtake, assuming that, because it was safe for the BMW, it was also safe for him.
He had not seen Jane's Fiesta.
The BMW passed the Mazda, did a quick flick left and missed Jane's car by inches. The Cavalier driver, however, did not.
He did manage to brake, but only for a very short distance before the impact, and in those pre-ABS days, his locked wheels didn't slow him by much. He hit the rear of Jane's car whilst still travelling at between 56 and 64MPH. The impact pushed Jane's car into the path of the oncoming traffic and she was then hit head-on by a car which was travelling at around 40MPH. That car was subsequently struck by the car behind, which gave Jane's car a third impact.
It was a few minutes before the emergency services were contacted, as this was in the days before mobile phones had become commonplace.
I was on duty that night - it'd be another 12 months before I went onto the traffic department, so I was covering a panda car at the north end of town. I'd set my sights on becoming a traffic officer, so whenever anything traffic-related came up, I'd be the first to volunteer.
The excitement started to grow when I heard the initial report over the force radio. "Report of a road traffic accident - several vehicles involved - persons trapped - ambulance and fire brigade attending". It sounded like a "good bump", so once the traffic lads were en route, I shouted up too - if it was a serious or fatal, I could help by blocking roads or even taking statements - vital evidence for a traffic application.
The traffic Officers arrived a couple of minutes before me, but this wasn't long enough for them to establish who was involved and to stop me before I arrived at the scene.
Jane was my sister.
She was still alive when I arrived - the fire brigade cut the roof off her car and a couple of emergency doctors were tending to her. She was in the best possible hands. It took them nearly an hour to get her out of the car, but she was being cared for as well as if she'd been on a hospital ward.
Our parents were inside the house, unable to go and look what was happening. I had to act as a go-between, reassuring them that she was alive and that things might be ok, but knowing deep down, having been to quite a few bumps, that this was very serious, and likely to get worse.
The ambulance set off with Jane at about midnight, with both doctors still working on her. My parents and I were taken to the hospital by one of the traffic Officers - a friend of mine.
On arrival at the hospital, one of the emergency doctors gave us the worst possible news. Jane had died just as the ambulance had arrived at the hospital. Her injuries were very severe and there was nothing they could do to save her.
To say that losing someone in a road accident is a life-changing experience would be a major understatement. No-one should have to bury their children, and no-one should have to go through what my parents went through, and are still going through.
The Cavalier driver survived, albeit with some very serious injuries. He was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving and sentenced to 3 years in prison, with a 5 year ban. Two other innocent drivers received broken legs in the accident.
I always viewed fatal accidents as something which happened to someone else - something interesting to deal with at work, and something tragic to read about in the paper, just before I turned the page to see what's on telly tonight.
There are still over 3,000 families a year who go through a similar experience.
Is there a point to my post? Well, despite what happened, I never lost any of my enthusiasm for motoring and driving, and those familiar with my previous posts will know that I'm not a big supporter of the over simplistic "speed kills" campaign.
I suppose my point is this - it can happen to any of us at any time. Let's look after each other a bit more out there shall we?
Oh, and spare a thought for Jane tonight - it's 13 years ago to the day since we lost her.
It's a post I've been considering writing for a while now, but today seems like the right day to share this little story with you.
Sunday 31st July 1994
Jane had just turned 20 a couple of weeks ago. She was an outgoing, fun-loving girl who had just come back from her first holiday abroad with her boyfriend, Alan. Jane had an unremarkable but happy childhood, brought up with an older brother and working-class parents in a semi-detached house next to a busy main road on the outskirts of town.
Jane had left school at 16 and decided to work rather than go to college. She got a job with the county council, running the mobile libraries. It was a fairly ordinary admin job, but she enjoyed it and she made lots of friends in the office. She didn't earn much, but when she reached 17, she could afford driving lessons and passed her test the first time round. She saved up some more and then bought her first car - a Vauxhall Nova saloon in red. She ran around in the Nova for a year or so, and then swapped it for a Mk 2 Fiesta.
She was a safe, careful and considerate driver. Much more so than her brother, who was a bit of a speed-freak. Jane's parents worried whenever her brother went out in his car, but they'd both sat next to Jane and seen what a careful driver she was, so they worried much less when Jane was out in her car.
On that particular evening, Jane had visited Alan at his parent's house a couple of miles away. Alan didn't drive, and so he relied on Jane doing most of the running about. She had work the next day and she was looking forward to going in and showing off her tan, so at about 10.30 that night, she set off to drive home where her parents were in, watching television.
Her route took her along a couple of minor roads and then onto the main road which ran out of town, towards her home.
Meanwhile, a young man had been into town to meet up with some of his friends. He was in his early 20s and liked his cars. He had a job at a local garden centre, with which he funded his car - a Vauxhall Cavalier SRi. It cost him quite a lot to insure and run, but it was worth it, because he enjoyed driving it, and above everything else, he enjoyed driving it fast.
He had a few drinks with some friends at a pub which was popular with local youngsters. He didn't think that he was affected by the alcohol at all and felt fine to drive home. His route home was similar to the route that Jane was taking at the same time.
On the way out of town, the young man in the Cavalier was overtaken at speed by another young man in a red BMW, with a private plate. "Flashy sod" thought the young man, and decided to show the BMW driver the error of his ways.
Both drivers were of a similar mindset. The Cavalier driver wanted to overtake the BMW to show him who was best. The BMW driver wanted to keep the Cavalier behind him to show him who was best. They ended up in a race.
Meanwhile, Jane was still on her way home.
The BMW and Cavalier continued racing along the main road out of town. The speed limit is 40MPH on that road, because it's lined with residential properties and minor junctions. These days, it's width is restricted with cycle lanes, central bollards and ghost islands, and there is a good collection of speed cameras along it's length. In 1994, however, it was just a wide A-road on which 40MPH could sometimes seem a little slow.
Very slow in fact, compared with the 85-90MPH that the BMW and Cavalier were now travelling at, with barely a cars length between the two vehicles.
Jane was getting close to home now in her Fiesta. Her parent's house was on the right and so she checked her mirrors, indicated right, moved towards the centre-line and then started to slow down in preparation for turning into the driveway. It was quite busy for that time of night and because of the amount of on-coming traffic, Jane had to stop and wait next to the centre-line until a suitable gap appeared.
A couple of hundred yards behind, the BMW and the Cavalier were still racing each other at 85-90MPH. They overtook several cars, still with no more than 1-2 car lengths between them. The next car they needed to pass was a Mazda MX-5.
The BMW driver saw the situation ahead, and worked out that he could just get past the Mazda with enough time to allow him to swerve left and get up the inside of Jane's Fiesta.
The Cavalier driver, on the other hand, did not have the same view as the BMW driver. He was blindly following the BMW into every overtake, assuming that, because it was safe for the BMW, it was also safe for him.
He had not seen Jane's Fiesta.
The BMW passed the Mazda, did a quick flick left and missed Jane's car by inches. The Cavalier driver, however, did not.
He did manage to brake, but only for a very short distance before the impact, and in those pre-ABS days, his locked wheels didn't slow him by much. He hit the rear of Jane's car whilst still travelling at between 56 and 64MPH. The impact pushed Jane's car into the path of the oncoming traffic and she was then hit head-on by a car which was travelling at around 40MPH. That car was subsequently struck by the car behind, which gave Jane's car a third impact.
It was a few minutes before the emergency services were contacted, as this was in the days before mobile phones had become commonplace.
I was on duty that night - it'd be another 12 months before I went onto the traffic department, so I was covering a panda car at the north end of town. I'd set my sights on becoming a traffic officer, so whenever anything traffic-related came up, I'd be the first to volunteer.
The excitement started to grow when I heard the initial report over the force radio. "Report of a road traffic accident - several vehicles involved - persons trapped - ambulance and fire brigade attending". It sounded like a "good bump", so once the traffic lads were en route, I shouted up too - if it was a serious or fatal, I could help by blocking roads or even taking statements - vital evidence for a traffic application.
The traffic Officers arrived a couple of minutes before me, but this wasn't long enough for them to establish who was involved and to stop me before I arrived at the scene.
Jane was my sister.
She was still alive when I arrived - the fire brigade cut the roof off her car and a couple of emergency doctors were tending to her. She was in the best possible hands. It took them nearly an hour to get her out of the car, but she was being cared for as well as if she'd been on a hospital ward.
Our parents were inside the house, unable to go and look what was happening. I had to act as a go-between, reassuring them that she was alive and that things might be ok, but knowing deep down, having been to quite a few bumps, that this was very serious, and likely to get worse.
The ambulance set off with Jane at about midnight, with both doctors still working on her. My parents and I were taken to the hospital by one of the traffic Officers - a friend of mine.
On arrival at the hospital, one of the emergency doctors gave us the worst possible news. Jane had died just as the ambulance had arrived at the hospital. Her injuries were very severe and there was nothing they could do to save her.
To say that losing someone in a road accident is a life-changing experience would be a major understatement. No-one should have to bury their children, and no-one should have to go through what my parents went through, and are still going through.
The Cavalier driver survived, albeit with some very serious injuries. He was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving and sentenced to 3 years in prison, with a 5 year ban. Two other innocent drivers received broken legs in the accident.
I always viewed fatal accidents as something which happened to someone else - something interesting to deal with at work, and something tragic to read about in the paper, just before I turned the page to see what's on telly tonight.
There are still over 3,000 families a year who go through a similar experience.
Is there a point to my post? Well, despite what happened, I never lost any of my enthusiasm for motoring and driving, and those familiar with my previous posts will know that I'm not a big supporter of the over simplistic "speed kills" campaign.
I suppose my point is this - it can happen to any of us at any time. Let's look after each other a bit more out there shall we?
Oh, and spare a thought for Jane tonight - it's 13 years ago to the day since we lost her.
Edited by R_U_LOCAL on Tuesday 31st July 16:11
Thanks for all the messages of sympathy - I didn't post the story with the intention of fishing for sympathy, but your messages are appreciated all the same.
It actually wasn't that difficult to write. I've had a long time to think about what happened and I've never avoided the subject, preferring to speak openly about what happened.
If just one person reads the story and alters their behaviour just slightly, then it was worth posting.
I'm not suggesting for one minute that anyone on here would drive in a similar manner, but we've al had our aggressive "moments of madness", as Trax pointed out...
As I mentioned in my post, remember that these things can hapen to anyone, and we need to look after each other a bit better on the roads.
It actually wasn't that difficult to write. I've had a long time to think about what happened and I've never avoided the subject, preferring to speak openly about what happened.
If just one person reads the story and alters their behaviour just slightly, then it was worth posting.
I'm not suggesting for one minute that anyone on here would drive in a similar manner, but we've al had our aggressive "moments of madness", as Trax pointed out...
Trax said:
Just thinking of the things I used to do after I had passed my test in the late eighties, driving the old mans MG Montego, it could have been me driving the cavalier......
It could so easily have been me at one point in my life too, which is why my parents worried so much when I went out in the car. My mum still worries now and I'm a Police instructor!As I mentioned in my post, remember that these things can hapen to anyone, and we need to look after each other a bit better on the roads.
scissorhands83 said:
would like her to learn the hard way and ring the BiB, but don't want it to go like that
Please do it Matt. You don't have to leave your details and the information will be treated seriously. Give them vehicle details and when she's most likely to be driving.If it prevents someone going through what my family went through, it'll be worth it.
Thanks once again for all your messages. The anniversary is always a difficult time, particularly for our mum, but she's ok and we've had a nice day in the decent weather today.
Skeggysteve, I'm sorry, but your stepson's accident was a little before my time - I didn't join the Police until 1990. If you're still having problems because of your experiences, then you should never be ashamed to seek out help or councelling. I went through a breakdown about 8 years after Jane's accident, mainly because of some deep-seated issues I hadn't dealt with at the time. I'd been so busy trying to get my parents through it that I forgot about myself and it came back to haunt me. A little councelling with an excellent specialist soon sorted out my thought processes and had me back on track.
To those of you who have suggested I write a book, well, I'm flattered. I'm not sure whether my ramblings would be good enough to make it into print, and I wouldn't have the slightest idea how to go about it, but maybe I'll give it some thought.
Skeggysteve, I'm sorry, but your stepson's accident was a little before my time - I didn't join the Police until 1990. If you're still having problems because of your experiences, then you should never be ashamed to seek out help or councelling. I went through a breakdown about 8 years after Jane's accident, mainly because of some deep-seated issues I hadn't dealt with at the time. I'd been so busy trying to get my parents through it that I forgot about myself and it came back to haunt me. A little councelling with an excellent specialist soon sorted out my thought processes and had me back on track.
To those of you who have suggested I write a book, well, I'm flattered. I'm not sure whether my ramblings would be good enough to make it into print, and I wouldn't have the slightest idea how to go about it, but maybe I'll give it some thought.
Edited by R_U_LOCAL on Wednesday 1st August 21:07
XMG5 said:
R_U_LOCAL said:
scissorhands83 said:
would like her to learn the hard way and ring the BiB, but don't want it to go like that
Please do it Matt. You don't have to leave your details and the information will be treated seriously. Give them vehicle details and when she's most likely to be driving.If it prevents someone going through what my family went through, it'll be worth it.
Of course it didn't have anything to do with the fact that it was a CID BiB drink driver I suppose.
One quick phonecall to his Inspector and the information was taken. Whether they did anything with it is another matter of course.
I'll make sure it's passed on to the relevent departments and anonymity isn't a problem.
blueacid said:
GreatGranny said:
The thread is 8 years old!!!
And? It doesn't make it any less relevant today as it was when first penned.It is an old post, but even 21 years later, the events of that night still affect us all. Mum died last November and is now buried with Jane. There was always something missing from mum after Jane died, and we like to think she's finally settled now they're together again.
The accident had a huge effect on me too, and was - and still is - by far my biggest motivation in trying to improve driving standards. I never lost my enthusiasm for motoring, and if my posts and book just make one person think twice about making a bad decision on the road, I'll be happy.
Pot Bellied Fool said:
We're all here because we're enthusiasts - and rereading that original post brought a tear to the eye again, I can only imagine how hard it must've been to write so eloquently on that topic.
I found your videos helpfull when I was going in for my advanced - err, you mentioned a book? Go on... plug please...
Click my username!I found your videos helpfull when I was going in for my advanced - err, you mentioned a book? Go on... plug please...
Print copy should be available in time for Easter.
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