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‘Larrikin’ mourned
Road hazard report
ignored says expert
A ROAD safety expert has
previously warned of the
dangers of this particular
stretch of road, which has
seen three deaths in just over
12 months.
Road investigator Graham
England, a former police accident reconstructionist,
found there was not enough
time and room for a fully
loaded road train to stop.
Mr England defended Geoffrey Hamilton, 24, at the Darwin Supreme Court in April
last year after the road train
driver killed dental assistant
Karlee McCullough, 19, in a
horrific car crash at the
Coolalinga intersection, near
the shopping centre.
Good Samaritan Dale
Stanton, 47, was also fatally
hit by a car as he was trying
to wave down traffic after the
crash in June last year.
Mr Hamilton was jailed for
six months.
The Territory barrister
who defended Hamilton,
Peter Maley, said more people will die unless changes
are made to the intersection.
In sentencing Hamilton,
Justice Trevor Olsson said
‘‘it is not disputed that the
relevant intersection is regarded as dangerous’’.
Mr Maley said something
must be done to fix the spot.
‘‘How many good rural folk
have to die and how many
young blokes have to be locked up before something happens?’’ he said.
Mr England’s detailed investigation found the triple
road train, carrying cattle,
needed at least 290m to stop
but flashing warning signs
were only 220m from the traffic lights.
Bradley ‘‘Fang’’ Harding,
50, was the third person to
die at the same intersection
on Wednesday morning.
He was turning right on
Henning Rd in his Toyota
Hilux when he collided with
the triple road train.
FANGTASTIC MEMORIES VIA TEXT
‘‘FANGY’’ BRADLEY HARDING.
■ ‘‘Golden slumbers kiss your eyes , heaven awaits you as you
rise’’; The drag racing fraternity, old and new will always remember you; Your gold torana pullled a 10.66 leaving behind a
fuel and rubber fix to a crowd cheer of ‘‘F%@k that was quick!’’.
Your loss will be felt with every pass and we will all make sure
your new car is out there kicking arse. ‘‘R.I.P Fangtastic’’
■ Fang, you have been a true inspiration in my life.
I’m glad to have been bought up with you, I’m so grateful to
have been taught many things that others didn’t know. You put
us in the winning circle many times, with your skills and knowledge something that could never have been bought. I’m going
to miss your cheeky grin and laugh, and there will always be
that place in my heart that belongs to you.
Bradley ‘Fang’ Harding, who died in Wednesday’s crash, and baby Mitchel (girlfriend Fiona McGregor’s grandson)
Dozens of cars in the circle of
motor enthusiasts still carry stickers with the words ‘‘Fangtastic’’.
Old school-friend Klaus Groll,
49, said the sticker indicated that
Fang had worked on this vehicle.
‘‘He could make any engine
scream for little money,’’ he said.
‘‘To lose a person like that is
just hard to come to grips with.’’
Fang’s love of food led to his
colourful nickname — which
came from the expression ‘‘fanging out’’ or eating.
He always had blonde long
curls but cut them off this year.
‘‘I asked him whether he was
coming out of jail or going in,’’ Mr
Bouchere said.
Fang was driving home late
from his night shift when his
Hilux collided with the triple
road train near the Coolalinga
Shopping Centre.
Second crash near dangerous accident blackspot
A SECOND car accident occurred
on the same stretch of road in
Coolalinga in as many days.
Newsbreaker Tony Hardwick
took these photos of a car crashed
into a tree on a median strip of the
Stuart Highway.
‘‘It was going outbound, near
the Virginia turn-off,’’ he said.
Police confirmed that the accident happened at 4.20am yesterday. Officers attended at the
scene to find a white Nissan Pulsar 200m past the Virginia turnoff going south.
The driver was no longer in the
car when police arrived.
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Friday, July 30, 2010. NT NEWS.
7
PUB:
FAMILY and friends yesterday
mourned the heartbreaking loss
of Bradley ‘‘Fang’’ Harding — a
‘‘loveable larrikin’’ and a ‘‘happygo-lucky bloke’’.
The 50-year-old Darwin River
man was killed instantly when
his car collided with a triple road
train in Coolalinga on Wednesday morning.
He left behind adult children
Matty and Crystal Megson.
His long-term girlfriend Fiona
McGregor, who he first met at
Nightcliff High School before being reunited 20 years ago, was
still coming to terms with the
loss.
‘‘He was my mate — the person
I would’ve liked to get old with,’’
she said. ‘‘He was my lover. He
was everything. And he’s gone.’’
Fang was a born-and-bred Territorian who was well known in
Darwin’s rural area.
The Litchfield Tavern was packed to the rafters on Tuesday
night as friends and family gathered at the hotel to ‘‘celebrate
Fangy’s life’’.
‘‘His funeral will be a big bash,’’
best mate Graham Bouchere, 46,
said. ‘‘He lived life to the fullest.
‘‘As long as I’ve known him,
he’s always helped me out.
‘‘I lost my best mate.’’
Friends spoke openly of Fang’s
love of fishing.
He was a meticulous mechanic
who was involved with the Darwin drag racing industry since
leaving school.
He made racing history when
his gold Torana did 400m in under
11 seconds on the old Livingstone
race track.
mg050502
By NADJA HAINKE
WSNE7NT
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