Shocking story

[Breezy_Pete]

Someone I knew took this way out, except without involving the call handler. Wife had run off with a workmate of his.

[hutchysrs50]

Someone I knew took this way out, except without involving the call handler. Wife had run off with a workmate of his.

As you said earlier, it's a horrible way for other people. The lorry drivers life will be changed forever that's for sure, probably never sleep in a lorry every again and may end her career alltogether.

As for the call handler, not as bad i suppose but worse for the people that have to do the cleaning up.

[john999boy]

Two threads merged and relocated to Roadside due to the horrific nature of the event.

[moley]

Move the stick to neutral... apply brake...use handbrake....

Sorry but I don't believe it

Spot on,

You're in a panic, the car won't stop, you're going faster and faster.......I know I'll car the police.

[fordfan]

One of those articles mentions:

 

The Skoda continued to accelerate and hit a top speed of 119mph, with the accelerator pedal pressed two-thirds of the way down, two seconds before the impact.

The car hit the lorry at 94mph, with the accelerator fully off.

 

That implies that it lost 25mph in two seconds, which contradicts what the driver reported.

[kentphil1]

Not a nice way to go, but sounds like it might be a case of suicide, but able to blame a fault to possibly to claim life insurance for surviving family?

 

Whatever, my thoughts are with the family, not a nice thing to remember Christmas for now.

[Ryeman]

Was it reported in The Times?.

Or

Was it in the tabloids only?.

[mac11irl]

Often the case that people who opt for suicide their friends have no idea whats going on in their head.

in his mind, he may have looked at it that putting in the call would cast doubt over it being a suicide so benefits wouldnt be witheld from next of kin, or just didnt want the stigma to follow them... tragic no matrer what his reasoning.

Fluctuations in speed/throttle before the impact... he may have changed his mind about it... or was thinking about putting it in the bank/bridge abutment etc and didnt realise the lorry was there (at 116mph things come into vision pretty quick in the dark..) until it was truly too late to avoid

Does pushing the brake pedal not cut fuel system in a new octy like it does in a older one? Even just gently apply the handbrake, little by little it will stop reasonably safely. Ditch it in the verge..

[Ryeman]

Post #2 more likely.

Some years ago on our eastern tollway, a bloke rang the police saying he couldn't stop his Ford Explorer (remember the tyre blowout 'scandal' that destroyed Firestone, now Bridgestone, which proved that air in your tyres does make a difference)

Lots of publicity later, he jammed on the brakes and it stopped........so did the publicity.

It was taken away and interrogated with nothing to show.

But it was great fun for the media.

Apparently you just can't be too sure about that thing in your garage!

[moley]

Was it reported in The Times?.

Or

Was it in the tabloids only?.

The Telegraph.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/24/drivers-last-moments-recorded-999-call-ashe-tells-operator-cars/

 

DSG box if he was in sport mode, which is easy to put into neutral.

 

 

The call handler  asked: "Can you slow to a stop by braking? Can you try to control the car's speed using your gears?"

"I am trying. It is not stopping at neutral," said Mr Gandhi, before a faint beep could be heard as he tried turning off his engine by pressing the start-stop button."I have kept pressing the button, but all it makes is a noise," he said. "My speed is increasing. I think what has happened was I tried to change the mode on the car, because I was on the sports mode. I pressed a button to come onto the normal mode and then it is not allowing me to do anything."

[Clunkclick]

Often the case that people who opt for suicide their friends have no idea whats going on in their head.

in his mind, he may have looked at it that putting in the call would cast doubt over it being a suicide so benefits wouldnt be witheld from next of kin, or just didnt want the stigma to follow them... tragic no matrer what his reasoning.

Fluctuations in speed/throttle before the impact... he may have changed his mind about it... or was thinking about putting it in the bank/bridge abutment etc and didnt realise the lorry was there (at 116mph things come into vision pretty quick in the dark..) until it was truly too late to avoid

Does pushing the brake pedal not cut fuel system in a new octy like it does in a older one? Even just gently apply the handbrake, little by little it will stop reasonably safely. Ditch it in the verge..

That part of the M40 is well lit. 

 

That layby is on the Eastbound carriageway going into London, just at the point where the motorway crosses the River Colne. After this point the motorway climbs steeply to the hill at what used to be Swakeleys roundabout. Motorway at that point runs on a slight raised embankment, so the slope beyond the the safety carriageway is down. From memory the nearest overflying bridge abutments are well to the west of the lay-by, two junctions down, on each side of the M25 junction

 

Harrow resident. So, unless he was coming back from a night out out of town (Wycombe, Beaconsfield)  he must have driven out of town on the Westbound carriagway and left the motorway at a junction and reversed direction and come back on the Eastbound carriageway.. The first junction allowing a reversal of direction is the Denham junction, then comes the M25 (Which doesn't allow  turn around) and then the next allowing a turn around is Beaconsfield. Denham junction is not far enoough distant from the lay-by to have given him sufficient time to make the call to the Police. So, if he wasn't coming back from a night out, it would have been Beaconsfield. surely,the cameras at the junctions would have spotted him.

 

 

What ever the reason, tragic for all concerned.

 

N.

Edited 25 November, 2016 by Clunkclick

[Yaris]

Life insurance job

[DamoR]

Just read this and was about to post it.. seems someone beat me to it.. 

 

Like many others i find it impossible to believe this is true, even if all else fails a central reservation would be good enough to grind you to a stop! I would definitely find another option than the back of a lorry...

[Ryeman]

Did the story originate on the internet?.

[Ally_bassman]

The more I think about it, the more I believe it was a suicide/life insurance / lawsuit payout job.

[Clunkclick]

Fake/spun/ over-prominent News of the Macedonian variety or someone spoofing that ?

 

The story line has the sort of macarbre conclusion favoured by the Eastern European types and the sensationlist press.

 

But, if it was a spoof, who would have the contacts with  authors in that neck of the woods to do that ? 

 

Official listing would suggest essential info not fake -

 

http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/community/births,-deaths,-marriages-and-civil-partnerships/coroner/buckinghamshire-forthcoming-inquests/

 

Also, marginal choice of car for one of the Asians in Harrow. Most drives, even of the smallest dwellings, have Mercedes or perhaps BMW on them , with the less well financially disposed going for Fords and the older generation going for Hondas and Nissans.

 

Quite honestly, with the condition and loading (I.g. insecure scaffle boards and cleared building debris) of most light goods and some tradesmen vehicles  round here, especially incomers, your're more likely to come a cropper in the same fashion just pootling along on a residential street and having to come to  quick stop. But the boys in blue/Highways agency bods never seem to spot that.

 

You know what's going to happen next, all the boy racers will start midnight jaunts up and down that section and before you can say knife there will be an increased police presence and average speed cameras. No ASC's to date . . because of the Isis connection ?

 

I have to change my route.

 

N

Edited 25 November, 2016 by Clunkclick

[Clunkclick]

Life insurance job

I hope he got his "Parky" pen . . . coat being 3-D printed.

 

N.

[mikey vrs]

Terrible for his family & the driver of the truck & the emergancy crews who had to deal with it but as others have said something isnt right with this,why not just put it in neutral & brake & let the engine keep reving & pull over,most motorways have camera's so is there any footage of the car showing the driver applying the brakes to try to slow it down? What have other drives reported they saw as he past them? 

Edited 25 November, 2016 by mikey vrs

[Clunkclick]

What also seems odd with this story, is that the layby isn't really suitable for an overnight truck stop. Its not set back from the road, its just a hard shoulder on the side the A40 - and a grotty one at that.  The only time I have seen vehicles using it is during the day, when  rod fishermen and walkers park-up before visiting the banks of the river Colne. 

 

Very strange story..

 

 

N

Edited 25 November, 2016 by Clunkclick

[KenONeill]

What also seems odd with this story, is that the layby isn't really suitable for an overnight truck stop. Its not set back from the road, its just a hard shoulder on the side the A40 - and a grotty one at that.  The only time I have seen vehicles using it is during the day, when  rod fishermen and walkers park-up before visiting the banks of the river Colne. 

 

Very strange story..

 

 

N

One regular complaint from truck drivers in the magazines is "there's nowhere left to park after 6PM".

[Aspman]

Sad but don't believe it.

 

VWs cut the fuel when you press the brake. Ever tried left foot braking in a VRS, you can't. You could still turn the key as a last resort.

 

How many of these stories over the years have been proved to have been technical failures? Not many.

Edited 25 November, 2016 by Aspman

[Clunkclick]

One regular complaint from truck drivers in the magazines is "there's nowhere left to park after 6PM".

But there used to be a  well known massive local authority run lorry park run by Ealing Council just 2.5 miles down the A40 towards London (Target roundabout, Northolt). Complete with lighting, surveillence, security fencing, bogs.

 

No. Just checked on Google Earth. Its no longer there. Its been turned into some peculiar type of park/recreational facility.

 

Nearest one is 5 miles down the A40 in Acton.

 

You're right. There should be one at the Denham/Uxbridge junction - plenty of scrubby unused poor quality green belt there. In fact, wasn't it dear John Major who backed the proposal in the 1990sl for the  ro-ro train/truck Charter rail depot at that location (Now near St Albans, due to Nimby protests). They will probably need one there and a few others in the Heathrow locality if they go ahead with the third runway.

 

The other strange thing is that the Ocado trunker flat bed (sans load) is parked-up on the eastbound carriageway going into London. His nearest Ocado distribution site is Hatfield (North of London). Ocado is an on-line only service.  If he is feeding that distribution centre with materials what's he doing empty (Pick-up run ?) on the Eastbound A 40. He should be in the countryside North, West or East of Hatfield on his way to a farm or farmer' distribution centre. So, he shouldn't be near London, At worst,  he should be on the M25 parking-up on one of the service areas if time on his tacho has expired.

 

 

Nick

Edited 25 November, 2016 by Clunkclick

[Gaz]

The more I think about it, the more I believe it was a suicide/life insurance / lawsuit payout job.

 

Me too, and not wishing to speak ill of the dead, but what a selfish act if it was.

 

Gaz

[octyal]

There are a lot of inconsistencies with this story, and plenty of things that could have been tried to slow the car down. What bugs me, is in the story it reads he was in the middle lane - so how did he hit a lorry parked in a layby, unless he purposely aimed for it?

[GentleGiant]

As many others have said, this story smells.

 

If you are trying to slow down, you dont have your foot hard on the go pedal.