Near death experience

[1vanvan1]

By no fault of mine...

Heading home today at about 5.30pm happy about it being my last day of work. Traffic is starting to back up so I was glad I took the bike. Cruising along Newmarket bridge at around 100kph in the middle lane. In the fast lane is a car towing a caged trailer with 2 beds in it. The kind that have the wooden bed base then mattress.

Anyway, I was following him but choose to go into the middle lane as there was not as much traffic and it was flowing better. I changed lanes. And cruised along slightly behind him on a diagonal.

Then out of the corner of my eye I see one of the bed bases lift. Then take of into the air heading my way. The way it flips was not good cause it flipped towards me. My initial reactions were to slam on the anchors, but I figured if I do that I will hit it, So just opened her up. Swerved a bit and narrowly avoided it slamming into me by a meter or so.

Traffic stopped behind me and I think the 18 wheeler ran it over. If it hit me off. It would of been me under that 18 wheeler.

I took off up to the car and gave him piece of my mind yelling in my helmet and flipping him the bird. He just gave me a blank look back. I don't even think he realized what happened. I took off and looked back again giving him the finger again shaking my head glad to still be here. And i saw the white commodore that was kinda following him pull up beside him so he must of also given him a piece of his mind.

I never got the plate of the guy cause i wasn't thinking straight as i just avoided a near death experience. Pretty sure he got off at green lane and I think it was a newer Honda Accord (silver) towing a red caged trailer. The ones you rent from the servo. Is there anything I can do to report this? And is there anyway they can get his plate somehow? Like those traffic cams on the offramps.

Also did any one else witness this?

[buggsubique]

seen this happen more than once. A lot of people don't realise the forces / turbulence and effect it can have. glad you made it bud! Tomorrows ride and the next few will be that much sweeter.

[PirateJafa]

I trust you've called it in to the Police?

They can't remove the mattresses (presumably they'll be on one of the medians now) until they know they're there...

[duckonin]

Yep so true never trust a trailer or it's cargo, don't sit behind them pass and quickly, have over the years had two horse floats detach from vehicles, all had WOF never trust a towed vehicle ever....

[1vanvan1]

I trust you've called it in to the Police?

They can't remove the mattresses (presumably they'll be on one of the medians now) until they know they're there...

No I haven't, It is probably a bit to late now. As it happened at 5.30pm.

Still worth calling?

[sunhuntin]

id call it in just to be safe, but im picking other motorists may have pulled over to shift it.

[PirateJafa]

Call it in. If they've already removed them, then no harm done. If not, you might be preventing a case of deja vu if one gets kicked up by a gust of wind or something.

[Jonno.]

They would have cleared it by now but it would be wise incase they/you want you to make a statement against them.

[caseye]

Reporting it does two things, it relieves you of your obligation to report a non injury accident/incident within 48 hr's.
As stated above it also alerts the Police/traffic dorks that there is an obstruction in the roadway.
Glad you had moved out of the line of fire so to speak.Go buy a LOTTO Ticket.

[YellowDog]

You certainly don't expect someone to be stupid enough not to tie beds down properly at that kind of speed.

Glad your instincts saved you.

[ital916]

I would have pointed to his trailer rather than give him the bird, good on you for staying alive. Call the police.

Oh an I dont think wh have 18 wheelers on nz roads, I've only ever seen sixteen wheelers *I have counted many times*. 18s are common as dog poo in oz though.

[Skyryder]

I've had firewood bounce of the trailor and come at me. I passed and a few k's up the road reported this to the police. They duly waved the driver down spoke to him and then let him continue on his way. I just looked at the cop shook my head and rode off.

I don't stay behind trailors..........ever.


Skyryder

[varminter]

I'd have shat my pants, top riding I'll keep it in mind in case it happens to me. Low flying beds. LOL. Glad you're ok.

[shafty]

PHEW! Well done!

[malfunconz]

me and me dutch mate were riding round the big mountain in taranaked , it was night and i was following the dutch one and noticed he swerved out over the center line so i did myself only to narrowly miss a single mattress lying right out on the road . riding lucky that night.

[malfunconz]

to my shame we never stopped to move it . pretty slack really .

[1vanvan1]

to my shame we never stopped to move it . pretty slack really .

Yeah, You always regret those things.

I have moved a few things of the road in my short time out here. One was a rather large wooden toy car/truck that was broken. Was on a blind corner so It would of caught someone out.

[Mom]

I never got the plate of the guy cause i wasn't thinking straight as i just avoided a near death experience. Pretty sure he got off at green lane and I think it was a newer Honda Accord (silver) towing a red caged trailer. The ones you rent from the servo. Is there anything I can do to report this? And is there anyway they can get his plate somehow? Like those traffic cams on the offramps.

Also did any one else witness this?


You showed some really mature skills there avoiding the flying matress of doom! Well done for not panicking and using good avoidance skills. I would have to check with Ixion, but I am fairly certain there is some sort of sacrifice required to the biker Gods as a result mind. Hope it does not involve too many virgins for your sake :)

Um, just one small thing, can you please use the word off, when you mean off, and of when you mean of, reading your post I know you can do it :yes:

[Ixion]

I had a similar experience years ago when a sheet of plywood (or some such building material) lofted itself from the stack on the trailer and headed for me. Likewise, a swerve got me clear. Very disconcerting though.

Yes, a sacrifice to Helmut von Hornihumper is required. One virgin. May be hard to find, you can't take their word for it of course, just tell the tale and explain that you need to keep testing until you find one. Even if you don't find one you'll have much fun.

(I had to dodge around a two seater couch sitting in the middle lane of the northwestern about a year ago. Didn't see it come off though. )

[Finn]

Ivan, you broke bikers rule number 47.

Never follow a vehicle with a suspect load. Never. Now you may blame the driver with the trailer here, but you made the same mistake as he did. You had confidence in his load. Don't do it.

[Sharry]

So glad you followed your instincts and servived that one:sweatdrop

I would call the police if I were you. If they want to find the bloke they can suss out the motorway webcams.

[1vanvan1]

Um, just one small thing, can you please use the word off, when you mean off, and of when you mean of, reading your post I know you can do it :yes:

FIXED!


Ivan, you broke bikers rule number 47.

Never follow a vehicle with a suspect load. Never. Now you may blame the driver with the trailer here, but you made the same mistake as he did. You had confidence in his load. Don't do it.

I wasn't following him. I was in the middle. He was in the fast.

[Danae]

Good job dodging that! Glad to see you're okay. On with the sacrifices then?

[discotex]

Reminds me of the time I'd just changed lanes and a metal spade came flying out from under the car I was following :gob:

Even with the 2sec rule I doubt I'd have been able to avoid it.

Scary shit huh!

[pete376403]

Upside down wheelbarrows on the back of utes/trucks are guaranteed to go airborne if not tied down - something to do with the shape or airspace underneath. I try too avoid staying anywhere near those things.
Also it appeared that someone on a small bike (GN250 or similar) in Welly was taken out by either a large lounge chair laying on the road, or a car avoiding said chair, last Thursday day evening. Rider appeared to be OK, authorities were in attendance so I didn't stop.

[Insanity_rules]

Good skills mate, well done.

[DarkLord]

On the way out to Napier on Sunday I saw one of those wooden pallets in the middle of the road... that was scary enough.

Well done for making it out of there in one piece.

[Weta]

good riding, glad you missed that one, the viaducts a liability at the best of times without random bits of bedding flying at you

[MIXONE]

I was at a Pink Floyd concert once and the same thing happened!
A fucking bed came flying out of the sky!