Accidents waiting to happen

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Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
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This is like a sort of pre-Darwin award for accidents waiting to happen, as seen on the streets of Santo Domingo.

I have three nominations:

1. Fireworks shop just across the road from a petrol station - if it goes up it takes our neighbourhood with it and sends the Chirimoya family into orbit. :eek:

2. Planta right next to propane gas tank, as seen outside a residential building in the city. :eek:

3. The seasonal practice of placing wire wool scourers into bottles and setting them alight, resulting in a most satisfying BOOM. Apparently popular amongst teenagers too young to buy real fireworks. :eek:

Anyone care to add theirs?
 
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Lambada

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Mar 4, 2004
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Overground diesel storage tank (to refuel busses) strategically placed at base of tall tree behind our house............lightening hits tree & WHOOOOSH! Its been there 6 months so not 'seasonal' but in keeping with conflagration scenario above! ;)
 
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simpson Homer

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Nov 14, 2003
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that's normal

Thing in DR work like this:

1 Not body care about danger untill some one is killed by accident.

2 The word prevention means = "I will take care of it later"

Is like people living close by the river, Dominican gov. never take care about moving those families to a safety place.Dominican Gov. wait untill the hurricans and flood, street are never fixed untill the streets doesn't space for more "bathtub"

Dominican Gov. will take care when the fireworks when something happen.

It's sad that people have to live with that.

PS: Hey that's my personal opinion!!!!
 
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Gringo

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Jan 1, 2002
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Live wires laying on the street on the Malecon

Live wires laying on the street and then the rain comes you or a family member are walking by step in a puddle of water and its all over.

Gringo
 
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Ken

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Jan 1, 2002
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What worries me when we are in Santo Domingo is walking back to the hotel from the restaurant where we had supper. There are a number of places along the route where the sidewalk has been broken open, so that if you stepped in one of those holes you, or at least part of you, would drop down about 3 feet. During one of the blackouts, each step may be your last.

These are not new pits in the sidewalk. They have been there for years.
 
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Pib

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Jan 1, 2002
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Homer, you're opionion is ruining our humor. ;)


So, nobody is going to mention the guy in the motorcicle holding a 100-lb propane tank, like a smaller version of a car-bomb?
 
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Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
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Ken said:
What worries me when we are in Santo Domingo is walking back to the hotel from the restaurant where we had supper. There are a number of places along the route where the sidewalk has been broken open, so that if you stepped in one of those holes you, or at least part of you, would drop down about 3 feet. During one of the blackouts, each step may be your last.

These are not new pits in the sidewalk. They have been there for years.
Click to expand...

A friend of a friend (yeah right) actually fell into one of them on a rainy night in Gazcue.
 
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Kaizen68

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Aug 25, 2004
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Chirimoya said:
This is like a sort of pre-Darwin award for accidents waiting to happen, as seen on the streets of Santo Domingo.

I have three nominations:

1. Fireworks shop just across the road from a petrol station - if it goes up it takes our neighbourhood with it and sends the Chirimoya family into orbit. :eek:

2. Planta right next to propane gas tank, as seen outside a residential building in the city. :eek:

3. The seasonal practice of placing wire wool scourers into bottles and setting them alight, resulting in a most satisfying BOOM. Apparently popular amongst teenagers too young to buy real fireworks. :eek:

Anyone care to add theirs?
Click to expand...

"LA BAZOOKA"
take 3 or 4 aluminum cans remove lids on all except the last one, tape 'em together with electrical tape. make a hole in the center with a nail. pour kerosene shake and light a match to it...! (BOOM..!)

M80s shot from a slingshot..!
 
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juanita

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Apr 22, 2004
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The old construction site on Lopez de Vega and Kennedy. The side walls have felt down many times with the rain leaving very small space between the road and the hole. Now the cement protection blocks are sitting right on the edge where cars pass. I always walk on the other side of the road, scared that part of the street will fall in the hole! You?ll see, they won?t do anything till some 10 cars fall at the bottom of the hole!!
 
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Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
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Wow, pretty good going. We've barely even touched on the traffic side of things.

Trucks with bald, splitting tyres, newborns slung under the passenger's arm on multiple passenger pasolas and motoconchos, luxury car drivers who are too poor* to afford seatbelts let alone child seats for their small children, car drivers with tiny babies perched on their knees...

*in the braincell department
 
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Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
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Lambada said:
Overground diesel storage tank (to refuel busses) strategically placed at base of tall tree behind our house............lightening hits tree & WHOOOOSH! Its been there 6 months so not 'seasonal' but in keeping with conflagration scenario above! ;)
Click to expand...

Hehehe - this and my firework shop scenario brings new meaning to "there goes the neighbourhood".
 
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suarezn

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Feb 3, 2002
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How about "roads" where half of it is gone. I know of at least two (one between the town of La Piedra and Pimentel on the way to Samana through Cotui and one on the road from Moca to Santiago) where there are no signs whatsoever warning you and no barriers have been set up. In the first one I mentioned there was an ugly accident there a couple of Hippo's helpers lost their lives. After this happened they built a short alternate route, but did not block the old one, so anyone not aware of this could just continue down the old one and drive straight off the cliff and down onto the river.
 
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Porfio_Rubirosa

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Apr 26, 2002
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The tall building above the northeast corner of Parque Independencia, up towards where Mella begins. It's a fabulous 1920s block structure. Maybe the tallest in the City when it was built. Now the interior above the second floor is completely gutted. It's essentially a ten story facade with nothing behind it.

No, we won't have to wait for the next tremblor to see this one come down.

Also, let me throw-in the shooting of guns into the air on New Years. What goes up ...
 
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Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
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Porfio_Rubirosa said:
The tall building above the northeast corner of Parque Independencia, up towards where Mella begins. It's a fabulous 1920s block structure. Maybe the tallest in the City when it was built. Now the interior above the second floor is completely gutted. It's essentially a ten story facade with nothing behind it.

No, we won't have to wait for the next tremblor to see this one come down.

Also, let me throw-in the shooting of guns into the air on New Years. What goes up ...
Click to expand...

Just went past this morning, remembered your post and had a good look. What a waste, and what a hazard. One of these days I'm going to start a thread on all the art deco architecture in this city. Most of it neglected or ignored.
 
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Chirimoya

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Dec 9, 2002
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Today's DR1 news has another candidate:

Dominican saying: "Dicho y hecho!" (Said and done!)
DR1 Daily News yesterday pointed out the dangers of fireworks and their proliferation in the streets of most of the cities, especially Santo Domingo, during this holiday season. No sooner had the news brief been circulated than one of the kiosks dedicated to the sale of fireworks along 27 February Avenue in Ensanche Quisqueya was blown apart, injuring one person and smashing several large windows in the area. According to Hoy, the cause of the explosion and fire was related to a welder doing work on the kiosk. (Truly, a surreal situation - welding in a kiosk filled with fireworks!) The owner of the kiosk, Melvin Montero, was arrested by police, who emerged on the scene with officials from Civil Defense and the Fire Department.
 
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