Jack don't worry about the car, It did its job. I am glad you are ok. Your insurance company should take care of everything. For your own piece of mind, take some pictures of the accident scene and write down everything that you remember. Save this info just in case they try and sue you personally. When that is all done, just sit back and relax, open a cold one and forget your pain. Everything will work out.
Good Luck and Be Safe
Joe
>>> "W. Jack Hilton III" <HEMI@charter.net> 10/06 5:55 PM >>>
Well , the Shadow is toast .
I was going to a field office to train some people this morning .
I was traveling on a state hiway , it had two lanes on my side , and one
lane in the opposite direction , with no turning lane .
I was in the lane closest to the center-line behind a Blue Ford Ranger .
We were both doing between 55-60 and all of the sudden , he swirves to the
right-hand lane VERY quickly without a signal or brake lights , and I am
staring at the back end of a 93 Mercury Sable that had stopped in my lane
to make a left turn into a business .
I slammed on the brakes .
I knew I couldn't veer left because of oncoming traffic , and I tried to
veer right to force my way over instead of hitting a stationary car . I
turned the wheel , but when the brakes locked down , steering was futile .
When I knew I would hit the other car , it was just like the movies :
Everything went into slow motion and it felt like it took half an hour to
reach the other car . All I could hear was my heart beating .
I know I joke around alot here with you guys , but all jokes aside , I
trult thought that I was about to die . I mean , I knew it .
When I finally reached the car and was about to hit it (I skidded 135 feet)
I let go of the wheel so I wouldn't break my arms or anything .
After hitting the rear of the car ( it was offset to their right-rear and
my left-front ,so I guess I was able to swirve ever so slightly) my car
travled another 35 feet . My car spun counter clock-wise and rotated about
90 degrees before coming to a stop . The car that I hit was spun
counter-clockwise and the right-front of their car clipped the two tandem
axles of the trailer on a semi coming in the opposite direction .
My car had one air bag , theirs had two , and they all exploded and worked
like they should , thank God .
Immediately after I came to a stop , my left arm was dislocated , I guess
from the shoulder belt , which also left it's mark on my left shoulder and
chest .
The damn fumes from the airbag were unbreatheable . It's like you survive
the crash , but then you sufficate in the car from the damn fumes !
Miraculously , everyone was alright . There were two people in the front of
the Sable , and they both had their belts on too . everyone was out and
walking around after the accident and I think the worst visible damage was
the other passenger had a very very slight nick in her forhead . We all
went to the emergencey room just to be on the safe side since I have a bad
back .
The bastard in the Ranger didn't even stop and he HAD to have seen what
happened !
The State Patrol came to the hospital and interviewed all of us and issued
my a freakin ticket for following too closely . He said even though there
was nothing I could do , and that I was not being dangerous , that the law
here says that you should be far enough behind someone so that if they make
an evasive maneuver , that you can react safely .
So anyway , now here are my problems :
1) Insurance will go up
2) Both cars were totalled
3) When they total mine , I know they will not give me enough to pay it off
as I just bought it in May and had to get a high interest rate .
4) I will probably be sued by the two women I hit .
5) I have a damn ticket with an accident on my record .
If anyone knows anyone at Chrysler that works in the areas that design the
safety standards for their cars , I would like ot send them a personal
thank you .
My car gave it's life for me .
There was absolutely no intrusions into the passenger compartment and both
the belt and the airbag worked as they should have .
This was the more common of impacts , an offset-frontal type , with my car
absorbing the brunt of it .
I think the right-rear of the Sable's bumper ended up in it's back seat .
The damage to my car was extensive to say the least . The damage was , as I
said , offset to the left of the car . From the left side of the right
headlight , all the way around to the driver's side door , the car is
demolished .
I would still have hopes that they could repair the car , except the roof
is buckled just a little bit right where the door post is on the edge ,
which would mean that the frame got bent .
I went to the wrecker service and gathered my personal things from the car
as well as took several pics which I will post tomorrow evening .
The only bright spot in this story ?
I will be driving my R/T every day for a while until things shake out !
I have never been this scared , nor have I ever been so certain that I was
going to die , I mean *really* die .
It really makes you stop and think about life .
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
W. Jack Hilton III
http://webpages.charter.net/hemi/jbd1.html
ICQ#: 32611901
AOL Instant Messenger: "DwnSth69"
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 12:17:42 EDT