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The trip to Clives House
- Thread starter moggy1968
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Oh cr@p! Hope it’s becomming resolved and we’re not going to see your truck in dashcam footage on YouTube!
I don’t like the sound of that Andy, I secretly hope it’s someone else you’re rescuing but I have my doubts...
Don’t keep us in suspense too long mate.... please...
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Yes I hope all is ok. I also was showing the mrs that in can done.
moggy1968
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So, appologies for the delay on updates, as you'll see, we've been a little busy!!
So we left Clives house last Weds and took the route North to the Ukrainian Border, intending to cross at Sighetu.
clive had given us an alternate scenic route over the mountains but time precluded that one, although the route we took, with the satnav set to shortest route, proved to be really lovely as well. Romania is a strange place. You would go through a village with houses that are little more than 1 room hovels, then 2 miles down the road is another with new built mansions, but no obvious reason as to why they are so different.
We realised we might be in trouble at the Border as we had some saussage in the cool box, so whilst we waited we stuffed our faces with those!! It seems to be a feature of our trip to find ourselves in strange places, munching on sausages!!
We were given a bit of a hard time by the Ukrainian Border Police who would not let us in as we didn't have insurance.
I explained that it was my intention to buy insurance once over the border. He advised this was not possible and we should have bought it in Romania. I argued the point that there wasn't anywhere to do this, but he wouldn't have it, but advised that a small 'gift' would see us right, I hate this sort of bullshit, fair do's if you've done something wrong, but I hadn't, but my wife (who is a native russian speaker from belarus so who tends to do the talking) advised there was no way he was going to let us through without and we would be stuck at the border all night.
I reluctantly agreed, but without any foreign currency we were a bit stuffed, eventually we settled on a bottle of whisky from the duty free where I could pay with my Monzo card. I managed to find a bottle for 6 euros and, job done, we crossed the border and found, as I expected (having done borders beforee, many times!!), a kiosk 1/4 mile up the road selling insurance. It was closed but there was a number to ring, which the wife did, and after about 10 minutes a very lovely lady appeared who sorted out 1 months insurance for about £10.
We found a cheap (but rubbish!) hotel for the night and settled down. There was no heating and nowhere to get food, so I just got some crisps and chocolate from the supermarket. As is often the case with these places, the sockets were hanging off the walls, and you lived in fear of touching anything in case it fell off!!
Next day we set off for L'viv, the satnav said 4 1/2 hours so again we set it for shortest route as that always presents some suprises, and it did!! What passes for a road in Ukraine can be just a mud and stone track
Even here though, there was evidence of lots of expensive new building work. One area just after the border reminded me a bit of Sandbanks, with tightly packed massive houses with no land (despite there being no shortage of land) in Roman, Gre cian and neogothic styles, it was really quite bizare.
Many of them appear to have stood unfinished for a number of years, while others are finished in the best premiership footballer style.
Those big 6WD trucks are everywhere and once we got into the mountains most houses have one parked next to them. There was also a huge number of logging trucks. regretably I suspect the logging is not being done in a sustainable way and the amount being shifted is huge
So we left Clives house last Weds and took the route North to the Ukrainian Border, intending to cross at Sighetu.
clive had given us an alternate scenic route over the mountains but time precluded that one, although the route we took, with the satnav set to shortest route, proved to be really lovely as well. Romania is a strange place. You would go through a village with houses that are little more than 1 room hovels, then 2 miles down the road is another with new built mansions, but no obvious reason as to why they are so different.
We realised we might be in trouble at the Border as we had some saussage in the cool box, so whilst we waited we stuffed our faces with those!! It seems to be a feature of our trip to find ourselves in strange places, munching on sausages!!
We were given a bit of a hard time by the Ukrainian Border Police who would not let us in as we didn't have insurance.
I explained that it was my intention to buy insurance once over the border. He advised this was not possible and we should have bought it in Romania. I argued the point that there wasn't anywhere to do this, but he wouldn't have it, but advised that a small 'gift' would see us right, I hate this sort of bullshit, fair do's if you've done something wrong, but I hadn't, but my wife (who is a native russian speaker from belarus so who tends to do the talking) advised there was no way he was going to let us through without and we would be stuck at the border all night.
I reluctantly agreed, but without any foreign currency we were a bit stuffed, eventually we settled on a bottle of whisky from the duty free where I could pay with my Monzo card. I managed to find a bottle for 6 euros and, job done, we crossed the border and found, as I expected (having done borders beforee, many times!!), a kiosk 1/4 mile up the road selling insurance. It was closed but there was a number to ring, which the wife did, and after about 10 minutes a very lovely lady appeared who sorted out 1 months insurance for about £10.
We found a cheap (but rubbish!) hotel for the night and settled down. There was no heating and nowhere to get food, so I just got some crisps and chocolate from the supermarket. As is often the case with these places, the sockets were hanging off the walls, and you lived in fear of touching anything in case it fell off!!
Next day we set off for L'viv, the satnav said 4 1/2 hours so again we set it for shortest route as that always presents some suprises, and it did!! What passes for a road in Ukraine can be just a mud and stone track
Even here though, there was evidence of lots of expensive new building work. One area just after the border reminded me a bit of Sandbanks, with tightly packed massive houses with no land (despite there being no shortage of land) in Roman, Gre cian and neogothic styles, it was really quite bizare.
Many of them appear to have stood unfinished for a number of years, while others are finished in the best premiership footballer style.
Those big 6WD trucks are everywhere and once we got into the mountains most houses have one parked next to them. There was also a huge number of logging trucks. regretably I suspect the logging is not being done in a sustainable way and the amount being shifted is huge
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moggy1968
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While filling with fuel, I also saw this rather lovely little 4x4, a GAZ I think
We started getting a little peckish so stopped at a lovely wooden motel for lunch
![IMG_2422[1].JPG](https://www.landcruiserclub.net/community/attachments/img_2422-1-jpg.150669/ "IMG_2422[1].JPG")
Which had a rather tasty looking Nissan outside
![IMG_2417[1].JPG](https://www.landcruiserclub.net/community/attachments/img_2417-1-jpg.150670/ "IMG_2417[1].JPG")
Most of the standard type 4x4s here are either Nissan or Mitsubishi, very few Toyotas, which I think is probably a reflection of their relative rice on the second hand market.
The restaurant was not the kind of place likely to be frequented by vegans!!
![IMG_2419[1].JPG](https://www.landcruiserclub.net/community/attachments/img_2419-1-jpg.150671/ "IMG_2419[1].JPG")
![IMG_2420[1].JPG](https://www.landcruiserclub.net/community/attachments/img_2420-1-jpg.150672/ "IMG_2420[1].JPG")
A good meaty dinner for 3, with drinks, came to a wallet busting £7! If you fancy staying the night, that will set you back a Ritz style £13!
We started getting a little peckish so stopped at a lovely wooden motel for lunch
Which had a rather tasty looking Nissan outside
Most of the standard type 4x4s here are either Nissan or Mitsubishi, very few Toyotas, which I think is probably a reflection of their relative rice on the second hand market.
The restaurant was not the kind of place likely to be frequented by vegans!!
A good meaty dinner for 3, with drinks, came to a wallet busting £7! If you fancy staying the night, that will set you back a Ritz style £13!
moggy1968
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Oh. I nearly forgot!! Before lunch we got to an area where they were doing a few road repairs, the surface was pretty cut up and I selected 4wd for the first time, then had the embarrassment of this!!
Those Ladas may have been much derided in the UK, but out here, they really do the business!!
Anyways, stuffed from a nicely warming lunch we hit the road again. I fancy the idea of a big truck we can sleep and cook in, but at times like this, I'm glad I don't!!
It had started to snow now, and as we reached 200o feet it started to settle
The satnav was playing silly buggers now, showing that we had to take a left off the track where there was none, so we pressed on in the hopes it would all make sense later. Settlements became less frequent and the road became more chewed up by logging trucks, until eventually it reached a point where we couldn't go any further. I had to turn round and head back the 10 miles or so to our lunch stop and change on to fastest route, it was getting late now anyways.
Those Ladas may have been much derided in the UK, but out here, they really do the business!!
Anyways, stuffed from a nicely warming lunch we hit the road again. I fancy the idea of a big truck we can sleep and cook in, but at times like this, I'm glad I don't!!
It had started to snow now, and as we reached 200o feet it started to settle
The satnav was playing silly buggers now, showing that we had to take a left off the track where there was none, so we pressed on in the hopes it would all make sense later. Settlements became less frequent and the road became more chewed up by logging trucks, until eventually it reached a point where we couldn't go any further. I had to turn round and head back the 10 miles or so to our lunch stop and change on to fastest route, it was getting late now anyways.
moggy1968
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we took to the Tarmac where the going was even slower, the roads were terrible, lorries going at walking pace and us only averaging 20mph. We arrived in L'viv at about 20:30 and started looking for our prebooked overnight accommodation.
It was pouring with rain, absolutely tipping down, as we made our way through the traffic.
As I came up to one junction on the inside lane, my path was blocked by a bus. I waited for the car in lane 2 to pass before pulling out to go round the bus and cross the junction. I was about half way across as the lights changed from green.
I cleared the junction and then there was a horrendous crash, followed by my wife screaming. To my horror I saw an umbrella flying up the left side of the bonnet and behind it a pair of legs sticking out horizontally and rolling up the bonnet.
I slammed on the brakes and skidded to a halt, the body flew off the bonnet and into the road about 10 feet ahead and to the right in lane 1.
She lay slightly curled up, back to me, and motionless.
My wife was still screaming as I jumped out of the truck. I've been a nurse for 30 years, most of it in the emergency department, and was a trauma nurse in the military, so I know, when a casualty is quite and still, it's bad, very bad. She was quiet and still.
I got to the girl, as she turned out to be, who looked in her early 20s, slight and blond. I knelt down next to her in the wet and started to talk to her, telling her not to move, she was able to answer in English, and tell me her name, but was very quiet and still. I moved her hood back a little to see her face, there was a trickle of blood from her nose. She had earphones in and was still holding her phone.
My wife was out of the car now, asking if she was dead. I shouted to her to get the bus driver to call an ambulance and to get my coat out of the vehicle. I covered the girl with my coat, and another from a bystander. I used the girls umbrella to try and shelter her some more. Although she spoke English a little, given the language difficulties, the fact she was conscious and breathing, and the environmental difficulties, I decided against instigating any treatment.
The passers by were wonderful, one girl who spoke good English (she's an English teacher) especially, offering to help with translation and giving advice about the police etc.
I continued talking to the girl gently, reassuring her. She told me she had been running to catch the bus. The bus moved off so I was concerned about oncoming traffic hitting us, so I explained to someone I was going to move my vehicle to protect us. He said that would be a very bad thing to do and we must wait for the police, so instead I went back to the cruiser to get my warning triangle out. Poor Lizzie, my 8 year old, was in floods of tears saying she didn't want us to go to the jail. I said a few words to her got the triangle out and asked someone to put that in the road in the lane we were in. I asked Natallia to go back to the truck to look after Lizzie.
Eventually the medics arrived. They were rough. They pulled off everything that was covering her and carelessly rolled her onto a spinal board, with no spinal control, no collar and no examination, oh and no straps to keep her on it. She was unceremoniously bundled into the back of the meat wagon, because thats all it was, and they drove around the corner, then stopped to park.
We started to ask about the police, if anyone had called them. No one had. Fleetingly it crossed my mind just to bugger off at that point, my trust of foreign police not being that high, but to do that would be an admission of guilt and if later caught, having avoided an alcohol test (0 limit here) there would be assumptions of guilt. I was sure this wasn't my fault and the best thing to do was to sit tight and face the music.
While we were waiting, one of the ambulance crew arrived, some shabby looking old bloke, and started shouting. My wife explained he was being a dick, saying the girl had crossed on a green light and it was our fault. It's none of his business and he needed to pay more attention to doing his job and leave the investigations to the police.
Eventually the police turned up, a man and a woman. The man spoke a little English but mostly my wife translated. They were actually very nice, measured, non judgemental and fair. They went through my documentation and said we would have to wait for the accident investigator to arrive.
some 2 hours after the initial accident the investigator arrived. He was also a very nice chap. very professional and polite, very understanding. He went through my documents again, including the insurance I had bought at the border. He advised me we needed to wait for the report from the hospital, if she had any fractures they would need to impound my vehicle for a technical inspection. he also advised he would need to speak to the consulate, as a procedure.
I was sure the girl would have fractured, maybe a hip, Right leg and/or arm. You get hit by 3 tons of landcruiser, even at 20mph, and get thrown 10 feet down the road your going to be damaged. Thats without the possibility of a serious head injury or internal injuries.
Finally word came back from the hospital. She had been discharged with no significant injuries.
I cannot even begin to tell you the relief!!
We were now too late to check into our accommodation. Despite the fact he had another accident to go to that night, and that he was on duty the next day, the investigator then proceeded to ring a number of hotels to find us somewhere affordable for the night.
Once that was arranged he advised we should follow the other 2 officers to the Hospital, where I would need to have a blood test for alcohol. Once that was done they would then take us to our hotel.
The alcohol test takes 3 days. I know I had none, but it's still nerve racking to wait. today we had to go and see the accident investigator to sign statements and file a report.
The police were lovely, very professional, but I am absolutely certain, had my paperwork not been in order, things would be very very different.
It was pouring with rain, absolutely tipping down, as we made our way through the traffic.
As I came up to one junction on the inside lane, my path was blocked by a bus. I waited for the car in lane 2 to pass before pulling out to go round the bus and cross the junction. I was about half way across as the lights changed from green.
I cleared the junction and then there was a horrendous crash, followed by my wife screaming. To my horror I saw an umbrella flying up the left side of the bonnet and behind it a pair of legs sticking out horizontally and rolling up the bonnet.
I slammed on the brakes and skidded to a halt, the body flew off the bonnet and into the road about 10 feet ahead and to the right in lane 1.
She lay slightly curled up, back to me, and motionless.
My wife was still screaming as I jumped out of the truck. I've been a nurse for 30 years, most of it in the emergency department, and was a trauma nurse in the military, so I know, when a casualty is quite and still, it's bad, very bad. She was quiet and still.
I got to the girl, as she turned out to be, who looked in her early 20s, slight and blond. I knelt down next to her in the wet and started to talk to her, telling her not to move, she was able to answer in English, and tell me her name, but was very quiet and still. I moved her hood back a little to see her face, there was a trickle of blood from her nose. She had earphones in and was still holding her phone.
My wife was out of the car now, asking if she was dead. I shouted to her to get the bus driver to call an ambulance and to get my coat out of the vehicle. I covered the girl with my coat, and another from a bystander. I used the girls umbrella to try and shelter her some more. Although she spoke English a little, given the language difficulties, the fact she was conscious and breathing, and the environmental difficulties, I decided against instigating any treatment.
The passers by were wonderful, one girl who spoke good English (she's an English teacher) especially, offering to help with translation and giving advice about the police etc.
I continued talking to the girl gently, reassuring her. She told me she had been running to catch the bus. The bus moved off so I was concerned about oncoming traffic hitting us, so I explained to someone I was going to move my vehicle to protect us. He said that would be a very bad thing to do and we must wait for the police, so instead I went back to the cruiser to get my warning triangle out. Poor Lizzie, my 8 year old, was in floods of tears saying she didn't want us to go to the jail. I said a few words to her got the triangle out and asked someone to put that in the road in the lane we were in. I asked Natallia to go back to the truck to look after Lizzie.
Eventually the medics arrived. They were rough. They pulled off everything that was covering her and carelessly rolled her onto a spinal board, with no spinal control, no collar and no examination, oh and no straps to keep her on it. She was unceremoniously bundled into the back of the meat wagon, because thats all it was, and they drove around the corner, then stopped to park.
We started to ask about the police, if anyone had called them. No one had. Fleetingly it crossed my mind just to bugger off at that point, my trust of foreign police not being that high, but to do that would be an admission of guilt and if later caught, having avoided an alcohol test (0 limit here) there would be assumptions of guilt. I was sure this wasn't my fault and the best thing to do was to sit tight and face the music.
While we were waiting, one of the ambulance crew arrived, some shabby looking old bloke, and started shouting. My wife explained he was being a dick, saying the girl had crossed on a green light and it was our fault. It's none of his business and he needed to pay more attention to doing his job and leave the investigations to the police.
Eventually the police turned up, a man and a woman. The man spoke a little English but mostly my wife translated. They were actually very nice, measured, non judgemental and fair. They went through my documentation and said we would have to wait for the accident investigator to arrive.
some 2 hours after the initial accident the investigator arrived. He was also a very nice chap. very professional and polite, very understanding. He went through my documents again, including the insurance I had bought at the border. He advised me we needed to wait for the report from the hospital, if she had any fractures they would need to impound my vehicle for a technical inspection. he also advised he would need to speak to the consulate, as a procedure.
I was sure the girl would have fractured, maybe a hip, Right leg and/or arm. You get hit by 3 tons of landcruiser, even at 20mph, and get thrown 10 feet down the road your going to be damaged. Thats without the possibility of a serious head injury or internal injuries.
Finally word came back from the hospital. She had been discharged with no significant injuries.
I cannot even begin to tell you the relief!!
We were now too late to check into our accommodation. Despite the fact he had another accident to go to that night, and that he was on duty the next day, the investigator then proceeded to ring a number of hotels to find us somewhere affordable for the night.
Once that was arranged he advised we should follow the other 2 officers to the Hospital, where I would need to have a blood test for alcohol. Once that was done they would then take us to our hotel.
The alcohol test takes 3 days. I know I had none, but it's still nerve racking to wait. today we had to go and see the accident investigator to sign statements and file a report.
The police were lovely, very professional, but I am absolutely certain, had my paperwork not been in order, things would be very very different.
Bloody hell Andy, what rotten luck, but good luck that she wasn’t badly injured.
No injuries at all to speak of by the sound of it, thank goodness. Here they’re pretty clueless about spinal injuries too, I’ve seen the same procedure of bundling patients into the ambulances, cringing in case they’ve created another paraplegic.
So I’m guessing it’s a matter of waiting it out to get clearance to proceed from the police.
You could do without bystanders saying you’re guilty of something, I’ve had that happen to me here, and you just want to tell them to STFU and bugger off.
Good luck mate, while we wait for the next installment...
No injuries at all to speak of by the sound of it, thank goodness. Here they’re pretty clueless about spinal injuries too, I’ve seen the same procedure of bundling patients into the ambulances, cringing in case they’ve created another paraplegic.
So I’m guessing it’s a matter of waiting it out to get clearance to proceed from the police.
You could do without bystanders saying you’re guilty of something, I’ve had that happen to me here, and you just want to tell them to STFU and bugger off.
Good luck mate, while we wait for the next installment...
moggy1968
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Bear with a sore head!!You’re looking a bit tired in this one Andy… are you sure you’re not overdoing it?
And I shit in the woods!!
Phew! What a nightmare. I’ve often wondered how often youngsters with headphones in find themselves absent mindedly walking out in front of a vehicle. Maybe she was so relaxed and slight she escaped injury. A minor miracle. It is of course possible she ran into the side of your truck. I did the exact thing as a kid running for the bus, straight into the side of a van with my Parka hood up and nothing but blinkered vision.
So glad it wasn’t worse and I think given the circumstances it was probably a good decision not to examine the poor girl.
Hope it’s soon in distant memory and everyone can put it behind them. Hope the girl makes a full recovery
PS I posted about the pic before I read the rest!
So glad it wasn’t worse and I think given the circumstances it was probably a good decision not to examine the poor girl.
Hope it’s soon in distant memory and everyone can put it behind them. Hope the girl makes a full recovery
PS I posted about the pic before I read the rest!
moggy1968
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Went to see the police investigator again today. The medical report he was given was the wrong one!! So he promptly shat himself because if the injuries were significant then he was in trouble because the correct procedure hadn't been followed.
Anyways, she has severe bruising to her hip, leg and arm and bruising to her head.
The main thing is though, no broken bones so all OK. we completed the statement, which Natallia was able to translate from the Ukrainian despite claiming she doesn't speak Ukrainian! The investigator confirmed I am not at fault, the girl was not on the crossing and wasn't looking. I think she was caught out by the fact the cruiser isn't very quick off the mark (like it's owner). She saw the pedestrian light had gone green but didn't look to check the traffic so hadn't realised that my vehicle still hadn't cleared the junction. Not being quick off the mark worked in her favour though in terms of impact speed which was pretty low.
Perversely given all the hubrous about bull bars, I actually think it helped her as it is angled and so pushed her up onto the bonnet, helping to reduce the impact and dissipating force. Without it the front of the 60 is very square and she would have just been knocked down with the full force, and then possibly run over by the truck.
Anyways, she has severe bruising to her hip, leg and arm and bruising to her head.
The main thing is though, no broken bones so all OK. we completed the statement, which Natallia was able to translate from the Ukrainian despite claiming she doesn't speak Ukrainian! The investigator confirmed I am not at fault, the girl was not on the crossing and wasn't looking. I think she was caught out by the fact the cruiser isn't very quick off the mark (like it's owner). She saw the pedestrian light had gone green but didn't look to check the traffic so hadn't realised that my vehicle still hadn't cleared the junction. Not being quick off the mark worked in her favour though in terms of impact speed which was pretty low.
Perversely given all the hubrous about bull bars, I actually think it helped her as it is angled and so pushed her up onto the bonnet, helping to reduce the impact and dissipating force. Without it the front of the 60 is very square and she would have just been knocked down with the full force, and then possibly run over by the truck.
moggy1968
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I certainly think that could be a factor, like drunks falling out of windows!!
The ther week we were on a blue light transfer of a baby through London when some eejit youngster with headphones on stepped out in front of the vehicle, despite sirens and blues!
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Ultimately it was just one of life's trial's and you came away from it having earned respect from all involved and perhaps sharpened the pride and trust already given from wife and daughter , no tragedy in that me thinks .
Great pics , enjoy the trip and keep them coming
Great pics , enjoy the trip and keep them coming
