Crash on HWY 447 08-31-2008 near midnight.

felix · Post by **felix** » Sun Aug 31, 2008 12:28 pm

We left the second the man fell and we came across a car that had crashed and was on the other side of the highway about 20 miles from Cedarville. We stopped to check for people but no one was in the car. Small amounts of blood were found on the seatbelt. The front windshield was popped out and the back was smashed. Gear and bikes were all over the rode for about 100 feet. Looks like it flipped a few times. Got out with flashlights and combed the area looking for anyone ejected / injured. Got the megaphone out and called to see if anyone could hear us who may have stumbled out into the dark confused or hurt. Got word from another motorist who was already on the scene and had called 911 that the driver had been picked up. The emergency lights on the car would not turn on but head / tail lights were on. Put some blinky lights on / around the car so that no one heading the other direction would hit the car. Does any one have any further information. I hope the driver and any passengers are alive and in decent condition considering the damage to the car . We left the scene after finding nothing else we could do. Drove though the night back to Portland OR fairly shook up.

JezebelinHell · Post by **JezebelinHell** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 6:30 pm

There was another bad one on Sunday night. We left right before the Temple burn and got stuck at a dead stop for about an hour just outside of Empire. Looked to be three cars involved but it was really hard to tell. I'm having a rough time finding any solid info about any of the wrecks this year though. Does anyone know of a site that lists those statistics, along with info on whether the drivers and such are okay? Ours looked pretty bad.

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 7:32 pm

yeah, I left on Sunday afternoon and saw a pretty bad looking rool over and such. I hope all are ok..........all those rocks by the road would make for a hard landing........
I wonder if the highway patrol would have info?

hsdavis · Post by **hsdavis** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 7:48 pm

Nevada Highway Patrol and emergency responders were at the scene where a 20-foot travel trailer, on the way back from Burning Man, rolled on Highway 447 northeast of Pyramid Lake Sunday morning. There were no injuries reported, and the highway was not blocked as crews worked to clean up the debris, an NHP spokesman said. However, people leaving the Burning Man Festival were backed up for miles near the accident, witnesses said.
(Geralda Miller / Reno Gazette-Journal)

DoriumLux · Post by **DoriumLux** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 8:51 pm

Yes, that early morning Sunday accident was behind us. We heard about the roll over when we made it to a diner by a few other burners who were at the scene of the accident. They said it was miraculous that everyone came out perfectly fine.

Intubater69 · Post by **Intubater69** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 10:15 pm

We left today and there was like 4-5 totalled campers (1 was hard to discern what it once was) One was an obvious fire.

Bounce530 · Post by **Bounce530** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 11:38 pm

I left the campsite at 10:30pm Sunday night, hit pavement exactly 2 hours later (BMIR said 3-4hrs at least) and was stuck in the traffic on 447. Looked to me like about 3 different wrecks within a close distance of themselves.

Xavier · Post by **Xavier** » Tue Sep 02, 2008 2:53 am

We left immediately after the temple burn in a 3 vehicle caravan at 11:30PM Sunday. As soon as we got on the road to the gate there was a total whiteout (10 ft. visibility at most) and light rain but that didn't stop any of us from proceeding - cones were visible and the line was brisk - Of course BMIR was advising not to continue and that... and I quote "you are taking your life into your own hands" . Eventually they closed the gate and were stuck for a time. It took approximately 2 hours 45 mins to make the road, which I would directly blame on the gate - traffic was orderly and fine and the white out wasn't a problem.

Now 447 was another problem. We made the road at 2:15AM, made Reno around 7AM. Traffic was at a complete stop, we assumed to the accident.

Traffic Westbound 80 was stop and go today - it took about 6 hours from reno to SF all told, with traffic slow up in Donner Pass.

Some constructive feedback - I didn't see a problem with movement or any danger to anyone in the whiteout - People drive in slowblind conditions all the time and it's worse because of ice. Movement from camp to road was the briskest I've ever experienced and that's WITH the stop.

I can't stress enough - getting out on the road asap is more important than literally falling asleep at the wheel while you're waiting in an uneccessary line.

Also... DJ Grey was... just bad. Really, atrociously, dangerously bad. I literally switched to KLOVE 88.3 "Positive Encouraging" Christian Rock Radio because I'd rather get brainwashed to a fucking beat than listen to to snore-enducing BMIR. 12 thumbs down (literally)

DoriumLux · Post by **DoriumLux** » Tue Sep 02, 2008 9:09 pm

Xavier wrote:We left immediately after the temple burn in a 3 vehicle caravan at 11:30PM Sunday. As soon as we got on the road to the gate there was a total whiteout (10 ft. visibility at most) and light rain but that didn't stop any of us from proceeding - cones were visible and the line was brisk - Of course BMIR was advising not to continue and that... and I quote "you are taking your life into your own hands" . Eventually they closed the gate and were stuck for a time. It took approximately 2 hours 45 mins to make the road, which I would directly blame on the gate - traffic was orderly and fine and the white out wasn't a problem.

Now 447 was another problem. We made the road at 2:15AM, made Reno around 7AM. Traffic was at a complete stop, we assumed to the accident.

Traffic Westbound 80 was stop and go today - it took about 6 hours from reno to SF all told, with traffic slow up in Donner Pass.

Some constructive feedback - I didn't see a problem with movement or any danger to anyone in the whiteout - People drive in slowblind conditions all the time and it's worse because of ice. Movement from camp to road was the briskest I've ever experienced and that's WITH the stop.

I can't stress enough - getting out on the road asap is more important than literally falling asleep at the wheel while you're waiting in an uneccessary line.

Also... DJ Grey was... just bad. Really, atrociously, dangerously bad. I literally switched to KLOVE 88.3 "Positive Encouraging" Christian Rock Radio because I'd rather get brainwashed to a fucking beat than listen to to snore-enducing BMIR. 12 thumbs down (literally)

Wow. Really? You really don't see the danger in driving in a white out? How many times have you attended Burning Man or driven out to the playa? I'm going to guess not many times. You would be surprised how many people drive tired and/or intoxicated on the way out. It's dangerous enough driving with those types especially when you add the fact that many are driving RV's or trailers. Many people drive bat ass crazy in general and I have seen many, many accidents on 447 that I wish I didn't. A white out lowers visibility. That means you don't always know what is ahead of you, to the side of you or anywhere else. I think you need to carefully rethink your statement.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Tue Sep 02, 2008 11:16 pm

If you can see at all. it's not really a whiteout.
I have seen those conditions, but so far only intermittently.

Worst thing I ran into was a steady wind one night where you could see fine going out, but not at all coming back.
People kept passing me having no problem in their direction.

Xavier · Post by **Xavier** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 4:04 am

DoriumLux wrote: Wow. Really? You really don't see the danger in driving in a white out? How many times have you attended Burning Man or driven out to the playa? I'm going to guess not many times.

No, I don't, not in the weather we were in. And I've been 7 years. I have also logged about 60 miles cross-playa for Earth Guardians. I would consider myself an "above average" playa driver for that experience.

I've also driven in white out for years in SNOW. on ICE.

Exodus makes a 5 lane highway bounded by cones. Every year people fall asleep in the 3 hour exodus to the road because traffic is so stop and go. You can see the car in front of you, you can see the cars to side. They overstated the risk, and like I said, it was probably the fastest moving line I've ever been in, it took about 30 minutes to get from 7:30 to the checkers gate. In "Deadly" white out.

DoriumLux · Post by **DoriumLux** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 10:53 am

Xavier wrote:
DoriumLux wrote: Wow. Really? You really don't see the danger in driving in a white out? How many times have you attended Burning Man or driven out to the playa? I'm going to guess not many times.
No, I don't, not in the weather we were in. And I've been 7 years. I have also logged about 60 miles cross-playa for Earth Guardians. I would consider myself an "above average" playa driver for that experience.

I've also driven in white out for years in SNOW. on ICE.

Exodus makes a 5 lane highway bounded by cones. Every year people fall asleep in the 3 hour exodus to the road because traffic is so stop and go. You can see the car in front of you, you can see the cars to side. They overstated the risk, and like I said, it was probably the fastest moving line I've ever been in, it took about 30 minutes to get from 7:30 to the checkers gate. In "Deadly" white out.

In my nine years (maybe I am lucky) or I just know when to leave... I have never waited more than an hour to get out. Maybe, you are an exceptional driver and let's say that you are... Let me repeat myself. There are many people who attend the event who are not. There are also many people who are pulling or driving RV's and/or trailers for the first time. If you are too tired to make it through a long exodus line (like my boyfriend this year) than it is best that you sleep until you are. There also people who insist on driving altered or that will fall asleep. I've seen many accidents on 447 or the remnants of that didn't occur in white out conditions. BM did the right thing on closing the gates to people leaving.

Even if I believed I could drive just dandy in white out conditions, I would think twice about who I was sharing the road with.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 4:52 pm

Real fog lights work in dusty conditions, up to the whiteout point.

Make sure you have real ones and know how to aim them.
Most cars have fakes nowadays.
Just cheapo driving lights.

If they don't have a razor sharp cutoff, they aren't fog lights.

I like the Marchal 950.
They also make a very unique driving light with a forward cutoff.
Big but great and can run 100 watts.
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/imag ... hal950.jpg