Holy Hell!! Glad to hear you are ok! I hope the cops at least gave the guy a ticket. How banged up was he? I'm sure his truck is totaled as well.
>________________________________
>From: M.B. <mailinglists@moparhowto.com>
>To: DML List <dakota-truck@dakota-truck.net>
>Sent: Friday, May 27, 2011 3:38 AM
>Subject: DML: A Dakota died for me tonight
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>Friend of mine and I were in his 2000 Dakota headed to the hardware store around 9pm tonight. We were making a free left turn across a major arterial, and just as we were broadside to oncoming traffic I saw light glint off black paint. I started to yell "Look out!" but only got out the "Look" part out before some idiot in a late model black Toyota with his headlights off (not even parking lights!) slammed into the passenger side door of the truck where I was sitting. He hit us so hard we spun in a 180 degree arc across traffic and ended up with our REAR bumper smashed into the front bumper of a lady who was waiting to make a right turn on to the arterial we were crossing, blowing out the rear passenger side tire and pulling it half off the rim.
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>I hauled myself across the truck and out the driver's side with the help of my friend. I stood there coughing on airbag fumes and waited for the cops to show up. The lady we hit with our rear bumper took one look at the side of the truck and told me I needed to go to the hospital asap to get checked out. I looked, and due to past experience, immediately pulled my cell out and took pictures:
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>http://www.moparhowto.com/pictures/2000-Dakota-Accident/pass_side01.jpg
>http://www.moparhowto.com/pictures/2000-Dakota-Accident/pass_side02.jpg
>http://www.moparhowto.com/pictures/2000-Dakota-Accident/pass_side03.jpg
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>As far as I can tell in #2 the guy hit hard enough to either bend the frame into a "U" or shear the cab to frame bolts. A fire department paramedic showed up first, asked if we were all ok, where we were sitting, etc. He found out I was in the passenger seat of the truck and took a look at that side and immediately had me stand with my hands on the bedrail of the truck and used his hands to immobilize my neck and told me to stand still. Then the ambulance showed up and they put me in a neck brace and strapped me to a backboard where I stood and hauled me to the ER.
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>I must say, you get quicker service in the ER when you show up in an ambulance. They checked me out and x-rayed me so much I probably glow in the dark now. A few hours later they discharged me with pain killers and muscle relaxants and bumps and bruises all over. I'm home now, very lucky that that Dakota was able to absorb a Toyota T-boning it at 45+mph. The Dakota, sadly, is totaled, though it was still running until we turned it off. Thank god for modern crash protection and the fact it wasn't a taller vehicle that hit us. The Toyota looked like someone dropped it nose first off a cliff.
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>Drive safe everyone and TURN ON YOUR HEADLIGHTS. :)
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>M.B.
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Jun 01 2011 - 12:13:05 EDT
