Aug 6, 2009: Road Train Vs Grandma

You might think the idea of a 72-year-old woman riding a bicycle 3,700 kilometres from Darwin to Melbourne might be newsworthy by itself. But what if the woman cheated death after her bike was sucked underneath a road train as the truck sped past her on the highway?

That's just what happened last month to Tasmanian grandmother Margret Mosmann.

Truck picture from flickr, apparently, but via the ABC.

Margret's picture from here.

Audio of the interview available from here.


ETA: By my count, that thing is a 74-wheeler. 74!!!
ETAA: Yes, we do *normally* drive on the left down here. I don't know why that thing is on the right. I guess, in a truck like that, you drive wherever you damn well feel like.

Look at her.
Just look at her.
Behind that smile, a little version of her is jumping up and down, giving the world the finger, and screaming
"FUCK YOU MOTHERFUCKER! KING KONG AIN'T GOT SHIT ON ME!!!"
Oh, you can say I'm wrong.
But look at her.
She's just waiting to get that driver in a locked room.
She's gonna cut off his face and wear it like a mask.
She is just that badass.

Ohhh, those things are scary as all bejesus when you overtake THEM, let alone having one zoom past when you are on a bike.

When we went to Darwin, my hire car was a little Toyota Corolla...that things took.for.ever. to get past one of those roadtrains.

Does no one have any sympathy for the poor bike? Did it leave any little bikes at home? Oh the humanity!:rolleyes:

Here's a text article. I'm afraid the bike is a pretzel!

;)

Alluvial;586269 wrote:

Here's a text article. I'm afraid the bike is a pretzel!

I had a pretzel (which when at home is a Brezel) for second breakfast. Luckily, it didn't have a bell on.

spudcon;586264 wrote:

Does no one have any sympathy for the poor bike? Did it leave any little bikes at home? Oh the humanity!:rolleyes:

Think of the tricycles!

ZenGum;586245 wrote:

Yes, we do *normally* drive on the left down here. I don't know why that thing is on the right. I guess, in a truck like that, you drive wherever you damn well feel like.

He will be on that side out of courtesy. The picture was taken from the side of the road, and the truckie would have moved over to make sure not to buffet the car & pedestrian too much. I spent a bit of time with these guys, and the vast majority are extraordinarily courteous and professional.

On some roads in the outback there is only one lane tarmaced (ashphalted or blacktopped for our US cousins). The truck to be courteous will try and stay on the tarmac. The approaching city drivers will take this as a challenge, and try and drive in the made section too. Bad, bad, bad idea. The truckie will happily move out of the way onto the gravel at the side of the road. If the car moves over, the truck will be past in a few seconds, and everything is sweet. IF the truck moves over, there are 14-19 sets of wheels flicking stones at the other vehicle. The paintwork is blasted by stone chips, and a shattered window is guaranteed. It can be 100km or more between towns, and a new screen can take 3-5 days to arrive from the major centres.

Oh, and if she is from Tassie, then the major damage may not be immediately apparent to everyone. The truck has obviously caused trauma necessitating the removal of one of her heads.

Images didn't make it to the public page.
http://cellar.org/iotd.php

thanks. fixd

Wow. Both to the story, and to the --- truck. thing. We don't have those here (although we do have wide open spaces). They look dangerous. Like really, too dangerous for anybody on the road!

Speed Racer versus the Mammoth Car comes to mind.

Yeah, those trucks are massive, and on a lot of those roads in the outback (NT at least), there's no speed limit, so they can really hike along if they're in a hurry.

Onya granny!

She was only 25km into a 3700km trip when it happened. She says ''I'll get another bike and do the same thing next year.'' STUPID! :crazy:

She might just consider hitching a ride in one of the trucks, she would get there faster. And she could always strap her bike on the back of one to continue her trip later.

See how this story brought the Aussies out?
It's a nefarious plan, I tell you, a plan!

Next time, she oughta put in her hearing aid.

I can imagine!

I've driven a triple in the past and it was quite a challenge. I had sixteen axles rolling and I forever learned why we in the States call them "Wiggle Wagons"! It must have taken me a mile to get the feel for it, three miles to get to highway speed and another mile to get it down to a stop!

Next time I'm down under, I wanna drive one of those!

Bicycles not welcome.

Brian

I've often wondered if it's possible (or ever even necessary) to back those things up. Would love to see it.

Just dig in your heels and pull steadily back on the reins . .

Gravdigr;586620 wrote:

I've often wondered if it's possible (or ever even necessary) to back those things up. Would love to see it.

Nope. No U-turns either.

A few years back a story went around of a guy driving a B-triple who missed the turn off on a remote rural highway. No backing or U-turn possible ... had to drive about 150km before he could get to another road heading to where he was trying to go.

I imagine he may have said a naughty word or two.

I think you'd need 150km to u turn one of those things anyway. lol

It is possible, but not recommended. I backed up a double once when it's driver made a wrong turn and couldn't back it out. It's a challenge, I say.

and Ali, I believe it's 40 acres needed to turn that thing around. haggis!

[youtube]qDxVJ471hyg[/youtube]

TheMercenary;586414 wrote:

She might just consider hitching a ride in one of the trucks, she would get there faster. And she could always strap her bike on the back of one to continue her trip later.

Getting there faster is not the point.

Aliantha;586400 wrote:

Yeah, those trucks are massive, and on a lot of those roads in the outback (NT at least), there's no speed limit, so they can really hike along if they're in a hurry.

Onya granny!

They changed that a couple of years ago, the speed limit is now 140kms per hour.

They were going to bring it back to 110 like the rest of Australia, but didnt because it would mean that you were on the wrong side of the lane for too long when overtaking a roadtrain.

Ahh...I stand corrected. Still, 140km/h is pretty quick.

It is in a nola corolla :D

Continuing to demonstrate the invincibility of a certain generation of Aussie Shelias, is Dawn Fraser, former Olympic Swimming champion.

[ATTACH]24634[/ATTACH]

Olympic swimming champion Dawn Fraser says she fought off a young intruder who attacked her during a home invasion at her daughter's house at Noosaville on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

The 72-year-old says she was awoken by intruders on Friday night and went to investigate.

Ms Fraser told Channel Seven she was startled by a teenager who threatened her and she decided to take him on.

"Out came this guy who then grabbed me around the throat and said 'I will kill you', and with that I grabbed him around the ear and hair and kneed him in the groin," she said.

"I was threatened by the way he spoke to me and I'd never been spoken to like what he called me ... I think I lost it.

"I have got a titanium knee so it must have hurt him.

"[I] came up for a holiday and here I am being threatened with my life and all our security has been taken."

Police have referred two youths to the Child Protection Unit over the incident.

Police say they are treating the investigation as a trespassing incident because no homes were broken into, nothing was stolen and no-one has made an assault complaint.

Mind you, the last paragraph seems totally inconsistent with the earlier claims of a "home invasion".

Go grandma!

titanium knee.

ouch.

....I grabbed him around the ear and hair and kneed him in the groin....

I have got a titanium knee so it must have hurt him.

Police have referred two youths to the Child [COLOR="Red"]Protection[/COLOR] Unit over the incident.

:lol2:

Mind you, Dawn Fraser has always been a plucky gel:

During the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Fraser angered swimming team sponsors and the Australian Swimming Union (ASU) by marching in the opening ceremony against their wishes, wearing an older swimming costume because it was more comfortable than the one supplied by the sponsors. She also stole an Olympic flag from a flagpole outside Emperor Hirohito's palace. She was arrested but released without charge. The Emperor gave her the flag as a souvenir. However, the Australian Swimming Union suspended her for 10 years. They repented a few months before the 1968 Games but by then it was too late for Fraser, at 31, to prepare.