HOLIDAY FROM HELL
Shot at with a crossbow then run into by a road train ... but somehow they walked away.
A FAMILY of four will never forget their Territory holiday after they were shot at by a crossbow then slammed into by a triple road train while travelling on the Stuart Hwy.
A FAMILY of four tourists have said they will never forget their road trip to the Territory after two near-death experiences, in which they narrowly dodged being shot at with a crossbow and arrow, and walked away unharmed after being slammed into by a triple road train.
Shortly after 9am last Saturday, Victorian man Daniel Penn along his wife Teresa and two children Sienna, 14, and Matteo, 10, were on their way back home after a fiveweek road trip to the Territory, when their car and
caravan were “cleaned up” by a triple road train while they were stationary on the Stuart Highway.
Mr Penn said it was a “miracle” they are still alive.
They had stopped the car 11km north of the Erldunda Roadhouse, near the NT/SA border, due to a traffic controller’s instructions.
He said the road train managed to turn at the last second and took out the caravan.
“It gave us one hell of a ride,” he said.
“The caravan flipped up into the air over our vehicle, onto the truck’s windscreen and then scraped down the side of our vehicle.
“The caravan got snapped straight off the tow bar, and was just totally smashed underneath the truck, which ended up pulling up about 20m in front of us.
“The caravan was in pieces, and the car was pretty wrecked.
“It might be a write-off. After the car stopped we just looked at each other.
“My wife and I looked at the kids and we just couldn’t believe that we were still alive.
“My wife and I were aware during the last 20 seconds before the impact that it was not looking good.
“My wife said to me, ‘We got to get out of here’. I tried to go but it was just way too late.”
He said had the caravan not been attached to their car their family would not have been so lucky.
“It was scary as. Somehow we were all OK and we got out of the car within 30 seconds in case there was fuel leaking.”
Earlier in their trip, the family was driving through a Darwin Rural area near Berry Springs when their car was shot at with a crossbow.
“The arrow had gone into the car by 15cm. It was quite scary,” Mr Penn said.
NT Police are investigating the crossbow incident.
Mr Penn thanked the police for their extensive help and support, as well as other travellers who passed the accident scene and the road workers who assisted them after the crash.
MY WIFE AND I LOOKED AT THE KIDS AND WE JUST COULDN’T BELIEVE THAT WE WERE STILL ALIVE
DANIEL PENN