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ACT EDUCATOR MAGAZINE
JOURNEY INSURANCE
Minh Lam - from the State School Teachers' Union of WA (SSTUWA)
O
n the eve of starting a new school year, Nazli Gwynn was deep in
thought and full of hopes as she headed into Byford Secondary College.
Driving along Anketell Road in Perth’s south, Nazli had no idea that she would soon be dealing with issues more challenging than seating arrangements and the student make-up of her classes. Looking ahead, Nazli could make out a vehicle that resembled a tractor, but it was in the wrong lane. She wasn’t alarmed as she thought the vehicle would soon move back into the correct lane. To her surprise, the tractor started to swerve erratically and remained on the wrong side of the road.
RIGHT IMAGE:
Nazli Gwynn's Toyota Yaris at the scene of the accident.
AEU ACT BRANCH
“I wondered if the driver had fallen asleep at the wheel and began to question my safety,” the Year 7-10 English, Health, and Creative Writing teacher recalled. “I chose to drive off the road in an attempt to miss this mound
of steel. I drove as far left as I could and simply watched this thing drive into the side of my Toyota Yaris.” The mound of steel Nazli collided with was not a tractor. It was a semi-trailer carrying a road-flattening machine, which had disengaged from its truck, and its safety braking system had failed. “On impact, my car rolled,” Nazli said. “I counted three rolls and kept talking myself through each roll. I surf and have been taught to relax if you're ever in a similar rolling situation. “So, I relaxed and kept checking in with myself, acknowledging the fact that my brain was still active and I was, in my mind, OK. “The car then stopped rolling. I tried to open my driver's side door, believing that the car may