* * * Manure Happenz * * *

As is usual, no results of later investigations have been revealed.

Roderick

Bus driver dead after slamming into truck on Western Highway
Herald Sun July 11, 2019
A coach driver who was heading from Adelaide to Melbourne had nowhere to go when the B-double in front of him — driven by an SA man — lost control. He was killed while dozens of his passengers were injured.
A bus driver is dead after slamming into a truck. Picture: Twitter/@tpwkelly
The bus driver killed in this morning’s Western Highway smash has been remembered as a man loved by his colleagues and passengers.
Ferntree Gully man Emil Pich, 60, died after his Melbourne-bound coach smashed into an overturned B-double in Victoria’s northwest this morning.
A Major Collision Investigation Unit probe is underway following the high-impact smash which left 45 bus passengers in hospital. Mr Pich died at the scene.
Dashi Salihovski, a friend of Mr Pich’s and co-worker at Firefly bus company more than 15 years, said he was one of the longest serving and most experienced drivers for the company.
“He was a genuine bloke who was out there to help … a smiling, fun, loveable character,” Mr Salihovski said.
“Passengers who I’ve had in the past always asked about him and asked when he was working next … there was not a bad thing about him at all.”
Mr Salihovski said Emil’s heroic driving was a testament to his character.
“It’s outstanding he saved all of those people on board, but just so tragic he lost his own life.
“I guarantee he’ll be missed very much.”
Emil Pich has been fondly remembered by friends and colleagues. Picture: Facebook
Emil Pich died after his bus collided with a overturned B-double on the Western Highway. Picture: Facebook
Family friend Lindita Jashari, who was also trained by Mr Pich when she completed work experience at Firefly, said she was “shattered” when she received a phone call this morning containing news of the accident.
“It’s just a tragedy. Emil was a good driver and a great person,” she said.
“My father and Emil were very close friends and he was close to the family. He would have done absolutely anything he could have to save those people who were on the bus with him.”
Detective Sergeant Chris Hayes said the B-double truck, carrying tinned goods, was being driven by a 36-year-old man from Murray Bridge in South Australia.
He had a 22-year-old woman from South Australia in the front cabin. Both were uninjured and are assisting investigators.
Det Sgt Hayes said drugs, alcohol, driver distraction and speed will be investigated as possible factors leading to the fatal tragedy.
“Especially with heavy vehicles, we look into the nature of the load, condition of the truck and the chain of responsibility obligations for the trucking company and those who engaged them to transport,” he said.
He warned truck drivers they must take responsibility on the roads.
“While they are driving those trucks, they are at work. They are responsible for the truck’s condition and how they conduct themselves on the road. That includes the management of load, speed they travel at and distractions they may encounter in the cabin,” he said.
Traumatised patients on the roadside. Picture: Twitter/@tpwkelly
Det Sgt Hayes said emergency services extracted the bus passengers from windows and doors of the mangled bus.
He said it was extremely lucky more people were not killed or seriously hurt.
“We are looking at the actions the driver took when he encountered this situation,” he said.
“Sadly it’s had a horrible outcome for him but the potential for further death and serious injury is enormous. I can’t overstate it.”
Emergency services rushed to the Western Highway at Pimpinio, 15km north of Horsham, just after 2am Thursday after reports of the violent crash and found the bus pinned to the truck.
It had smashed into the B-double not long after the truck’s trailers became dislodged blocked both lanes of the highway.
Police are investigating the circumstances of the fatal crash, but officers believe the Firefly coach was unable to avoid the truck.
Despite best efforts of paramedics, the bus driver died at the scene.
Police are in the process of notifying the 60-year-old Ferntree Gully man’s family of the tragedy.
Detective Acting Snr Sgt Andrew Lawrence said the B-double truck, which was travelling southeast along the Western Hwy, lost control and rolled just after 2am.
“Some time later, the passenger bus collided into the underside of the trailer,” he said.
“We do believe the bus driver took evasive action to avoid the collision, but he simply couldn’t due to the position of trailers on the road.”
Up to 50 people were on the bus during the crash. Picture: 9 News
COMMUNITY RALLIES AROUND VICTIMS
The bus was close to capacity and holding up to 50 passengers travelling from Adelaide, and was due to arrive at Southern Cross Station around 7am this morning.
Two crash victims were flown from the scene and taken to hospital in Melbourne, including a man aged in his 40s who is being treated for leg injuries at Royal Melbourne Hospital and a woman aged in her 60s who is being treated for arm injuries at Alfred Hospital.
Another seven people, aged from their teens to their 70s, were treated by paramedics and driven to Wimmera Hospital.
The truck lies across both lanes of the highway after the crash. Picture: ABC Wimmera/Sean Wales/Jennifer Douglas
More than 40 passengers, ranging from teenagers to the elderly aged in their 70s, remain at Wimmera Base Hospital as they wait for their luggage to be offloaded from the crash site.
Hospital director of medical services Alan Wolff said some passengers had already left the hospital earlier for important appointments or hospital transfers, including an 18-year-old boy who was transported to the Alfred this afternoon because of orthopaedic injuries.
“Forty-eight passengers from the bus came through this hospital from about 4.15am this morning … we call them the walking wounded. Most of them thankfully with minor injuries,” he said.
“A number of people needed scans and X-rays … with another requiring further treatment in Melbourne.
“One needed to get to Tasmania for an exam which his Visa depended on and another had an appointment with the Australian embassy.”
Mr Wolff said there was a significant number of young children on board the service.
“One minute they’re asleep on a bus and the next the bus has crashed and they’re being brought out by emergency services,” he said.
“After a high-speed crash, the passengers are in a state of shock … Our social team is doing a great job providing them with warmth, food and extra support.”
An initiative by Horsham Rural City Council and Wimmera Health, the centre will today cater for and support patients once they have been medically cleared from hospital.
Wimmera Health Care Group CEO Catherine Morley said passengers at the emergency centre are doing “amazingly well” as they wait for alternate transport to be organised to take them to their original destination this afternoon.
Ms Morley said the husband of one Wimmera Health staff member even left on a volunteer trip earlier to drive a carload of passengers to Melbourne who had important appointments to attend today.
“The whole team is doing an amazing job helping people affected to feel supported and well,” she said.
“There are families and teenagers here, everyone’s tired and had really long night … the passengers have been so calm and accepting of a very difficult situation.”
Transport to take remaining passengers through to Melbourne should depart Horsham at around 1pm.
The highway was closed after the horrific crash. Picture: ABC Wimmera/Sean Wales/Jennifer Douglas
“We’re working to get everyone’s luggage off the bus and get passengers down to Melbourne once they are medically cleared,” she said.
Firefly buses operate across Australia’s southeast, offering express fares connecting Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.
The Firefly overnight bus left Adelaide around 8.15pm. The company has been contacted for comment.
The highway is closed in both directions until midday as a result of the crash, with diversions in place and Victoria Police Major Collision detectives at the scene.
Detectives from the Major Collision Investigation Unit are attending the scene.
Police said investigators are working to determine if alcohol, distraction, speed, mechanical failure or environmental factors were involved in the accident, with forensic mechanics arriving on scene to investigate the visibility light functions of both vehicles.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or with dashcam footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
< www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/law-order/bu...654780576fd821f364ec >
with five photos

A wise old crane driver said to me "Regardless of the weight of the load or capacity of the crane you only lift something as high as you are prepared to drop it". And "There is nothing more dangerous than two cranes working together" And "You always have a crane one size too small"




And here is a whole litany of disasters.


And there are some rippers here.

And here is one for Swishy. Second one about 18 seconds in.



Is there no end to these videos

I see a lot of ones in my boating groups: accidents with boats, and topples of cranes handling boats. I often wonder how the video person knew to be filming.
Are some as contrived as 'Funniest home videos' or 1920s silent comedy films?
Roderick

Roderick

In this day and age EVERYBODY has a phone and a Facebook account.

Lang

No faceache account for me thanks.

I don't have a facecrap account because of all the crap idiots post.

Maybe I should have said "everybody who is anybody" has a Facebook account.

I don't either and have no idea how to work it,

Lang

I dont knock F/B.....I look at a JAP engine group ,Panther group ,and of course the AA/AB/C etc IHC ,and havent seen anything amiss.......I dunno what Im doing ,so I just ignore most of the requests etc.......Only gripe from me is that FB seems to use masses of data from my metered account.....prolly too many UTube videos going......As for other reasons,my brother has sold all the new IH stuff I gave him for his 4x4 for astronomical prices (to me anyway)....how about $500 for a pair of quarter windows?....$150 for a parts book?

I agree wholeheartedly John.K., the prices for some stuff that I would throw away as junk is mind boggling. If I sell something it is at a realistic price, or at least at a price both parties are satisfied with.