EXCLUSIVE: Pictured: Hero trucker who took evasive action to avoid a group of cyclists – and wrote off his £2million cargo of supercars
EXCLUSIVE: Pictured: Hero trucker who took evasive action to avoid a group of cyclists – and wrote off his £2million cargo of supercars
- Richard Kilburn was at the wheel of an HGC transporter carrying nine luxury cars
- The truck then began to fishtail as Richard drove down a steep hill in crosswinds
A hero trucker who took evasive action to avoid a group of cyclists and wrote off almost £2 million worth of supercars has been pictured for the first time.
Richard Kilburn, 61, was at the wheel of an HGC transporter carrying nine luxury vehicles when it began to fishtail as he drove down a steep hill in crosswinds.
As the huge truck began to gather speed and head towards the cyclists Richard pulled on the wheel and jack-knifed – avoiding a potentially fatal crash but writing off his cargo.
The wrecked cars included a red £271,000 Lamborghini Aventador[2] and a £181,000 Aston Martin DB11 as well as two Ferraris, a BMW and a £170,000 Mercedes AMG.
Richard, a trucker for 12 years was taking the cars from Brands Hatch, Kent, to Goodwood in neighbouring Sussex for an event when the incident happened on Wednesday evening.
Richard Kilburn (pictured), 61, was at the wheel of an HGC transporter carrying nine luxury vehicles when it began to fishtail as he drove down a steep hill in crosswinds
The luxury supercars – including an Aston Martin and Lamborghini – overturned on a busy dual carriageway on the A20 at Farningham on Wednesday
Footage from the scene showed the transporter on its side with the badly damaged cars scattered on the ground on the A20 at Farningham.
Richard, who has been working for Everyman Racing Driving Experiences told MailOnline: ‘I had just left Brands Hatch and was heading to Goodwood when it all happened.
‘It’s a hill and because of the weight the transporter picks up a bit of speed, so I just touch the brakes and try and keep it to 35mph as I go down.
‘But it began to sway and veer and that’s when I saw the cyclists on the and thought I need to stop now and just jack-knifed.’
Richard, from Essex, added:’Obviously because of the manoeuvre all the cars came off but thankfully no one was hurt and it could have been a lot worse.
‘It was more than 40 tons in weight so it would caused a load of damage but the only person hurt was myself with some slight bruising but I’m ok and already back at work.
‘The whole thing looks worse than it is because of the value of the cars involved and it did cross my mind what the boss would say but the insurance will cover it.
‘The most important thing is that no one was hurt.’
One car was seen rolled onto its roof after the catastrophic crash on the A20 in Farningham on Wednesday
Several luxury cars, including those manufactured by Mercedes, Aston Martin, BMW, and Lamborghini, were seen on their side in the middle of the road on the A20 in Farningham on Wednesday
Kent Police were called at around 8pm on Wednesday after the transporter toppled over on a section of the A20 near Farningham, in Kent
A source at the car owners Leicestershire based Everyman – which provides driving experiences – told MailOnline: ‘Richard is very much the hero in all this.
‘He is a solid driver with years of experience behind the wheel and his quick thinking avoided something which could have ended very differently and very badly.
‘These things happen but the most important thing is no one was badly hurt – the only damage was to the cars which is nothing compared to someone being hurt or killed.’
Officers attended the scene on Wednesday evening and Richard tested negative when breathalysed and he was treated for minor injuries but otherwise unharmed.
The source added:’Richard has been with the firm for three years and he’s held a licence for 12 years so he is very dependable and knows what he is doing behind the wheel.
‘He tested negative and apart from some bruising from the seatbelt he was fine. The police investigated but there is no suggestion he did anything wrong.
‘When you are driving those transporters and there is a cross wind they can sway a bit because of the weight and that’s what happened to him.
‘It got to a point where he reached the tipping point, and it went over but he went over on the side of the road to avoid the cyclists in front.
‘If he had miscalculated it he would have ended up squashing them instead of scratching a few cars which will now have to be written off.
Darren Edmonds, 54, runs Leicester-based Everyman Motor Racing and regularly posts pictures and videos from race events
Everyman Motor Racing provides driving experiences for petrolheads
Mr Edmonds appears to have worked for Everyman Racing since 1990, rising from ‘tea boy’ to be the owner of the business
In a statement the company confirmed nobody was injured in the crash including the HGV driver – understood to be Everyman’s ‘Transport Specialist’ Richard Kilbride
The statement added: ‘We are immensely proud of HGV driver Richard whose reflexes and quick thinking averted what could have been a nasty accident with other road users.’ Pictured: A post on Mr Edmonds’ Instagram from Goodwood
‘The insurance teams are looking at it now but it will easily be more than a million to replace them probably more.’
One witness called Matt Westy wrote on the firm’s Facebook page:’ I have to say I think your driver was a very lucky man after talking to him at the scene. It could have been a hell of a lot worse.’
Kent Police said: ‘Kent Police were called at 7.57pm on Wednesday 23 August to a report that a car transporter had overturned on the A20 at Farningham.
‘Officers attended the scene where the driver reported a minor injury. The road was closed while arrangements were made to recover the vehicles.’
In a statement the owners added:’ Just another day in the fabric of Everyman Racing life. We might have to brush the dust off the T-cut though.’
References
- ^ Nick Pisa (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ wrecked cars included a red £271,000 Lamborghini Aventador (www.dailymail.co.uk)