Another death in Simpson due to unprepared

[BigRAWesty]

Breaking news

http://mobile.news.com.au/national/man-dies-after-being-stranded-in-simpson-desert/story-fndo4eg9-1226511930904


Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories (http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?15134-Westy-s-Accessories.-A-small-back-yard-builder.)

[Sir Roofy]

Comes down to -----why----every magazine dvd doco,s stresses the importance of water in harsh inviroments
if they where station hands they should have known better

another senceless death

[BigRAWesty]

It sounds like they were tourists but yea same principle. Water is no.1 on the check list..


Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories (http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?15134-Westy-s-Accessories.-A-small-back-yard-builder.)

[MudRunnerTD]

Damn! That was up North in the Madigan Line country that i did in July. Scary place to be walking! They must have been very unprepared and inexperienced in 4wd recovery to have to abandon the car! I wonder what the tyre pressures were??

Terrible way to die!

[MudRunnerTD]

Here is a sample of the country he was walking in! I did not see any ground water for 10 days of driving!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2Z8qXhl5mI&feature=plcp

[threedogs]

even in this day and age there are some who still think they know it all. just plain stupid we dont know the full story yet so let wait and see before
pointing the finger anywhere, but like the other thread I started,whats that now 4 that wont make it it xmas, nb isnt the smmo closed this time of year???

[BigRAWesty]

Dam that's harsh land.. But very nice.


Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories (http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?15134-Westy-s-Accessories.-A-small-back-yard-builder.)

[the ferret]

Just ONE lousy EPIRB, would have saved the day, with enough water to wait.
People spend thousands of dollars fitting out their vehicles for these dangerous trips, but often neglect the one thing that can save their life.
Think about it, ONE EPIRB, and help is only a few hours away.
Be prepared.
Start a fire, chuck the spare and any plastic items from the vehicle on, even seats whatever, the black smoke is more likely to be seen than the vehicle.
A column of black smoke can be seen well past the horizon and spells out TROUBLE.
Cheers, the ferret.

[P4trol]

Other news articles mention they were experienced, worked up there.
Vehicle was a hilux.



Tipsy-tap

[BigRAWesty]

Other news articles mention they were experienced, worked up there.
Vehicle was a hilux.



Tipsy-tap

That explains it all :p
But very sound advise there ferret.
E perbs are a must when heading out bush or land..


Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories (http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?15134-Westy-s-Accessories.-A-small-back-yard-builder.)

[Coldcomfort]

I travel with a spot tracking device. It can leave a history of where you have travelled and send out a distress signal as well as OK and "HELP". I use this out bush as well as when I travel on my motorcycle.

[threedogs]

If it was a hire car the onus should be on the hire company, just another quick grab for money,. FGS take 15 min explain what all emergency items are for, and if Epirbs aren't std someone needs there nuts cut off, This wont be the last, already been 4-5 on the Murray.

ALL COULD BE AVOIDABLE, Where's The big list of what to do and not to do ??? Again do a basic 4x4 course, This is totally BS

I think there is a product that tells people yes you are injured but dont need assisted
yes injured and immediate assisits required

Vehicle disabled and requires a tow.
.Where are the tech heads that can make this stuff??? It's Total BS IMO

[taslucas]

Fair enough threedogs but the buck stops with YOU! Not a hire company, not a tech head. The best thing to do is get stories like this out for everyone to hear and put the fear into them! We are humans, we have brains, we need to use them. ....how far did Burke and Wills walk in that kind of country?

Totally good point on the epirb, ferret.
That sounds like a great device, coldcomfort.

Tap, crackle, pop

[threedogs]

What I mean Taslucas is hire mob will give EG. chinese/german couple a 4x4, Thanks for your money, no 4x4 experience ,nothing.Heres your map. Epirb best thing going I have one how many others do. not boaties.
TOO many ppls think they know it all, and its these ppls we'll be burying,Buck doesnt stop with me. I have done a number of 4x4 courses, recovery courses,Instructors course, 1st aid, chain saw, Trip leader, Every 4x4 should have an Epirb in it and the GOV should subsidise it. you name it. you see I want to get home ,so to say the buck stops with me may be wrong, And Yes I try and educate as many people as I can however boring it sounds to me. And sorry Lucas if you think I'm having a dig at you I'm not, probably like you I'm frustrated the word is not getting out ther especially with the wrmer weather nearer this wont be the last post. Lets see how many have an Epirb. might get BULK buy discount it you want to save a life, lets SEE

[karol]

Apparently it was some bush regeneration greene farm. Funny how they didnt have even a radio in the car. If they were just a bit experienced they would just wait till sunset and walk those 16km easy in couple of hours without any dramas.
It just shows how out of touch with nature this people are.

[Bloodyaussie]

Yeah I cant believe they were so complacent and did not wait till dark.. When I was working in outback NSW I was hay carting and it was 45 degrees for 2 weeks straight, the bloke I was working for told us if we feel the need to pass out to bang on the truck or yell out.

I would drink about 30 plus litres a day and I passed out about 3 times in a week and the other bloke about the same.

It is just such a waste of life!!!

[threedogs]

you're missing my point so i'll bow out leaving it as is

[Bigrig]

Poor b@stard is all I can say ... yep, understand all the expert talk of what he should have done, could have done, etc, etc, but at the end of the day, a worthless waste of life, and my condolences go out to his family.

[P4trol]

I'm not 100%, bit isn't there certain places hire cars can't go?


Let me re-write that. Hire cars go further than company trucks, but the hire companies limited where you are allowed to take them?



Tipsy-tap

[Cuppa]

Lets see how many have an Epirb. might get BULK buy discount it you want to save a life, lets SEE

If anyone should set up a bulk buy I'd be in it.
Cuppa

[big_fletch]

Its stuff like this that is just sad in my eyes, something totally avoidable.. Im interested in a bulk buy as well as i dont have one

Fletcha

[the ferret]

Most people with sea going boats have an EPIRB that they could take on an outback trip.
I am also informed that they can be hired, they are expensive to buy, but not as expensive as a funeral !.
Cheers, the ferret.

[Maxhead]

How much do you value your life or how much is your life worth. For $250 you can buy an epirb so its not that expensive at all if you look at it that way.

Also, they can't blame anyone but themselves.

[threedogs]

I have a few contacts here for Epirbs Etc, I'll get a price for 10 and 20. also the Forum may want to think about buying a std phone to hire to members on those outback trips , invaluable,
have a think wth the powers that be, as Ferret said Sat navs cheap funerals not so just PM your answers

[Coldcomfort]

http://au.findmespot.com/en/ EPIRB's are becoming old technology. A spot tracking device lets you send different messages depending on you situation. They are no more expensive than the old EPIRB's. The choice is there.

[boots]

Poor b@stard is all I can say ... yep, understand all the expert talk of what he should have done, could have done, etc, etc, but at the end of the day, a worthless waste of life, and my condolences go out to his family.

X2 with Bigrig on this . I am a responsible / keen hunter and have owned an epirb for three years now . It is sinch tied to my first aid kit ,wherever I go it goes .

[AB]

also the Forum may want to think about buying a std phone to hire to members on those outback trips

STD phone....Ewwwwww...lol

See how you go with prices 3D, would be interesting to see.

[Cuppa]

I have a few contacts here for Epirbs Etc, I'll get a price for 10 and 20.

If you're asking, I would like one with built in GPS .

Cuppa

[krbrooking]

X2 with Bigrig on this . I am a responsible / keen hunter and have owned an epirb for three years now . It is sinch tied to my first aid kit ,wherever I go it goes .

X3 with you guys I feel for the family left behind. My wife and mum thought my dad and I went missing on our drive over from Perth. I think it took around ten years of life of them both luckily we weren't missing but had anything gone wrong we definitely had enough water and they had a fair idea of where we would have been as we explained to them and other of where we planned to go. I have always thought you should not leave the site of the car.

[macca86]

I'm going to be harsh here and say this is Darwinism at its best. Tragic yes stupid yes avoidable yes. I'm no expert hence why I'm here to learn off this forum. We are looking at this trip to get to alice springs and up to Isa Townsville and back to Brisbane for our first anniversary. I've been checking the spare parts list etc On here and know what I want to take.
It is tragic just hope people can learn from this

[taslucas]

Most people with sea going boats have an EPIRB that they could take on an outback trip.
I am also informed that they can be hired, they are expensive to buy, but not as expensive as a funeral !.
Cheers, the ferret.

dad has one he got for his bushwalking. Smart idea:)

[threedogs]

For remote travel at sat phone and Epirb are your best friends, Cheap insurance in anyones book

JUst PM I'LL get SAT phone and Epirb Prices

[threedogs]

To AB you'll only need one sat phone, deposit required etc, I'll get method from my old club and you can adjust to suit

[MudRunnerTD]

We had 3 Nissan Patrols and a Hilux with very compitant travelers, 2 Sat phones, 2 Eperbs, 2 welders 400 lts of water, 6 GPS devices and enough food for a 7 day breakdown and a bucket load of experience.

That country deserves that respect.

[happygu]

I think that some of you blokes are being a little harsh...... I don't think they would have set out thinking they were going to not make it.

I am sure that sometime in your past you would have thought nothing about a 10 klm walk in the heat. Maybe some of you would still even think nothing of a 10 klm walk in the heat.

As far as I understand it, these guys were living up there, so were accustomed to the heat and probably didn't think that much of it.

I know that when I lived up there, you sure knew it was hot so you stayed out of the heat for the worst part of the day, but if someone had challenged me to a 10 klm walk I would have said I could do it. ( You knew it was hot when you had to run between the shadows on the bitumen in bare feet...)

It is very sad to see this happen when it didn't need to.....Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and it certainly looks different from another place.

Mic

[MudRunnerTD]

Nah mate I wasn't being harsh just giving some perspective.

These poor bloke were out in it trying to make a living. They were obviously unprepared. In the real world they'd have had to write up a JSA for their drive and have an emergency management plan. Their employer let them down and their experience cost them a life.

Tragic stuff at 24 years old! Tragic!

Comments earlier about restrictions on hire vehicles.... I understand that as a result of a number of deaths on Fraser Island Hire companies have had to put a restriction on tourists hiring 4wds. They restrict the number of passengers allowed to be carried and maybe even restrict carrying luggage on the roof due to high roll over statistics. Cost a few lives though!

When I went through Old Andando Station which is the launch place for the Madigan Line there was a mine workers compound setup there. Most of the cars were Hertz Rentwls being used as long term lease cars straight off the factory floor. I bet they did not come with a compressor for pumping up tyres or education material on letting down tyres or outback survival.

Driving the Madigan Line was a slog no doubt, tough, hard yards. A real test of endurance for car and drivers but I drove for 3 days without a Track of any description running 22psi in my tyres and can't really think of a time where I thought I'd get in trouble with a bogged down car that had to be abandoned! I bet if I did that drive with 40psi in the tyres t would have been a much more difficult track.

An English tourist perished a few years ago in the Simpson after getting bogged and when they found his car it was still in 2wd with highway pressure! Who's fault is that!!!

[happygu]

Thanks Mudrunner..... I wasn't trying to be confrontational at all either, but as Plasnart put it pretty well too. We as people will always push boundaries, sometimes it comes off well, others not so well, and we all complain when regulations are forced upon us to cater for the idiots.

How about the guy recently who jumped with his parachute from the edge of space. He is now a hero, but if something had have gone wrong, you can imagine the discussions.....


>>> "An English tourist perished a few years ago in the Simpson after getting bogged and when they found his car it was still in 2wd with highway pressure! Who's fault is that!!! "

I also know too well about English tourists and 4WD's...years ago we were making our way out to Twin Falls up in Kakado, and drove straight around a Troopie down to the axles in soft sand, with a couple of blokes pushing for all they were worth. I jumped out, walked around,and asked if I could give it a go.....Proceeded to lock the front hubs in, and jumped in the drivers seat, and to their amazement, drove straight out. After some brief discussions on how to use their 4WD they were off. Not sure how much of it went in, but I hope some did.....

I have sat through numerous Site Inductions and written up hundreds of bloody JSA's too, to the point of it being rediculous, but ever since I realized that not all of us have inbuilt Common Sense, I quit the wingeing about it all. ( I am sure that there are areas where others have seen me at work in areas that I am not as proficient, skilled or experienced, and they have said the same about me )

The unfortunate thing for all of us, is that we make mistakes in gaining experience to be able to not make those mistakes again.....For these guys it was the ultimate mistake..... I have been lucky so far.

Mic

[Woof]

Very sad, but very preventable.

[the ferret]

I don't think it's a matter of being harsh, the whole idea of posting this very sad tale in the first place was probably to make people aware of what can happen out there.
Yes, the horse has bolted and there is nothing we can do for the unfortunate lad.
However, the more people read this thread the better, there are many things out there in the outback of Australia that can turn on you.
The more input, the better, the more readers, the better.
Not everyone has the common sense required to survive a desert, so with luck, some of those folk, be they on the other side of the world or just next door, there is a chance that they will read this and learn something.
When I was a young fella out there, there was no internet, only hand books and word of mouth and you had to ask the old timers.
With luck, threads like this one will make people a little bit more aware that the outback is not a park, it is a very dangerous place and must be treated with the ultimate respect.
Thanks Westy for posting the thread.
May that young man rest in peace now.
The Ferret.

[BigRAWesty]

Spot on ferret. It's all about knowledge and if anything comes from this incident and our discussions i hope we have saved a couple of lives threw a few different steps..
And mic is spot on in saying in experience grows knowledge.
May the young bloke RIP and his mate make a speedy recovery.


Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories (http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?15134-Westy-s-Accessories.-A-small-back-yard-builder.)

[threedogs]

Forum would only need one sat phone as priceig is pretty steep, Those Epirbs That send different messages may be the go. Don't want everyone looking for you when things are under controll
Deposit required then hire on weekly basis. And If anyone missed my point, its all about education, not just a book in the glove box.
How many here have stuffed up thinking they know it all..... Then there was a german tourist who walked to safety nearly died, when they found her 4x4, just air down her tyres and drove out of bog, who educates who, or do you read the book in glove box and you know the basics, happens too many times and continues to do so. Only a few weeks of Simmo season left so we'll see

[Bob]

This is an extract from an Article in the Age about this unfortunate incident

IT'S vast and empty.
The searing heat saps strength and mental capacity.
Without shade or water a human does not last long in the Simpson Desert.
Mauritz "Mo" Pieterse ... died less than 12 hours after becoming stranded. Mauritz ''Mo'' Pieterse, 25, died less than 12 hours after becoming stranded in that desert on Ethabuka Station, western Queensland, on Monday.
The South-African born passionate conservationist was experienced in the bush according to his employer and family, but a routine morning check of a bore site proved fatal for the 25-year-old station worker.
Mr Pieterse and his 30-year-old co-worker, Josh Hayes, set out from the station homestead on Monday morning. Their Toyota Hilux later became bogged about 16 kilometres to the south.
After several failed attempts to free their truck the pair decided to walk home, but they did not have enough water for the long journey in temperatures as high as 45 degrees.
When the men didn't return to the homestead by nightfall, others at the station set out looking for them.
Shortly before midnight Josh Hayes was found barely alive about 10 kilometres from the homestead by the owner of neighbouring Carlo Station, Greg Woods. Mr Pieterse's body was nearby.
Ethabuka Station, about 1600 kilometres west of Brisbane and 200 kilometres north of Birdsville, spans about 215,000 hectares in the northeast corner of the Simpson Desert.
Police Inspector Paul Biggin said it was not clear why they left their vehicle to brave the unforgiving conditions without adequate water.
''As to why they were caught out without water will be part of the investigation,'' he said.
Mr Hayes is recovering in Mt Isa Hospital after suffering extreme dehydration and heat exhaustion.
Speaking from the family's home in Western Australia yesterday Mr Pieterse's sister, Jani, said: ''Our family will never be the same again''.
She said she was sure her nature-loving sibling was ''doing the right thing'' when he made the maintenance check on the bore, as he was experienced in bush environments.
Ethabuka Station is owned by the conservation group Bush Heritage Australia, which is helping regenerate the site after degradation caused by cattle and feral camels.
The group's spokesman, David Whitelaw, said the men's vehicle was fitted with a working radio and added that Mr Pieterse had undergone safety training as recently as last week in Victoria.

[MudRunnerTD]

Wow! That is a very bad DAY.

[macca]

A sad loss of a young life working on improving our outback environment.

Source of good advice......

This book is a good read and I found it very informative stating common sense which sometime needs to be pointed out.

http://www.bobcoopersurvival.com/shop/product.asp?prod=26

His ideas about the use of available water is opposite to what I would have done, he said to drink a cup full at a time. Sipping over a period of time only satisfies the stomachs requirements for digesting food and the organs for processing waste. There is none going to the brain and the decision process starts to fail which leads to catastrophy.

Topics cover bush 1st aid away from immediate assistance, inovative ideas that are easy to do.

We will have a copy with us when we travel now.

[macca]

Been talking to a few of the people we travel with about this loss of a life.
It was pointed out that when we are out there we are loaded with our shelter, spares, fuel, food, water and everything else we think we need.
We are loaded to the max or beyond, and we travel in a "convoy".
We also travel in the coolest part of the year, or at least try to.
The people working out there have a vehicle for work so will be carrying a heck of a lot less.
There is probably some of the stuff we carry with them but may not have been checked, sounds like a water supply in this case.
My mate said something that could explain their un preparedness.
The bore was 16klm away (not sure about the distance), and would be checked regularly. It would be a quick run out and back maybe as short as an hour each way.
If they do the trip often the people would be fairly relaxed in their attitude, to their cost in this case.
He said had a shovel been taken out for another "job" and not replaced, if there had been one in the vehicle in the 1st place?
Had the last person to use the vehicle, or the drivers in this case restocked it with essentials like water?
Why did they leave the Vehicle?
It will no doubt all be revealed when the coroner does their report.
I do know that those places have to be treated with respect and at this time of year the conditions are even more dangerous.
It is very sad this young man lost his life and his workmate is very lucky to be alive.
I guess awareness will be hieghtened in those remote areas for a while.

[Jock]

At 25 & 30 years of age I think the use of the term "experienced" is unsuitable. The outcome, in my opinion, proves that they were inexperienced and made the wrong decision to leave their vehicle in the heat of the day. I have to wonder what training and OH&S the mob they worked for had in place. My condolences to Family & Friends.

Jock