Northern beaches boat ramp claims another victim as ute wallows in the waves
PICTURES: From spiders distracting drivers to stolen vehicles being dumped, the northern beaches is earning a reputation for having cars end up in the ocean. The latest in a string of occurrences was a ute that rolled off a boat ramp on Wednesday afternoon. Here is that and other examples.
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A UTE wallowed in the waves for about 24 hours after it rolled off a northern beaches boat ramp on Wednesday afternoon.
The vehicle plunged into the waters off Fishermans Beach at Collaroy, close to the Long Reef Golf course clubhouse.
Its driver, a bearded man in his 20s, called a tow truck to try and retrieve the utility, which is about 10 years old, about 8.30am on Thursday.
A witness watching from the golf clubhouse said the tow truck ended up pulling the bullbar from the front of the partially submerged vehicle and it floated back into the small surf.
“It’s been there overnight,” the witness said. “it was completely underwater at one stage.
“I don’t know if it was went in after trying to reverse a boat trailer down the ramp. There was no sign of any boat.”
Michael Paine. of Beacon Hill, who was walking along the beach on Thursday afternoon, saw the ute’s young driver wade out to the vehicle to retrieve some gear around 1.30pm.
“The ute’s canopy was open at the rear,” Mr Paine said. “But I didn’t see a boat trailer anywhere.
“I suspect the guy may have parked it on the ramp to take some photos and the handbrake has given way.”
A second attempt, at 3pm Thursday, by a tow truck to pull the ute from the water was a success.
SPIDER CAUSES TWO CARS TO END UP IN THE WATER
Are boat ramps the sort of place arachnophobes in cars should avoid?
It is one of your worst nightmares as a driver — sitting behind the wheel and focusing on the road ahead when a terrifying spider crawls unexpectedly across your lap.
But for motorists near Bayview boat ramp in Rowland Reserve, a runaway huntsman has caused not one but two accidents in recent years
In September, 2016 a panicked woman leapt out of her car after an eight-legged intruder climbed across her legs.
She could do nothing but watch in despair as her Volkswagen rolled into the water.
In September 2008, a Mazda 121 ended up in the water off the boat ramp too after a spider also spooked the male driver.
THIEVES STEAL CAR BEFORE IT ENDS UP IN THE OCEAN
MORNING walkers and paddlers on Clareville Beach woke up to a different sight in May, 2017 with a car floating in the ocean 10 metres from the shoreline.
Police said brazen thieves broke into a nearby home while its occupants slept and stole a car which was later found floating in the ocean.
EAGLES FAN LOSES HIS CAR OFF PALM BEACH BOAT RAMP
A McMahons Point man lost control of his vehicle at a Palm Beach boat ramp On October, 2016.
The man had unloaded some fishing gear from his car and was about to leave the boat ramp when he saw one of his car doors was still open and he leaned across to close it.
It was while the man was briefly distracted that his car went down the ramp and into the water.
Photos show the vehicle’s driver visibly distraught as he sits on the ramp while the car goes under water.
GPS FAIL LANDS WOMAN ON BOAT RAMP
Not quite in the water, but a woman believed to be following her GPS has definitely ended up at the wrong location, after getting her car stuck on Shelly Beach boat ramp in September 22, 2016.
The woman, from Lindfield, was unavailable for comment, but Karl Henze from Manly Towing said she got stuck in the early hours of the morning.
“The lady was following the GPS she came down to Shelly Beach boat ramp and it was night time, about 3am, and she thought that way was they way to go to Manly,” he said.
