Nearly Had A Funeral In The Family

[Bizarra]

I was on the phone to my Sister who lives in the Midlands, half way up a Mountain. The road up to her house I hate, as it is about 1 car in width,very twisty, uphill obviously, & with high hedges on either side. I drive it with my hand over the horn

for frequent use.

My niece was driving home one evening, turned a corner & was met by a huge 4 wheel drive agricultural tractor coming at speed. It was the full width of the road.

It hit the front of her car. 1 wheel drove along the bonnet & smashed the windscreen, spinning her car round to the opposite direction to the one she was travelling :( . There were tractor rubber marks on the road for 50 yards from the point of impact. :o It was being driven by the young son of a local farmer.

She is black, blue & yellow, badly shaken & one ankle strapped up. We don't know how she wasn't killed. The car is a write off.

This happened last week & the matter has been settled already. Think it was done so quickly in case my niece developed any further injuries & claimed. She works in a Bookies & missed working on Sunday @ double time, but was back on duty this week.

As my Sister said, she must have said her prayers on the previous night. The tractor driver asked her had she sounded her horn. She hadn't, but neither had he, & her horn probably wouldn't have been heard over the noise of one of those things at speed. Often see the drivers with ear protection, they are so noisy at speed.

[reece]

This happened last week & the matter has been settled already. Think it was done so quickly in case my niece developed any further injuries & claimed. She works in a Bookies & missed working on Sunday @ double time, but was back on duty this week.

Settled in a week?

How? Sounds like the farmer and son may have something to hide.

No insurance companies involved? Has she has taken a cash settlement from the farmer for a new car/injuries/loss of earnings/physiological trauma etc then?

No Police involved, was the son insured/licensed to drive a tractor? Sounds like a cover up.

[Bizarra]

This happened last week & the matter has been settled already. Think it was done so quickly in case my niece developed any further injuries & claimed. She works in a Bookies & missed working on Sunday @ double time, but was back on duty this week.

Settled in a week?

How? Sounds like the farmer and son may have something to hide.

No insurance companies involved? Has she has taken a cash settlement from the farmer for a new car/injuries/loss of earnings/physiological trauma etc then?

No Police involved, was the son insured/licensed to drive a tractor? Sounds like a cover up.

I totally agree. I kept my opinions to myself, since they seem satisfied

They DO have a courtesy car. Courtesy of whom I don't know.

I suspect that the son may not have been insured. Guards=Police are never seen up there in the mountains, so would normally have been safe enough.

Hasn't got a new car yet, though one is on the way. I don't think that my niece claimed for anything. If the boot was on the other foot, you can be sure that there would have been a claim.

I didn't ask too many questions, other than was my niece ok

[Pat2u]

Just wondering is the lane public/private or unadopted ?

[Bizarra]

Just wondering is the lane public/private or unadopted ?

Public

[chatman]

Get this all the time where I live... often see big black tyre skid marks along lanes... Still they are 60mph and people seem to think they can still do this down the lanes....More accidents on country roads than any where else....

Wait until they start cutting the fields and collecting the crops... you get the combine harvesters and tractor and trailers bombing down the lanes as well..... Near where I live is also a big coach company so they are fun to meet on the blind bend....

Glad she is OK following the incident...

[balli hi]

Hi vic

So glad to read that your niece was not seriously hurt , she had a lucky escape from the sound of it .

[Cyker]

I do moan about unnecessary speed humps and other annoying 'traffic calming' measures, but things like this make me appreciate that sometimes they are a good idea...

Real glad your sister's okay!!!

[reece]

Out of interest, how old is your sister? Do you know how much she has been given as a back hander? What was her old car and its value?

[Red diesel]

Glad to hear your niece is okay Bizarra - as the title of your tread quite clearly illustrates - this accident could very easily have had a different outcome.

Unfortunately during silage and harvest time or indeed when theres any kind of heavy workload on - health and safety is not exactly on top of most farmers priority lists - with a safety record to demonstrate that quite clearly (in Ireland i don't know how the UK compares). Its a cultural thing really - not excusing it mind - but theres a culture in rural Ireland of work hard and work long hours - the macho thing comes into it too.

Heres the outlook of a lot of farming people on this If you work 9 to 5 your a big softie - if on the other hand you work 18 hours around the clock drawing in, mowing or picking up silage - your a great man altogether - inspite of the fact that your putting other peoples safety at risk if your behind the wheel of a tractor for that amount of time - why do you think trucks have tachos fitted to them and truck drivers are restricted in the number of hours they can work.

Having said that i don't know what this tractor driver was actually doing when he hit Bizarras nieces cars - it was the comment about speed that got me thinking of silage

red diesel

[Bizarra]

Out of interest, how old is your sister? Do you know how much she has been given as a back hander? What was her old car and its value?

Actually, it was my niece who was driving her Mother's car & is insured to do so. She is in her early 20s & was virtually stopped when the accident happened.

I doubt if she was given a back hander :( . I wasn't told & didn't ask. They keep their own business to themselves & when I wasn't told, I don't ask.

I don't go down as much as I used to. Too many tablets & have a problem staying awake

I think that the car was a smallish Mazda, 5 years old at a guess. With the current recession it probably wouldn't have had a high value.

With regard to Red Diesel's very relevant remarks, I know I did my bit during Harvest time, years ago. The Tractors were not as big then.

Apparently both sides are Farmers, fairly close to each other & know each other slightly. My Niece doesn't know which of the sons was driving it, so I would guess that the Guards were kept out of it. Neither side wanted to be at odds with the other under those circumstances, so it was settled amicably. As long as they are happy [ish] I keep out of it & my opinions to myself.

Thanks to everyone who wished my Niece well. She is a lovely girl [naturally ] & luckily still has her whole life ahead of her.