A beauty spot in the stunning Australian state of Victoria became the scene of a massive rescue mission as 18 people were injured and 65 trapped when a chairlift collapsed.  Scarily, the pylon tower which supports the ski-lift broke which caused the cables to come down.  This caused about 12 cars to crash 10 metres to the ground; many passengers suffering strained necks or spinal injuries as a result of the plunge.

No injuries were life threatening and indeed it transpires that the situation could have been much, much worse if the emergency breaking equipment for the ski-lift had not kicked in.  If the cars which were not involved in the initial fall had kept moving then the result could well have been tragic but, luckily, the worst case scenario did not occur.  Three of the more severely injured passengers had to be airlifted away from the scene of the disaster, one said to be in a stable condition whilst another two were deemed to be in a serious but stable condition.

The rescue operation, which was launched as soon as emergency services learned of what had happened, was hampered by the uneven and difficult terrain which the lift crosses over. Some people were trapped for up to six hours as the rescuers had to employ the use of ropes and hydraulic lifts to attempt to pull people back up and take them away for treatment.  The chairlift crosses 950 metres of such difficult terrain and rises to a staggering height of 740 feet. Had the collapse happened when passengers were at the peak of this height then things could been a lot worse.

The focus now that everyone has been treated is to attempt to get to the bottom of what actually caused the accident and how it can be prevented from happening again in the future.  Investigators from Worksafe Victoria are on the scene in an attempt to find answers to people’s questions.  The problem, because the emergency brake system work but the tower itself broke, is likely to be discovered to be structural rather than technological and thus this is likely to be the focus of any rebuilding and reworking of the lift.  At this point it is unknown whether or not the chairlift will reopen in the future and thus tourists will have to find another way of getting to the top of the 300m high Arthur’s Seat.

We’re such a television-obsessed culture now that, if we can’t find the remote we go from placid to violent in around five seconds. So spare a thought for Russia who, after a three-day black out, is only just beginning to receive transmissions once again.  A fire at the Ostaniko tower was the source of the trouble and three days later the two main Russian channels began to do a limited joint transmission service which included soap operas and news programmes.  T.V addicts may have longer to wait before many of their favourite shows are back on the airwaves, perhaps as long as a month and a half.

A much greater tragedy was unveiled as televisions across Russia staggered back into life; the deaths which were the result of the transmission tower fire.  Three people, lift operator Svetlana Loseva, Aleksandr Shepitsyn, a plumber and Vladimir Arsyukov, had been attempting to flee the burning tower in the lift when the carriage plunged and killed them. However, this is not the full horror of what actually went on. Russian T.V gave a surprisingly stark description of what happened. Before the car of the lift actually plunged down, it became suspended some 250 metres above the ground. Here, because of the fire, it became red hot and, in the pitch blackness, began to fill with smoke. The harrowing last words of one of the victims are said to have been: “We have one breathing apparatus between the three of us. We are suffocating”

Soon after this last message was sent the cables of the lift snapped and the carriage plunged towards earth, smashing through the concrete floor and ending up some seven feet beneath the basement.  Regulations apparently state that the lift should have been shut down as soon as the fire broke out but, tragically this did not happen.  The fire itself was also caused by a catastrophic failure to adhere to regulations. Out of the 38 regulations in place to prevent such a tragedy as this happening, only 16 were adhered to.  Russia will be sombre after learning of these deaths so tragic. People might be a bit miffed that they can’t get their favourite T.V show, but such petty annoyances will be replaced by a national grief at the horrific nature of these three people’s deaths. Investigations are now likely into why so many regulations were not adhered to.

Buying a car can be an expensive time and, when you’ve finally handed over the cash, you want to be able to drive off the forecourt straight away and go show off your new wheels to the neighbours. Well, spare a thought for Christine Barton who had to fork over another £16,000 and have her car shipped to Sweden for six months. Christine is in a wheelchair due to MS and, as such, needed special adjustments making to the car.

Whilst there are many custom cars out there on the market which allow for wheelchair access, they usually only allow disabled passengers to sit in the back and Christine only feels safe and comfortable when sat in the front of a car. Because of her busy work commitments with the various trusts and charities she’s involved with, travel is essential to Christine’s lifestyle- her old modified car was getting a little too old and so a new alternative had to be found. Ultimately, it was decided that something as important as this shouldn’t be dependent on money and thus one of the more expensive options was pursued; this is when the problems started.

The Chrysler Entervan was chosen because, as Christine has three different wheelchairs, a large vehicle was going to be needed. The Chrysler Entervan begins its existence as the Grand Voyager car.  Christine got hers for around £21,000, as VAT is not charged for purchases made for conversion. This might seem like a good saving, but then the hidden costs began to show up.  The major restructuring of the car is done in Sweden and, after all the necessary adjustments have been done, you’re left with a bill that is closer to £40,000. The charges are explained away by the fact that most people come to buy such modified vehicles after receiving very high compensation or insurance payouts after road-accidents. However, Christine had no such financial cushion to rest her hopes on, nor is she given all that much help financially from the state. If she had saved up her Disability Living Allowance then she may have been able to buy the car in around 25 years!

A cheaper alternative from FIAT is now on the market for around £20,000 but this came too late for Christine who had to endure months of delays and extra costs before she got her car but, as she has commented, it has been worth the wait.