My darwin award tryout (long)

[immortal_suby]

Had to crash the svx on the way to work saturday.

Going too fast (80) over a blind hill (stupid) as I crested it a box truck pulling a trailer pulled out of a side street on my right to make a left turn into the oncoming lane on the road I was on and then stopped in the middle.

From the crest of the hill to the side street is <1/10th mile. (In this pic the truck is where I was at when I crested the hill, I am behind where the truck/trailer was) intersection


No way to use oncoming lane - he had it blocked. No way to use other lane in street he was coming off of - he had that blocked also. No way in hell am I going to involve another vehicle in my stupidity.
Only option - had to use the ditch - which had a 2ft diameter (big) rock in the middle of it.
big rock

Lit up the ABS and hauled down as much as I could before going through the ditch. Tried to stay as far to the left as I could without tagging his trailer but had to Catch the rock with the passenger side bumper and sent it flying about 20 ft. Dragged a bunch of dirt and crap across the rd in the process.

At this point I was thanking the tires, brakes, and svx gods that I did not nail the truck or trailer while wondering whether I had destroyed the bumper, tranny, exhaust, suspension, or all 4.

I had just opened a dr. pepper and had it sitting, top off, in the wedgie. Needless to say my interior including the windshield, radio, steering wheel are coated with a nice sticky residue.

Looked in the rear view and the guy took off!
Not knowing the extent of the damage I took off to chase him down to get a police report for insurance reasons.
The whole time the car is making awful noises and I'm waiting for the exhaust to fall off or the tranny to drop.

I catch him a mile up the road and ask him to pull over to wait for police so I can file a report.

In the southernmost redneck accent I've heard ever he replies only with, "I'll tell them how fast you were going"

He had a good point.

I looked over the car to find the damage was mostly cosmetic, the bumper was pushed in about an inch, the noises were the fenderliner wrapped around the tire.
At that point I wished him a nice day and headed for work, tail between my legs.

The damage wasn't too bad all in all,
damage

I was actually able to pull the bumper back out and bolt it back down straight. then sprayed the bumper with a pretty close match paint (was way too much to cover with a black sharpie) So damage is hardly noticeable.

I am truly amazed that nothing broke. The car is still in alignment. I got really lucky that the rock was big enough for the bumper to catch it instead of the undercarriage

What scares the crap out of me is how bad it could have been.
There could have been a nice little old lady crossing the street to get her mail. There could have been more cars in the intersection, there could have been...

So I've slowed down again.

I hope it lasts this time.

Strange thing is I never go that fast over that hill simply because it is a blind hill and curve. Also strange is that morning I got a weird feeling in my stomach as I came up on the hill and looked down at the speedo and said to myself, hey - you never go this fast over this hill.
If only I had listened to it and braked then instead of shrugging it off.

[petesvx2]

Very glad to see that you're ok!!!! I've never been in a scary situation like that, but I'm sure it was quite the experience. From the story it seemed like the damage would be real real bad, glad to see that it's only cosmetic too.

Atleast you are man enough to admit that you were at fault, and that you have gone back to safe driving tactics!

glad to hear you're okay..

it's a shame that it takes tragic or nearly-tragic events to snap us to attention in this world. still, at least you learned your lesson for now...

and congrats on being able to think fast enough to choose the least expensive crash route

-a

[lee]

I've glad to hear you're OK, and the SVX isn't hurt too bad.


However, I would have to fail you on the Darwin award.

Darwin Criteria (using my own 0 to 10 rating):

Reproduction - Out of gene pool via death or sterilization (0 points, I'm assuming here...)

Excellence - Outstanding misapplication of judgment (9, not because it was actually that outright stupid, but because you had already told yourself this was stupid but didn't listen).

Self-selection - Causes one's own demise (no more than a 2 because the other driver helped)

Maturity - capable of sound judgment (well you have to judge yourself there ?)

Veracity - has to be true (5, your word is good, but without the other driver to verify and collaborate...)

again, glad you're OK

[wawazat??]

Glad you're OK Matt!

I'm betting Kim was a little upset with you

[nubs]

Good to see that it turned out not so bad Matt. I feared for the worse when I started reading.

[immortal_suby]

Originally posted by wawazat??
Glad you're OK Matt!

I'm betting Kim was a little upset with you

Oh man - I didn't call her from work to tell her, then when I got home the second I got out of the car the neighbor calls me over to his backyard and when he heard the story of course I was offered a consolation beer or three.

She flipped out when she walked outside to find my car crashed and me nowhere in sight. She was so mad that I didn't tell her that she left for the outlet mall in NC to spend my money.

When she finally calmed down and looked at how I had already fixed it she got mad again - because she still has a bad spot in her rear bumper from backing into a pole and I haven't fixed that yet. "You crash your car and fix it in one day and I have to drive around for months with mine messed up, arghhh!"

[Shadow248]

Originally posted by immortal_suby
She flipped out when she walked outside to find my car crashed and me nowhere in sight. She was so mad that I didn't tell her that she left for the outlet mall in NC to spend my money.

When she finally calmed down and looked at how I had already fixed it she got mad again - because she still has a bad spot in her rear bumper from backing into a pole and I haven't fixed that yet. "You crash your car and fix it in one day and I have to drive around for months with mine messed up, arghhh!"

Ahh...women. So great to have around. I know this all too well.

Break something - get yelled at
Try to hide it - get yelled at more
Try to fix what you broke - get yelled at even more

She breaks something - you are supposed to console, not yell
She tries to hide it - and yells at you
She tries to fix it - yeah right who are we kidding here?

[Subafreak]

Damn! That was a close one. Good work on the driving thoe it definitlly could have been worse.

I'v had a few of them close calls, one very similar to that one too.



I do have a theory about these things thoe: I drive very fast, and becouse of that I expect everyone else around me to possibly be driving just as fast. So when I pull out of a drive way or side road I accelerate quikly becaouse I know someone could be comming over the hill very fast. I also navigate turns quikly to alow the traffic behind me to continue at it's normal pace.

Now slow driving people seem to think that everyone drives (and should drive) 10MPH below the speed limit, so they pull out in front of people and don't accelerate. They also will put there blinker on a 1/2 mile before there turn and then come to almost a complete stop to turn into there driveway.

And I had a point but I'm really tired so I forgot it.

[Ron Mummert]

All I can say is, WHEW!!!!
As you've unfortunately re-discovered, Matt, doing 80 on an access road is only for invincible teens driving dad's Infinity.
Please keep the car & yourself in one piece.
Now go the mall & buy a couple 'o bumpers.

Uncle Ron.

[SubaSteevo]

Well I can thankfully suggest that you will not recieve a Darwin Award...


you need to die from your stupidity in order to earn one.