Sad Jeep Story
 

Just got back from driving my 1943 GPW to Cape York (Australia's most northerly point).

Found some good WW2 relics including a Bailey bridge in the jungle leading to an overgrown Radar Station.

Unfortunately I let another bloke have a drive on the way home and he completely destroyed a vehicle 3 weeks out of full restoration. He will spend 6 weeks in hospital but the jeep is dead. Lost concentration on a straight sealed road and put it 30 feet down into a creek.

Lang

PS Going to War and Peace, hope to catch up with some MLU blokes there.

That's just terrible news Lang.
I feel for all concerned.
Rich.

Jeep crash
 

Hi Lang,
Such a sad end to the Jeep :whinge and an intersting trip by the sounds of it!. At least no one was killed which so easily could have been the case. The Jeep can be replaced. Hopefully the driver makes a full and speedy recovery. How did you fare injury wise?. Did the driver sercum to the dreaded abrupt vearing under sudden brakes?. I'm sure this will be well talked about no doubt hopefully you might put pen to paper for the Qld club newsletter?.

Regards,

I was in another vehicle and he was following. Lost sight and went back and found him over the edge. It was a good straight sealed road but the shoulder was narrow before the drop off over the edge.

No Jeep problems. We believe he was distracted.

Tough bloke. Still conscious when we found him - dislocated knee, broken hip, broken pelvis, dislocated elbow and various other things. Thankfully no head, internal or spinal injuries.

As you say, the Jeep can be used as an organ donor for another one.

Lang

We did find this on Cape York leading to an old radar station in the jungle.

Hi Lang,
Very sorry to hear about your jeep loss.
Look forward to catching up at W&P in July.

regards, Richard

Gee, Lang that's no good for either the other bloke or the Jeep. Glad he was not more badly injured.

I lend my vehicles out to other drivers sometimes, but I won't lend one to my brother as he is just too hard on them. (A lesson learnt the hard way more than once.)

Regards Rick.

Ouch!
 

Could have been worse Lang, could have been the Carryall or maybe have had someone travelling with him.
It's always a worry driving other peoples vehicles or having someone drive yours.
Old saying:- neither a borrower nor a lender be.

Dave

More photos

Hi Lang,

Well, in good Aussie vernacular .... bugger! In fact, double bugger!! For both the driver & the jeep. Nasty injuries: was he airlifted out or were you within reach of a town with facilities?

Other than that mishap, sounds like a top trip.

Mike :salute:

Mike

We were only 15km south of Laura on Cape York Peninsula. Local nurses from the Aid Post stabilised him and The Flying Doctor was passing on a routine mission so diverted and arrived within 30 minutes with their own doctor and nurse. Took him back to Cairns where he will be 6-8 weeks.

It was a hell of a job to carry him up the slope from the creek on a plastic back-slab the nurses brought along.

Yes good trip. We had finished anyhow and I was going to throw away the jeep because I did not need it any more!

Lang

Lang,

Sorry to hear about the accident. I think the driver is lucky to survive the crash. Maybe your healthy dose of humour (and sarcasm) will help him to recover soon.

Hanno