Tipper Truck incident in Bath
Discussion
Here's a bit more info in the local paper. Lack of weight limit confirmed; I doubt that will be the case for long.
http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/ggjh/story-25998229...
http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/ggjh/story-25998229...
RobinOakapple said:
Looked like quite an old lorry as far as I could tell...
Don't get a job retailing tipper then - that was a not too old Scania. 8 wheel tippers are built like brick outhouses and can last ages.Tippers are a very 'difficult' bit of kit with regard to maintenance and legality. I have a customer (won't say where) who has a very large fleet and says that despite very regular maintenance and checks (trucks used off-highway would normally have to get an MOT every 6 weeks) effectively, it's impossible to keep trucks 'legal'. This might be an obscured light or number plate (due to muck) or a missing mudflap (yes the law can pull HGVs for that, torn off during an off road trip on site. Lugging 20 odd tonnes of muck or aggregate on and off road, daily, is a very tough job. A truck could leave the yard legal first thing in the morning and be illegal - possibly even unsafe due to serious site damage - by lunchtime.
It could be a very, very unlucky, tragic failure, or it could also be a negligent lack of maintenance. All the tachos, daily checks, MOTs and service records will be being scrutinised. Whatever, the driver's life is certainly amongst those ruined.
A very good friend of mine was involved driving a newish BMW which was crushed. She escaped with bruising and shock thank goodness. I think she was lucky she was in a modern beemer to be honest. It's terrible. I use that road a lot. I thought there was a weight limit, but it seems not.
It is tricky sticking to 20 in a car, let alone a huge lorry I should imagine.
My thoughts are with all involved. I am a bit choked to be honest.
It is tricky sticking to 20 in a car, let alone a huge lorry I should imagine.
My thoughts are with all involved. I am a bit choked to be honest.
That hill is steep, When I started driving (17) the instructor asked if I could drive.. Yes.. I replied.. we went up to Landsdown and he put me in the car.
"Turn Left along here please.. "
I was on that hill, first time I had been in the car on the road within 3 mins of getting in it.
I suspect the brakes overcooked, He would have been on the brakes all the way down the hill for quite a while.
"Turn Left along here please.. "
I was on that hill, first time I had been in the car on the road within 3 mins of getting in it.
I suspect the brakes overcooked, He would have been on the brakes all the way down the hill for quite a while.
From 1968 in Glasgow:
I remember it well. I used to buy stuff for my chemistry set from that shop.
To show how steep the street was:
A Glasgow Forum said:
The Glasgow Herald in its edition for Monday the 14th October also gave a tribute to the business in a full two-page feature supported by generous advertising from suppliers and others. Little did anyone know that just seven days later on the following Monday the evening papers were to report a different story.
Monday the 21st October, 1968 there?s a fatal lorry accident and Lyon Limited becomes national news. Press reports of the tragedy appeared in the newspapers, radio and television.
This was the disaster that in time was to prove the fatal blow to the future of the business. As the dust settled and the hours and days unfolded the full extent of the drama became clearer. It was a national news item on both television and the radio for a day or two. The following day?s "Glasgow Herald" reported that one customer had died and a further 25 persons were injured, four seriously.
To give you an idea of the force of the crash, it was reported that it was of about a magnitude of 70 tons, "like a tank" and when the lorry was inside the shop there was a distance of 15 feet from the tailboard to the street pavement. The fabric of the whole building was affected and cracks were clearly visible from the front. There was a fear that the it would have to be demolished straightaway, however it was shored up and made safe.
About two weeks after the crash the firm reopened for business, thanks to the goodwill of the community headed by Sir Hugh Fraser, chairman of the House of Fraser. This was done by opening four "Mini shops" one in part of the damaged shop and three others close by in what were empty premises.
The hope was that in time the building could be repaired and the business could resume as it was before the disaster. However time went on and it became clear that eventually the damaged building would have to be demolished. The lorry was pulled out a few weeks after the accident and the police brought charges against its owner and the driver.
When the case came to the Sheriff Court in June 1969 an expert police mechanic said, "No driver in his right mind should have taken that lorry on the road." It had a faulty braking system, a tyre with no trace of a tread, a faulty warning buzzer and an ineffective handbrake. The driver admitted that he had little experience of lorries, having only driven vans until he started driving that lorry three months previously. However he was found guilty of negligence and fined £60 together with a licence endorsement. The owner of the lorry got away with it as ownership of the lorry was vested in the name of his company. This company was still trading in 1993, still in the phone book at that time.
Monday the 21st October, 1968 there?s a fatal lorry accident and Lyon Limited becomes national news. Press reports of the tragedy appeared in the newspapers, radio and television.
This was the disaster that in time was to prove the fatal blow to the future of the business. As the dust settled and the hours and days unfolded the full extent of the drama became clearer. It was a national news item on both television and the radio for a day or two. The following day?s "Glasgow Herald" reported that one customer had died and a further 25 persons were injured, four seriously.
To give you an idea of the force of the crash, it was reported that it was of about a magnitude of 70 tons, "like a tank" and when the lorry was inside the shop there was a distance of 15 feet from the tailboard to the street pavement. The fabric of the whole building was affected and cracks were clearly visible from the front. There was a fear that the it would have to be demolished straightaway, however it was shored up and made safe.
About two weeks after the crash the firm reopened for business, thanks to the goodwill of the community headed by Sir Hugh Fraser, chairman of the House of Fraser. This was done by opening four "Mini shops" one in part of the damaged shop and three others close by in what were empty premises.
The hope was that in time the building could be repaired and the business could resume as it was before the disaster. However time went on and it became clear that eventually the damaged building would have to be demolished. The lorry was pulled out a few weeks after the accident and the police brought charges against its owner and the driver.
When the case came to the Sheriff Court in June 1969 an expert police mechanic said, "No driver in his right mind should have taken that lorry on the road." It had a faulty braking system, a tyre with no trace of a tread, a faulty warning buzzer and an ineffective handbrake. The driver admitted that he had little experience of lorries, having only driven vans until he started driving that lorry three months previously. However he was found guilty of negligence and fined £60 together with a licence endorsement. The owner of the lorry got away with it as ownership of the lorry was vested in the name of his company. This company was still trading in 1993, still in the phone book at that time.
I remember it well. I used to buy stuff for my chemistry set from that shop.
To show how steep the street was:
Edited by matchmaker on Tuesday 10th February 12:56
jogon said:
camshafted said:
Locals say the driver is 19.
I thought you might need to be older to have an HGV Licence but a quick google seems 18 is when you can apply. Used to be 21 though back in 2009. Hooli said:
jogon said:
camshafted said:
Locals say the driver is 19.
I thought you might need to be older to have an HGV Licence but a quick google seems 18 is when you can apply. Used to be 21 though back in 2009. On a similar tack, I've had a few near-misses with tractors & trailers/implements travelling at unsuitable speeds whilst driven by very young operators.
gareth_r said:
This is being discussed on Radio 2.
Nobody appears to have used Google to check the signs at the entrance to Lansdown Lane (6ft width limit except for access - August 2012).
Meanwhile, up thread:Nobody appears to have used Google to check the signs at the entrance to Lansdown Lane (6ft width limit except for access - August 2012).
Edited by gareth_r on Tuesday 10th February 13:55
ewenm said:
I drove down it about 2 hours earlier. As it happens the width-restriction sign at the top has been flattened by someone earlier. So I guess the tipper driver if not local may not have seen it.
Tragic incident.
Tragic incident.
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