REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Saturday December 19, 1987

A YOUNG Gold Coast limousine driver was hailed a hero after putting himself at risk to prevent cars plunging off a collapsed bridge approach.

Witnesses said luck and the driver’s frantic efforts saved unsuspecting motorists from accidents in the pitch darkness.

A burst water main caused the cave-in and electrical explosion on the Chevron Island bridge link to Surfers Paradise over the Nerang River.

Huge chunks of concrete and bitumen were sent tumbling metres but luckily there was only one car on the bridge at the time.

Christopher McKay, 23, who began his limousine-driving job just three weeks earlier, said he was lucky not to go crashing down with the road connecting the bridge.

He was driving over it about 1.30am when he noticed handrails were missing from a section about six metres long.

Thinking a car had crashed through the rail and into the river, he reversed and realised a part of the approach had disappeared.

“I got back into the car and just as I did it dipped and the road started giving way beneath me,” he said.

“My first reaction was to get out of there as soon as possible.

“I contacted base and then the power supply exploded – it scared the hell out of me because it was very loud and there were lots of flames.”

Mr McKay, of Benowa, blocked the western side of the bridge with his limousine.

He then skirted the gaping hole and ran to the other end of the bridge to halt the oncoming traffic.