A horrible weekend...

**MSTRS:Me** · 23rd February 2009, 10:36

http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-sto...roads-weekend/

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE
Be careful out there

**Ixion** · 23rd February 2009, 10:48

No amount of care, alas, could have averted the oil one.

**MSTRS:Me** · 23rd February 2009, 11:08

No, especially in failing light.

**Ixion** · 23rd February 2009, 11:11

Even in good light it would be more luck than care if one spotted it. Only conditions where you'd have a decent chance would (ironically) be a wet road.

**MSTRS:Me** · 23rd February 2009, 11:15

Not so sure about that. HW 5 is in atrocious condition for shiny patches. No chip...just slick 'tar' all over the show. Sort of like every fecken road in the country. So we try to stay off the smooth shiny bits, only to be blindsided by shit like this. Wet or dry, I think it was gunna turn out the same.
We also got diverted around the Tokoroa one on Saturday. Thought it had to be bad to close HW 1 like that. The girl in the car has since died.

**Tony.OK** · 23rd February 2009, 11:24

Thats terrible..............we came through at around 8:30 on the way back from Paeroa and on one 65k bend before the Rangataiki pub the van was 4 wheel drifting all the way round, I thought it was just a dewey patch.
Not a nice ending to a great weekend hearing this.

**Morepower** · 23rd February 2009, 11:58

Originally Posted by Tony.OK

Thats terrible..............we came through at around 8:30 on the way back from Paeroa and on one 65k bend before the Rangataiki pub the van was 4 wheel drifting all the way round, I thought it was just a dewey patch.
Not a nice ending to a great weekend hearing this.

Tony , bend was well after Pub I am told and unlike what the news said 4 bikes down. One of the guys said that if a car hit the oil it would not have stayed on road , they were quite probably 1st ones to the spill which is horrible luck.
The culprit , dick heads who dont bother securing stuff in trailers and/ or utes. You would be surprised what gets lifted out by the breeze.
A few months back on the expressway a bloody table lifted out of the trailer ahead into the air twice as high as the car , cars going in all directions . thankfully landed harmlessly in middle of road. Guy with trailer kept on going , I thought better to stop and drag table off road than chase him and get rego , which was what I felt like doing.

**yungatart** · 23rd February 2009, 15:09

It was truly awful.
We drove past two fatals in two days...I am pretty shocked by the whole experience, and am in no hurry to repeat it.
I feel for the families involved.

**Conquiztador** · 23rd February 2009, 16:02

I HATE MONDAYS OM KB!!!

RIP to all 3 and my sincerest condolences to the families and friends!

From HB Today:

"Lead: Biker dies in freak oil spill

23.02.2009
Roger Moroney
One of motorcycling's true characters, Napier's Jeremy "Kanga" Crate, 45, died last night after his motorcycle crashed in a freak oil spill on SH5 near Rangataiki.

Mr Crate died after his BMW motorcycle hit oil which spilled from a container, which had fallen from a vehicle that police were today trying to trace.

Two other riders also fell after striking the oil, with one being airlifted to Rotorua Hospital with serious internal injuries.

Mr Crate was one of three motorcyclists among the six people killed on the country's roads at the weekend - bringing the road toll for the year to 60.

A skilled engineer and a dedicated motorcyclist, he and partner Julie Ashton had only recently returned home after an epic 160,000km motorcycle journey all over the world.
"All that riding and all he did ... and for this to happen," close friend Wayne Moult said.

He said Mr Crate had gone to Paeroa for the annual street races with three mates, and he spotted him up there.

"He was having a conversation with Tony Rees (a former national superbike champion) so I just patted him on the shoulder as I went by. Then I get to work this morning and heard the news. It's just terrible."

Another long-time friend, Craig Guy, said everyone knew Mr Crate as "Kanga".

"He came in only last week and we were having smoko. He wandered in and made himself a brew and sat down for a chat. He is going to be so sadly missed. He was a great guy and a real character ... this has stunned everyone."

**sunhuntin** · 24th February 2009, 07:47

the local rag said the cops want to charge whoever lost the oil with, get this, carrying an insecure load. what about manslaughter? dangerous/careless driving causing death?

**RantyDave** · 24th February 2009, 07:57

Originally Posted by sunhuntin

the local rag said the cops want to charge whoever lost the oil with, get this, carrying an insecure load. what about manslaughter?

As far as they are concerned it's just an accident. A container of oil fell off the ute - they probably haven't even noticed yet and there wasn't any intent or malice. They will be, in all likelihood, utterly horrified to discover they've killed someone.

It worries me though. There really is very little you can do to defend against this. I shall add it to my list of potential "oshit" moments - alongside a badly driven Holden running wide coming down piecock hill.

Dave

**Mikkel** · 24th February 2009, 08:09

Originally Posted by RantyDave

As far as they are concerned it's just an accident. A container of oil fell off the ute - they probably haven't even noticed yet and there wasn't any intent or malice. They will be, in all likelihood, utterly horrified to discover they've killed someone.

In other words manslaughter.

His driving had nothing to do with it though.

**MSTRS:Me** · 24th February 2009, 08:13

Originally Posted by RantyDave

As far as they are concerned it's just an accident. A container of oil fell off the ute - they probably haven't even noticed yet and there wasn't any intent or malice. They will be, in all likelihood, utterly horrified to discover they've killed someone.

Oh really?
I would hope they'd be appalled, but whoever it was, someone died because of their negligence, so they're unlikely to come forward, are they?