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Old 10-24-2017, 10:14 AM
 
Location: Grosse Ile Michigan
30,701 posts, read 79,330,237 times
Reputation: 39408

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Quote:
Originally Posted by A1eutian View Post
I have been in two accidents about 25 years apart. In both, my cars were totaled, but neither one caused injuries requiring treatment. They accidents happened under nearly identical circumstances in which the oncoming vehicle made a left in turn front of me and I hit the right side of their cars at about 30-35 mph.

Even though the combined speed of the cars was much slower in the second collision (the other car was just accelerating from a stop), it felt like I hit a concrete pillar due to the angle the vehicles collided, there was no dispersal of energy.

My only injury was a slightly bruised forearm which happened when my hands were knocked from the steering wheel. I've heard that you shouldn't brace yourself like that because it can cause wrist, thumb, hand and arm injuries.

But it's an instinctual reaction and hard to NOT brace for it when you see an impending head on collision. What are you supposed to do? Is it a bad idea to grip the steering wheel and brace if you have time?
Yes it is a bad idea. The better idea is to get your hands away from the steering wheel and down at your sides. You cannot brace against an automobile collision, only Wolverine can do that. Your bones and not made of adamantuim and they will snap. Worse, the power of the airbag deploying can smash you arm bones into or even through your face. This can actually kill you, but it is more likely to just mangle your facts and head (not to mention what happens to your arm bones).

IT is best to relax your muscles. Drunks often survive the accidents they cause killing the other driver, because the drunk is relaxed. You have a far better chance of surviving or minimizing injury if you are relaxed. Good luck with that.



Back to the OP issue - I forgot I was in three or four wrecks before I started driving. All the ones I remember were getting rear ended while stopped. I do not remember, but we may not have had seat belts on. We certainly were not in car seats. We all got whiplash, but recovered.

Most frustrating accident for me was when we finally started getting ahead financially. My wife needed to replace the very worn out used van she had been driving. We went to a dealership and bought a new fancy conversion van and paid in cash. we were very proud of this brand new fancy van, we had them add some custom elements to it just for us (cup holders that heated or cooled drinks, among other things). It was really nice. Six months later, we were rear ended at a light. It caused $8,800 in damage and the van was in the shop on and off for nearly 5 months, then it was never the same again and stuff kept failing in the rear where they fixed things. We ended up wanting to get rid of the van and were somewhat happy when it was totaled 5 years later (at least until we found we could not get anything near as nice with the insurance money).
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Old 10-24-2017, 12:48 PM
 
973 posts, read 905,900 times
Reputation: 1776
So far, zero accidents in 16 years of driving. *knock on wood


Though I have seen several incidents where the car ahead of me rear ends the one in front of him/her. I've also seen a driver in a pickup fall asleep and slam his car against the wall on a busy highway. That was a bit scary.
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Old 12-26-2017, 08:26 PM
 
Location: South Louisiana
701 posts, read 684,833 times
Reputation: 1632
For me -12 car wrecks and 2 motocycle wrecks.
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Old 12-27-2017, 07:10 AM
 
5,728 posts, read 17,530,946 times
Reputation: 4740
In 38 years of driving. . . . .

1980's: I was sitting in my Dodge Omni at a triffic light, when some guy plowed into the back of me.

1990's: It was raining, and I came around a corner too fast in my Nissan Maxima and slid into the curb. Damaged the front wheel and strut. Minor body damage to fender.

1990's: Going down the highway in my 2nd Nissan Maxima and was following a semi a little too close. He ran over a 2x4 in the road and it flew up in the air and hit my grille. Knocked out a headlight and an A/C line.

2000's: Came into my driveway a little too fast with my BMW 328 and hit the front bumper on the corner of the garage. Minor damage to front bumper. Knocked a few bricks out of the house.

2010's: Sitting at a traffic light in my BMW M3 when a woman in a Hyundai Sante Fe plowed into me. She was wearing flip-flop sandals and said that her foot slipped out of them when she tried to hit the brakes. Luckily no damage to car other than rear bumper and trunk lid.
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Old 12-27-2017, 09:57 AM
 
14,298 posts, read 14,088,313 times
Reputation: 45408
Over my fifty-eight year lifetime, I have been involved as a driver or passenger in at least ten major motor vehicle accidents. I don't count something minor like backing slowly into a tree. The first accident I was involved in was when I was in second grade. Our school bus was t-boned by a drunk driver while it was crossing a highway. My last accident occurred almost five years ago. A careless motorist ran a stop sign and got in front of me. I t-boned him and totaled a car I had purchased earlier that year for over $30,000. My air bags deployed. Daughter and I had minor injuries as a result.

I attribute the large number of accidents simply to the fact that I've been on the road more than the average person has. My current car (the one I purchased after the accident) has 134,000 miles on it. All that in just five years.
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Old 12-27-2017, 01:43 PM
 
3,691 posts, read 1,332,806 times
Reputation: 2547
1979 age 17 laid down.my first street bike a suzuki t350 at about 50mph. Passing an rv on a mountain road with gravel debris. Lost a lot of skin.
1981 car failed to yield left turn in front of my 81 honda cb750c. Hit the car at 30mph. Over the bars, somersault and got up without a scratch. Bike goes under car, totalled.
1981 6 months later car failed to yield left turn in front of my 82 honda cb900c I bought with the insurance payout from the 750. Results were identical. Hit car at about 40mph, fly over handlebars and walk away while bike goes under car and is crushed. I credit safety training which stressed emergency braking while never putting the bike in a skid.
1982 over the next year plus multiple minor collisions in my 72 porsche 914. Hit a large dog. Hit a fire truck with full lights and siren on a call. Spun the car and hit a snowbank. Spun the car at about 80mph, recover with no damage. Sell car after it is totalled rolling away after I left the parking brake off. Buy a 1979 firebird formula. Add nitrous then later a 400hp 350 engine. No incidents for 2+ years.
1985-86 honda cx500tc, yamaha fj1100. No incidents despite a dozen or more high speed police chases on the yamaha. By this time I have several hundred thousand miles experience on cycles and I am getting really fast. The yamaha was the king of superbikes and I spend sundays racing on hwy 94. SDPD in their ford fairmonts become clowns to toy with. Then a friend with the same yamaha gets crippled in a head on with 140mph closing speed. I never get on a motorcycle again to this day after visiting what is left of him in the hospital.
1987 72 datsun 240z. Totalled after spinning and hitting a parked car at about 50mph running from police. I was way ahead but tire came off the bead on a corner bump. Badly cut lip lap belt only otherwise walked away.
1988 85 pontiac trans am. Ran off road flew off an embankment on a beer run from a huge party. Left the scene reported it stolen cops believed it insurance co cancels me after paying $4000 in repairs.
1988 buy chevrolet corvette own for 27 years and 170k miles without putting a scratch on it. Including several more police chases with one at 140mph which requires me to paint the car to avoid future attention. I drive on a revoked license for over 10 years.
In 1999 I go to the DMV they give me a license after a behind the wheel test scoring 200/200.
At this point I have not gotten a moving violation nor a collision since Ronald Reagan was president. I have totalled 2 mc 1 car and had numerous incidents and never broke a bone, however a bicycle wreck in 2009 causes my most serious injury- a broken back, several ribs, and torn cartlidge in my knee. I got up and rode 3 miles home.
Drive safe.
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Old 12-27-2017, 02:16 PM
 
Location: Harbor Springs, Michigan
2,294 posts, read 3,405,426 times
Reputation: 4654
*touch wood* 0 accidents of my own but I have been in a car wreck courtesy of ex-hubby (yep there are reasons he's an ex) Too busy watching the Porsche 2 cars in front and rammed a Ford transit, insurance initially paid to fix the car but upon finding bent struts and other nasties wrote it off. Next vehicle was mine, ex was not insured for it nor was he allowed to drive it.
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Old 12-27-2017, 02:38 PM
 
3,691 posts, read 1,332,806 times
Reputation: 2547
Quote:
Originally Posted by NewUser View Post

2000's: Came into my driveway a little too fast with my BMW 328 and hit the front bumper on the corner of the garage. Minor damage to front bumper. Knocked a few bricks out of the house.
You, sir, are a gentleman and a scholar, for 'fessin' up to that one.
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Old 12-29-2017, 01:04 PM
 
Location: Brawndo-Thirst-Mutilator-Nation
22,564 posts, read 24,353,783 times
Reputation: 20213
UCK, one.....my car and dude on motorcycle. Luckily nobody was hurt.

Also, when I was a bus-driver, parked at a terminal very early in the morning............dude fell asleep and totalled his minivan into the back of my bus.
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Old 12-29-2017, 06:44 PM
 
Location: Columbia SC
14,183 posts, read 14,539,139 times
Reputation: 21989
I hate to admit but but I have been responsible for four accidents.

In two cases I pulled in front of someone and got hit. I was young and an aggressive driver. I am not going into the details and look to place blame elsewhere. Bottom line is I was less then observant in both cases. In both cases the other people sued.

In the other two, I got pissed off twice (Boston and Chicago) and I purposely rammed taxis in the side after they had cut me off. I was in a rent a car on company business both times and I did not care. I let the rent a car companies settle it. Not sure about any lawsuits.

I was a passenger in a very bad, slip on black ice and end up crashed in the woods accident. There were lawsuits. I collected a bit.

I have been hit in the rear 2 times. Once while stopped at a traffic light. In neither case did I sue though I threatened to do so in one case unless they paid me to rent a car. I now have rental car insurance.

I backed into my garage door one time. No damage to my car but the bumper hitch caused $400 damage to the garage door. I paid and never filed a claim.

Knock on wood, nothing in the last 20 years.
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