Desperate bid for survival
A Mid West station owner who found a 39-year-old truck driver who died when he left his bogged truck in 46C weather on Friday has pleaded with drivers to always remain with their vehicles.
The man collapsed and died near a tree after becoming lost and walking about 20km in searing heat. His death is the second of its kind in two weeks.
Simon Broad, from Beringarra, was one of several station owners who volunteered to help find the truck driver, who was en route to Moorarie station about 140km north-west of Meekatharra.
It is understood the driver spoke to the Moorarie Station owner to whom he was delivering water tanks from Perth on Thursday night.
She advised him to take a route through Meekatharra that should have got him to the remote station that night.
For an unknown reason, the driver did not follow that route and instead went along Beringarra-Cue Road and took several wrong turns towards Mileura Station.
His truck and trailer made it about 15km past the homestead but became bogged in a sandy creek. The road had been graded up to that point just a few weeks earlier.
The driver tried to dig himself out but failed and is thought to have stayed with the vehicle that night.
On Friday, he tried to walk back to the Mileura homestead.
The day was the second-hottest the area has had this summer with the temperature reaching 46C in the shade.
After about 13km, the disorientated and dehydrated driver stopped, turned around and headed back to his vehicle.
Having walked almost 25km, he collapsed and died near a tree just 1.1km short of his truck.
The driver was carrying only 1.5 litres of water when he left his truck.
Mr Broad believes that had the driver stayed with his vehicle, which is the official emergency advice given to drivers for these situations, he would still be alive.
"He probably took about five or six wrong options and he only needed to take one right option along the way and he'd still be here," Mr Broad said.
"People think this is the desert but people live out here and you would be amazed about what people know what's going on.
"These people who think they are in the middle of nowhere, they are not.
"That guy, we found him within nine hours of knowing he was missing."
_The West Australian _understands the driver was supposed to have 50 litres of water in his truck, though whether he had a bottle bigger than 1.5 litres is not known.
The driver did not have a satellite phone and was relying solely on his mobile phone.
Police said yesterday there were no suspicious circumstances in the death and a report would be prepared for the Coroner.
A 60-year-old man came agonisingly short of help a fortnight ago when he walked nearly 50km in 40C-plus heat through the Goldfields when his car broke down near Wiluna.
Mr Broad said he hoped other drivers learnt from the recent deaths.
