{"id":23480,"date":"2023-02-28T11:17:08","date_gmt":"2023-02-28T16:17:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=23480"},"modified":"2023-02-28T11:17:48","modified_gmt":"2023-02-28T16:17:48","slug":"episode-742-andrew-skeoch-head-on-collision-in-new-zealand-1991","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=23480","title":{"rendered":"EPISODE 742 Andrew Skeoch…head on collision in New Zealand, 1991"},"content":{"rendered":"
EPISODE 752  Andrew Skeoch…head on collision in New Zealand, 1991<\/p>\n

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alan skeoch<\/div>\n
Feb. 27, 2023<\/div>\n

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This is the story of a head on collision of two cars near 90 mile beach , North Island, New Zealand.<\/div>\n
By pure accident I discovered an undeveloped film that Andrew BRought back from his \u2018walkabout\u2019<\/div>\n
in New Zealand in 1991.   This actually happened.  I know it sounds inflated.  Subsequent letter <\/div>\n
followed the story.  So here is the complete picture of a terrible car accident where everyone lived<\/div>\n
although it seemed nip and tuck for a couple of the girls who retired  a rescue helicopter to get<\/div>\n
them to Auckland fast.  Other survivors were rushed to hospital by ambulance after waiting for<\/div>\n
two hours with their wrecked vehicles.<\/div>\n

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Let me tell the story in three parts.   <\/div>\n

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PART ONE: THE COLLISION<\/div>\n
PART TWO   ANDREW REMEMBERS<\/div>\n
[ART THREE   JOANNE REMEMBERS<\/div>\n

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EPISODE 7452 Andrew Skeoch…head on collision in New Zealand, 1991<\/div>\n

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        NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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(Andrew Skeoch and Keith Merker)<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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ghost written by  Alan Skeoch<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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from interview with Andrew Skeoch<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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      (North Island,  New Zealand, winter 1991)<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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      The  road was empty.  Or, at least it seemed  so.   Keith was driving and I was in the passenger seat reading.<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The two girls were in the back dozing.  We had  been surfing on 90 mile beach, a vast expanse of hard  sand and<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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foaming waves.  Wonderful place.  So huge that other cars are few and  far between and the hard  sand allowed <\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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us to park at the water\u2019s edge.  We had a  great time.   <\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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But that was  about to end.  Suddenly.<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cCar! Coming at us head on.\u201d  Keith yelled but probably never finished  the sentence.  I looked up just in time to see<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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a white car with two boys coming at us on the wrong side of the road.  A blind curve.  No time to think or act.<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Kaboom!  Both cars were welded together and  both came to a  dead  stop in showers and gas  and metal  fragments.<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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None of  us had seat belts.  The moment after I looked  up from my book\u2026milliseconds\u2026I flew from my seat right through<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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the front window. Head first.  Something on my head  was  torn as  Ihit the crumpled hood of our  car. Blood. Lots of it.<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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My nose  was severed badly and would not stop bleeding.  It felt like a flap of meat rather than part of  my body.<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Initially I was the only person who cold stand, however.  Keith\u2019s chest had  hit and  collapsed the steering wheel while<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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a stiletto like piece of metal impaled his knee.  he was pinned.<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The girls?   I tried to get the back door open on Jo Anne’s side.  Hard to do.  Blood pouring down my face. Finally <\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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the door was wrenched  open.  Jo Anne look like she was dead.  A limp body.  I placed her on the ground and<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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tired to revive her but feared the worst.  Then her eyes opened but she could not talk.  Her jaw was broken dead  centre.<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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But she was alive.  The other girl was mobile by then but badly cut in the lower torso.  She was stretched out on<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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the highway beside Jo Anne.<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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By  that time Keith had  freed  himself and  took a look at me.  Something had  to be done.  I was losing so  much  blood.<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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So he wound my head  and  face with tape\u2026looked like  a mummy.  But the tape stopped  the heavy bleeding.  Keith<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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could not walk.  He hobbled.<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The boys in the other car were in a state  of shock.  We pulled our camping gear from our car and  laid out <\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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what we could  right on the road.  <\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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No car came.  We hoped and prayed but no car.  After two hours I decided to try to walk  and get help.  I was<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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the least hurt although my bloody clothes  looked  terrible.  And the making tape bandages were sinister looking.  Who would stop<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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to help once they saw me at the side of the road?  Just as I started,  a  car full  of  tourists came<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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around  the bend.   They had  phones.<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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A helicopter arrived in short order with a medic who bandaged us up and loaded both girls aboard for<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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the flight back to Auckland.  <\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Keith and I  had to wait for an ambulance and then faced a miserable six hour drive to the same hospital<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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in Auckland.   My nose was bad.  I feared the worst.  What would life be like without a nose?  The windshield<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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had lived my nose  across he bottom and up the right side.  So it was just hanging by he flesh on the left side.<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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What followed was wise than the accident as far as I was  concerned.  It was  night when we arrived but<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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there could be no delay so the surgeon began  stitching immediately.. Freezing kept the<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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nostril bridge from hurting but the rest was  sheer agony as the doctor had to reach up inside my nostril<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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to get the stitches to take hold.  And there was no freezing up there.  This was not a nice experience.<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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ARCHIE CLARKE: NZ POLICE OFFICER \u201cCOME LIVE WITH US BOYS UNTIL YOU RECOVER”<\/div>\n

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There was, however, a rosy ending.  Archie Clarke, the investigating police officer came down to<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Auckland with us.  He was  responsible for policing the Northern Territory so that was  some distance<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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from his home base.   As far a the accident was concerned we were in the clear.  the other car<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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was in our lane.  Their fault.   Some comfort but not much for our car had to be written off and <\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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we had  very little money left.<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Then a weird thing happened.  Archie Clarke volunteered to take us all\u2026two boys and two girls\u2026to his home up<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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north while we recuperated.  <\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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In the end  we had a two week all expenses  paid vacation with a terrific family who loved and shared<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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their outdoor life.  We even went out hunting for wlld pigs in the wilds of the North Island.  I wonder how many police officers in Canada would do that?<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Andrew Skeoch (almost verbatim)<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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April 2018<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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(The accident happened in 1991)<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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P>S>  Andrew never told us  how bad this  accident had been.  By pure chance I found<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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these pictures  while converting 35 mm slides to digital pictures.<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n


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This  picture  gives  a good  idea  of the impact.  Both cars are welded  together<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n
like husband and  wife.  We never really got to know the boys in the white car.  They were<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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in shock.  Guess they knew they were also in big trouble.  Wrong side of the road. Nobody  had  been drinking. I say<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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that just in case you think four males and  two girls were violating the liquor laws.  Bad  <\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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things happen to good people.

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The gas tanks were not ruptured. That is cooling fluid on the ground.  If fire had  started<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I don\u2019t know if three of our people would have got out in time.  I might have been the<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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only survivor.  Cars  explode often in this kind  of collision.  We were lucky.  If you look<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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closely on the right side, you can  see the girls  wrapped in sleeping bags awaiting aid.

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Notice that Keith Merker can  barely stand up.  Also this  gives a good  idea  of  what it was  like the fly through the windshield of our car.<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
What windshield, you say.  Precisely my point.  Lucky my nose is not attached to that last remaining glass shard.  Notice the bent steering wheel<\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

  pushed  up against he dashboard by Keith\u2019s  chest.<\/o:p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Help arrived.  Red car.   We had made the girls as comfortable as possible as we <\/o:p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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awaited the helicopter.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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JOANNE RECALLS THE CAR CRASH AS SHE GETS HER HAW REALIGNED<\/div>\n

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This is from Joanne the girl lying in the sleeping bag.  <\/p>\n

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Begin forwarded message:<\/div>\n


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Very sobering read Andy. It really is incredible that we all survived that crash. Thank you for taking such good care of us. I remember struggling to stay conscious, you kept telling me ” dont close your eyes Jo, you mustn’t go back to sleep” and you told Claire to make sure I didn’t.<\/p>\n
There was another girl in the car with those boys who came in the helicopter with me. Claire went in the ambulance with you and Keith to Kaitaia hospital.<\/div>\n
It was on the 6th of Dec so we stayed at Fran and Archie’s for ages, we left after Christmas just before new year as their son drove us to Auckland where he was going to a party! So so good of them to out us up like that.<\/div>\n
Oh remember we had that amazing smoked fish, what was it, a snapper, trout or something? <\/div>\n
How is your nose? I cringed at that bit of the story!! I am surprised Keith didn’t break any of his ribs, good job the steering wheel gave way instead.
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Claire still has trouble with her legs. She walked some of the Sacramento way last year and couldn’t walk for a while after she got home.<\/div>\n
 I had to have my jaw rebroken a few years ago to realign my bite it wasn’t successful first time so they had to break it again and still its not great but my bite is much better. My nerves got damaged though so I can’t feel my chin or lower lip but my girls help to point out when I’ve got food on my face!!<\/div>\n
I dug out a few pics I’ve got for you.<\/div>\n
We should arrange a chat on skpe tog with Claire and keith sometime. Does Keith live close by to you? Claire and i live just a few mins away from each other.<\/div>\n
Take care x<\/div>\n

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\"December\"December\"December\"December

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EPISODE 752  Andrew Skeoch…head on collision in New Zealand, 1991 alan skeoch Feb. 27, 2023 This is the story of a head on collision of two cars near 90 mile beach , North Island, New Zealand. By pure accident I discovered an undeveloped film that Andrew BRought back from his \u2018walkabout\u2019 in New Zealand in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23480"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23480\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}