Sani Pass recovery takes three hours
It took John Thompson three hours to recover the vehicle that slid down an icy embankment at Sani Pass on Sunday. It took John Thompson three hours to recover the vehicle that slid down an icy embankment at Sani Pass on Sunday.
Durban - A heavy duty construction vehicle had to be used to recover the vehicle which slid down an icy embankment at Sani Pass (as reported on Monday).
John Thompson, of JT Auto, said he was called in after the accident, in which Nathan and Brigitte Renalds’s Audi Q5 went off the road, and got lodged about 10m down a 100m slope at the mountain pass on Sunday.
He said that after doing an assessment on Monday, he went back on Tuesday to attempt the recovery with his tow truck.
“We managed to pull the car up some but the cable got stuck between two sharp rocks and snapped. I was in my Land Cruiser (tow truck) with my foot on the brake and the door open ready to jump out if the Audi pulled me with it.”
With over a decade of experience doing recoveries in the area, Thompson managed to keep both vehicles stable but had to abandon the mission that day.
On Wednesday he returned with the construction vehicle and chains, which he used to pull the Renalds’s vehicle up a few metres at a time.
“It is the biggest recovery I have had so far, toiling with it for almost three hours. But I got it on the road. There was a lot of damage underneath and one wheel was badly damaged.”
This was the wheel which had become lodged on a rock, stopping the Renaldses from sliding further down the steep drop to certain death.
Nathan Renalds, who was driving on Sunday, said they were aware of how badly things could have turned out had the wheel not been caught.
He told The Mercury he knew how challenging it was to drive in snow, which had helped him stay calm when he felt the tyres lose traction on the frozen road.
“It happened very quickly. I did my best to try to turn a corner but with no traction we ended up half on the road and half off. Had I been driving faster and had more momentum, we would have gone a lot further down.
“We realise how fortunate we are. When you are in the moment and you don’t know the outcome, a lot of things go through your mind, you’re scared and full of emotions.” Once the car stopped, the couple slowly got out, with the vehicle relatively stable, and had to climb up the slippery cliff on all fours, he said.
In the immediate aftermath of the ordeal, Nathan said they were shown great kindness and compassion by people who assisted them.
They spent that night at the Sani Pass Lodge.
Lodge spokesperson McCayla Warriker said they had a shuttle service for anyone who felt uncertain about driving up the pass.
“There are also countless tour operators in Underberg, who offer day trips up the pass. This is an awesome place to visit."
Top tips for driving Sani Pass
When driving in icy conditions;
-When going down engage 4x4 low range and go down in 1st gear, essentially crawling down the mountain.
-Ensure that traction control is off and do not use your brakes.
-Drive in the middle of the road and if you feel your car begin to slip, drive into the mountain before you pick up speed.
-If you do have chains, use them.
Always;
-Drive slowly and proceed with caution
-Give way to up coming traffic.
-Ensure that you are in a high-clearance, 4x4 vehicle with off road tyres.
-Deflate your tyres to improve traction.
-Never stop on the pass, if not at designated view points.
-Always engage 4x4 Low range when going up and down.
-Ensure that you are driving between 10 or 20 km/ph in 2nd gear, thus allowing the engine to do the work.
-When going down, always stay in 2nd gear for the engine to do the work and NEVER use your breaks.
(Source: John Thompson and McCayla Warriker)