Snapped suspension blamed for latest roll-over
Latest caravan roll-over highlights importance of regular maintenance and safety checksAnother caravan roll-over along Queensland's notorious Bruce highway. has put the spotlight on the risks of not carrying out regular caravan maintenance and pre-trip safety checks.
One of Queensland's biggest tow truck operators has pointed the finger at a suspension failure on a large tandem axle caravan towed by a medium size SUV, as a reason the rig rolled over while heading southbound along the Bruce Highway near Nambour this week.
"From witness reports and from what was found, (the) crash was most probably caused by a leaf spring breaking", said Clayton's Towing which attended the clean-up.
Clayton's Towing posted a number of photos from the accident scene on its Facebook page, including one showing the underside of the van including rusty springs and the broken suspension components.
The crash images prompted hundreds of comments on social media, with some calling for compulsory caravan training and more public awareness campaigns around caravan safety, while others touched on issues around caravan maintenance, inferior components and problems around towing heavy caravans with lighter tow vehicles.
Police and emergency workers have seen a spike in caravan crashes in recent times, with another serious accident occurring on the same day when a large 4WD towing a dual-axle caravan crashed going down a hill on the Gin Gin to Mount Perry Road near Bundaberg. According to reports it took emergency workers more than two hours to free a trapped woman from the wreckage.
Mike Clayton from Clayton's Towing, which attends many caravan roll-overs in Queensland and regularly posts images of the carnage on its website, recently told the ABC that his tow truck business "was responding to caravan accidents every few days".
"We do see a fair few caravan accidents, and they cause absolute mayhem because they smash into a thousand pieces," Clayton said."They cause highway blockages, they just totally destroy themselves.
"(The drivers are) not always new to it — we've had experienced caravanners or people who have driven B-doubles their whole life, then jumped in a caravan and rolled over."
Pictures: courtesy Clayton's Towing
Also read:
Call for caravan training after latest roll-over
Why you should get an RV safety check
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