Motorhome Blown off a Cliff on the NC500 With Occupants Inside (2 Viewers)

[Tonks]

Yikes!

Apparently in the Sheildaig area of the NC500.

Facebook link to post Lots of comments under the original post, including from other MH hirers who also lost their business. Doing a quick search on 'motorhomes blown over', as you do, I found lots more than I would've expected. Some with more tragic outcomes than in this case. That said, you do wonder why some people don't seem to use any common sense...

Text from post for those not on FB:
"With a heavy heart (and still utter disbelief) that I’m writing this post….
This is my colleagues motorhome

Their hirers parked it on a cliff top in 50mph winds. They were in it as it blew off the edge and bounced down the hill. They (amazingly!) thankfully survived. His business sadly may not."

Pictures for those not on FB:

 

[Figaro]

You have to question their judgement parking on the edge of cliffs in strong winds.

 

[DandJ]

I wonder why their business would fold just because a motorhome had been written off ? It will presumably be insured and there are thousands of MHs for sale in the UK to replace it.

 

[Silver-Fox]

I wonder why their business would fold just because a motorhome had been written off ? It will presumably be insured and there are thousands of MHs for sale in the UK to replace it.

That’s what came to my mind

 

[Brains]

You have to question their judgement parking on the edge of cliffs in strong winds.

It's not so much the parking, but the angle.

Every motorhome should be OK with a 100+mph wind if it's directly head to wind, after all that is no different to the tens of thousands of miles every van does on the motorway.

However a 100+mph wind broadside, it will act like a sail.
It will produce 200kg of pressure per square meter on one side of the van (= about 4 tonnes) and partial vacuum on the other.

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[pappajohn]

That's no more been blown off a cliff than I have.
It may have been blown over and rolled.
Why would the debris be next to the chassis.
It appears to be a large flat area. If there are cliffs behind the van must have being going a fast speed to get that far before impact.
Slow news day with an over-enthusiastic reporter.

 

[Andy MacD]

If this is real I’d expect the local paper, P&J, would have it as headline in their Highlands & Islands section, nothing……..

 

[DavidG58]

It would be interesting to see where it was parked, I can’t see 50mph gust of wind blowing this over, more likely a parking error, which might also account for the occupants survival if they were in the cab area

 

[andyvan1]

I too have seen posts on FB that have been somewhat perplexing....... As Pappajohn implies the photos don't show a cliff environ at all, the van was apparently stationary, parked not being driven, in very high and gusting wind. I would imagine as a hirer (rooky) the folks involved in the incident might have been unwise to stop where they did, but this (hopefully) will have been the scariest incident of their lives...... I don't understand the ire directed at the hirers of the van, I also don't understand why the hire company might go bust, their insurances should cover their business losses.
The weather was exceptionally difficult, I understand that another Moho and a caravan suffered similar fates in Scotland last weekend. I don't understand the widespread condemnation and I'm glad there were no injuries ......

 

[mikebeaches]

In the facebook thread one post indicated the van wasn't very old and cost circa £70k.

Apparently, the owner is concerned the insurer might try to wriggle out of its obligations...

I perhaps shouldn't mention this, but we know from Ianthebuilder's horrible experience what can happen when it comes to such matters.

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[DandG5515]

My guess would be they either got thrown out on first roll or they were sat in the cab? Maybe driving? The interesting thing to me was the cab was not fully crushed. On my transit the back of the cab is just cut away with an angle grinder to add the over cab bed. I’ve always wondered how much strength is lost in doing that.

 

[scotjimland]

deleted .. post was incorrect

 

[BrochMike]

Glad inhabitants were not badly injured -broadside wind on one of these would certainly be tricky...

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As an aside, can't help but question if 3.5t would be suitable for 6 (and any implications explained to hirers)?!?

 

[Lenny HB]

Website of hire company .. they list only two motorhomes for hire .. now one I guess

Mattika Motorhome Hire – Mattika Motor Home Hire

mattikamotorhomehire.co.uk

and their FB Page

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Don't think it's one of theirs, it is their post that says "This is my colleagues motorhome". Also their are Ducatos.
"

 

[mikebeaches]

Website of hire company .. they list only two motorhomes for hire .. now one I guess

Mattika Motorhome Hire – Mattika Motor Home Hire

mattikamotorhomehire.co.uk

and their FB Page

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Agree with Lenny HB - don't believe the van involved belonged to Mattika Motorhome Hire. The fb poster from Mattika said it was a colleague's MH.

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[Lenny HB]

One thing I noticed about Mattika is their vans are 7.32m, 6 seats, 6 berth at 3500kg, in my book that is just not possible.

 

[scotjimland]

Don't think it's one of theirs, it is their post that says "This is my colleagues motorhome". Also their are Ducatos.
"

my mistake .. misunderstood the post on their FB page

deleted my post

 

[nicholsong]

If they were near Sheildaig why did they not park in the village where it would have been more sheltered, and a good restaurant?

 

[Two on Tour]

If they were near Sheildaig why did they not park in the village where it would have been more sheltered, and a good restaurant?

Unfortunately, we do not have their contact details to ask them.

 

[Wh05apk]

Makes you wonder how an a class might have stood up to a roll like this, would they have walked away?

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[pampam]

It looks to me like no one in the hab area would have survived that,whereas in the cab they would

 

[nicholsong]

Unfortunately, we do not have their contact details to ask them.

It was a rhetorical Q.

 

[Brains]

One thing I noticed about Mattika is their vans are 7.32m, 6 seats, 6 berth at 3500kg, in my book that is just not possible.

I was equally amazed.

However a scan of AutoTrader shows a number of 'Swift Edge 476' , 6 berth, 7.3m, motorhomes for sale at around £60k.
They all claim a MPLM of 3,500kg.

My motorhome is a nearly meter shorter, two berth and we struggle to keep it under the 4,000 kg limit.

 

[TheBig1]

Not a chance it blew over a cliff top in the relatively mild winds just experienced. More likely the handbrake was not properly applied and wheels not chocked. Have seen some very stupid people hiring motorhomes and would not be surprised if they parked on a cliff edge for the view and to enjoy the storm.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

Probably a privately owned motorhome rented out by a franchise company ." Colleagues motorhome " and maybe not insured to hire out?

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[dunnah01]

I was driving along the French coast yesterday in 50mph cross winds, a bit wobbly but the curtain-siders were still overtaking me. No way it blew off the cliff .

 

[The Coops]

I would say its not been blown over, they have miss-judged the road gone into a soft verge and rolled it, the debris field is too small for a cliff base there is no scree or boulder field as one would expect at the base of a cliff face

 

[Funnymunny]

This photograph was shown on another site today on Facebook but a close up and clearly shows a foreign registration number

 

[pappajohn]

One thing I noticed about Mattika is their vans are 7.32m, 6 seats, 6 berth at 3500kg, in my book that is just not possible.

True Lenny, but the kind of folks that hire would be none the wiser.
If it can seat six that's all their interested in, not the gross weight.

 

[Lenny HB]

True Lenny, but the kind of folks that hire would be none the wiser.
If it can seat six that's all their interested in, not the gross weight.

It's the people hiring them that are the problem.

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