17 People Who Tried Off-Roading…And Paid For It
The thrill of driving at blistering speeds on the highway and the convenience of not having to carry your groceries or walk to work are some of the reasons that most of us buy cars. Cars are wonderful machines that have changed our lives and are meant for the road. As with every invention, people find a way to twist the rules and use the invention in an unsuitable manner or environment. While some cars and bikes can be driven off-road, others cannot be, and the use of those machines on an undesignated road can lead to disaster.
Sometimes, breaking the rules isn’t a good idea. Despite the inherent danger of driving off-road, some drivers are adamant about breaking the rules to get an adrenaline rush. Some of the drivers that go off-road are experienced and can handle the challenges that gravel and mud pose, while other drivers shouldn’t have veered off the road. To determine the dangers that drivers face off-road, we searched for cars that didn’t have a happy ending. Vehicles such as the Ford F-150 Raptor and quad bikes can provide a tremendous amount of entertainment as drivers are meant to go off-road with those vehicles. However, when inexperienced drivers take their sedans off-road, the outcome isn’t always favorable. We compiled a list of drivers who went off-road and faced devastating consequences.
17 PORSCHE PANAMUDA
When German manufacturer Porsche produced its vehicles, it intended to provide luxury sports cars that drive at fast speeds on the road while remaining affordable. Then, Porsche wanted to compete in the SUV market and released the Cayenne. The one thing that you don’t do as a Porsche owner is to take your vehicle off-road, especially when it’s a Panamera. The car belongs to English football player Andrew Wisdom, who got stuck in the mud after blindly following the GPS navigation. Wisdom should’ve opted for a Cayenne that day.
16 BUMP IN THE ROAD
One of the vehicles meant for the off-road is a Jeep. When the manufacturer produced the vehicle, it wanted to provide safety and reliability, as well as durability for the family. While many Jeep owners use the car in their daily commute, some experienced drivers do use it for its main purpose: off-roading. The owner of this Jeep proved how you could get stuck if you don’t take the correct angle when approaching a dip. Although the Jeep is high off the ground, you can get stuck if you’re inexperienced. The fortunate part is that this Jeep owner had a friend to get him out of the sticky situation.
15 QUICKSAND
Pickup manufacturers design their vehicles to handle the toughest terrains. Manufacturers such as Ford and GMC produce a hard exterior so that gravel will bounce off the body and so that the vehicle can haul heavy loads. Pickup trucks are meant for dusty environments such as construction sites. The one thing that you don’t do as a pickup owner is to leave your pickup parked on a gravel road for prolonged periods, as the sand and the rain can bury your vehicle, literally. The good thing about this situation is that the driver didn’t get stuck inside.
14 SOMETIMES, OFF-ROAD COMES TO YOU
You don’t always go looking for trouble, but it can come looking for you. Sometimes, you don’t have to deviate from the main road to be off-road. The drivers of these cars weren’t searching for gravel, but it came to them. The unfortunate owners of these vehicles used a ‘highway’ that was in construction. The local governments were paving the roads, which caused a traffic jam. The drivers were stuck for several hours when a blizzard swooped over the road and trapped the vehicles. The drivers manage to escape their vehicles.
13 THE PATROL NEEDS RESCUE
Although your intentions may be good when you go off-road, the despicable terrain doesn’t care about your good deed and will trap you at the first opportunity. The owner of this Nissan SUV chose the right vehicle to embrace the tough road it faced to patrol the vicinity of any vehicles that may have gotten stuck in the mud. While searching for those drivers, he happened to be the unfortunate victim of a deep puddle of mud that wouldn’t let him persevere in his quest. The only way out was to climb out of the window.
12 SUBMERGED
The owner of this truck thought he’d find out for himself if the manufacturer was right about the pickup’s capability to handle all terrains. He drove the vehicle into a dam that was filled with mud. The dam was so deep that the driver submerged his vehicle. Although he was thrilled to drive out of the mud without getting stuck, he caused damage to the mechanical parts. Besides having to take the car for a full valet, the driver did more harm than good to the vehicle as he tried to show off that his pickup could persevere in the toughest terrains.
11 NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED
A vehicle not meant for off-road is a bus. Passengers need to feel safe at all times, and the best terrain for them to experience safety is on asphalt. In this case, the bus driver didn’t transport passengers; instead, he wanted to deliver packages to the less fortunate and had no other choice than to take the road with murky water. The benevolent driver got stuck in the mud and had to dig his way out of the mess to prevent the bus from tipping onto its side. The task took him several hours to accomplish.
10 IN TOO DEEP
Quad bikes can provide vast entertainment off-road if you know what you’re doing. Sometimes, the off-road can deceive you to think that the surface under the tires can support your heavy vehicle. The problem with going off-road is that rain can wet the terrain where you’re cruising, causing it to eat up heavy vehicles. The unfortunate rider of this quad bike realized why asphalt is hard. His tires got submerged so deep in the muddy terrain that all he could do was get off the bike and call for help. The longer the bike stayed, the more difficult it became to retrieve.
9 WHEELIE
The best time of the year to take your quad bike off-road is summer. You can catch a tan while exploring the countryside and the obstacles that the gravel poses. The worst time that you can go off-roading on a quad bike is in winter. The road is wet from the rain or snow, causing puddles that most riders cannot notice. This rider thought that he’d experience the off-road in winter and stumbled upon a puddle that he tried to maneuver out of but failed. He raised the front part of the bike and splashed into the puddle.
8 THE POLICE NEED PROTECTION
The police don’t patrol only suburbs; the watchdog wants to ensure it covers all the areas, including the beach. The policemen in this vehicle were patrolling the beach although no one was present and got themselves into a heap of trouble. The overcast weather should’ve served as a caveat to the policemen that the sand had absorbed a lot of rain. The brave policemen acted in good faith when they scoured the beach for anybody in need of help only to discover that they were the ones who would need rescue.
7 SWIMMERS, NOT CARS, ARE MEANT FOR THE SEA
Some drivers won’t accept that they have to park away from the beach. To some drivers, the beach is like a drive-thru at McDonald’s. The only problem is that vehicles such as this coupé aren’t safe when sand is in the picture. The water has a way of luring you in, and that’s what happened to this lazy driver who didn’t want to leave his vehicle in the parking lot. The good news about the incident is that the driver managed to get out of the vehicle before it submerged.
6 DUMMER NOT HUMMER
When US manufacturer Hummer first produced its vehicles, the target market was the military. The manufacturer designed the vehicles in a way that the army could use them on any terrain and so that bullets couldn’t penetrate the vehicle. The owners of this Hummer thought that they could drive the vehicle on water. Instead of using the hard gravel surface, the driver opted for the puddle and ended up in deep trouble. The driver was unaware of the depth of the puddle, so he should’ve steered clear of trouble as opposed to looking for it.
5 FISHING TRIP GONE WRONG
Going away for a fishing trip on the weekend is a great getaway even if you may end up not catching any fish. The time away from the busy city and fraternizing with your friends while fishing is invaluable. Most of us will regard the weekend as worthwhile even if we don’t catch any fish but will view the trip as a disaster if we cannot get back home. On his way to the dam, the driver of this vehicle took a path that brought the trip to a halt. Seeing there was no way out of the mess, the driver decided to make the spot his camping site.
4 TRUCKING AROUND
Most of the vehicles on our list aren’t supposed to go off-road, as their manufacturers didn’t build the structure of the vehicle to handle tough terrains. While sedans shouldn’t go off-road, tractors belong there and should thrive in the environment. The driver of this tractor decided to push the slow vehicle to its limits up against a small hill. The tractor couldn’t handle the uneven surface and tipped over into a vegetable garden. The tractor caused so much damage to the vegetables that the garden owner decided to open a case.
3 UNLANDED ROVER
The Land Rover is one of the vehicles that are supposed to be able to cruise over harsh terrains and always have their tires on the ground. The problem with going off-road is that the path is filled with twists and turns that drivers sometimes discover too late. Experience with off-roading also plays a crucial role, but we cannot foresee all incidents, regardless of our experience. While cruising up against a small hill, the driver of this Land Rover didn’t see that the road dipped. When his tires didn’t connect with the road, the vehicle ended up on its side.
2 HAPPENS TO THE BEST OF US
You’d think that the one vehicle you’d be safe in when off-roading is a bulldozer. The bulldozer is the ultimate vehicle to conquer harsh terrains. However, when you tread over mud, the consequences can be devastating, even if you’re in the toughest vehicle designed to handle inhospitable terrains. The driver of this bulldozer quickly found out that even a bulldozer is susceptible to submerge and get stuck in muddy waters. As the bulldozer sunk deeper into the ground, the driver checked if he left any belongings in the cabin.
1 THE DAM ISN’T A CAR’S FRIEND
The state government builds roads so that we can travel from one location to the next without getting stranded. However, some drivers want to avoid the road and take a shortcut over water. The driver of this vehicle thought that he could reach his destination quicker if he drove over the water. The part that baffles me is how the driver couldn’t figure out that the dam was too deep for the vehicle. The fortunate driver had a friend who owned a pickup truck to tow him out of his predicament. Cars are meant for the road, not water.
Sources: autoevolution.com; sdtrucksprings.com.
