17 year old girl dies in laning accident

[lee celtic]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7600998.stm

Please be careful out there  :'(

I don't know which lane it was but thoughts go out to the family......

[Disco Matt]

I have done a little research via Google Earth and it doesn't seem to have been Strata, which was my first thought. A (thankfully) incredibly rare occurrence although that will be of no comfort to the next of kin.

For anyone responding to people alleging that laning is dangerous, I would suggest they mention the following. There is a twenty mile stretch of main road near me that has, on average, at least one serious accident or fatality every year. Compare that to the hundreds of miles of unsurfaced rights of way where there have been no fatalities in living memory.

[paul_humphreys]

Yes just been on the news, it was a 200/300tdi Disco. Looks like the first crossing heading from the south (?) towards the Abby end.

Paul

[Disco Matt]

They were on about Llyn Brianne (sp?) reservoir on the BBC News site, hence the confusion.

 

[MudRat]

Once again, if they were laning with another vehicle, then it could of been avoided. The driver would not have to have walked so far and the girl would not have waited for so long for help. Thoughts are now with her family.

[paul_humphreys]

Its on the start of this news clip,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7601599.stm

Paul

[Bishops Finger]

Obviously sad....why didn't they check the water depth beforehand.....

[missroadrage]

Once again, if they were laning with another vehicle, then it could of been avoided. The driver would not have to have walked so far and the girl would not have waited for so long for help. Thoughts are now with her family.

I thought that too - it's not often now people don't have a mobile phone although signal can be rough in some areas

Deepest sympathy with the family

[Llanigraham]

My deepest sympathy to the family, but I have to ask why they were on their own, especially knowing what the weather forecast was for the weekend.

And MissRoadRange, in these parts of Mid Wales mobile phone coverage is often nonexistant. On Strata you can't even see any civilisation.

[thermidorthelobster]

Obviously sad....why didn't they check the water depth beforehand.....

I don't think they were trying to ford it.  They rolled off the track into it, according to the video interview.

[laser_jock99]

Very tragic- it seems they were tackling Strata Florida alone. I was up there in the hills further north yesterday (Saturday morning) and the conditions even on surface lanes were pretty vile with loads of surface water & field run-off. I would have thought Strata Florida was a 'no-go' yesterday and Friday?

[lee celtic]

I have just been reading TOR from last months road book they had a guide to strata, This may be the reason the lane has been getting more traffic lately. I have always enjoyed the road books but have felt in the past that they have under played some of the hazzards on the lanes they feature , encoraging people to try more than they or their cars are capable of ..I think in this case it was a freak accident that could have caught anyone out.

While getting people out on the lanes is a good thing I still feel that going out with a club is a better way to learn and a safer way also..

However saying that the TOR road book does start with a warning that after wet weather you'd be mad to trifle with strata florida I now think all road books in all mags should start with the words DON'T GO ALONE 2 cars minimum. and also in the hazzards list they should add phone coverage as too many seem to think that a phone is a first aid box. Last time out we had a bit of an incident traveling between lanes on a main road in mid wales I grabed the phone to ring the wife to tell her I'd be a bit late and there was no coverage later I kept an eye on the phone and we had to go 4 miles to get a signal and this was a main route..

I think it all boils down to this ... Prepare for the worst and Take your backup with you.

[Disco Matt]

With regards, to the TOR road books I've often felt that they are a little remiss not to say "Don't go alone".

On a dry day Strata looks harmless, but if the weather closes in or your car has one of those mysterious breakdowns (the sort with no obvious cause, it just won't go!) then you've got a very long walk to civilisation. I'd say in terms of potential to injure the unprepared it's up there with Snowdon - how often do we hear of people being airlifted from there after embarking on what looked like an afternoon stroll?

[lee celtic]

every week mate I live in the flight path :roll:

[tack43]

Latest news appears that they were a group of 3 vehicles. One of the vehicles went for help. Just shows even a group with apparently well equiped vehicles can get into difficulty. A warning for us all perhaps?

[jjsaul]

if you go out laning regularly in areas like that i would be tempted to buy a satellite phone...you can get them now on a pay as you go type agreement, so although the calls are expensive, you only need to use it in an emergency, and if you dont use it, there is no monthly cost...

[Dave Rogers]

One of our community is dead, on a right of way which many of us have driven, some, very often.
Our most heartfelt condolences to the family, at times like this, there's not a lot any of us can do especially in the face of such a tragic accident but say that if we can help if possible, we will.

A dreadful and terrible loss...............

[Boddle]

 Condolences to those who have lost and hope.

 The local lanes in the Midland can become dangerous in the weather we had over the weekend several of the fords in this area where impassable at 6ft deep I don't mind bonnet depth in Tomb-Rover but you do have to very aware of the currents even at that depth.
 Looking at the MET forcast it looks as though we have a couple of days break but with a return later in the week so be careful out.

[paul_humphreys]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7604806.stm

[paul_humphreys]

More info
http://www.dyfed-powys.police.uk/en/news/2008/9/3/

Paul

[V8MoneyPit]

Sounds like they did everything right. Just a mishap that developed into a tragedy and could have happened to any of us.

My thoughts are with the family.

The rest of the people in the convoy must be feeling dreadful too. I suspect they are all thinking 'what if......'  :(

[carbore]

Something I remember seeing about river crossing (I think it was Ray Mears) is that in fast flowing rivers you get an effect where the river bed on the  down stream side of the vehicle gets undermined by the current as it passes around the wheels, this makes a roll over more likely than you would think.