dunesrider
United States
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Joined: 01/11/2005
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We went out to Dumont Sand Dunes, CA over this weekend. For those who don't know, it is a major sand toy play area in So. Cal, atv's, sand rails, and offroad vehicles.
Anyway, we were sitting at the base of Comp Hill (where everyone gathers to race up the hill) and all of a sudden one of the ladies in our party screams, "LOOK AT THAT"!!! We all looked and next thing I know I see a lifted Suzuki Samrai rolling down the side of the sand dune. I personally saw it roll 6 times, but it started rolling before I saw it. Some that saw it start from the beginning were saying it rolled about 10-11 times before coming to a stop.
My buddies and I all sprinted towards the Samurai and when I got up to it, I realized it had stopped rolling upside down. We all got on the uphill side of the Samurai and flipped it over so it was sitting right side up. Now the thing is leaking gasoline everywhere. I mean, it was everywhere, it reaked like gas something feirce and I was really worried those gas vapors were going to ignite somehow. Anyway, I tried to open the driver's door but it wouldn't budge, the roof was pancaked flat, the Samurai didn't have a rollbar. Me and 3 other guys grabbed a hold of that door and ripped the door mount off and got the door open.
The guy was out of it, but still alive. The first thing he said to me when he saw me standing there was, "I know you from somewhere, I know you from somewhere". It was strange. I got him out of the truck and he was able to walk on his own, no broken bones at all. Next, his little dog came jumping out of the Samurai, he was fine. Then, his wife was able to get out of the Samurai out her door, after some other guys ripped that door open.
They gathered their senses and we just started figuring out what to do and how to get them out of there. Surprisingly enough, they didn't have ANY serious injuries whatsoever. They were both able to walk, talk, and pretty be almost normal after rolling about 10 times down a sand dune, AMAZING. Other than a few deep scratches on the guy and him saying his whole body just felt sore, they weren't really injured.
He told me he had some friends who could help him back at camp. I immeadiatley offered to drive him over to his camp in my sand rail. He accepted and asked if he take his dog. "Of course", I said. I told my brother to watch his wife while were gone and to make sure she was ok. We found his camp after a while and his buddies weren't there. But when we were going back to the crash sight, his friends were coming the other direction. So we signaled them and told them what happened and they followed us back into the dunes and were figuring out how to get the Samurai out. We talked to a guy with an f-350 Dually 4x4 who said he would help any way he could, so I think they were alright getting it out of there.
Anyway, it was a heck of a weekend and this was only one thing that I saw out there. We saw a little 10 year old girl getting loaded into a flight for life helicopter and she wasn't able to breath for herself, they were having to keep her alive through a recissatator.
Crazy weekend.
* This post was
edited 10/31/05 07:08am by an administrator/moderator *
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jdkd123
Northeast
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Joined: 09/15/2004
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That whole scene sounds sad and insane to me.....wow....Gotta be a better way to have fun.
JDKD123
2005 Coachmen CONCORD
GO SOX!
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JTMO
Novato, CA
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Joined: 10/26/2003
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Someone gets airlifted out often.
Thousand using dangerous toys, it's going to happen, but a lot of fun. I couldn't do it now, I would be too stiff in the morning.
No roll bar with the family, real smart with a narrow wheelbase in the sand. Sand, that is why the walked away. What a ride, what an insurance hike!!!
I hope the 10 year old survived.
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Want-a-Be's
Arizona
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Funny about that "Gravity" thing..DANG IT...it always seems to WIN!" I know there will be something said about the "Samurai" being DANGEROUS! Makes me laugh.. I've was "Off-roading" long before the TERM was invented..I've NEVER turned a vehicle over..and I've been in some REALLY rough country.. I've even done it when they were shootin' at me! I've owned buggies..I own a "Locked up" Samurai..I've been in places steep enough that the battery acid ran out of the batteries..but I don't run a 5" lift or 35" tires..and I don't get "Sideways"..ya messes with "Mother Nature" and she'll getja!
Glad they were alright..it happens more than most people think..it looks really cool to watch the "Big Boys" roll over on trail ride videos..but it's all in the movies..and it ain't fun when it's YOU!
The last time we went to Utah..we saw a guy killed that way..dem "Jeeps" aren't very BIG.. but dey get's HEAVY! 
What about the little girl? Did you ever hear if she made it?
Be careful out there..have fun! 
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SCOTTS450R
Bakersfield, CA
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Joined: 07/17/2005
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If you've never seen comp hill at Dumont it's huge! Here's a good picture of it:
EDIT: I changed the width to 800 so it wouldn't cause the whole thread to scroll so much.
* This post was
edited 11/01/05 03:54pm by an administrator/moderator *
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BlackHawk45
In The Gold Fields
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Joined: 04/10/2005
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Super Intelligent to jack-up a Samurai, but lets hope that they are OK and now have a little more sense...
Hawk
2004 Ford F-350 Diesel CC FX-4 Long Bed Dually
2005 Thor Tahoe Transport 5th Wheel Toyhauler
2007 Can-Am Outlander XT Max 800
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Colo.TJ
Colorado
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Joined: 05/29/2005
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I know the feeling.
2005 Dodge 2500 CTD 610 4x4 QC
2006 Trailrider 217 AKA Rampage 217
2004 CRF250X
2006 CRF230F
2003 XR100
2004 CRF50
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Subfamily
Bremerton, WA
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Joined: 10/12/2005
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Yikes.
Roll Cage = Life Insurance.
No Serious wheeling in this house without one.
I happy to hear they were O.K.
SUBFAMILY
2002 F350 DUALLY
2004 28' KS DESERT FOX
1989 SUZUKI SAMURAI
150 KASEA QUAD (HOPE MORE TO COME)
1976 31' AIRSTREAM (4-SALE)
3 KIDS,ONE CAT AND A DOG NAMED DIESEL
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JTMO
Novato, CA
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Little Crystal, age 10 did not make it. Brian swelling due to a rider who blind jumped. She unfortunately picked the wrong place to stop and sit.
Very sad.
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Derblank
Tehachapi, CA
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Joined: 12/11/2004
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Dont show that picture to Learnem.. he will start sweating!!
2003 Ford F-250 SD gasser
2003 Ragen 29N
2004 Honda 450R to get there quicker
2006 Honda TRX 250 EX wife
2006 Honda TRX 250EX son #1
2001 Honda TRX 90 son #2
2006 Honda TRX 90 son #3
and Peanut the Wonder Dog....
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