June 18, 2013
A Nanango family has been lucky to escape injury – although their 4WD is a write-off – after a freak accident which occurred on the New England Highway just south of Cooyar.
Margie Lee-Madigan, her husband Scott and son Jack were returning home from Farmfest on June 4 when their vehicle was struck by a runaway wheel careening down the centre of the road.
The wheel, possibly from a 4WD or a truck, struck the family’s vehicle on the front guard and then ran across the bonnet, narrowly missing the windscreen.
Mrs Lee-Madigan told southburnett.com.au she was very grateful to be alive, and she was full of praise for the family’s Volvo which was only two years old.
“The airbags and seatbelts saved our lives,” she said
“And if we had been in a smaller car, the tyre would have slid from the bonnet into the windscreen. We are certainly going to get another Volvo.”
The incident occurred just after dark as Scott was driving. He had dimmed the headlights for oncoming traffic when a split second later the wheel came rolling out of the darkness at speed and struck the vehicle.
Mrs Lee-Madiganbelieves it must have fallen off a trailer or the back of one of the vehicles that was passing.
“They all kept going. They didn’t even know that they had lost anything,” she said.
The couple returned to the accident scene the next day with a Cooyar police officer to try to find the wheel that had caused the damage, and maybe a clue to locate the owner.
“We didn’t know where it went in the darkness, and we couldn’t find it the next day,” she said.
Officer-in-Charge of Kingaroy Police, Senior Sergeant Duane Frank, said penalties applied for driving with an unsecured load.
“We regularly see it when people are taking loads out to the tip,” he said.
“It is a danger to other motorists and police can issue infringement notices.”
Snr Sgt Frank said there could be other penalties imposed as well if the lost load caused an accident, damage or injuries.
“Loads should always be roped and taped down to ensure safety,” he said.
