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"She saw it and dodged it": Incredible scenes as tree plunges through seat in Schoolies crash

<p>In a harrowing incident on K'Gari, formerly known as Fraser Island, a group of teenage girls narrowly escaped a potentially tragic accident during their Schoolies celebration.</p> <p>The friends were exploring the picturesque island off the Queensland coast when a tree crashed through the windscreen of their car, plunging right through the headrest of the passenger seat.</p> <p>Miraculously, all occupants emerged unscathed from this near-miss, thanks to a combination of quick reflexes and the timely intervention of volunteers from the Fraser Coast Red Frogs.</p> <p>As the teens ventured through the island's terrain, their joyous celebration took a terrifying turn when a massive tree limb plummeted onto their vehicle. The impact shattered the glass directly in front of the passenger seat, creating a scene of devastation that could have resulted in serious injuries – or worse.</p> <p>Astonishingly, one of the girls was seated in the passenger seat at the time, and her quick thinking and agility allowed her to dodge the falling debris, narrowly avoiding a potentially life-threatening situation.</p> <p>Tim Winnington, the Fraser Coast Red Frogs coordinator, described the fortuitous nature of the escape, saying, "There was a girl actually sitting in the passenger seat. She saw it and dodged it. They were so lucky not to get injured."</p> <p>The Red Frogs, a charity organisation that provides support and education at events like Schoolies and music festivals, played a crucial role in the aftermath of the incident, with volunteers from the organisation waiting with the shaken teenagers until help arrived.</p> <p>Madhill Motor Group, the generous donor of the ute used by the Red Frogs team, highlighted the gravity of the situation with photos shared on Facebook to demonstrate just how close the call was. The teenagers, treated for shock by paramedics, were fortunate to walk away physically unharmed, a fact not lost on them or their friends.</p> <p>In the aftermath of the incident, a friend of the girls expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Red Frogs for their swift and effective response. “They were all so lucky to walk away with no one being injured, and very lucky the Red Frogs were on scene so quickly and helped them so much, getting them a room to stay, driving their car for them, cleaning up all the glass and calming them all down in this traumatic experience,” they wrote. “We are all extremely grateful that you were there.”</p> <p><em>Images: Facebook</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Hospitalised driver cops fine after dodging flying couch

<p><span>A driver has been handed a hefty fine after he reportedly swerved his car because a couch fell from a truck travelling in front of him.</span><br /><br /><span>Jake Singer was driving with his girlfriend from Boca Raton, in the US state of Florida, on February 20 when a couch from a truck fell in front of him, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.</span><br /><br /><span>Mr Singer swerved and flipped his car to avoid the couch.</span><br /><br /><span>He and his girlfriend were both hospitalised as a result of the accident.</span><br /><br /><span>Mr Singer told the Sun-Sentinel. People "could not believe" he and his partner were okay.</span><br /><br /><span>However Mr Singer is not happy after he copped a fine over the crash.</span><br /><br /><span>He told reporters a police officer arrived at the hospital to give him the ticket.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840155/driver.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/eda143eb9d7a4df3970552ec552ad352" /></p> <p><em>Image: Twitter</em><br /><br /><span>“TIL (today I learned) that if you swerve to avoid a flying couch on I-95N in FL [Florida], make sure not to change lanes or you’ll get a citation for improper lane change from FL Hwy Patrol [Florida Highway Patrol],” he tweeted.</span><br /><br /><span>“Even if your car crashes into the median and flips over, totalled. (We’re both fine, somehow).”</span><br /><br /><span>According to the paper, a police officer gave Mr Singer a US$166 (A$213) ticket for “failing to drive in a single lane”.</span><br /><br /><span>Florida Highway Patrol Lieutenant Yanko Reyes said the ticket had to be issued.</span><br /><br /><span>“Remember, in Florida it is recommended to have at least a two-vehicle length between your vehicle and the vehicles in front of you because that way you have enough time to react in case something like this happens, in case somebody brakes, in case debris falls on the roadway, you’re able to avoid any and all difficulties,” he told the Sun-Sentinel.</span><br /><br /><span>The explanation didn’t sit well with Mr Singer, who took to Twitter to write: “I hereby challenge Lt Reyes to drive two car lengths behind a flying couch at 80mph (128k/h) and avoid it without leaving your lane.</span><br /><br /><span>“Hope you have enough time to look at the totality of the circumstances.”</span></p>

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How three White Island volcano survivors dodged almost certain death

<p>Three White Island survivors held their breath underwater for two minutes in a move that saved their lives as a toxic cloud of ash hovered above them.</p> <p>Helicopter pilot Brian Depauw landed his aircraft with a group of German tourists on the volcanic island off the coast of New Zealand shortly before it erupted on December 9 last year.</p> <p>The group had to flee by boat as their chopper’s rotors were destroyed when it was thrown from its launch pad amid the explosion.</p> <p>When he discovered the helicopter won’t be able to fly, Mr Depauw saw plumes of ash coming towards the group and yelled “jump into the water!”</p> <p>He jumped into the sea with two of his clients – tourists from Germany – and took in a gasp of air before plunging below the surface.</p> <p>“This is it,” he thought, as reported by US publication<span> </span><em>Outside</em>.</p> <p>“There’s no surviving this.”</p> <p>Depauw witnessed a dark cloud roll over the water’s surface before everything went black.</p> <p>After two minutes, his lungs were in pain.</p> <p>Once the trio saw light, they emerged through the darkness to get some air.</p> <p>The water around them had a thick layer of yellow dust that smelled strongly of sulfur.</p> <p>They then swam to the jetty where tourists with blackened limbs began to gather.</p> <p>The two who followed Depauw into the water came out unscathed, but the others weren’t so lucky as they experienced horrific burns.</p> <p>There were 47 people on the island when the volcano erupted. 21  people died.</p>

Travel Trouble

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A Current Affair dodges questions about who paid for Pauline Hanson’s Uluru trip

<p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">A Current Affair</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> has dodged questions as to whether or not it paid for controversial One Nation leader Pauline Hanson to climb Uluru.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After a trailer was dropped for Monday night’s episode of the current affairs show, many had questions as to how the show was granted access to Hanson’s trip.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> <p dir="ltr">It's still legal. But is it right?<br />MONDAY. 7.00PM. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/9ACA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#9ACA</a>. <a href="https://t.co/YywKw3Rk2r">pic.twitter.com/YywKw3Rk2r</a></p> — A Current Affair (@ACurrentAffair9) <a href="https://twitter.com/ACurrentAffair9/status/1164831623231111169?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">23 August 2019</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nine would not confirm to </span><a href="https://thenewdaily.com.au/entertainment/2019/08/25/nine-uluru-pauline-hanson/"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>The New Daily</em></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> as to whether or not they had paid for the trip.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Pauline Hanson has recently expressed a desire to attempt to climb Uluru after the announcement that local landowners would be enforcing their desire to prohibit people climbing the magnificent natural landmark,” a <em>Nine</em> spokesman said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Ms Hanson invited </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">A Current Affair</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, along with local land owners, on that journey.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">A Current Affair</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> have defended their decision to film her journey, saying that it would help Australians gain an insight into the debate.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">ACA</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> team followed due diligence to ensure all permits were granted and the climb was approved, and engaged local elders who agreed to meet with Ms Hanson,” the spokesperson told </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The New Daily</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hanson also shared a post to Instagram, saying that she was heading back to Alice Springs with the “</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Current Affair </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">crew”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Heading back to Alice Springs with the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">A Current Affairs</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> crew,” she wrote.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I managed to get front seat for a change. Don’t forget to watch the show Monday night.”</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B1kHhvIAzIP/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B1kHhvIAzIP/" target="_blank">Heading back to Alice Springs with the A Current Affairs crew. I managed to get front seat for a change. Don’t forget to watch the show Monday night. #aca #PaulineHanson #traceygrimshaw #OneNation #Uluru #ayersrock</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/senatorpaulinehanson/" target="_blank"> Pauline Hanson</a> (@senatorpaulinehanson) on Aug 24, 2019 at 3:58pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Last Thursday, Hanson told </span><em><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/radio/alicesprings/programs/breakfast/pauline-for-online/11438506"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The ABC</span></a></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> that she now understands why climbing Uluru would be banned.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It’s quite scary. I was surprised. I’d never been out there before,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I respect the decision that there is not enough safety with regards to the rock.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I respect the decision that their people, their kids, are not getting jobs. They’re bringing in Aboriginals from outside to fill the positions that should belong to their own people.”</span></p>

Domestic Travel

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Major car recall: Do you own a Mazda, Dodge, Jeep or Toyota?

<p>Models of Mazda, Dodge, Jeep and Toyota cars have been recalled over a range of safety concerns.</p> <p>The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has issued <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.productsafety.gov.au/recalls" target="_blank">recalls</a> for thousands of vehicles due to safety issues such as defective brake pedals, faulty windshields and improperly installed components.</p> <p>One of the models recalled, the Mazda 3, has a manufacturing flaw which could lead to loosened wheel nuts after continued use, increasing the risk of loss of vehicle control and accidents. 3,323 cars in this model were affected.</p> <p>The list of the recalled vehicles is as below:</p> <ul> <li>Mazda 3 Hatch 2019, sold from 8 April 2019 to 21 June 2019</li> <li>Jeep Cherokee 2008, sold from 20 June 2007 to 11 June 2010</li> <li>Jeep Cherokee 2010, sold from 6 June 2009 to 12 June 2012</li> <li>Dodge Nitro 2007, sold from 21 June 2006 to 12 June 2009</li> <li>Dodge RAM 2500 2010<span> </span>and<span> </span>Dodge RAM 3500 2010, sold from 21 June 2009 to 21 June 2012</li> <li>Jeep Compass 2007<span> </span>and<span> </span>Dodge Caliber 2007, sold from 1 June 2006 to 31 January 2010</li> <li>Dodge Nitro 2007-2009<span> </span>and<span> </span>Jeep Cherokee 2008-2009, sold from 5 June 2007 to 20 June 2011</li> <li>Toyota Prius C 2018-2019, sold from 19 March 2018 to 29 March 2019</li> </ul> <p>The ACCC said affected owners will be contacted by the manufacturers. Customers are also encouraged to make an appointment at their car dealer for a free repair.</p>

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Woman dodges parking fine after writing hilarious poem to council

<p>A UK woman has managed to escape a parking fine thanks to her witty poetry skills.</p> <p>Jayne Parsons, 53, from Salisbury in England, was recently issued a fine after parking her car on yellow lines near her home, according to the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-45307817">BBC</a>.</p> <p>She knew she had a good excuse so instead of copping the fine, she decided to plead with her local council using verse.</p> <p>In a rhyming letter sent to Wiltshire Council, Ms Parsons explained that she was loading her vehicle with cakes and sweets to sell at a fundraiser for her local riding club when she was struck with a “nervous tum” and needed to dash to the loo – urgently.</p> <p>But we’ll let her explain the situation.</p> <p>Ms Parsons wrote in her letter:</p> <p>“Dear Sir, or to whom it may concern,</p> <p>A parking fine I did earn.</p> <p>I was parked outside my house on yellow lines,</p> <p>Intending to move and dodge your fines.</p> <p>But on Sunday I was loading my car</p> <p>With food and cakes for a horseshow; not far</p> <p>Before these events, I get a nervous tum,</p> <p>For the toilet I had to run.</p> <p>And with not a moment to lose,</p> <p>I made it indoors to release my poos!</p> <p>I couldn’t move until all was done,</p> <p>But when I returned the fine was done.</p> <p>I thought it better was be discreet</p> <p>And leave the car parked in the street.</p> <p>Next time I’ll move and not be a pain,</p> <p>But if I get caught short, I’ll s*** in the drain.”</p> <p>But the most stunning part of the story is not that the council let her off, but that they responded in the form of poetry, too.</p> <p>“The penalty charge notice was correctly issued as the vehicle was parked in a restricted street during prescribed hours. In this instance the restriction is clearly indicated by the double yellow lines which are in effect at all times,” the council wrote.</p> <p>“However, in considering people’s circumstances,</p> <p>The council is often led song and dances,</p> <p>It’s difficult to know the truth,</p> <p>And quite often we would ask for proof,</p> <p>But the photographs the officer has taken,</p> <p>Shows that indeed, you had been baking,</p> <p>These cakes had been loaded in your Land Rover,</p> <p>On the double yellow lines it was parked over,</p> <p>So on this occasion we are pleased to say,</p> <p>The council accept your appeal, you do not have to pay.”</p> <p>Ms Parsons told the BBC she was shocked to have “got out of the fine, even though I was parked in the wrong place”.</p>

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