RV FEATURE
A caravanning couple is speaking out to warn others of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning .
Peter Greenwood , 74 , and his wife , Ann , 72 , had 56 years of accident-free driving experience , and have made four trips around Australia – the first in 1967 in an FJ panel van .
But in June 2019 , the couple made an error that could have cost them their lives .
“ We had set off on a trip around Australia from North Narrabeen ( NSW ) with our car and van , a 2001 100 Series Land Cruiser and a 20ft van that was only a few years old ,” Peter told GoRV .
“ On day two , we had spent the night free-camping at a waterside spot in Gundagai ( NSW ).”
When they awoke inside their van , it was cold – only six degrees . And not having a working heater inside their van prompted Peter and Ann to use the gas stove to warm the air .
To be clear , this is something you should never do – as Peter and Ann discovered . The risks of carbon monoxide poisoning are very real ; in fact , some caravans are now fitted with carbon monoxide alarms as standard equipment .
DISASTER STRIKES
The gas stove , Peter said , heated the van to about 14 degrees . After breakfast , they packed up and hit the road .
“ We drove through Wagga Wagga , heading for Narrandera , and we both were feeling strangely unwell , so we decided to stop at next the town ,” Peter said .
Moments later , Peter had a minor ‘ black out ’ while at the wheel .
" The unbelievable sounds of the roof caving in and every bit of glass smashing is something we will never forget ," Peter says .
“ The next thing I knew , I was alerted by my wife , Ann , that I had veered off onto the left side of the highway and as I opened my eyes , a plastic white guide post was directly in front of me . My automatic reaction was to swerve
right to avoid this minor obstacle , resulting in the van , which had no electronic stability control , pushing my vehicle around .”
It was then that Peter made what he considers to be the biggest mistake of his decades behind the wheel : he tried to correct the uncontrolled slide by turning left .
“ The instant reaction was for the van to flip my Land Cruiser 360 degrees over while
everything rotated 180 degrees , ending up on our wheels and facing the wrong way on the side of the Sturt Highway , with the van on its right-hand side but still basically intact .
“ The unbelievable sounds of the roof caving in , every bit of glass smashing and all the contents exiting our car , except the portable fridge , and scattering all over the highway was something we will never forget .”
Fortunately , there was no other traffic around . However , within a minute , people had stopped to assist .
/ 15