Never let anyone tell you Summer Bay's roads are safe, here we look at some of the accidents over the years that have hit the lives of those in Summer Bay. Though I've only included 20 here, it could have easily been 50, but you're not interested in Kelly Watson's sister's boyfriend.
Walter Bertram
Home and Away, showing it must have had at least some money to spare was already crashing cars for fun within the first week of it's run. Carly and Bobby decided to play a prank on Lance and Martin, but they inadvertantly ended up injuring Walter Bertram. Walter suffered some brain damage in this accident and spent the next few months terrorising the bay as the Summer Bay Nutter. Then John Farnham solved everything.
Frank Morgan
After being jilted at the alter by a lying Roo Stewart, Frank drove off in the car given to him by Tom as a present, and which Floss had told him not to drive before he was married. Trouble was he wasn't married and whilst tearing around Summer Bay he came across Bobby in the middle of the road and cartwheeled off the road. He spent some time in hospital before recovering.
Tom, Sophie, Steven and Bobby
Tom was one of the shows main characters, perhaps it's pivotal, but the decision was made at some point in either 1989 or 1990 that he was surplus to requirements. So, the decision was made to kill him off. He actually died of heart attack, but is most remembered for him flipping off the road with three of his foster kids in the back. Steven's joke was enough to make anyone kill themselves anyway.
David, Adam and Karen
For the third time in just over three years Home and Away decide to roll a car down one of the many banks around Summer Bay. Despite the fact as a stunt this one looked pretty naff, as if David should have walked straight out of it, Guy Pearce was going of to make awful film after awful film and there wasn't much point in keeping him alive. He had a daughter soon after when Sophie gave birth.
Shane and Sergeant Hale
Shane was hooning around Summer Bay on his motorcycle after going to get himself, Angel and Dylan some ice cream. He had already almost crashed trying to overtake a lorry when he stopped and was hit by a driver. He had his spleen removed and this eventually led to his death. Later in the year, Simon Broadhurst discovered that it was actually Sergeant Hale, the Summer Bay cop for the past seven years that had hit Shane and Hale must have had to have left town.
Ailsa and Duncan
This is one of my first Home and Away memories. I believe I saw the last minute of this episode when it aired on ITV in 1999. Fisher, Marilyn, Alf and Ailsa had decided to go out fishing for the day, despite the fact that only one of them actually appears to like fishing. Anyway, Duncan and Ailsa were driving along next to a lake when Duncan dropped a cassette. Ailsa bent down to pick up and whilst doing this went carreering into a lake. Duncan escaped and raised the alarm. Ailsa spent many months in hospital, at one point Alf giving the doctors the go-ahead to turn Ailsa's machine off. Ailsa heard this and upon her recovery made Alf's life a living nightmare.
Joel and Jesse
Jesse had been involved in some dodgy car-dealings at his garage and all caught up with him. Joel gave chase until they both crashed. Jesse saved Joel from the wreckage of his car before going on the run. An episode I desperately want to see!
Gypsy and Charlie
Gypsy and recently fallen for Charlie Nicholas and one day wagging school they went out together. Unfortunately they drunk a bit too much, Charlie lost control and they crashed into a tree and he died. Gypsy survived, but also kept with her the secret that that day she had seen her mum kissing another man, Glen Tanner, something that later ripped her family apart.
Alex and Brodie
Alex had only been in the bay a few weeks, but already he had scored a date with Dani Sutherland, fresh from breaking up with Will. After a rather disasterous date listening to music and watching surfing they hit Brodie who was cycling to the airport to see Mitch.
Miles, Alex and Brodie
Given that the previous road accident had involved Alex and Brodie, you'd be wary of getting in a car with both of them and you'd been proved right. Certainly Dani and Ashley appear to have been proven right to go to some beach party. Miles got into the car with the two and they were joking about until Alex hit a pot-hole and they slammed into a tree. It took Brodie months to forgive Alex for killing Miles.
The School Bus Crash
Kick, a replacement teacher so Kate Ritchie could take some time off again, decided to take the kids on some trip to pyramiad in Australia or something. On the way home, the bus crashed and toppled onto it's side. Conveniently for the purpose of paying extras to say lines, only Nick, Jade and Don were badly enough injured, especially Nick who was saved with just seconds to spare. Just as Alf was about to say that they were lucky the bus didn't blow up, it blew up. How cliche!
Seb (or is it!)
Ever since his afterlife experience or whatever it was supposed to be, Alf had been trying to stop Seb getting on a motorbike after seeing him come to a sticky end. However, for whatever reason during 2003 Seb, going through his Glenn Medeiros look-a-like phase, got in one of his sulks and stole Noah's motorbikes. A few hours later, Alf was called to identify Seb's body. However for the second time in one day, Noah's bike had been stolen by some yahoo who had robbed Seb. Seb wasn't dead. We all groaned in disappoinment.
Dani and a kangaroo (or is it!)
After a night of tutoring with her Uni lecturer, played by the wonderfully named Angelo D'Angelo, he had came on to Dani. Dani drove him crying in the pouring ran when she felt herself hitting something. She got out, but couldn't see anything. A big-articulated lorry was coming her way so she drove off. The following morning, Noah found Kane badly injured by the road. Kane pressed charges and Dani went to prison...for about 3 days.
Hayley and Brodie
Hayley had been going out with Alex for about six months in a pairing that was almost universally disliked by the entire audience. Brodie turned up and she and Alex were inextricably drawn together until, by coincidence, Hayley saw Brodie and Alex kisisng in a part of Summer Bay that no character appears to have visited before or since. Brodie climbed into Hayley's pink thing one day and they began arguing. Hayley took her eyes off the road and they speared into a tree. Hayley suffered massive facial injuries, Brodie was thrown through the windscreen and walked away.
Kim, Robbie and Tasha
Barely 20 episodes later Kim borrowed Irene's MG to go to a job interview. Next we see is the three of them walking out of ravine. We never saw a crashed car, it was all solved within two episodes and was never mentioned again, which begs the question, what was the point!
Duncan, Jade and Seb
As a reward for being part of the trio that had crashed Irene's car, two weeks previously, Robbie got a car for his 17th birthday. Unfortunately for him, a hyper Duncan and Jade had got the keys and decided to go drag racing. For some bizarre reason Seb tried to stop the car by jumping on the bonnet. They crashed off a cliff, Duncan survived unscathed, Seb ended up paralysed when he really should have been cut in half and Jade was washed out to sea for a few days.
Ric, Chloe, Jesse, Alf, Martha and Kim
After Alf's 60th, five of the above, excluding Jesse were put in a car together. Why Kim is there I have no idea either! Did he live at Alf's at the time? Anyway, a drunk Jesse, recently turned down by Chloe was coming the opposite direction and they hit a tree. Jesse soon realised he was the one that had killed Chloe and handed himself in. Whilst I've always been unsure over whether or not they should have killed Chloe off, the surrounding episodes were nearly perfect.
Beth
I think enough has been said about this death this year for me not to need to go on about. Beth was flattened by a truck on her way home from Paris.
Lisa and Denni
Drew had ended up drag racing Denni, Lucas had ended up falling for Lisa. Lucas when to save Lisa from Denni, Drew and Ric raced to save Lucas from Denni and we were treated to a chase. Lisa stupidly tried to wrestle the steering wheel from Denni and died as a result. Stupid gir!