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TERRY’S MIRACULOUS ICY ROAD ESCAPE As his brand new TX4 gets written off…! |
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When Call
Sign recently met Terry Vale (J29), he didn’t
have a single bruise or scratch on him to show from his
harrowing ordeal of spinning out of control in treacherous road
conditions that damaged his brand new TX4 cab beyond economical
repair. Terry told our reporter that during the early hours of the morning after finishing his night shift, he was travelling towards home along the A12 between Mountnessing and Ingatestone at about 50 mph. He noticed water flowing across the road from the field nearby and in response, slowed down without touching the brakes. About 100 yards further along the road, there was a second flow of water running across the road surface from the fields either side of the carriageway. Terry explained that further on there is a gradual bend in the road that continues for around 400 yards and that he had now slowed down to 40 mph due to the road conditions. "Suddenly and without warning," said Terry, "the back end of the cab lost traction and began to swing sideways. I corrected the swing, but the cab swung back the other way pendulum-like, from side to side uncontrollably. The road had turned to ice!" "This sliding motion continued for some time as I fought to gain control of the cab," he continued. "Then the cab began to spin wildly round and round in 360° turns several times before colliding with a fence by the roadside and going backwards completely out of control! The cab then crashed through the fence, rolling over and finally coming to a stop upside down in the field," Terry calmly told Call Sign as if relating a scene from a film he had seen, rather than re-living his own experience. "The doors were locked and initially I was unable to get out of the wreck. Thoughts of ‘fire’ ran through my head as I frantically tried kicking at the windows, but nothing gave way. I thought about using the fire extinguisher under my seat to smash the glass, but couldn’t reach it. Eventually I kicked the driver’s door open sufficiently for me to squeeze out of the cab." |
 The remains of Terry’s brand new TX4.  Terry
still raising a smile |
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When police
arrived on the scene, Terry was to learn that the road had been
closed earlier the previous day due to flooding and that the
Council had not intended gritting the roads. "There were no warning signs to that effect, neither the possibility of the danger of ice ahead as I travelled along that stretch of road," Terry stated – still sounding incredibly calm. "Soon after the police arrived, there was another accident back along the road near to where I had spun and the police then closed the road and called the Council to get the road gritted. Three gritting trucks arrived a bit sharpish," he said with even signs of a grin! "My TX4 cab was less than 3 months old, so I wasn’t too happy about it being written-off through no fault of my own, but I’m very grateful to be unhurt after that nightmare crash and it goes to prove the inherent strength of the LTI taxi," Terry said firmly, this time without the smile. "A life as against a piece of metal? No contest really…" © Call Sign Magazine MM9 |
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