A Morning Look at the Wreck

I had the photos, but this is one I had to see for myself. On the way down the mountain I stopped and walked out the the remains of the truck. The vehicle is still sitting there, indeed will be there for a while as there is no way they are getting it out short of a helicopter.

Looking at the wreck in person I find that the descriptions I received fall short of reality. This was a very violent event, something worthy of a Hollywood special effect department (except maybe in that the vehicle did not explode). Exploring the scene I could only look in complete amazement at the situation. How could it have possibly come to rest where it was?

The remains of the vehicle are scattered across a wide area, with crushed trees and large gouges in the soil testifying to the last moments of a three ton vehicle. Those I talked to indicated that the vehicle was airborne for a some distance, that was an understatement! It is clear that the truck hit the embankment on the outside of the curve, perhaps in an attempt to ditch the truck and stop it. Instead of stopping, the embankment acted as a ramp, and the truck flew for at least 40m (40yrds). Clearing a rock pile and much of a small, rocky gulch. The crater where the truck hit, nose first, is amazing. The truck them rolled, crushing numerous live and dead mamanes, up out of a 10m (30ft) deep gulch, over a small knoll, coming to rest on the other side.

It is astounding that the occupants survived. A true testimony to the engineers who designed this truck. The passenger compartment is intact, indeed the interior appears almost untouched while the rest of the vehicle is totally destroyed.

My respect for the paramedics who transported the injured out of the wreck! It was tough just walking to the wreck, more like hopping from boulder to boulder up the knoll. The rescue crew had to carry three people out through that terrain, the top of an old a'a lava flow. Impressive.

No word in the local papers on the accident, no information on how the injured have fared. I hope they are going to be alright. But after looking at the accident scene, simply put, they got lucky!