Funchal Wicker Toboggan accident.

[JohnC6]

A few on here have mentioned the wicker basket/toboggan ride from Monte, a village 1804 ft above Funchal, Madeira. I've been there but didn't fancy that ride. It looked too risky to me. The run is 2km and takes about 10 minutes..quite a way,really. Last week there was an accident when one of the Carreiros, the two men who stand at the back of it in white uniforms, tripped and they lost control of the basket allowing it to career down the very steep road. The couple were thrown out when it crashed.. The man broke his arm and the lady has fractured her skull and suffered a suspected traumatic brain injury. There have been five accidents since 2016. Under Portugese law the orgaisers will have insurance.

British tourists “seriously hurt” as wicker toboggan crashes in Madeira – Portugal Resident

British tourists “seriously hurt” as wicker toboggan crashes in Madeira; One of ‘carreiros’ tripped, other lost control: couple projected

www.portugalresident.com

Here's a photo I took on November 17th 2015. They are guaranteed to travel at 30km/h.. 18.6 mph. They date back to the early 19th century when they were used as a means of transport by the local residents who wanted to travel quickly from the village of Monte to the city of Funchal. I think needed a faster shutter speed. f8 1/640 sec ISO 800. We're going there in April but not on that run.

 

[Cagey75]

I watched a quick video on this ride, I was curious as to how the heck the guys keep up!! Looks like they use the skirt/planks protruding from the rear to stand on as it flies - not sure if they have any form of brakes?

The video I seen they were stacked up, so there was a lot of slow up, this incident must have been on a clear run?

 

[JohnC6]

I watched a quick video on this ride, I was curious as to how the heck the guys keep up!! Looks like they use the skirt/planks protruding from the rear to stand on as it flies - not sure if they have any form of brakes?

The video I seen they were stacked up, so there was a lot of slow up, this incident must have been on a clear run?

My wife told me about this story because her friend and her husband has just returned from there and they said the toboggan hit the side and stopped down by the school so it must have got most,if not all ,the way down. Must have been terrfying for them. I've never trusted these 'rides' anywhere..not the switch-backs the roller-coasters,dippers,big wheels..whatever. My wife has been on the London Eye and loved it but I wouldn't go on it for two reasons..the risk and the height which I wouldn't be able to cope with. I don't know what people have that I don't have that allows them to go on these scary rides. The females often scream . I have a few couple of maxims for life and one is....'What can happen will happen" and it's kept me safe over the years. Of course millions ride these things without incident but the way I look at it is that it only has to happen once and to you and it could be the end for you or you suffer live-changing injuries. The only thing I've been on was as a kid..a helter skelter. Pretty benign,really.

 

[Cagey75]

My wife told me about this story because her friend and her husband has just returned from there and they said the toboggan hit the side and stopped down by the school so it must have got most,if not all ,the way down. Must have been terrfying for them. I've never trusted these 'rides' anywhere..not the switch-backs the roller-coasters,dippers,big wheels..whatever. My wife has been on the London Eye and loved it but I wouldn't go on it for two reasons..the risk and the height which I wouldn't be able to cope with. I don't know what people have that I don't have that allows them to go on these scary rides. The females often scream . I have a few couple of maxims for life and one is....'What can happen will happen" and it's kept me safe over the years. Of course millions ride these things without incident but the way I look at it is that it only has to happen once and to you and it could be the end for you or you suffer live-changing injuries. The only thing I've been on was as a kid..a helter skelter. Pretty benign,really.

You're not alone! I've been to London numerous times, did the dungeon and all the surrounding museums, but I always avoided the 'eye' like the plague!

Call me scaredy cat - but I just don't do heights!

 

[the black fox]

Just been yesterday to the top of the mountain by olu Deniz by cable car halfway up we entered the clouds totally weird experience then sunlight broke through again at the top where the parasailors jump from ..they must be halfway insane when you can’t see the landing point ..

 

[ancient_mariner]

As someone who has enjoyed what might be classed as extreme sports, it simply feels fantastic to do difficult things successfully at speed. One of the things I regret about being old is that it's no longer possible. I stopped riding motorcycles when my reflexes and ability were no longer good enough to ride safely in the way I wanted. Likewise I don't mountain bike any more because riding challenging terrain was becoming difficult to do well as strength and ability reduced.

It's NOT the risk-taking that is exciting, but rather the actual doing. OTOH I'm not sure I'd care about doing something like the Funchal sledge, because it would be done to me like a fairground ride, rather than me being in control.

 

[mj4456]

Been to the island many times but that toboggan run never tempted me, I prefer to be in charge, this reinforced my wife’s reluctance to try it. I’ve seen terrified faces on the trip down from the safety of the gardens they pass.

 

[boogie man]

We were there in January. We didn’t do the toboggan ride, it looked a bit too manic.

We’ve been on the Eye a couple of times. My wife is uncomfortable with heights but was fine…. she’s learned a trick of just looking at the horizon, not straight down. The views on a clear day are worth it.

 

[JohnC6]

We were there in January. We didn’t do the toboggan ride, it looked a bit too manic.

We’ve been on the Eye a couple of times. My wife is uncomfortable with heights but was fine…. she’s learned a trick of just looking at the horizon, not straight down. The views on a clear day are worth it.

For many,like myself, it's not a case of being 'uncomfortable'. Being at heights terrifies me. A ride on the Eye might well be 'worth it' for people who are just 'uncomfortable' with heights but for many, who greatly fear being at a height, it's a non-starter. I felt very uneasy just looking up at the skyscrapers when I was in Dallas let alone being at the top of one..wouldn't need to be at the top,either. I can't even watch people at heights on the TV. On a lighter note..I recall going to see my doctor some years ago for an annual check..Bloods and blood pressure,weight etc and I said to him that my blood presasure was ok until I sat in the waiting room and saw the 5' x 3' foot photo of those men in New York building the Rockerfeller centre sitting on a metal beam having lunch and reading newspapers. My legs have tingles just writing that... I used to go up ladders at Shell when I was 18..160ft..180ft. no problem then, one day,when I was 40 I went up the observation tower at Cheddar Gorge with friends that were visiting us. The husband actually leaned over the rail at the top to take a photo. Yikes...and it hit me.Another visitor ..a middle-aged lady told me to go back down slowly and hold on to the stairway rail . It was like a helter-skelter. I got to the bottom and sat on the grass. I must have looked a bit 'off' because people going up asked if I was ok and was I on my own. The London Eye ??? No thanks, Larry..

 

[GAS man]

A few on here have mentioned the wicker basket/toboggan ride from Monte, a village 1804 ft above Funchal, Madeira. I've been there but didn't fancy that ride. It looked too risky to me. The run is 2km and takes about 10 minutes..quite a way,really. Last week there was an accident when one of the Carreiros, the two men who stand at the back of it in white uniforms, tripped and they lost control of the basket allowing it to career down the very steep road. The couple were thrown out when it crashed.. The man broke his arm and the lady has fractured her skull and suffered a suspected traumatic brain injury. There have been five accidents since 2016. Under Portugese law the orgaisers will have insurance.

British tourists “seriously hurt” as wicker toboggan crashes in Madeira – Portugal Resident

British tourists “seriously hurt” as wicker toboggan crashes in Madeira; One of ‘carreiros’ tripped, other lost control: couple projected

www.portugalresident.com

Here's a photo I took on November 17th 2015. They are guaranteed to travel at 30km/h.. 18.6 mph. They date back to the early 19th century when they were used as a means of transport by the local residents who wanted to travel quickly from the village of Monte to the city of Funchal. I think needed a faster shutter speed. f8 1/640 sec ISO 800. We're going there in April but not on that run.

View attachment 495145

Wow, I didn’t realise there had been accidents! We did the ride about eight years ago, and it was very exciting. We are returning to Madeira next February, but we definitely won’t do the ride again now! Thanks for the warning!

 

[boogie man]

For many,like myself, it's not a case of being 'uncomfortable'. Being at heights terrifies me. A ride on the Eye might well be 'worth it' for people who are just 'uncomfortable' with heights but for many, who greatly fear being at a height, it's a non-starter. I felt very uneasy just looking up at the skyscrapers when I was in Dallas let alone being at the top of one..wouldn't need to be at the top,either. I can't even watch people at heights on the TV. On a lighter note..I recall going to see my doctor some years ago for an annual check..Bloods and blood pressure,weight etc and I said to him that my blood presasure was ok until I sat in the waiting room and saw the 5' x 3' foot photo of those men in New York building the Rockerfeller centre sitting on a metal beam having lunch and reading newspapers. My legs have tingles just writing that... I used to go up ladders at Shell when I was 18..160ft..180ft. no problem then, one day,when I was 40 I went up the observation tower at Cheddar Gorge with friends that were visiting us. The husband actually leaned over the rail at the top to take a photo. Yikes...and it hit me.Another visitor ..a middle-aged lady told me to go back down slowly and hold on to the stairway rail . It was like a helter-skelter. I got to the bottom and sat on the grass. I must have looked a bit 'off' because people going up asked if I was ok and was I on my own. The London Eye ??? No thanks, Larry..

That’s hard for you then John. I used to work with a bloke who had similar problems with heights. We were part of a team that maintained and repaired diesel generators in BT exchanges (they kick in if there’s a power cut or the voltage goes too low, to keep the phone service running). One of the servicing jobs was to make sure the exhaust system was solid, not leaking and had cleared of smoke once the engine had got up to temperature. The exhausts are usually on the exchange roof, especially for the bigger engines. This guy would literally have to crawl across the roof on his hands and knees, just looking down at the roof surface, as he couldn’t bear to stand up or he’d get giddy or feel faint. We had to do a “working at heights” training and assessment course at one point, I’m not sure how he ever passed it !

 

[Nod]

I'm not fond of heights but can handle them if there's a decent barrier. I can even look over a railing if there's no chance of me falling over it. Used to be a painter/decorator but couldn't do the ladders these days.

 

[gman]

I'm not fond of heights but can handle them if there's a decent barrier. I can even look over a railing if there's no chance of me falling over it. Used to be a painter/decorator but couldn't do the ladders these days.

I'm not afraid of heights or activities that are dangerous, yet I was surprised to find myself unwilling to abseil over a cliff edge. I think part of it was that I am having to be completely reliant on the rope and there's nothing I can do if it fails, yet I'm fine with climbing up rocks or doing 140mph on a sports bike. Could also be a "getting older" thing lol

 

[Cagey75]

I'm not fond of heights but can handle them if there's a decent barrier. I can even look over a railing if there's no chance of me falling over it. Used to be a painter/decorator but couldn't do the ladders these days.

I'm terrified of heights but like you say, more so when it just doesn't feel secure. I won't climb a ladder beyond the 4th rung, but I have looked out over NYC from atop the Rockafella, and over Budapest from the top of St. Stephen's basillica, mesmerizing, but safe.

 

[Garry Edwards]

I don't like heights either, but photographers don't always have a choice

I had one job I'll never forget, photographing the work-in-progress interior of one of those massive cooling towers at a power station. The only access was via 3 ladders - get to the top of one, then go sideways to get to the bottom of the next one, then rinse and repeat. And I had a heavy RZ67 round my neck and 3 lenses in my pockets!

I did a VERY thorough job, because once I'd finished I had to do the reverse trip, which was far worse . . . The client had arranged my visit for when the H&S guy was off-site

 

[mj4456]

After 30 years underground in the coal mining industry I didn’t often have to contend with working at height, except when working in the shaft, it was a long way down to the bottom, especially in the days before safety harness’s were the rule I wished I had four hands, two to work with, and two to hold on to something.