2nd Truck Crash at Glen Osmond Freeway intersection in a week.

[Zippy]

From The Advertiser online 'adelaidenow':

SECOND CRASH AT 'CHAOS CORNER'

ONE PERSON has been taken to hospital after a semi-trailer collided with seven vehicles at Glen Osmond this morning causing traffic chaos.

It is believed the injured person, who has been taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital, has a "bump on the head" and has not been seriously injured.

Police say  it is a miracle no one else was badly hurt.

The accident happened at the Glen Osmond Rd-Portrush Rd intersection, below the Heysen Tunnels, about 9am.

The crash involved a semi-trailer  with an attached trailer loaded with quarry products and seven  other cars and commercial vehicles, littering the intersection with debris.

Traffic from the Hills and through the interesction faces serious delay. The down track is restricted to two lanes and the up track to one.

Last Thursday morning at the same intersection, a woman leapt to safety from a bus shelter just before it was destroyed by an out-of-control semi-trailer, after the truck hit several vehicles on the South Eastern Freeway.

Miraculously, no one was seriously hurt as the truck hurtled down from the Hills before hitting the Glen Osmond Rd bus shelter and coming to rest against the wall of a convent about 7.15am.

The truck driver, 33, from Echuca in Victoria, was later charged with dangerous driving and failing to maintain his log book. He was bailed to appear in Adelaide Magistrates Court on November 11 and said he was relieved "no one died".

Crafers man Mathew Job, 20, whose car was clipped by the truck, said a woman in the bus shelter looked up just in time to jump to safety.

"She dropped her bags and sprinted across the road," he said.

Mr Job's car was hit at the intersection of Glen Osmond, Cross and Portrush roads, as was a second car and a truck.

After destroying the bus shelter, the semi-trailer slammed into the Sisters of Carmelite convent on the western side of Glen Osmond Rd. Its overheated brakes then started a fire, which was quickly extinguished by firefighters. Chris Gent, whose car was the first to be hit, said his fiance, Tanya Nottage, was taken to hospital with back pains.

"It could have been a lot worse. It was all over in a split second," he said.

Police said they did not know why the driver did not use an arrester bed designed to stop trucks with brake failure.

Sister Margaret Hocking from the convent said she "thought someone was trying to blow us up".

What does everyone think of this?!?   Lack of driver training?!?   Another arrestor bed required just before the intersection??

This mornings smash appeared to have caused more harm then last weeks with numerous people involved and 8 cars totaled/damaged.

[6739264]

Its no real use having ANOTHER arrester bed between the one on Boral corner and the lights. Trucks lose their brakes well before that.

[CFS_Firey]

No charges have been laid against a truck driver whose vehicle slammed into seven cars at a busy Adelaide intersection this morning.
It is believed that the truck's brakes failed as it approached the tollgate on the South Eastern Freeway at Glen Osmond, just after 9:00am ACST.
The 43-year-old driver tried to steer his semi-trailer onto the other side of the road but its trailer jack-knifed, hitting a number of cars waiting to turn into Portrush Road.
Superintendent Tony Rankine says it is the second serious crash at the intersection in less than a week.
"We'll certainly liaise with the Department of Transport and any other interested parties to see whether or not there are commonalities (sic) in both of those accidents or both those crashes that we can make recommendations or take appropriate action from," he said.
Several people were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/11/2030233.htm

[Pipster]

It'd be nice if the info being put out in the media was correct (not sure if the errors are in the info being provided to the media, or in the author of the story getting it wrong....)

The truck that crashed today was not a B- double at all..but a rigid, with what looked like a dog trailer....major difference to a B-double....

And I suppose, strictly speaking, the intersection of Glen Osmond - Portrush Rd is below the Heysen Tunnels....

And the info about the first crash, stating that the truck (which was a B- double) stated power poles were taken out by the "runaway truck"...I could only find the gooseneck light poles.....only a minor difference!

And then there was the headline in one of the articles I saw today "Chaos Corner"...gee whiz, today's crash didn't look like it was on a corner.... !!

Just a bit of fact, and some correct information in the story might be good!!   

Pip

[alphaone]

It'd be nice if the info being put out in the media was correct (not sure if the errors are in the info being provided to the media, or in the author of the story getting it wrong....)

The truck that crashed today was not a B- double at all..but a rigid, with what looked like a dog trailer....major difference to a B-double....

And I suppose, strictly speaking, the intersection of Glen Osmond - Portrush Rd is below the Heysen Tunnels....

And the info about the first crash, stating that the truck (which was a B- double) stated power poles were taken out by the "runaway truck"...I could only find the gooseneck light poles.....only a minor difference!

And then there was the headline in one of the articles I saw today "Chaos Corner"...gee whiz, today's crash didn't look like it was on a corner.... !!

Just a bit of fact, and some correct information in the story might be good!!   

Pip

I have to agree with you there Pip. it would be nice if the information was correct.

[SA Firey]

Hmm...I was there and definitely no B-Double but I have pictures

The truck has just had new brakes fitted and gone through its Heavy Vehicle Accreditation in the last couple of days.The brakes failed, and the driver attempted to avoid a major collision with other vehicles by trying to cross the median strip resulting in the truck jacknifing into other vehicles.

Fortunately there were only minor injuries and contrary to the media reports the truck driver and his son did not require hospital treatment.

Considering the amount of traffic at the time he did well to only hit eight cars

[SA Firey]

more

[SA Firey]

more

[rescue5271]

Its just another road with a traffic problem,mind you its a very step run down the hill for trucks,and one that would test any driver if the brakes fail......

[Pipster]

But they aren't meant to be sitting on their brakes all the way down!!     

Pip

[SA Firey]

They obviously have'nt had the latest up to date transport industry training where the instructor fails your donkey if you apply the primary brake on a downhill run, mostly due to the fact that a) they are speeding and b) they are not coming down the hill in the gear they go up in

[rescue5271]

Would make a nice hill for a BILLYCART race...