Have you ever caused or been in an accident? AIB: BUN's horrible accident thread.

[boiker]

Some of us have seen horrible accidents, much more likely many of us have been in even the most minor of fender benders. Feel free to admit to your mistakes or plain bad luck. This could be an accident in a car, train, plane, etc..


#1) With a fresh 2 month old license, I hit the rear quarter of a classic roadster being restored while backing out of a driveway into traffic. It caused no damage to mine ('85 S-10 Durango), but a substantial dent to the victim.

#2) It was always a mad dash to the fast food restaurants during lunch hour so you could be first to return and claim the best on-street parking space (no off-street parking for the students). On this particular day it was snowing. I said to my buddy, "Somone is going to get in an accident today." Shortly thereafter, our heads snap back against our headrests as a retard sophmore in a pick-up truck hit my S-10 (same bumper). Little damage to mine, heavy grill damage to his.

#3) In August of 2000, on my way back home from my day working as in an intern, It was lightly raining. It had been dry for the good part of the summer and a good coating of dust, oil, and other lubricants had coated the road. With a light mist/drizzle falling, the combination became even more slippery. I was travelling US-20 west of Elgin, IL where traffic routinely backed up on the 2 lane road. Traffic was moving at nearly 50 mph when brakes light lit up and the van in front of me tilted forcefully. I hit my brakes, my car promptly lost traction and slid for what seemed to be the 4-5 car lengths between us. I was faced with a decision, nick the rear passenger side of the van, or drive into the guard rail and scrape up the passenger side of my car from tip to tip. I nicked the van, and ended up with a dinged hood and no damage to the bumper of my Grand Prix.

In all my accidents, they were all minor, no injuries. I was ticketed in the first accident for "improper backing."

I've also had 3 windshields get cracked from flying rocks from passing trucks and cars. I got the last one 3 weeks ago.

[Rumpy Tunanator]

No accidents here. Although road dome may have distracted others and caused them to crash back in the day.

[BKM]

Yes. A couple "not my faults," one bump-and-no-damage. One freeway fender bender that was expensive (although there was only minimal damage to my car, I hit a LAWYER )

[Zoning Goddess]

When I was 15, with my learner's permit, my mom and I got hit by a drunk going way over the speed limit at 10 a.m. Totalled my mom's car and I had a broken collarbone and glass imbedded in my head and chest.

When I was 17, hit a 92-year old woman who turned in front of me. She was fine and was chased down by a cop who saw the whole thing. No injuries on my side but the car was a mess.

When I was in my early twenties, was driving through a shopping center parking lot and got broadsided by a guy about my age who backed out of a parking space at full speed. When his dad showed up, I discovered the guy who hit me had a disability and 22 previous accidents but was allowed to drive to get to school.

[Suburb Repairman]

I'm not sure if this counts, but I went off-roading with a friend in his Jeep. He lost control and sent us tumbling off about a ten-foot cliff. We were both OK other than some bumps and bruises. The Jeep was equiped with four-point seat belts and a reinforced rollbar that pretty much saved our asses. The guys in the other Jeep were sure we were dead. After we spent a couple of hours dragging/pushing the crunched Jeep out to the highway, I think they wished we were.

He let the insurance company total it and then bought it back from them since he could still repair it and use it for off-roading.

[giff57]

Just had one last week. Hit some black ice while passing a mini-van and tagged it with the city car. The Mayor was following behind.... not a good start to my day. Turned out ok, no one was hurt and little damage was done.

[Habanero]

My first semester in college I was hit nearly head on (I was making a protect left and we was coming from the direction I needed to go). He was going around 80 mph or so and since I was in the second left hand turn lane he had to dodge a huge truck and the swerved into me. The only thing that saved me is that my car was so low he rolled up onto the car instead of crashing right into me. He did try to run though, and then his passengers that weren't wearing their seatbelts tried to sue me for their damages. I wasn't hurt and the law suit didn't end up going through since the accident wasn't my fault (he ran the red light).

[SkeLeton]

Either I have very good luck or there's less idiots behind the wheel here in Chile. In my brief experience in driving I have never caused or been in an accident, nor have I been as a passenger.
Although my dad was once crashed from behind on a red light by a truck that was without brakes. Luckly he glimpsed the rear view mirror to see that the truck was comming in full speed swerving all the traffic, and even though there was still a red light , my dad hit the gas glimpsing that tehre was no incomming traffic on the street with green light, and make the imapct less damaging and less dangerous. The jeep (Ford Ecosport) was only damaged slightly in the left rear side; but if it weren't for my dad's clever move, the truck might as well have turned it into an achordeon

[Michele Zone]

The most recent accident I have been in: when we went to Muir Woods last fall, on the way back home, some idiot ran into our rear end when we were stopped at a traffic light. I couldn't tell how much I had mild whiplash and how much I was just sore from walking 2 miles through Muir Woods. It was totally his fault and we were just glad we were in my husband's recently purchased SUV rather than the corsica.

In Germany, I backed into someone who saw me get into my truck and then stopped his car directly behind me. He was low to the ground and I didn't see him in my mirrors. He knew he was at fault and I think he just sucked up the entire cost out of pocket and never filed an insurance claim. I don't think my bumper was even noticeably scratched but his car door was caved in.

Also in Germany (but in a different apartment), I got up on very little sleep to make a dental appointment. It was POURING like crazy and I backed into the fence post, scraping up our truck and bending the fence. Sigh. Mr. Zone took it much better than our landlord indicated he would have taken it if his wife had done that to their vehicle. In my defense, an American truck and German gate aren't all that compatible -- there was very little room for error. We won't get into what a sucky driver I was. That really isn't relevant, is it?
The kicker: due to the pouring rain, the dentist didn't come in and they cancelled all appointments. I should have just gone back to bed and not bothered to try to be responsible (anal) about making my appointment.

I can't think of any others but that doesn't necessarily mean there aren't any.

[Gedunker]

The usual stuff for me -- all minor and no injuries. Thank goodness.

But, once I was coming back from a bar with a friend that owned an old (pre-seat belts) Ford F-150. Might have been about a 1967 or so. More tank than truck.

Anyway, we're zipping along and come to an intersection that had recently been changed from a four-way stop to a signalized intersection. We're on the minor arterial approach, the cross street is a major arterial. Since the light is green, we go through the intersection at about 30mph. Next thing I know, I'm literally plastered to the ceiling of the cab. Then I smack into the seat, then back to the ceiling. Then back to the seat again. Chris said he looked at me and I had this *WTF??* look on my face as I was stuck to the ceiling and he couldn't stop laughing.

Seems they hadn't taken the crown out of the major arterial. The only time in my life I experienced weightlessness.

[Maister]

Chris said he looked at me and I had this *WTF??* look on my face as I was stuck to the ceiling and he couldn't stop laughing.

Funny you mention this. One time my brother and I were driving his Subaru station wagon on the expressway when he swerved to avoid an accident and ended up barreling into the median where he proceeded to roll the car (twice). I say it was funny, because it seemed like time slowed way down and as we're rolling he looks over at me smiles and calmly jokes "I'm thinkin' I shoulda swerved right". It's like we both knew somehow that we were going to walk away without a scratch. We did, but both the car in front of us and the car behind had passengers that suffered severe injuries.

[donk]

I was in the car when my cousin rolled my uncle's cadillac. it was pretty scary, only thing that saved us was we were wearing seatbelts. The car ended up on its roof. When they rolled the car back over there were two definite bumps in the roof where our heads were. We walked away from it with only a bit of stiffness.

[Seabishop]

When I was 19 I was with a friend on a drizzly winter night. The drizzle froze and there were accidents everywhere. I slid into a parked police car who was at the scene of another accident. They gave me a ticket for "innapropriate driving under reckless conditions." My bad luck pissed me off because I used to work with idiots my age who would brag about their successes at driving drunk. I had a homely Friday night at Bickfords and hit a police car.

A few years later I owned a used car for a week when an old man rear ended me at a red light and totalled it - no one was hurt.

I also lost control downhill on the ice once and hit a house's retaining wall. Just cosmetic damage (none to the wall) and the owners of the house were very nice about it. That was particularly scary as it happened because my wife was pregnant at the time.



Do any of you associate certain songs that were on the radio when you were in an accident? "Buddy Holly" by Weezer always reminds me of my #2 accident.

[clare2582]

On this past Fourth of July, well it was actually the wee hours of the 5th, I recieved a phone call from the police department... My car had been involved in an accident.

Not me and my car, just my car.

Some complete moron ran into the rear end of my parked car. Not backed into it... RAN into it. At about 35 MPH, not a bump while trying to parallel park or something. She evidently whipped through a stop sign and veered from traffic "trying to light a cigarette", and cruised directly into my car. Needless to say, her insurance bought me a new car.

Not so exciting, but I like to tell it every once and a while... people can be so dumb.

[GISgal]

Two minor accidents that were my fault.

1. Hit a street sign and damaged the radiator, hood, and quarter panel on my car. I only had my liscense for a month.

2. I brushed the quater panel of one of my co-workers junkers after I had my liscense fo 6 months. She was nice about. Said not to worry. She ended up getting a new car about a month later.

I have been a passenger in three accicents.

1. I was about 8 years old. My baby sitter was taking us home. She hit a car that was parked diagonally on the street. I think she was reaching into the back seat to stop one of her children from fussing. At any rate she hit the brand new parked car at 35 mph. I and my sister hit the dash board. There were no seat belts in the car. She was fined by the police for this.

2. I was 17. In my friends car at about 1 in the morning. My friend is turning on to my side street. She was rear ended by a person. The person was driving a rental car (rented by her mother) and had no insurance. Basically my friend's car was totalled and was never replaced.

3. I was in a parking lot a few years ago when someone ran into my car.

[zman]

Gotta find some wood to knock on I guess. I have never been in an accident where I was driving.

I was in one with my dad where we rear ended a car waiting behind a truck (driven by a drunk) who was sleeping at a green light. I was in the middle seat of the S-10 and my dad and I were driving an employee of his to a bus stop after work.
We rear ended the small Hyundai and then we got rear ended by two other cars. Upon the the second car hitting the car that hit us, our heads whipped back and shattered the rear window fo the S-10. We just had a smashed bumped (on both ends) and no one was hurt. We went up to the truck that didn;t move when the light changed to find a man passed out on the wheel. We woke hime up and he promptly drove off. The police came and sorted us out, called to have someone go after the "sleepy head" and we found out he caused another accident down the road. Got 'im, but nothing came of that. We never fixed the truck and sold it years later for $300.

[nerudite]

Totally accident free (well, in a car at least). My bike wheel got caught on my friend's wheel when I was 7 and she flipped over her handlebars and got a serious case of road rash. But otherwise, I haven't been in any motor vehicle accidents (*knocks on wood*).

[Bear Up North]

It was about 1952.....this Bear would have been four (4) years of age. My dad wrecked his Buick buy turning it over on its' side. I was with him but I have only partial memory. In later years he proclaimed it was "...somebody else's fault." I know that's not true, though. He was an alcoholic who was in numerous accidents in his life. (Sorry, Dad....but you know it's true.)

In 1966 I was in my second or third year of driving. My younger brother and I were sliding through an older Toledo neighborhood (north end, near Woodward High) and talking about all of the different street addresses we had lived on. I blew through a stop sign (in my indestructable Desoto) and hit a smaller car. My fault. Nobody hurt. Bear gets traffic ticket.

In 1966 I took my younger brother and his pal to some event in the Covington, KY, area. On the Alexandria Pike I was rear-ended. The small car they were driving was nearly totaled. My Desoto's giant chrome bumper absorbed most of the hit with very little damage. Nobody was hurt.

In 1972 I was living in Bowling Green, OH (having recently separated from my wife). Two (2) gents I worked with joined me in a trip up to Toledo to check out some bars I knew of. The driver of the Mustang was nicknamed "Cook". Going from one (1) bar to another I told Cook, "Cut through the park. Follow this road."

Cook didn't know that Ottawa drive made a 90-degree turn. We hit the curb first. at about 55 MPH, and the Mustang flew a few feet, smashing into a tree. Cook's brother (Gary) went through the windshield, perhaps helped by me as I flew into the back of his passenger seat. Cook smashed against the steering wheel.

Cook had a broken arm. Gary had a broken nose. I had some scratches on my forehead.

No other accidents that I was directly involved in (other than the incident mentioned in the other thread.)

1959 Fireflite Bear