12 December 2010

Macgregor smash

| johnboy
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This in from ACT Policing:

ACT Policing’s Collision, Investigation & Reconstruction Team is seeking witnesses to a serious collision that occurred early today (Sunday December 12) in Macgregor.

Police were called to Osburn Drive near Cannan Circuit at 12.55am, where a green Holden Commodore sedan had collided with a tree.

Initial investigations indicate the Commodore was travelling in a southerly direction along Osburn Drive when the driver lost control of his vehicle, and crossed onto the incorrect side of the road, colliding with the tree.

The driver of the Commodore, a 23-year-old man, was taken to the Canberra Hospital where he remains in a critical condition.

Police are appealing for anyone with any information on the collision, or anyone who may have seen the green Holden Commodore in the Macgregor area early this morning to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or via the Crime Stoppers website on www.act.crimestoppers.com.au.

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Holden Caulfield11:40 am 17 Dec 10

@damien haas, AFAIK if a road fatal is deemed as a suicide it is not counted in the official road toll stats.

Im curious to know how many road related fatalities are actually suicides. Is this figure reflected in any official statistics ?

johnboy said :

As a policeman had to drive the ambulance to let the paramedics both work on him it might not be long.

Apparently not uncommon practice, as a Police Officer friend relates – especially at night, when other ambos are indisposed.

I seem to recall alcohol being a factor in a motorcycle accident not 500m further up Osburn Drive. Remember kids; “drink OR drive”… Life seems a hefty price for a few moments of carelessness…

The accident occurred at the bottom of a long downhill stretch and on a bend. He has clipped the centre median strip and spun his car, hitting the gutter, then the tree. Car ended up facing in the opposite direction to his route of travel. Hard to tell if he was actually intending to turn right into Cannan Crescent from Osburn Drive, or just happened to clip the median strip.

Lots of damage to the vehicle, plenty of damage to him. I would be surprised if it doesn’t become a fatal.

It’s very easy to build up speed on that stretch of the road. There was a fair bit of alcohol involved as well, which never helps.

Nothing here that a few more speed cameras won’t fix, eh Jon?

Jethro said :

Just more of the same for this part of town.

Flipper said :

Flipper said :

Sorry Deref, got your name wrong!!

😉 No worries, Flipper.

Car accidents happen everywhere …..drrr

Flipper said :

Sorry Deref, got your name wrong!!

😉 No worries, Flipper.

I doubt it was a suicide attempt… far better spots nearby to choose for that, especially Parkwood Road or even Southern Cross Drive, where you could get far better speed up prior to collision.

Sorry Deref, got your name wrong!!

Have to say the emergency response was amazing. So fast!! It seemed only a couple of minutes after the sound, the 000 call, and they were there!! Very impressive.

georgesgenitals12:50 pm 12 Dec 10

He may have accelerated hoping to get around the corner quickly, as this is a standard way of stabilising a large, rear wheel drive when pushing hard through a corner.

Of course, he may have just been a clueless bugger.

I Gerry-Built, yes that stretch is fairly straight but he crashed in front of the Service Station just before the bridge over Ginninderra Creek. There’s a bit of a curve there and it sounded like he accelerated into that curve. Have to say, getting there and looking at the tyre marks and the broken glass, it’s hard to visualize what actually happened. I’m wondering if he lost control, over-corrected and shot to the other side (skid marks), bounced off the gutter and shot back across the road into the tree. The car was thoroughly crunched on both sides and, when the report said that he had been ejected from the car, it looked more as if the car disappeared from around him. I know they had to use the Fire Engine (maybe the jaws of life) to get him out from under / between?

Do I think it was a suicide effort? Don’t know – too many people drive stupidly along there (he, exactly the Osburn Speedway despite the calming stuff – more like fun launching pads) but he was alone and not driving like that to impress anyone. Still think it’s just a touch of hormones to the head and got (literally) carried away.

And Dered, the tree definitely won the encounter. Despite the impact, the tree has just lost some bark. Otherwise, still intact.

Trees 1, idiot 0.

Plant more trees!

Just more of the same for this part of town.

Flipper said :

Distinctly heard the acceleration because often hear speedway action on that stretch of road.

…ah, yes… “Osburn Speedway” as it is called locally… I think the “traffic calming measures” increased the speeds of drivers who already sped though there…

Flipper said :

I heard him suddenly accelerate into the corner

That stretch is pretty straight – where did it happen? Oh well, he’s paying a bigger price right now than if the Police had caught him…

As a policeman had to drive the ambulance to let the paramedics both work on him it might not be long.

Waiting For Godot12:01 pm 12 Dec 10

wonder how drunk this one was and how much speed was the factor… that’s a pretty straight piece of road…

Sounds more like a suicide to me. Straight road, early hours of the morning. I’m surprised the police didn’t say there were “no suspicious circumstances”.

Sorry ’bout that, I meant to say “attempted suicide”. If he had succeeded the police would have rolled out their stock/standard euphemism for suicide long before this.

wonder how drunk this one was and how much speed was the factor… that’s a pretty straight piece of road…

What is it with people losing control, crossing over the wrong side of the road and crashing into trees in West Belco last night? Someone crashed a volvo into a pine tree on Britten-Jones Drive (the golf course) at about 9.l5pm, good thing it was a solid car, or there would have been some pretty good injuries. Speed on a bendy road = big bang! Just lucky no one was coming the other way, or they would have been cleaned up.

I live nearby and heard it – went to see and was horrible. Only thing I can add was that I heard him suddenly accelerate into the corner before the sound of brakes and then the crunch. Distinctly heard the acceleration because often hear speedway action on that stretch of road.

Waiting For Godot11:44 am 12 Dec 10

wonder how drunk this one was and how much speed was the factor… that’s a pretty straight piece of road…

Sounds more like a suicide to me. Straight road, early hours of the morning. I’m surprised the police didn’t say there were “no suspicious circumstances”.

wonder how drunk this one was and how much speed was the factor… that’s a pretty straight piece of road…

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