This Is Guernsey

By Nigel Baudains

he scene in Route du Longfrie, St Peter’s, after William Craig’s poorly-maintained trailer parted company with his vehicle and the jet ski on it broke free and smashed through the windscreen of an oncoming car. (Picture by Nigel Baudains, 0560403)

A COUPLE said yesterday they were lucky to be alive after being struck by a jet ski while driving their car in St Peter’s.  The driver and his wife were covered by shards of glass when the machine smashed through their windscreen after a trailer being towed by an oncoming car broke free.

The woman, a front-seat passenger, was taken by ambulance to Princess Elizabeth Hospital and treated for cuts to her head and hand. She was released later that day.

The driver, who asked not to be named, was not injured but said he and his wife were lucky not to have been killed in the freak accident.

But he did think the penalty handed down yesterday to William Craig, a £200 fine and three-month ban for causing injury by using a faulty vehicle, was fair. A further fine of £50 was imposed for the lack of a number plate on the trailer.

‘I hope people take this as a warning that if they are towing something, they should check that the coupling is secure no matter how short the journey,’ he said.

The incident happened near Les Islets Arsenal in Route du Longfrie, St Peter’s, on Saturday 5 April.

A police investigation found that the trailer, which was used to launch the jet ski, had been corroded by sea water and was not properly maintained.

The ball hitch had not been lubricated and did not properly connect to the towing vehicle’s coupling when Mr Craig pushed it down with his foot.

In the Magistrate’s Court yesterday, Mr Craig, of Jacaranda, Rue Rocheuse, St Peter’s, admitted the offences and offered his sincere apologies to the couple in the other car. The court accepted that he had not been speeding.

‘But the reality is this,’ said assistant-Magistrate Cherry McMillen. ‘You were driving a vehicle attached to trailer carrying a jet ski that was positively dangerous and it’s as straightforward as that.’

She praised Mr Craig for accepting his responsibilities and said it was important that those who had been injured had received assurance from the person whose fault it was.

The driving ban could have been considerably longer, she said.

Mr Craig said he had not realised that the trailer was in a dangerous condition.

Traffic sergeant John Tostevin said the case should be a warning to all.

Water sports were naturally popular in the island, he said, and many people launched craft by reversing a trailer into the sea.

‘We would like to remind people that salt water can corrode trailers and their braking systems, causing them to fail if they are not maintained in the same way as the towing vehicle,’ he said.

‘At the start of a season, people should make sure that their trailer is in good working order, is properly attached to the towing vehicle and that the load is strapped down.’

Article posted on 24th July, 2008 - 2.30pm