TWO adventurous Griffith men and their mate have had a lucky escape after being involved in a car accident in Turkey.
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After a successful start on the Mongol Rally, The Fine Line Team of Andrew Robertson and Damien Le Brocque and Harry Thompson, have come to a standstill as a result of being hit by a bus near Gallipoli in Turkey.
The accident occurred on Monday last week. Fortunately there were no injuries.
"It's a miracle that we are still alive after being T-boned by a full sized bus travelling at speed," Andrew said.
"Our car was stationary at an intersection when a bus changed lanes trying to retain its speed as the highway made a bend, taking off the nose of our vehicle in the process."
The Fine Line Team was raising money to assist with the building of specially designed facilities for young people who get cancer.
After they learnt that since the 1970s, the rate of survival among youth suffering cancer has generally not improved and over one in 100 teenagers are diagnosed with cancer before the age of 30, they felt they had to do something.
Their aim was to drive unassisted from London to Mongolia for charity, in a car worth less than $1000. Their route meant that they would cross more than 12,000 kilometres through 18 countries. This is known as the Mongol Rally.
"In all of this we are trying to remember the old saying that 'you can plan a trip, but you can't plan an adventure," Damien said.
He encouraged people to get onto their website www.thefineline2014.com and join their adventure.
There are plans to try to resurrect the car, affectionately named Gertrude, and continue the journey. In the meantime, The Fine Line Team is playing the waiting game as the local Turkish mechanics and panel beaters in Gelibolu (better known by its English name, Gallipoli) attempt to salvage the car.
"One way or another, we will have a Mongolian stamp on our passport," Harry said.
"We are not giving up. After all, we don't want to let down young people who have cancer. They deserve our 100 per cent determination to help."
> Local people can support this cause by donating on www.give.everydayhero.com/au/the-fine-line or by sending a support message to Andrew.k.m.robertson@gmail.com or thefineline2014@gmail.com.