I thought my pet Shark & Me where goners

[Bret]

Hey folks,

So I’m driving home the other day mindin’ me own business when I pull up behind a line of cars stopped at a red traffic signal. I swear I must’ve been sitting there for a good five or six seconds, when all of a sudden I hear this screeching sound coming from behind me. Looking up in my rearview mirror I see this old (late 70’s I think?) POS white LTD barreling down on me with all of it’s brakes locked up & smoking!

First thought was OMG I’m dead & this yahoo’s insurance will never cover replacing the Porsche! Then I realize that there’s a fairly new Mercedes Benz SUV right in front of me – so then I’m thinkin’ – “Oh Crap! This arse-hat is going to smash into me & total my Porsche – then I’m going to be pushed into the back side of this M-Class and be raked over hot burning coals by my insurance – if I’m not hurt in the process.

Well thinking really fast – in the hopes of lessening the impact, I eased off the brakes – figuring I’d reapply them when I got hit. But just as I closed my eyes thinking I was done for – the LTD stopped and a huge cloud of brake dust and smoke engulfed my car & blew by me.

From a squint – I opened one of my eyes to peer into the rearview mirror and see this chucklehead waving apologetically as if to say “duh - sorry buddy”. Well I knew the light was slow – so I got out quickly to have a look at how close he came to hitting me. I swear the guy missed hitting me by not much more than a “Thin Coat of Paint”!

I turned again & looked at the guy and he still had that embarrassed look on his face trying to apologize. Part of me was PO’ed beyond belief while the other part of me was grateful nothing happened. So rather than risking jail time – I simply shook my head disapprovingly and gave him a disgusted look – turned & walked back to my car.

Man I can’t believe how upset & shaken up I was over this and let me tell ya – the adrenalin was really flowing big time! Lord help me it was all I could do to keep from tearing his drivers’ door off it’s hinges and throwing him into the apposing oncoming traffic. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/mad.gif

But I'm ok now - I'm in my happy place.

I’ve got a beer. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smirk.gif

 

[terriphill]

SO glad to hear it wasn't a strike! Other than a few more grey hairs...all's well. T

 

[Tinster]

Glad you and your wheels are safe.

I've got Mini Cooper paint on my Jeep's front bumper
from when some yahoo got me from behind and pushed me
into the Mini during a wicked thunderstorm.

The yahoo fled and I got hung for the crash. No real
damage to me or the Mini.

Glas you're safe and sound.

d

 

[tony barnhill]

Been there - except he hit me! Force of the impact was so hard it broke the seat back, laid me flat, & the seat belt broke my collarbone...not to say anything about my totalled car & the totalled car in front of me!

 

[Bret]

Dang Tony,

Well actually about ten years ago I was rear ended under pretty much the same circumstances as above. Only I was in a rental car at the time and had just came up on some really slow “stop n go” bumper to bumper traffic on one of the crowded LA freeway.

Like I said it was Stop N Go for about a mile or so when this guy came up on me from behind and smacked into me. Just as above for some reason the Arse-Hat wasn’t pay attention and slammed on the brakes. We think he hit at about 30-35mph so it wasn’t as bad as your hit Tony, but the rental car had about $2800 damage and I was stiff for a week.

But as is the case far more often than not out here in Southern Kalifornia – the other driver in my case didn’t have insurance, no license and couldn’t speak English (Good guess he was an illegal). So I never saw a dime and my insurance took the hit.

The funny part (looking back) is that cop said he told them I pulled out in front of him. But that’s kind of hard to do considering I was sitting still when he hit me. And about 3 months later I was contacted by an attorney for the knothead who hit me – said his client feels I was at fault and that he felt that I should pay for replacing his car. I said the evidence & the police reports didn’t support his claim and to that he needs to take it up with my insurance company. I’m pretty sure it was a scam – because I never heard from him again after that.

 

[Banjo]

I got rear ended once while test driving a customers Grand Caravan. I stopped for a light, and the no-licence meathead behind me claimed afterwords that he though I was gonna go through the yellow so he was actually speeding up.
Totalled both cars, Just like Tony, broke the drivers seat back. I opened my eyes to be staring at the ceiling in the cold (blew out 3 of the back windows) and in the, thankfully empty, turning lane on the opposite side of the intersection.
The call to my boss was fun.
Thankfully noone was hurt. I was pretty stiff, but ok.
Stupid meathead. He had lost his licence for DWI. (killed a pedestrian in the process I learned later)
He had borrowed his brothers truck.

 

[2wrench]

In the eyes of the law, anyone who rearends another
vehicle is at fault. It's like end of discussion.
They just say: You were following too close or not
paying attention or both. That's it.

Scam is possible, Bret. Glad to hear all is well.

 

[Stewart]

Been there as well. Got rear ended by a fierro at a stop light in a 92 geo metro. Guy hit me at a good 40+ mph and flung me into the car infront of me. Drivers seat broke and I put a huge dent into the back seat and god knows where my glasses went as they were never found and I'm like mr magoo without them. Back was fairly messed up and the brand new RC airplane in the back was destroyed as it no longer fit in to the now 2 feet shorter trunk. The car in front of me had no visable damage even though the front end of my car was smashed.

Fun times

 

[Deleted member 3577]

Yipes...I've never had any collisions like that but, I did have a Bret type incident in the Elva.

I just winced and waited for the little bits of fiberglass tinder to cover me a fraction of a second before being thoroughly soaked by a burst gas tank.
And imagined the momentary warm feeling following ignition, before being pushed through the scuttle.

I check my rear view mirror a lot now.

The whole incident turned me into a severely paranoid driver.
(From being a generally paranoid driver)

I've got an idea for air bag placement in really-really small convertible LBCs....

Under the seat cushion /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif

 

[DrEntropy]

"Zero,zero"... just don't get hit while sittin' under an overpass.

When in an LBC I'm an "offensive" driver. Don't care what anyone thinks. I've been missed many times because MY head was on straight. The unaware will look at me as if I were doin' something personally offensive. 'til right after all the "crash" noises stop. Truth to tell, I feel more vulnerable in the Alfa or B than a Lotus. I can't get them lumps to 'dance' quickly enuff for my liking.

 

[Nunyas]

glad to hear you got out of the situation "Scott free"... wish I could say the same for me and my B...

where there's a ying... there's a yang. Looks like I got the ying, and you got the yang. I'm happy to see things balanced out for our community