Hazards of Motorway Driving #2

[Kiwi XTR2]

Did everone see the news? Driver killed by 8 kg object thrown from a motorway overpass.

My deepest sympathies and condolences to the family and friends of the victim, and the other occupants of the car.

I hope the little :censored:-heads get caught, and charged with MURDER. None of this "wrongful death" or Family Conference rubbish.

A few kg's and a 1/10th of a sec different to my experience in January which only cost me $800.
[url]Old Thread|http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=149533&f=123&h=0[/url]

[speedy_thrills]

I just saw it, bloody despicable! Time for the police to put away their hairdryers and catch some real criminals endangering lives.

[peterpsg]

Could be time for a bullet proof windshield, though, I'm not sure even one of those would stop a lump of concrete at 100kmh...

Another example of the lack of personable responsibility fostered in a weak minded PC driven nanny state...

Bring back public flogging I say... and for this crime which in my mind constitutes 1st degree murder, public hanging.

[philster]

horrifying story.

I certainly hope that an arrest(s) is made. Shocking.

My condolences to the survivors and families.

BR/Phil...

[Esprit]

I've been in hiding all weekend, working hard and sleeping... what? is this in NZ? if so this is shocking! Hopefully more ammo to get this forking stupid government out of power..... speed isn't the only thing on the roads that can kill

[Kiwi XTR2]

Esprit said:

. . . is this in NZ? if so this is shocking!

Yes it was in NZ, Otahuhu motorway overbridge I believe.

The victim has be named - A King Country rugby player.

It turns out a lump of hot-mix went through another windshield a few days earlier, at the same overbridge, but nobody was hurt. The police also have video footage a bit down the motorway of little 's standing on the shoulder throwing rocks at trucks.

[Izza]

Public hanging would be too good for the b stards!

[Esprit]

Graham..... when it happened to you those months back, did you report this to Police? If so was anything done about it? It was the same bridge wasn't it? certainly the same area.... if I were you I'd be writing a rather sternly worded letter to your MP and also a well-structured letter to the Editor of the New Zealand Herald.... typical NZ Police mandate.... screw the motorist dry yet do feck all when it comes to protecting us from yobs.... it was only a matter of time til this killed someone and now it has.... how many more will have to die before something is done about it? I bet the cops won't even get close to finding these shits..... after the first complaint was laid (I'll bet there have been many) there should have been stakeouts etc to find them... it's clear it was happening on regular occasions!

[Kiwi XTR2]

Mine was a long way north. The Wilks Road overbridge which is the last one heading north before Silverdale, just after the BP Service Centre.

I did report it to the Police and to be fair they were quite good about following up. I found out independently that they had talked to a few of the farm/lifestyle block owners near the overbridge.

But it happended at 1:00am, the overpass has no lighting, and there was no obvious evidence left behind.

There have been numerous other reports about the Otahuhu Overbridge on the same day (presumeably the same ) but I would be interested to know how many reports there are annually and on which overbridges. I suspect this happens much more often than we would like to think.

[Esprit]

I fear you're right Graham... but SOMEONE out there must know the score (NZ Police probably).... surely if there were more than a couple of isolated events you'd think they'd notify transit NZ and issue a directive that such bridges should have high-sided barriers to prevent such a thing from happening (think the same sort of lexan-sides as on Grafton Bridge).... makes it a LOT harder to throw stuff over the edge and makes it nigh-on impossible to do it with any sort of aim that was obviously used in the incident the other night... it was a premeditated killing.... that makes it MURDER... that's what the guy in the UK went down for... these shits should have the same courtesy accorded them.

[Murdock]

Esprit said:

it was a premeditated killing.... that makes it MURDER... that's what the guy in the UK went down for... these shits should have the same courtesy accorded them.

My sentiments exactly, they stand no chance in hell of proving that it wasn't premeditated. My heart really goes out to the poor guy's family and friends. I hope to God they catch whoever is responsible. I honestly couldn't believe it when I heard it on the radio, it really left me numb.

[wedgepilot]

Sickening stuff....I remember the same thing happening in the UK a few years back, I thought I'd left all that behind. Personally, I'd drop them off the bridge into an oncoming Mack.

[Kiwi XTR2]

Esprit said:

it was a premeditated killing . . . that makes it MURDER . . .

Murdock said:

. . . I hope to God they catch whoever is responsible . . .

Quite right guys, and I reckon they will catch the little

But that's where the frustration will kick in because I'd bet dollars-to-donuts they will be "too young to be held responsible for their actions".

[Kiwi XTR2]

BREAKING NEWS

TVNZ.CO.NZ - 23.08.05 - 10.10am

Police have arrested a 14-year-old boy and charged him with murder after a concrete slab was thrown from a motorway overbridge in Auckland on Friday night.

The 8kg slab smashed through the windscreen of a car driven by 20-year-old Chris Currie, killing him instantly.

[speedy_thrills]

Kiwi XTR2 said:

BREAKING NEWS TVNZ.CO.NZ - 23.08.05 - 10.10am Police have arrested a 14-year-old boy and charged him with murder after a concrete slab was thrown from a motorway overbridge in Auckland on Friday night. The 8kg slab smashed through the windscreen of a car driven by 20-year-old Chris Currie, killing him instantly.

I hope he spends a long time in a place where he has time to think about the life he took from some one who appears to be quite a decent bloke.

[Murdock]

Kiwi XTR2 said:

But that's where the frustration will kick in because I'd bet dollars-to-donuts they will be "too young to be held responsible for their actions".

Let's hope that isn't the case, and that the murder charge is upheld.

[pawsmcgraw]

Perhaps this is one instance when Italian law would be more suitable as someone would have to be held accountable.If not the child, the the parents or the peer group pressure he was probably feeling.Either way, someone needs to be found guilty.A sad state of events.

[gtivr4]

Just baffling to think this sort of thing happens. These kids clearly have no idea that they could kill someone, probably just like to see some damage to cars. Not that its remotely an excuse. A neighbor's aunt was killed in the same manner (this was in the US), so its clearly not isoltaed by any means.
Maybe they need some education that these activities are not only wrong (they know that) but have a high chance of death. I suppose this story will do that for a while, and if the kid gets some real punishment it would help. Sadly I doubt that would be the case (at least in the US he would get a good lawyer and get off because he is underage).

[v15ben]

The same thing has happened near where I live in the UK before with rocks ending up inside vehicles through the windscreen but luckily no one seriously injured or killed.
These yobs should be strapped to the undersides of the vehicles of which they are trying to murder the drivers! That may teach them a lesson or two!

[roger a]

www.restorativejustice.org/articlesdb/articles/101