Two die in flooded car in Liverpool.

[croyde]

Happened over the weekend and when I first heard about it I presumed that the car had been swept away.

But it had just got stuck in a flooded road under a bridge.

It's quite a dip and according to witnesses the water was 15ft deep, well enough to cover the car.

Thankfully I've never been in that situation but it beggars belief how it could have become so tragic.

Either they tried to drive through the already flooded water or were stuck as the water rose, but there must have been so much time to do something

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-merseyside-666...

[joropug]

Was just reading this - very sad.

It reminded me of a situation I was in when I was 19, passenger in an MG ZR that, long story short, ended up on its drivers side on fire.

I pulled on the passenger door handle which was the only accessible door, the handle came off.

The car also dead bolted itself whilst driving and the impact must have disconnected the electrics - the door stayed bolted shut from the outside - our friends could not open it.

We had been kicking the windscreen to no avail also , it just kept cracking and stretching but we couldn’t kick it out from the angle we were situated.

Luckily a friend put his elbow through the passenger door window and smashed it, and we got out. 2 minutes later the car was completely gone.

A different situation but perhaps similar reasons.
I wonder if the doors were locked and could not be unlocked or perhaps opened due to the water pressure, perhaps the windows had stopped operating as they weren’t opened quick enough before the electrics died?

Tragic.

[croyde]

Bloody hell! that sounds terrifying.

[Sheepshanks]

I’m from Liverpool originally and was back there last week with our Granddaughter and drove under that bridge. It seems absolutely incredible that people could die in such an incident on a major road in a city.

[joropug]

croyde said:

Bloody hell! that sounds terrifying.

It certainly was remember every second of it.

Police photo:

[G-wiz]

Baffling how they did not open the doors and exit vehicle.

Inebriated, drugged out, sleeping?

[Hugo Stiglitz]

G-wiz said:

Baffling how they did not open the doors and exit vehicle.

Inebriated, drugged out, sleeping?

Waterlogged, short circuited doors locked. Age of occupants could be a factor also.

[dudleybloke]

Can see in some pictures that it gets very deep quite quickly.

[Mr Pointy]

You'd have thought that car doors would fail safe if the electrics went. I wonder if they do? It wouldn't help with the water pressure against the door of course.

[Fundoreen]

Problem with electric everything. I would be happier with wind down windows in my car but everyone is a feeble lazy ass nowadays.
The only time a lot of people use their muscles is at the gym.
Surely door locks should spring open and you could get out once water level has gone up above your eyeballs in the car.
Bad move to try and driver through.So may people do this when confronted with water. They probably stalled and just sat there rather than jump out right away.
Guess you dont expect this sort of thing in the middle of town and the delay was fatal.

[waynedear]

I go through the dip a dozen times a week, what is puzzling me is why did they continue driving towards it.
From either side you can see you are going downhill then uphill, if the water was 15' deep it would be not far from reaching the bridge, meaning it has to be way back up either side of the road, they would have hit it before it got deep.

[donkmeister]

Fundoreen said:

Problem with electric everything. I would be happier with wind down windows in my car but everyone is a feeble lazy ass nowadays.
The only time a lot of people use their muscles is at the gym.
Surely door locks should spring open and you could get out once water level has gone up above your eyeballs in the car.
Bad move to try and driver through.So may people do this when confronted with water. They probably stalled and just sat there rather than jump out right away.
Guess you dont expect this sort of thing in the middle of town and the delay was fatal.

I remember the advice used to be that you should let the water fill the car up so the pressure equalises and then try to get out.

A car programme tested this out years ago with scuba gear and found it was complete rubbish, and you were better off getting out as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, plenty of people out there drive modern cars with the 1963 edition of the AA Book Of The Car burned into their consciousness.

[Previous]

donkmeister said:

I remember the advice used to be that you should let the water fill the car up so the pressure equalises and then try to get out.

A car programme tested this out years ago with scuba gear and found it was complete rubbish, and you were better off getting out as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, plenty of people out there drive modern cars with the 1963 edition of the AA Book Of The Car burned into their consciousness.

I remember that. Took a long, long time for the pressure to equalise... far longer than anyone who isn't a professional free diver could hold their breath.

[Ari]

donkmeister said:

I remember the advice used to be that you should let the water fill the car up so the pressure equalises and then try to get out.

A car programme tested this out years ago with scuba gear and found it was complete rubbish, and you were better off getting out as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, plenty of people out there drive modern cars with the 1963 edition of the AA Book Of The Car burned into their consciousness.

Yup, heard the same, seen the same. I've told our kids, if you ever find yourself in that situation, don't fk about waiting for whatever, just get the fk out of there, immediately!

[Sheepshanks]

waynedear said:

I go through the dip a dozen times a week, what is puzzling me is why did they continue driving towards it.
From either side you can see you are going downhill then uphill, if the water was 15' deep it would be not far from reaching the bridge, meaning it has to be way back up either side of the road, they would have hit it before it got deep.

Although most of Queens Drive is a major road, the part of it where this occured is a off the main route and I suppose it they were driving along without any other reference points it'd quite easy to just drive into the water - and as it was raining very heavily then visibility would be reduced. By the time you realised, it'd be too late.

On deadlocks - I thought it was a thing with Merc (it certainly used to be, I had one) that they wouldn't fit deadlocks for precisely the reason that they can prevent escape. Although I didn't think deadlocks were supposed to engage if the car is locked from inside (or automatically) anyway?

[Hugo Stiglitz]

waynedear said:

I go through the dip a dozen times a week, what is puzzling me is why did they continue driving towards it.
From either side you can see you are going downhill then uphill, if the water was 15' deep it would be not far from reaching the bridge, meaning it has to be way back up either side of the road, they would have hit it before it got deep.

Unfamiliar to area, heavy rain disorientated them and possibly age?

[waynedear]

Hugo Stiglitz said:

waynedear said:

I go through the dip a dozen times a week, what is puzzling me is why did they continue driving towards it.
From either side you can see you are going downhill then uphill, if the water was 15' deep it would be not far from reaching the bridge, meaning it has to be way back up either side of the road, they would have hit it before it got deep.

Unfamiliar to area, heavy rain disorientated them and possibly age?

Possibly... I have to stop assuming everyone thinks like I do, my attention level jumps right up in bad weather and new places.

[king arthur]

Previous said:

donkmeister said:

I remember the advice used to be that you should let the water fill the car up so the pressure equalises and then try to get out.

A car programme tested this out years ago with scuba gear and found it was complete rubbish, and you were better off getting out as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, plenty of people out there drive modern cars with the 1963 edition of the AA Book Of The Car burned into their consciousness.

I remember that. Took a long, long time for the pressure to equalise... far longer than anyone who isn't a professional free diver could hold their breath.

I think it was Mythbusters that demonstrated it best, that by the time you've waited for pressure to equalize so you can open the doors, you'll have drowned.

[anonymous-user]

Have had one of these in the glove box for years

[the-norseman]

pablo said:

Have had one of these in the glove box for years

Need to get one of them, you can use a head rest but our Volvo none of the head rests come away.