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PostPosted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 15:37 
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... 30mph.html

Quote:
A motorist has vowed not to go green again after having a lucky escape when his LPG-powered car exploded in a fireball.
Company manager Peter Tidbury, 50, escaped with hardly a scratch after he lit a cigarette and a blast blew out the windows and door panels of his Peugeot 607.
The windscreen was blown 50 feet down the road and nearby householders were evacuated for fear of another explosion.
Peter, 56, suffered minor burns but was behind his office desk 24 hours later. He said yesterday : 'It just wasn't my day to die.'

Mr Tidbury who works for an energy-saving company in London bought the car privately on October 3 for below £5,000 and had it thoroughly checked over twice by a garage before getting behind the wheel.
He said: 'I changed to LPG because it is a lot cheaper and as well as money saving is a lot greener than petrol. I work in the energy saving field and we all have to be more environmentally conscious these days.
'I wanted a reasonably priced luxury motor which had been LPG converted and this seemed to fit the bill. I was won over on environmental and cost grounds and saw it as a pilot to possibly get more for the company.
'I thought it was a sensible option. I was a bit wary having bought it privately so had it checked over twice by mechanics and it was given a clean bill of health.'

Widower Peter first drove the car last weekend and visited his daughter in Gainsborough before driving to Sheffield and then Barnsley to see friends.
He viewed a website to see where he could fill up with LPG and found a filling station in Monk Bretton, Barnsley where he put in 40 litres of gas.
He said: 'I was told you get a slight smell of gas when you fill up so thought nothing of it and wound the window down to freshen the air and put it back up again.
'I fancied a fag so wound the window down again slightly and then lit up.
'I was doing about 30 mph and as I lit the cigarette there was an almighty explosion. The windows went out, the bonnet went up and the boot went up just as you see in the Hollywood movies.
'I was belted in and braked sharply. I can't remember this but I was told that I was directing traffic around the car whilst my suit jacket was still smoking.
'The fireball singed me on my face, hands and legs and melted my jacket lining and some of my shirt. I looked as if a firework had exploded in my face.' The car exploded just feet away from some houses.

Mr Tidbury, who lives in south-east London, was treated for the flash burns at Barnsley District Hospital then discharged.
He added: 'I have been on training course when I worked as a miner about dealing with gas and have an understanding of how explosions take place but when I walked past that car to get in the ambulance I thought that was not survivable.
'For me it is miraculous. It was not my day to die. I firmly believe that the hand of God was on me that day.' It is thought a leak in the pipe from the filler to the petrol tank allowed gas to seep into the car which ignited when Peter lit up.
Firefighters believe the car's seats took the force of the explosion.
An elderly woman living near the scene saw flames coming from the car and had her home shaken. She said: 'It was very frightening.' Fire station watch manager Neil McQuillan said: 'The car looked like a hand grenade had gone off in it.
'How anyone can survive an explosion like that when the car is severely damaged is remarkable really.' Peter is now looking for another car but will not be going green again.
He said: 'It won't stop me getting into an LPG car again as a passenger but I don't want to tempt fate twice. I'm now hoping to get a large BMW diesel.
'Every single person who saw the accident could not understand how I was still alive and talking to them.
'My immediate thought after the accident was also to quit smoking. I've tried before but have now set myself a target to quit by Christmas.'

poor bugger!

I wonder where his rear windscreen landed? :lol:

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code


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PostPosted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 20:06 
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See, it's the fuel of satan. :twisted:


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PostPosted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 21:17 
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The immortal words spring to mind.......

Pix or it didn't happen !!

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PostPosted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 11:41 
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pictures are on the daily mail link...

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code


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PostPosted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 11:52 
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Blimey! :shock:

Note to self.. Stick to me red-blooded machines.

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PostPosted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 13:33 
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Which shows just how dangerous smoking is :bunker:

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PostPosted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 15:53 
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would be interested to know the cause of this.

was it a standard LPG fitted car or a retrofit (not many of the former available) ?
what kind of tank ? cylinder/donut in the boot ?

i deduce perhaps a retrofitted tank in the boot, with a leak allowing enough of the gas to build up in the cabin.


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PostPosted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 16:11 
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If the car hadn't exploded he would probably have been overcome by fumes instead. He's a very lucky man - I want him to pick some lottery numbers for me :)


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PostPosted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 20:06 
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It sounds like the filler fittings to the lpg tank leaked. hence only a smell of gas at filling up time.

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code


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PostPosted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 21:47 
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How come nothing that good ever happens to caravans? :twisted:

I'm a bit concerned that IG's "red blooded" machine is running on red diesel... :shock: :lol:

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PostPosted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 03:30 
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What do you expect, installing LPG in a French car! It was bound to catch fire at some point anyway.


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PostPosted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 13:24 
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One of the salesman that I worked with back in 2003 opted out of the company car scheme and sorted out his own car. He got a very good price on an MG, but said that he really wanted something with LPG. MG said they would sort something out even though they didn't offer LPG in any of their cars.

One Monday morning just after he got it he was at Newport Pagnell services topping up the LPG when one of the safety valves let go and the gas escaped into the car. It trashed most of the interior of the car, but no explosion. If it had happened over the weekend he would have had his kids in the car strapped in their child seats.

He had a series of photos taken from the security camera that showed him reading the instructions, putting the hose on, standing by the car, running away from the car, approaching the car, removing the hose, a few other people coming over to look.


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