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ALEX CHEATS DEATH IN HIGH SPEED CRASH! |
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Alex Laird (O64) is
undoubtedly lucky to be alive. Less lucky was his taxi, which
has been written-off after a high speed collision with some
street furniture - namely traffic lights, a sign post and the
central reservation protective barriers along the A10 near
Cheshunt! Alex takes up the story: "Over the last weekend of August and having finished my usual Saturday night / Sunday morning shift, I decided to stop for a quick bite to eat and meet a friend on Seven Sisters Road before heading home. As we looked out of the café window, we noticed the fog beginning to descend to street level, but decided it didn’t seem too bad. However, as we ended the meal and drove our two cabs steadily north through Tottenham and Edmonton, the fog began to get thicker. My friend turned off towards Waltham Cross and I tooted him ‘goodnight’ as I continued northwards alone. Later he told me he almost missed his filter lane turn-off due to the density of the fog. Struggling to see through the ever-thickening fog and staying on the A10, I crossed the M25 towards Cheshunt, a road I am very familiar with having travelled along it for the past 30 years! But on this occasion I became disorientated as to precisely which section of the A10 I was actually on! There are two sets of traffic lights on this section of road, after which it becomes plain sailing along the dual carriageway to Ware. I was going at around 40mph when I suddenly saw the first set of traffic lights appear out of the fog |
and suddenly realised I was almost on them! Just
as suddenly, I saw the lights were on red and that there were
several stationary vehicles ahead of me waiting for them to
change. I was only about 20yards behind the last car in the
queue and did not have either the space to brake or time to
think. I just reacted instinctively by pulling the steering
wheel sharply to the right to avoid a multiple collision! The taxi careered into the central reservation, uprooting a bollard, three sets of railings, a signpost and traffic lights. It all happened so fast. I had no control over the cabs’ direction and was thrown around inside it like a rag doll as debris flew past my window. The taxi finally came to a stop in the middle of the road junction and was a total wreck. Inside the cab, the scene was chaotic with my personal effects strewn all over the place. Anything that was not screwed down had moved. My MDT screen was smashed and the windscreen shattered. Yet thankfully, I was able to step out of that mangled heap! I spent 30 minutes in the ambulance being thoroughly checked over, but apart from a few grazes and a stiff neck I was fine. The medics and police that attended the incident said I was lucky to be alive - let alone survive virtually unscathed! I have no doubt that what saved me was the inherent strength of the London taxi and I am also grateful that no one else was involved or hurt." © Call Sign Magazine MM8 |
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