I should say straight up that Bob is okay and recovering from this ordeal, though somewhat sore from bruising. I think the best way to report this is in Bob's own words, and the attached police report of the incident. The pictures are from Bob.
He did want this made public to emphasize the importance of being insured.
I am sending you a couple of emails about my rather horrific accident in
Kununurra just two and a half weeks ago where a hire car I was driving at
7.15AM was rammed from the rear by a car load of drunken xxx one of whom
blew 0.4 [edit correct reading was 0.4 not .04]. I escaped with minor injuries although still sore from the seat
belt around my rib cage. You may wish to post these if you so desire. The
car was a write off, hence the need to take out all the insurance when
hiring, as I am only up for $400.00, but this could have been many
thousands, as the likelihood of recovery the money from the other party is
nil.
I was not seriously injured due to seat belt, air bags and crumple
zones of the RAV4 which was the vehicle damaged and only suffered minor
abrasions of the skin , but severe bruising from the seat belt around the
ribs
As an adjunct to what was said above I have just found out the travel insurance I took out would cover all accident costs, and death costs if that had been the case. I feel that it is important to put this on the web site as I did not realise it covered all these things. I was of the opinion that the insurance covered loss of luggage and cancellation of fares, but it is much more. I also took out extra cover on the hire vehicles and am up for $400 excess instead of many thousands. I feel that it would be a good idea to emphasise this as this is probably the lesson learnt which others could benefit from, when using public transport.
Bob Tate
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| kununurra_police_newsletter_edition_9_july_2010.pdf | 855.81 KB |
This should read the BAC was 0.4 not .04. In other words 8 times the limit and this was at 7.15 AM--in the morning.
I spoke to Bob tonight and he is well apart from having contracted a cold since he got back to Victoria. He was able to continue his vacation and the hire company replaced the hire car with another Rav 4 but it was manual which made things a bit awkward with his bruises etc.
The other driver apparently blew 0.4% (not .04) - yes about 8 times our limit and his condition made it a collision not an accident.
Bob wanted to emphasise the safety provided by modern cars and crumple zones and airbags.
He also wanted to emphasise the importance of insurance as even if the other driver had had insurance it would have been wiped because of his level of intoxication and the innocent victims (such as Bob in this case) would have been left to resolve their own financial losses.
The fact that he had travel insurance was also great and helped resolve many issues.
I would also advise members when obtaining travel insurance to read the fine print very carefully as in many cases motorcycling is not covered on bikes over 250 cc even of you have the relevant licence. So read your policy carefully if travelling overseas and hiring a bike for example. From my experience QBE does cover you whereas most gold card insurances associated with credit cards (and many many others) do not cover motorcycling. Make sure before you pay for something that is of no value! The stupid part is many insurance companies do provide cover up to 125 cc even if the rider does not have a licence.
Sorry about getting on my high horse - but - If getting travel insurance make sure it covers what you may be doing. On a positive note many forms of travel insurance (e.g. RACV) can cover the ridiculous excesses hire car companies charge for things such as motor-homes.
Beyond all that - Glad to hear that you are OK Bob and that you were able to continue with your vacation.
I should have said that "allegedly" the breath test revealed 0.4 as I only heard this.
Bob
