Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Have you ever been involved in a car accident?
I have yet to be in one. I've been driving for a pretty long time.
Have any of you? Any stories? Let's start a thread where you can share your experiences and hopefully teach others.
I have been in about 7 since I have been driving.. And I don't mean a little bump and dent.. I am talking real accidents.. My worst one of two was when I was a passenger in a 64 Fairlane... We got t-boned on the passenger side by a 70 Plymouth Fury (4 door).... It cause the car we were in to go end over end 7 times and then spin around 3 times before it finally stopped on the lawn of our School administration building.... Busted the drivers seat belt and threw him on top of me.... Walked away from that with no injuries...
The second one was in front of my high school as I was being dropped off for a class... It was Senior ditch day but I had to do a test in my English class or I would not graduate... We were stopped at the stop sign by the curb when a student who was loaded ran the stop sign trying to make a right hand turn and plowed into us.. We were in a 70 Maverick and he was in a Dodge Magnum.... He hit so hard it moved the steering column 2 inches to the right and I hit my head on the front passenger door frame and dented it 1/2 an inch... The driver had to climb over me and drag me out and then another student took us to my house and my mom took all of use to the Army Hospital to be checked out.. I had a concussion and had to take it easy for a week... No school, no work, nothing.....
An overly healthy lady stuffed into a Camry tried to occupy the lane I was in. I ended up in the guardrail. Cop didn't belive me, until another one called him on the radio and asked what the description I had given him of the car was, as she had caused another wreck about a mile up the highway.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,585 posts, read 81,206,701 times
Reputation: 57821
I have been driving for a while too, 48 years. In that time I have had a total of 4 accidents. Two were at work, while on duty in a company car, both minor, and in both cases the driver that hit me was cited. Another was with my whole family, again minor, and the guy that hit me was cited not only for the unsafe lane change, but for no license on car, no registration, no insurance, and no seat belt on. The first (and worse) was at age 19, a head on in my 1967 Cortina GT, hit by a Ford Fairlane Wagon. We both went by ambulance to the hospital. He had a minor cut on the forehead, I had two broken arms.
An overly healthy lady stuffed into a Camry tried to occupy the lane I was in. I ended up in the guardrail. Cop didn't belive me, until another one called him on the radio and asked what the description I had given him of the car was, as she had caused another wreck about a mile up the highway.
She was probably in a rush to the grocery store...
Did she hit your car or did she make you flinch and jerk your wheel into the guardrail? If this happened to me then i'd just have her hit my car because her car would be damaged as well so it can help your case. Also, get a dashcam. It has nearly saved me quite a few times. They're becoming increasingly popular.
I have been driving for a while too, 48 years. In that time I have had a total of 4 accidents. Two were at work, while on duty in a company car, both minor, and in both cases the driver that hit me was cited. Another was with my whole family, again minor, and the guy that hit me was cited not only for the unsafe lane change, but for no license on car, no registration, no insurance, and no seat belt on. The first (and worse) was at age 19, a head on in my 1967 Cortina GT, hit by a Ford Fairlane Wagon. We both went by ambulance to the hospital. He had a minor cut on the forehead, I had two broken arms.
The Cortina GT is an extremely small car. They stopped making them YEARS ago. The Fairlane Wagon is pretty big compared to the Cortina. That must've been a tough hit! How fast were you 2 going when you hit?
When I was in high school, I was sitting at a stoplight and was rear-ended by a drunk/stoned/high driver doing 65+ MPH. Pushed me into the intersection, he then hit another truck which pushed him back into the driver's side of my car. He was gunning it trying to drive away but his car was demolished. First thing he does when he gets out of his car? Asks me to light his cigarette...
He was in the same graduating class as me, a few months later he was on a motorcycle and hit an SUV... going fast enough that hitting the SUV from behind caused it to roll. The other guy on the bike died, and he was in a wheelchair for about 8 months. Last I heard he's been in and out of prison and not doing much with his life...
-Mexican disregarded a stop sign like he was still in Mexico and pulled out into the middle of a 4-lane road and stopped in my lane. Traffic on either side of me. The inevitable occurred. Police cruiser was driveable for thousands of miles more. His Camry was towed from the scene, lol
-Drunk girl ran a "yield on green" when I had a green arrow and T-boned me. Bent the frame on the police cruiser I was driving. Knocked it about 20 feet. Her dad was a cop. He was pissed (at her). Seems she's done this before...off to jail she went.
-Girl had a spare tire on her car. Rear-ended me in my WS.6 Trans Am at a green light I was stopped at because the mouthbreathing idiot in front of me had stopped at the green light. Very minor impact, some wax and polish fixed it.
-Woman in an SUV lost control on an overpass because of ice and side-swiped me, knocking me/pinning me against the guardrail. $13K worth of damage to my 370Z resulted.
-Irate and impatient man at a gas station dragged his horse trailer across the front of my recently re-build 1988 foxbody 5.0 while I was literally about to put fuel in the tank. He had forgotten about his trailer. Thousands and thousands of dollars in a new transmission, crate motor, paint, etc. etc. I was pissed. His insurance (Progressive, go figure), denied the claim as it was "on private property", and he had to pay me out of pocket, which to his credit, he did quickly and without debate. Average of 3 estimates that I faxed him. Nothing bad to say about that guy after it was said and done!
Outside of bumps where we didn't even call the cops.. I've been in about 5.. 4 where I was the driver and only 1 of which was my fault.
Late 80's, I was a passenger in a Chevy boat.. I don't remember the exact model, but it was a big 'un (Caprice Classic? Probably not considered big for the day).. We had a green.. I saw the guy moving towards the intersection and, as they say "slow motion" saw that he wasn't going to stop.. He hit us in passenger rear.. Sun us around, through the median, hit the wet grass.. Spun more in that.. Guy apparently had a seizure.. His license had actually been pulled because he had been having seizures, so he got a driving under suspension or without a license charge, too.
another, in a Chevy Corsica.. I rear ended someone.. Coming around a sharpish curve on a 4 lane road.. They were in the left lane making a turn, traffic was solid in the right lane, which blocked my vision.. By the time I saw they were stopped.. Too late.
another, I was in a Chrysler E-Class.. I made a right turn at a light (I had the green) and the way the intersection was, right past the light was a street.. People who were stopped for the light left a gap for this person to get out.. Well, he gunned it out, and rammed right into my drivers side rear. I wound up with a concussion because my head was the perfect height to slam into the door frame on that car. he damn near knocked me into a new car dealership.. As I came around, I remember him asking me to wait to call the cops until his mother got there so he could say she was driving.. Luckily.. Cops pulled up right at that point. He didn't have a license.
Another.. I did a flying 360 on a busy interstate at 75mph. Pouring rain, and an 18 wheeler changed into my lane.. To avoid, I got my drivers side tires into the median.. Lost traction.. It was basically over from there. Went head on into the cable barrier.. Oddly, didn't deploy the airbags and didn't even punch through the radiator. I was about 70 miles from home.. Drove it back.. Had to do it quick though, because the cable cut right through the front end at headlight area, and it was about an hour 'til dusk.
The last.. Some moron rear ended me on the interstate at 75mph on a crisp, clear day. Asks me "You think they'll say this is my fault?". His insurance company wasn't asking any questions like that, though.. They just paid right up.
Bonus story.. I just got back from a vacation to Vegas last week.. Decided to drive out to the Grand Canyon while we were there.. Only thing the rental place had available was a 2015 Corvette Stingray.. $100/day.. Yeah.. Why not? lol.. "Do you want insurance?".. Oh, YEAH!.. Not 5 minutes out of the parking lot, i'm behind some later model Nissan.. He changes lanes to the left.. Established himself in the lane(At least, he had control of the lane by that point, he had made it that far into it) and I see the flash beside me.. Someone in a Mustang slams into the back of him. I'm running over pieces and parts and trying to figure out how to get back to the hotel for a change of shorts.
2 more bonus stories.. These don't involve me directly.. Both when I was in high school.. An English teacher at our school (I graduated in 1991 for a timeframe here) bought himself a brand new Mazda Miata and proceeded to re-enact the scene from "Christmas Vacation" of driving underneath an 18 wheeler. It didn't turn out as funny for him.. He didn't survive.
My Algebra teacher, who was also coach of something or another.. Another teacher from the school, and a coach from the middle school all went to a Washington Bullets game (As I said... late 80's, early 90's) and on the way back, the driver, who I think was my teacher, best I remember.. Fell asleep at the wheel. They were coming back on I-66, the middle school coach was asleep in the back seat, not strapped in.. Hit the guardrail and flipped.. He was ejected, landed draped over the guard rail and the car rolled over him.. Severed his arm, but all three survived. Other two were just cuts and bruises. The crazy thing.. A BBS friend of mine (There's a term the kiddies won't understand) was basically the first responder.. Happened to be driving behind them and saw it all happen.. Was a firefighter, so he applied the tourniquet that likely saved the guys life.
Last edited by Labonte18; 07-29-2015 at 10:23 PM..
She was probably in a rush to the grocery store...
Did she hit your car or did she make you flinch and jerk your wheel into the guardrail? If this happened to me then i'd just have her hit my car because her car would be damaged as well so it can help your case. Also, get a dashcam. It has nearly saved me quite a few times. They're becoming increasingly popular.
She actually hit my truck.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
