Crash on F3

[Humpy]

Tonight there was a serious crash on the mooney mooney bridge

I dont know much about it, but aparently 2 cars were on fire and the cops had closed both directions

It also took me an extra 1.5 hours to get home

[baby_troupe]

20 cars involved aparently & a truck.
Road was closed in both directionss so they could land helicopters on the bridge.

I turned off at Calga after seeing the electronic signs warning of an accident on the bridge & extensive delays & was home on time ;)

[Ford Mav]

Hey Humpy- so long as it dont happen on the 21-11-04 i wont be fussed bout it. was anyone hurt that u heard of?

i just saw it on the news, a few people were killed and some more were seriously injured, very nasty indeed

[Ford Mav]

i dont like it when accidents happen like this one- first question was probably- was the 4wd at fault?

[Humpy]

Report from news.com.au

Multiple fatalities feared in car crash
October 22, 2004

MULTIPLE fatalities are feared after a horror smash involving about 22 cars north of Sydney late today.

It was believed a semi-trailer ploughed through an earlier accident past the Mooney Mooney bridge between Sydney and Gosford involving about 15 cars, a spokesman for the Westpac Rescue helicopter said.

"A semi-trailer either lost its brakes or failed to stop and ploughed through the cars," the spokesman said.

"One car burst into flames and two others were on fire."

Police have not yet confirmed earlier reports of multiple fatalities.

At least three lanes of the F3 are closed.

Two helicopters, fire rescue crews and ambulances were at the scene.

The spokesman said rescue efforts were being hampered because mobile phone lines were jammed.

"We're appealing that motorists just get off their phones so emergency crews can use their phones," he said.

Another minor accident on the southern side of the bridge was contributing to traffic problems.

Westpac Rescue Helicopter spokesman Colin Fraser later told Sky News as many as 30 cars could be involved. One of the burning cars had simply "exploded" he said.

Parts of cars and debris had been flung around the site of the accident, Mr Fraser said.

[Humpy]

20 cars involved aparently & a truck.
Road was closed in both directionss so they could land helicopters on the bridge.

I turned off at Calga after seeing the electronic signs warning of an accident on the bridge & extensive delays & was home on time ;)


What time did you come through, it took me 45 minutes to get near the pacific highway at calga, when I decided it would be faster to go via peates ridge

[baby_troupe]

What time did you come through, it took me 45 minutes to get near the pacific highway at calga, when I decided it would be faster to go via peates ridge

Left Hornsby at 5:25, so would have been close to 6pm

I went down the old rd across Mooney Creek at the bottom of the hill.

Very nice drive, especially in the ute ;)

[Humpy]

One dead 22-vehicle accident
October 22, 2004

ONE person died when a car exploded in flames in a massive smash involving at least 22 vehicles north of Sydney, emergency services said tonight.

A truck is understood to have ploughed through stationary traffic brought to a standstill by an earlier 15-car accident on the F3 freeway between Sydney and Gosford.

NSW Fire Brigades spokesman Cameron Wade said nine people were injured in the accident which occurred about 6pm (AEST) just north of the Mooney Mooney bridge.

At least 50 people were involved in the crash, with the accident scene covering a 1km stretch of road, Mr Wade said.

An ambulance spokesman said a 45-year-old man had been airlifted to Newcastle's John Hunter Hospital with head, chest and leg injuries.

A 45-year-old Gosford woman had been airlifted to Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital with a fractured arm and minor head injuries.

Both were in a serious condition.

Seven other people were taken to hospitals in Gosford and Wyong suffering minor injuries and 25 others, who were uninjured, had been bussed to a local club.

"At this stage we can confirm that unfortunately one person is deceased," the ambulance spokesman said.

Mr Wade said the victim had been in a car that caught fire.

"There was a car on fire and that's where the fatality occurred," he said.

Westpac rescue helicopter spokesman Colin Fraser said it was rare to see an accident of this scale in Australia.

"It's certainly the biggest motor vehicle accident that the rescue helicopter has ever been involved in," he said.

It was a matter of luck that more people were not injured or killed, he said.

A man who witnessed the crash said he saw a semi-trailer plough into three lanes of stationary traffic, causing one car to explode.

"There's cars just popping as this semi-trailer just basically ploughed through three lanes of stationary traffic," the witness told radio 2GB.

"At least one car exploded ... it was like something out of a movie."

Rural Fire Service spokesman Tony Marsh told Sky News that about 100 emergency personnel had responded to the crash.

He said rescuers had had to contend with leaking fuel posing a fire hazard.

Mr Fraser said the truck was believed to have crashed into 15 north-bound cars involved in an earlier accident. "A semi-trailer either lost its brakes or failed to stop and ploughed through the cars," he said.

The accident closed lanes across the bridge, causing traffic gridlock.

Rescue efforts were also hampered by another minor accident on the south side of the bridge, probably caused by "rubber necking," Mr Fraser said.

Investigators were expected to take until about midnight (AEST) to finish their preliminary work and begin moving wrecked vehicles.

[baby_troupe]

Just think, it could have very easily been one of us, an innocent victim to an out of control vehicle. :'(

[Humpy]

Scary isnt it

Being in the wrong place at the wrong time is all it takes

[taziiy]

Thats not good at all havent had a big one like that in ages

[baby_troupe]

I just heard on the news that the truck was not registerred & not insured.
Also that the reason it was not registerred was because it had failed a brakes test.

Makes you wonder if the driver is in with a chance of a Manslaughter charge, especially considerring a lady was killed.

[taziiy]

I would say he would be even if it was regoed and insured i think he still would be

yep i reckon hes GOOOOOONE..... ;D

[Humpy]

Is the truck owned by a company or the driver?

If its owned by a company, they should be in more trouble than the driver

lock him up and throw away the key >:( idiots like that don't deserve to be in society.

[2 BRUTAL]

if it is a company truck then yes they will also cop it, but it still does come back on the driver's responsibility to ensure the rig he is driving is safe, if he knew it was faulty before he hopped in well he's cactus.
there was a case like this not long ago up in Toowoomba where a truck rolled and killed some one in a car and the truck was faulty and both the company and driver knew about it, he was jailed i think and the company fined heaps.

Is the truck owned by a company or the driver?

If its owned by a company, they should be in more trouble than the driver
i heard on the news he was an owner/operator, me thinks hes in deep deep sh#t ;D

[baby_troupe]

i heard on the news he was an owner/operator, me thinks hes in deep deep sh#t ;D


I guess there is a lesson it it for everyone, make sure your vehicle is always roadworthy & do not drive it it is not registerred.


Accidents do happen & this is yet another that regardless of the outcome, has cost 2 lives, the one of the lady killed & the one of the lazy / cheap sod who failed to keep his vehicle roadworthy.