RAC refused to help breakdown because they had dogs inside the vehicle

Notsosharp

thorsoak wrote: »

The campervan in question was 35' in length; the dogs were crated.

The RAC has - eventually - issued a statement, full of weasel words - they will have lost a lot of customers today. Any RAC member who travels with a dog is at risk of being abandoned.

They were sending a more suitable vehicle for recovery when the accident occurred, I know this because I am part of a group on facebook who has members who know the lady involved in the accident. One of the ladies involved is still in intensive care with a broken Femur, punctured lung and a fractured spine in three places, I don't think it's in very good taste to be discussing it.

The RAC are not totally at fault here and they are getting undeserved flack.

What are people going to do? Stop buying goods transported by HGV's next?

arbroath_lass

moggymutt wrote: »

Arbroath lass, I certainly wouldn't like to pull up on a hard shoulder in such a case, it's not without danger for recovery lorries and trucks with lots of flashing lights.

No, I appreciate that. But it's also not something you would do without the police in attendance, closing lanes etc.

System

You would not close lanes because there is a large vehicle sitting on the hard shoulder! Maybe close a lane during the recovery though.

If the lorry driver didn't see a large motorhome with hazards on (They did have their hazard lights on didn't they?) then the chances of seeing a blue and white car with a few flashing red lights is slim. Blues are normally switched off, from what I have seen, if they are stationary in a non-emergency situation

krlyr

Does anyone know what actually happened with the lorry though? I've not seen much about it, but some of the comments (here and elsewhere) make it sound like the lorry driver did it on purpose! Does anyone really think the lorry driver wanted to crash, and potentially end up killing people in the camper?

Mojisola

M0ney wrote: »

Better question - why was the lorry driver not paying attention? There could easily have been people killed, not just dogs!

I don't know that it's a better question - it's not either/or.

If you're stuck on the side of a motorway, it's your responsibility to keep yourself (and your dogs safe).

If you're driving a vehicle on the motorway, it's your responsibility to drive safely. It's highly likely that the lorry driver will end up in court but then he probably would even if he'd crashed into an empty vehicle. The vehicle would have been empty if the women had moved their dogs.

evilgoose

I saw this on fb and googled it - as it seemed like another one of those hoax stories. I then saw this on MSE.

It was a 30+ foot van, which needed a larger recovery vehicle, so couldn't be towed. Why the owners, hadn't followed advice when on a motorway to move up the embankment from the hard shoulder? - there was a clear bank section a very short distance from the van. (See mail article for photos). And if as they say all the dogs were crated, this wouldn't be difficult and there is no danger of them running about.

Also when you're in a large vehicle it is good practice to inform the police, as there would be little clearance between the carriageway and the side of the van.
Were they expecting the driver to put the 12 dogs, 3 passengers and himself in the cab of a recovery truck?

Haven't any of you ever broken down in the early hours? You have to wait, and it can be for several hours! If you've ever been recovered by the RAC/AA, the majority of the recovery trucks have a car/transit sized flat bed which wouldn't be able to transport that sized camper.
The RAC spokesman said that a specialist truck was on route - whether this is corporate 'ducking and diving' or not - I can't comment.
Also I wasn't party to the conversation between the driver and the people in the van, so again can't comment.
It's tragic that the dogs were killed and people injured, but it could have been avoided if the people had followed the guidelines for when you are broken down on the hardshoulder.

krlyr

Bear in mind it was during the early hours of the morning and I believe it was below 0. Very cold to be waiting outside for 3 hours. With small dogs (I believe at least one was a Chinese crested, so almost hairless) they may have felt it safer to wait inside.

System

krlyr wrote: »

they may have felt it safer to wait inside.

Considering the number of cases reported of vehicles on the hard shoulder being hit by other vehicles then that was definitely a case of ignoring ALL the advice ever produced for this situation and putting comfort over safety

catkins

krlyr wrote: »

Does anyone know what actually happened with the lorry though? I've not seen much about it, but some of the comments (here and elsewhere) make it sound like the lorry driver did it on purpose! Does anyone really think the lorry driver wanted to crash, and potentially end up killing people in the camper?

Of course I don't think the lorry driver wanted to crash but there are far too many accidents involving lorries on our roads. There are lots of incidents of lorries hitting broken down vehicles on the hard shoulder and there is no excuse for this.

My OH does a lot of driving and I often travel with him. Every day you see idiot drivers but the amount of idiot lorry drivers is incredible. A lot of them seem to think because they have a large vehicle and they sit high up they can do what they like and won't get hurt. They often pull into the outside lane with no indication or maybe a quick flick of the indicator. They just assume the vehicle they are cutting up will brake. They then struggle to overtake the vehicle in the inside lane causing a long queue of vehicles behind them and often end up having to move back to the inside lane behind the vehicle they originally tried to overtake.

Mojisola wrote: »

I don't know that it's a better question - it's not either/or.

If you're stuck on the side of a motorway, it's your responsibility to keep yourself (and your dogs safe)..

evilgoose wrote: »

Why the owners, hadn't followed advice when on a motorway to move up the embankment from the hard shoulder? - there was a clear bank section a very short distance from the van. (See mail article for photos). And if as they say all the dogs were crated, this wouldn't be difficult and there is no danger of them running about.

It's tragic that the dogs were killed and people injured, but it could have been avoided if the people had followed the guidelines for when you are broken down on the hardshoulder.

I think we all know the advice is not to sit in a vehicle on the hard shoulder although that never used to be the advice because lorries and other large vehicles didn't seem to hit broken down vehicles on the hard shoulder as often as they do now. Quite why I don't know. If their eyesight is that bad should they be on the road?

I am lucky that I have not broken down on a motorway and I am sure if I did I would get out of the vehicle because I don't trust a lot of other drivers, particularly a lot of the crazy lorry drivers BUT standing in the wet and cold for over 3 hours doesn't sound great does it? Of course if you knew it was a choice between that and being injured or even killed you would get wet and cold but you might end up wondering what the odds of your vehicle being hit by an idiot were. Maybe those women had stood for hours, maybe they were soaked through and very cold, maybe they decided to sit in the van for a little while to dry out and warm up and unfortunately in that short time they were hit (obviously at some speed by the state of the van).

We should be asking why in this country people cannot manage to drive and not hit a broken down vehicle which is on the hard shoulder. The hard shoulder is ONLY meant for broken down vehicles or another extreme emergency.

catkins

!!!!!! wrote: »

Considering the number of cases reported of vehicles on the hard shoulder being hit by other vehicles then that was definitely a case of ignoring ALL the advice ever produced for this situation and putting comfort over safety

But why are so many vehicles on the hard shoulder hit by other vehicles? There is no excuse for this unless maybe a vehicle suffered a tyre bursting at speed and the driver losing control. We should be asking why there are so many incidents like this, far too often involving lorries.

I know this advice never used to be given because it wasn't heard of for a broken down vehicle to be hit by another vehicle.