In Zimbabwe this week....

[Olazz]

 

[StarCruiser]

Hope they were all OK Lazz! Shame about the truck. Just goes to show, never underestimate flowing water. Incredible floods/ swollen river and not really that deep either. I wouldn't mind betting the driver had that on full left lock as it wandered to the right.

I'd like to borrow and link to this for the 4x4 response group if I may.

 

[Ben]

Poor 70!

Thats why you should try and head across at an angle heading upstream, then turn as you get closer to the exit, so if you do get pushed off course by the water you've got much less chance of missing your exit point. Obviously not always possible, especially on crossings like that one.

 

[Crispin]

Pretty grim. Easy to comment from the couch but he did not give himself much room to slide.

 

[froggy Steve]

and it is basically a boat (tub) !

 

[StarCruiser]

and it is basically a boat (tub) !

And if the driver (captain?) thought like a boat skipper and allowed for the current like Ben said, he would have probably got across. Easy as Crispin says to comment from the couch/after the event but this is a really good video to learn a lot from.

 

[Crispin]

Do you go faster than he was or not? Not talking aquaplaning speed, but in a crossing such as that is quicker better or slow and steady?

At the point it starts sliding - you have nothing to lose

 

[Chas]

Do you go faster than he was or not? Not talking aquaplaning speed, but in a crossing such as that is quicker better or slow and steady?

Is the flow lifting or just pushing? if lifting I would think slower would be better but if pushing then faster, but what do I know, physics was never my strong point.

 

[StarCruiser]

Apart from saying don't attempt it unless it's absolutely a matter of life and death essential, I would think slow and steady in a highish gear, steer into the current and try not to lose traction. Huge huge risk so is it worth taking has to be the first thought.

 

[froggy Steve]

I think maybe all the onlookers in the back might have helped a little bit. What about that guy who dived in after it had been washed away! Mad or brave? Apart from drowning what about crocs?

 

[lc 120]

Crocs was what I was thinking about...

 

[Werneroeder]

Crocs was what I was thinking about...

The water is too fast flowing for crocs. You would normally get out of the vehicle and do a walk check, before attempting something like this, and you would normally have someone on the other side directing the vehicle. We had to do this numerous times and never lost a vehicle.

 

[clivehorridge]

It looks to me that the driver was unsure of where the left side of the rod was, it's quite evident in the vid because you're looking along the entire alignment, but from the driver's seat, he probably became mesmerised.

You can see he was well over to the right even before the current was pushing him.

We can learn a lot from others misfortune.

Sad sight it is, I hope they all got out OK.

 

[Werneroeder]

It looks to me that the driver was unsure of where the left side of the rod was, it's quite evident in the vid because you're looking along the entire alignment, but from the driver's seat, he probably became mesmerised.

You can see he was well over to the right even before the current was pushing him.

We can learn a lot from others misfortune.

Sad sight it is, I hope they all got out OK.

You are right, you get mesmerised, and that is why you need someone on the other side.

 

[LandelSur]

That is a shame. I hope everybody is ok. However, I think it was a driver´s mistake, a slip. He starts going to the right and he falls by himself. We just need to look at the young men that are crossing the bridge walking without being taken by the water.

Although we always need to be careful and respecful from the waters strength.