Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Chairboy on March 30, 2008, 06:29:25 PM
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Hey guys,
Drive carefully, the weather can change quickly and cars have a lot of energy in them. Yesterday, I was one of three cars involved in the following:
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2008/03/30/area_news/10179828.txt
I was driving south on I-5 near Kelso when the weather turned. It started to hail and rain, so we all began to slow. Up ahead, I saw a black Mercedes 300 spinning counterclockwise and sliding backwards across the lanes right in front of me. I jammed on the brakes and aggresively steered to the right and 95% dodged. The last 5% was a doozy, though.
(http://hallert.net/images/aftermath.jpg)
Here's my car:
(http://hallert.net/images/poorbuick.jpg)
The image peeled the front left fender off, also hit the wheel and probably broke something in the steering. As noted in the article, the other car was northbound on I-5 and lost control, coming across the ditch that separates the two and into our traffic. I shake when I think what would have happened if I hadn't been able to dodge as much as I did. A closing rate of over 100mph (remember, he was heading the opposite direction on the other side of the road) is astonishingly fast, the Buick Regal really did its job. I checked out Marcus quickly, re-assured him, then had to twist in my seat and use both feet to push the door open. I ran over to the Mercedes and saw that he wasn't breathing. Other people were on the scene and we were trying to get him breathing (I went around to his side where it was caved in and was going to clear his airway and start CPR), but a volunteer medic ran up and took charge so I called 911 (never assume someone else has already) and ran back to my car. There was a group helping the woman who T-boned the Mercedes. I got back in, pulled my son into the front and just held him. We were both really shaken up.
We bought the car back when my wife was pregnant with this kid for the safety features, and they paid off big time, both in responsiveness (the collision avoidance) and the protection (for the part of the collision that wasn't avoided). My ~6 year old was in the back in a booster, we were all wearing seatbelts. He had a cut on his face but was checked out and is fine. I had some torn muscles in my back, but I'm sure that'll heal up in a week or so.
So drive safe, folks, and be ready for anything, including a car from oncoming traffic. And slow the foxtrot down when it starts hailing. We were on our side, but at least one car on the other side may not have.
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Glad to hear you're both alright.
donkey
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Holy crap! Glad you and your family are safe~! State of Or-e-gone needs to put up some jersy barriers or at the very least cable barriers on that stretch of highway.
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I think this is roughly where it happened:
http://tinyurl.com/yurdny
Right next to Oregon, but this was in Washington.
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Right next to Oregon, but this was in Washington.
So RIP wants Oregon to pay? ;)
Good you're OK CB.
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Glad you are OK.
Doubly glad you had your child properly buckled as well. I still sometimes see kids through the rear window of cars on the interstate bouncing back and forth as if they are on a trampoline. Even with the "relatively" minor hit you took, if he hadn't been buckled, it could have been far worse than a couple of cuts.
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Absolutely. Everything loose in the car flew forward. Note the kid shoe in the front window, that was in the backseat. If that had been a ~6 year old kid.... <shudder>
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Good to hear your ok. When weather changes like that you should always slow down, gradually, not drive your butt off then panic brake when heavy rain/hail/snow hits. That's usually what gets people into the uncontrolled situations they find themselves in. A head-on out of control crash is the most difficult type of accident to avoid as usually you can't accurately judge were the car is going or how it's going to impact you. Had you not steared as you did and the impact been in the door i shudder to think of the damage to you. Well Done Sir. :salute On the lighter side it must be all the practice you get dodging ho's here in AH. :D See this game does help you in real life.
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Glad to hear that you and yours is ok, CB.
Regards,
Sun
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Glad to hear you are both OK.
Now you'll get a chance to watch some of that FTA !!
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where in the world is keslo
good think you and your kid were alright
and you have nothing to complain about my cousin totaled 3 cars in a month
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Wow, glad you're okay Chairboy.
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Really glad to hear you and your boy are ok, Choir. And WTG for your actions' immediately afterwards, I've driven up on wrecks' before where all people did was get out of their car and stand around, wouldn't lift a finger to help anyone for anything. <S>
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Heavy stuff there Chairboy....glad to here that you and you family are ok.
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Glad to hear you're ok.
One thing - you say your back should heal in a few days, but you MUST go get it checked out and thoroughly documented. If it turns out you have a slipped disc or something and you didn't document it, you will be stuck with the bill yourself.
Edit - The article said someone died, but didn't specifically say it was the driver of the mercedes... I'm puzzled by the "no charges will be filed" either. Driving way too fast for conditions warrants a citation, and when you nearly kill 3 carloads of people doing so... But again if the driver was dead, then I guess yea nobody to file charges against.
Still, get a lawyer.
But even if you don't sue his estate, make SURE you document your medical condition and your back injury. That sort of thing has a way of coming back, making it almost impossible to work while not being covered by insurance and not making you technically "disabled". Better let the guy who injured you pay for that, and the only way to do that is to get thoroughly checked out (X-Ray, MRI, the whole works), get multiple follow-ups over the next couple of weeks, and of course have the other guy's insurance pay for the exams since he's the one who did it to you.
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Very glad to hear that you and your son are safe. And well done on the way you handled the situation.
Joker
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I'll vouch for that, I was hit on I-95 back in December and I still have some intermittant back pain. I'm not planning on suing or anything, but I felt fine for a few days afterward, and it didn't get real bad till I started working again 3 weeks after the accident. The way I sit in front of the computer at work (and at home) aggravates whatever muscle I injured when I was hit.
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Holy crap Chairboy, that was scary even to read. I’m glad that you reacted so well and that you and your child were able to walk away from that.
So, was the car that T-boned the Benz behind you as the incident started? Looking at the picture, and what you described, did the Mercedes spin one and a quarter turns and then get hit in the driver’s side by the other car? At what point did you hit which car?
A friend was in a highway pile-up a few months ago. Both child car seats were crushed as well as the rear end of his van; his twin boys were not in the car at the time. Thank goodness.
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Sounds like the driver of the Mercedes died, Eagl. Sad to hear but at those kind of speeds with a t-bone on the driver side...yikes.
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Hey guys, thanks for the kind words. Regarding the medical stuff, I felt ok right after it happened but started to get sore on the drive home (wifey picked me up). I started to think about the same stuff above, and ask myself "Crud, what if there's something wrong and I just don't know how to recognize it?" so we went to the Emergency Room. After an examination (and documentation) I got some advice on how to treat it, along with a referral to a GP for a followup.
Regarding the collision, I remember seeing the other car T-Bone the Benz, and I think I hit it immediately after. The trooper I spoke to thinks it was me then the T-bone, but unless I'm Shirley Maclaine, I don't think I'd be able to see what I saw.
The driver who died was the one who crossed the median, so a citation probably wouldn't be terribly useful.
I'm not sure what will happen to my car, whether it's a total or not. The front left fender peeled back like an onion, the hood is creased, and the hood pushed the fender on the other side off. The front bumper is toast, I think the steering box probably took a beating because the front left wheel is in disagreement with the right wheel on which direction to point. The driver door took a wack, and the trooper thinks I hit the rear-right corner of the car against the barrier because of a broken tail light and some scratches.
Dunno if it will get totaled or not. I love the car, it's treated me well and drives great. I just bought new front tires a couple months ago, that's a kick in the pants too.
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Jebus.Glad you made out ok.Shame about the other guy tho. I would have probebly thought in paranoia for a split second "HE'S GOING FOR THE HO!!!!!"
Sounds like your car did its job.Good call on that one. :salute
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Glad to hear you and your kid are alright.
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Good thing it didnt catch on fire. If your in an accident and get to live, consider your life "blessed". Some people arent so lucky, they get maimed, amputated, brain damage etc...
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Glad to see you're OK Chairboy!
Don't begrudge those two new tires, they probably saved your life! Cars can be replaced, I'd be inclined to replace it anyway even if it does get repaired. I've see some excellent repair work done but the car still wasn't right afterwards.
Things like Castor and Camber can be irreparably damaged in an accident and no amount of shimming or camber kits can get them right again.
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Glad you and your family are okay. Did the woman survive?
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Glad you are ok Chairboy. The car did its job its time for a new one. Even repaired it will never be the same.
The weather yesterday was crazy, I was in Tigard and Sherwood and it would be Sunny,Hail,Sunny,rain,Sunny hail,rain,hail,Sunny again.
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Glad to hear you're both okay, Chairboy.
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I havent had the pleasure of conversing with you very much but its great to hear you and your son are doing well. I feel for the mercedes drivers families and the few months ahead are going to be tough for them. Hopefully the legal matters wont overshadow the grieving process in the long run.
Side note...
I just bought new front tires a couple months ago, that's a kick in the pants too.
It is very likely this just saved you and your son very severe injuries.
Strip(er)
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You guys are absolutely right about the tires, I hadn't thought about that. Based on the clearances and the speeds involved, they may have made a crucial difference.
The passenger in the Mercedes had a ruptured spleen and a broken pelvis. She went in for surgery yesterday and is expected to recover, thank goodness. She's 65, so it will be tough, but she has a chance. That must have been absolutely terrifying, my family's best wishes go out to their family. Drive safe, folks.
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that could have easily been much, much worse.
glad your alright.
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Chairboy,
Do you have any experience in driving simulations?
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Wow Chair, glad to hear you are ok.
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i'd rather have an LA-7 ho me than a car HO me, im happy that you are ok, and i hope your son isn't too badly shaken. my friend was in a really bad car crash, his car flipped sideways in midair, and landed on his wheels, he was so shaken up he couldn't ride in small cars for 2 months after getting out of the hospital
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My goodness. I'm glad y'all are ok.
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Holy cow! Glad you and your family made it out okay! Looks like it could have been worse.
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Chair,
Even if they don't total your car, you should still get a new one. Those things are designed to behave in very specific, sequential ways when in a collision. There is no way they can possibly put it back together in such a way that it will function as designed in another collision.
Plus, look at the pic of the left front wheel... It looks like it's been shoved straight backwards by about a foot! You just can't do that without destroying the suspension and since it's front wheel drive, I bet it trashed the transmission and engine too.
In any case, don't let them repair that car and give it back to you. Total it out and buy something that hasn't been wrecked already. They're designed to self-destruct in collisions (that's how they get good safety ratings) so get another one that will work as designed.
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Glad you guys made out ok Chair
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I'm glad you're okay Chairboy and Son also.
Heal quickly!!!
Mac
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Just an aside, would that qualify for an SAPP landing?
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Glad you're OK CB.
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Lucky escape really. That's one of the reasons I insisted my wife buy a big car when our son was born. Imagine a similar incident in a small car. It doesn't bear thinking about. On an unrelated note. I managed to ram the gatepost as I was turning into my driveway this morning, fool that I am.
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Gald to hear you and your son are fine.
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Looks like that was a real butt clencher. Glad no one in your family was hurt.
You are probly right that you avoided about 95% of the wreck.. what damage was done was pretty minor for a late model car.. they get totaled in a parking lot accident.
The only car wreck I was not able to avoid when I was driving was a 45 mph tbone of a then new pinto station wagon. the guy was drunk and ran a red light and his car was low enough that the shrubbery made it so that I couldn't see him till he was in the intersection..
I was in a 57 chevy and had my then wife and 2 year old son both in the front seat... Totaled the pinto and hurt a couple of the guys in it.. it is a good thing we were wearing our seatbelts because none of us got a scratch..
Oh wait..the car didn't have any seatbelts.
Yeah.. stuff gets thrown all over the place.
lazs
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Looks like that was a real butt clencher. Glad no one in your family was hurt.
You are probly right that you avoided about 95% of the wreck.. what damage was done was pretty minor for a late model car.. they get totaled in a parking lot accident.
The only car wreck I was not able to avoid when I was driving was a 45 mph tbone of a then new pinto station wagon. the guy was drunk and ran a red light and his car was low enough that the shrubbery made it so that I couldn't see him till he was in the intersection..
I was in a 57 chevy and had my then wife and 2 year old son both in the front seat... Totaled the pinto and hurt a couple of the guys in it.. it is a good thing we were wearing our seatbelts because none of us got a scratch..
Oh wait..the car didn't have any seatbelts.
Yeah.. stuff gets thrown all over the place.
lazs
Crumple zones save lives. Yes, they're "a wreck" moreso than old cars, but its because they're designed to absorbed as much impact as possible without transferring that energy into the passengers. But you already knew that I'm sure. :)
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Glad you're OK Chair. An accident like that is a little too much excitement to have in a day.
Charon
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Shit happens out of nowhere and fast sometimes. Glad to hear you and yours are ok Chairboy.
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yes I did.. I also know that the metal is thinner and that there is no frame and the suspension parts are about half as strong in a wreck. It does not appear that any real "crumple zone" lifesaving was involved here tho does it?
the stuff that got ripped off got ripped off cause it was thin and fragile and not well attached to anything like a frame. On a 57 chevy it would look like a badly dented front fender.
That is not to say that crumple zones don't work.. only that they did not come into play here.
lazs
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yes I did.. I also know that the metal is thinner and that there is no frame and the suspension parts are about half as strong in a wreck. It does not appear that any real "crumple zone" lifesaving was involved here tho does it?
the stuff that got ripped off got ripped off cause it was thin and fragile and not well attached to anything like a frame. On a 57 chevy it would look like a badly dented front fender.
That is not to say that crumple zones don't work.. only that they did not come into play here.
lazs
Oh I agree. This was a deflection more than an impact, and yes, watermelon falls off easier today.
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glad you and yours are okay chair boy.
sorry for the person who lost their life. tragic.
hope you are right on the back injury. experience tells me that it will come back to haunt tho...so take care.
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Glad you're OK Chairboy, but I'll bet your underwear will never be the same again.
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Glad you're OK and thanks for providing lazs with a soapbox... though he did have to reach a bit for it.
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Glad you and your son are OK. I think you made a real good move there in going to the ER for a check up. You will undoubtedly feel a lot of muscle aches the day after from the inevitable sprains / strains of being tossed around while tensed up.
The car is just a "thing" and can be replaced. The family of the deceased is finding that out first hand themselves. As far as suing is concerned you have a bit of time to decide that issue. Talk to your insurance agent and see what the other company is doing. If it's the same company for both of you I'd recommend you also talk to an attorney at least for an initial consultation and get their advice.
Freeway collisions happen fast due to the speeds involved. There is also a lot more force than you would believe involved between the vehicles at the point of contact. It's not so much a surprise that cars are wrecked but why more are not totaled out.
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Glad you are ok.