The two young fellas that were operating this vehicle when the steepness of track, loose sub grade material and wheel placement resulted in the Hilux sliding backwards off the track barrel rolling 4x only being stopped by a large tree can thank their lucky stars for the rest of the members of the convoy for saving their lives.

The driver managed to crawl out of the wreck however the passenger was trapped, fellow 4X4 drivers spung into action using high lift jacks to attempt to lift the mangled sheet metal roof and panels off the passenger until EMS arrived on scene and finished cutting him out. This one action had the biggest impact whether or not this job ended as a fatality. The 2x occupants were airlifted to Melbourne for treatment and are in a stable condition.

The insurer allocated the job to a local towing company, however they declined due to not having suitable equipment to successfully complete the salvage of the Hilux, the towing company therefore recommended Edge247 Recovery & Salvage to undertake the works and an “Authority to Salvage” came through shortly after via email.

Mobilising from our depot in Mornington at 5am we headed express to Blue Rag Range coming up through Dargo to meet the Victoria Police from Omeo Station onsite. Temporary road closure signs and barriers were deployed at each end of the track for our safety while we worked on a steep and narrow section of track.

Assessing the casualty for safety it was discovered that the batteries hadn’t been disconnected and everything was still live. A path was cleared from the track to the crash site which included dragging large fallen logs and tree stumps out of the extraction route.

Winching from the Rescue Mog up into the hill on the LHS to a snatch block to change direction of pull the winch cable was secured to the vehicle with some additional straps due to the crash zone being approx 32m off the track.

A fairly soft landing when the Hilux was righted and guided in the right direction using one rigging setup. The entire time a hand tirfor winch was used as a secondary tether in the event of rigging or tree anchor breakages. Using a bridle setup the Rescue Mog and casualty were joined close ready for the final leg of extraction back to the Dargo High Plains Rd to the waiting trailer.

Once loaded onto our transport it was time to head for home stopping at one of our favourite High Country Pubs being The Harrietville Snowline Hotel for a well earned Parma.

The casualty was delivered to the insurers assessment depot in Tullamarine thus concluding the job with our 100% success rate still in tact, our environmental responsibilities were also satisfied after picking up every last piece of debris strewn across the scene and disposed of accordingly.

For immediate assistance call/text 0447333877

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