Yesterday, about 0915 I drowned my Grenadier in a flash flood less than 6 miles from my house. This photo was taken about an hour later and the water had reduced by the height of the sill, but that does not account for the cross current and the water uplift as the Grenadier was driven along the single track road.
In retrospect, just driving into it was a dumb idea, ('No shit, Sherlock!'), but this is my usual route to work, I was late and although it does flood here at least once a year, this occurrence was special, with Fire, Police and Ambulance all declaring a "Major Incident" for Leicestershire.
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My colleagues from Leicestershire & Rutland 4x4 Response, (LR4x4R), got me and my stuff out of the truck, after we found that the truck was about as mobile as a rock and the only way to release it was the transfer box bolt, under the truck, in the swirling water. The floods were caused by the rapid melting of snow over already saturated ground, so the water was very cold and very muddy. Riggers boots are no substitute for waders or a dry suit.
One of the local residents gave me updates on the water level overnight and by the morning, the road was dry enough for scrabbling around on the floor.
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This is me disconnecting the bridle from the big strop attached to a mid '70s Series III 88", (ex RAF diesel 2.25, converted to petrol 2.25).
Then came the pain of recovery; AA/Ineos Recovery declined to assist as it was "self-inflicted"; fine, (not fine at all, they could have told me yesterday). My insurer, NFU, sent Unity of Leicester to recovery my truck to 'Storage' pending an engineering assessment and claim decision.
Timescale; recovery from the lane to the layby 0745 to 0810, 15 minutes on hold to the AA, 10 minutes useless faffing on the phone and an over-elaborate explanation where "you are on your own, Chuck!" would have been quicker and easier to understand. Final recovery by Unity at 1250.
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( I won't bore you with a picture of each side of the Gren on the recovery tray, you all know what one looks like). These are to keep the storage guys honest.
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There is the 88" and my Morgan; two vehicles, each about 50 years old to collect a youngster!
So far, NFU Insurance has been worth every penny; I will be lent a rental car for 14 days pending a claims assessment. As the truck is dry inside, I am hoping for a repair; if they write off the vehicle, I only have a small window to reclaim my personalised plate. I will need to remind them that the Grenadier has a 5 year warranty, so they need to use genuine spares and keep the receipts, as the insurance company will not use the dealer unless they absolutely have to.
