What Was Your Worst Wreck?
My worst wreck ever happened when I was 17. I was driving my newly acquired 1966 Mustang (with 289 HP, 4speed, etc) and was following a buddy up to the local party hangout in the mountains. He pulled over and I stopped about 5 feet behind him. I didn't know it at the time but my brake pedal was broken at the bracket box and it required hard pressure to keep the car stopped. Some guy comes to my window to let us know where the party was and before I knew it I bumped into the back of my buddy's (actually his mom's) 1969 Cougar XR7. I had just rolled into him at probably 1 MPH but the damage to his trunk lid cost me $400 of hard earned pocket money. Just a minor dent in the bumper of my car...not even worth fixing...it was a POS.
Guess I've been lucky over my many years of driving.
Guess I've been lucky over my many years of driving.
So, being the newbie 19 y/o stupid navy kid that I was 
... I decided to be bright and buy a 97 Formula Firebird 8) . Nice 350ci motor automatic, forest green. Clean! My buddy Chris and I were cruisin together in Pensacola Fl (he had bought a badass V6 Camaro 5 speed the same day) and were taking some girls and other buddies out to the local clubs in downtown. Showing off my V8 furry I was retarded enough to accelerate to 120 mph on regular roadways. I had just started crossing a bridge and dropped the tranny in 3rd. Anyone who has owned these cars know the lever is very easy to bump and shift through... and it slipped into 2nd. By the time I was aware it slipped... I was sideways (at 120 mind you) 
. Suddenly a wall appeared in front of me... followed by several crashes, scraping metal, glass breaking, my cell phone hitting me in the head, etc. The car hit the right front fender, the spun again and hit the right rear quater. Next thing I know we became an automotive top.
Now the carnage: the tranny separated from the engine. The rear axle shifted a foot to the left. Both the trunk and hood were sitting on top of the fenders. The only thing operational was the engine and radio. I lost all fluids. The right headlight was 100 yeards behind me. The girl I was with got airbag burns on her face. The guy behind her bruised his hip from impact. I now suffer from pinched nerves in my back. God must have set the accident to happen because I would have run a red light and nailed a group of vans coming from a school with kids in it that left a night sports event.
My ticket was $85.50 prepayable. "careless with aggression". I learned a lot that night, and a pack of Reds disappeared in an hour.
She was my first car... my beloved . I had her for a month. Stupid kids and fast cars don't mix.
To this day you can still see 2 forest green spots on the main bridge coming from the NATTC base to downtown. Unless it's been painted.
... I decided to be bright and buy a 97 Formula Firebird 8) . Nice 350ci motor automatic, forest green. Clean! My buddy Chris and I were cruisin together in Pensacola Fl (he had bought a badass V6 Camaro 5 speed the same day) and were taking some girls and other buddies out to the local clubs in downtown. Showing off my V8 furry I was retarded enough to accelerate to 120 mph on regular roadways. I had just started crossing a bridge and dropped the tranny in 3rd. Anyone who has owned these cars know the lever is very easy to bump and shift through... and it slipped into 2nd. By the time I was aware it slipped... I was sideways (at 120 mind you) . Suddenly a wall appeared in front of me... followed by several crashes, scraping metal, glass breaking, my cell phone hitting me in the head, etc. The car hit the right front fender, the spun again and hit the right rear quater. Next thing I know we became an automotive top. Now the carnage: the tranny separated from the engine. The rear axle shifted a foot to the left. Both the trunk and hood were sitting on top of the fenders. The only thing operational was the engine and radio. I lost all fluids. The right headlight was 100 yeards behind me. The girl I was with got airbag burns on her face. The guy behind her bruised his hip from impact. I now suffer from pinched nerves in my back. God must have set the accident to happen because I would have run a red light and nailed a group of vans coming from a school with kids in it that left a night sports event.
My ticket was $85.50 prepayable. "careless with aggression". I learned a lot that night, and a pack of Reds disappeared in an hour.
She was my first car... my beloved
. I had her for a month. Stupid kids and fast cars don't mix. To this day you can still see 2 forest green spots on the main bridge coming from the NATTC base to downtown. Unless it's been painted.
Last edited by shagrath on Feb 17, 2009 1:28 PM, edited 1 time in total.
11/27/2007 I was coming home from work in my 533i i got from "ray in phoenix" Beautiful day nice breeze Got my radio on. four day weekend what could be better?
Well i get to the light to get on the freeway Notice that that the traffic is horrible. Say screw it i got no hurry,and i have a sick ride everyone can check it out. the rear end kicks away. I turn into the skid. But there wasn't enough room to recover I hit the guardrail I stood on the on ramp facing the wrong way for 5 minutes because no one would let me turn around. they just stared like they seen a ghost. Finnaly a civic lets me get turned around then i pull off and see its totaled
ended up smashing the right front fender,and right side of the front. The traffic was so bad That the cops never even stopped to give me a ticket or anything. They saw me but kept on trucking. next morning i call the insurance to find out i only had liability
The more and more i think about it. I wish i had rolled it. off the 20 foot hill yea it be a lil dented and my neck would prob hurt. but it still be ok.
Well i get to the light to get on the freeway Notice that that the traffic is horrible. Say screw it i got no hurry,and i have a sick ride everyone can check it out. the rear end kicks away. I turn into the skid. But there wasn't enough room to recover I hit the guardrail I stood on the on ramp facing the wrong way for 5 minutes because no one would let me turn around. they just stared like they seen a ghost. Finnaly a civic lets me get turned around then i pull off and see its totaled
ended up smashing the right front fender,and right side of the front. The traffic was so bad That the cops never even stopped to give me a ticket or anything. They saw me but kept on trucking. next morning i call the insurance to find out i only had liability
The more and more i think about it. I wish i had rolled it. off the 20 foot hill yea it be a lil dented and my neck would prob hurt. but it still be ok.
Stopped at red traffic light in '87 ZL Fairlane to turn onto road leading to International airport (flying to Italy for work trip) and got collected from behind by a guy in a work ute who had his head below the dash fishing around in the floorwell of his passenger seat trying to pick up a water bottle that was rolling around. Hit at maybe 60-70km/h. Fortunately I did get a quick glimpse of him coming in the rear view mirror and started making attempts to mount the kerb and get away. Also fortunately I had my foot off the pedals when he hit, so while the impact crushed the boot almost flat, the rest of the car was largely untouched. Was a write-off though. Roof panel had started to fold up. No injuries other than minor cuts and abrasions around ankles and feet from pedals and seat mounting hardware.
Yeah I'll bet you lost all fluids, and some solids too!stikrz wrote:The only thing operational was the engine and radio. I lost all fluids.
You sure you didn't mean to say "To this day you can still see 2 turd brown spots on the..."stikrz wrote:To this day you can still see 2 forest green spots on the main bridge...
The only time I have ever had a major accident was last August. It involved a 2008 M5 running into me from the side at around 45mph. My e34 535iM still drives and absorbed the impact reasonably well due to the battery compartment brace under the rear seat, but I've been parting it out. The M5 was utterly totaled.
only accident i was in involving me behind the wheel was in my 88 528e it was actualy a frend of mine that hit me. he was in a 2007 trailblazer and backed into the read panel taking the bumper and tail light with it. we made an agreement that he paid for the current 528e that im driving to not have insuance rates go up. Anyway here's the damage.
if i hadent stomped the gas to try to get out of the way he woulda taken out the drivers side from the front door back.but i got this car from it so it worked out
if i hadent stomped the gas to try to get out of the way he woulda taken out the drivers side from the front door back.but i got this car from it so it worked out
Lee in MD wrote:Yeah I'll bet you lost all fluids, and some solids too!stikrz wrote:The only thing operational was the engine and radio. I lost all fluids.
You sure you didn't mean to say "To this day you can still see 2 turd brown spots on the..."stikrz wrote:To this day you can still see 2 forest green spots on the main bridge...
I mentioned my headlight was about 100 yards behind me right? Many solids came off that car. it was mangled.I'm glad it wasn't t topped. When the car was spinning there were parts flyin off of it VERY quickly and everywhere. My buddy was doing 45 so he was nowhere near when I wrecked.I had a 1996 M3 Estoril/Modena with every option you could get. It was beautiful but it had over 115k miles. I was selling it and had a tentative deal with someone. I went to work for a day at a new location and was on my way home. I was going about forty when I went through a stop sign (I didn't see it) and hit a Ford Explorer. I hit it so hard that I totaled the Ford (the woman was just driving it home from picking it up new from the dealer) and the M3. The impact was so great that the transmission tunnel was bent on the M. The good part was that I got more from the insurance company than I was selling it for and ended up getting my M5.
What I was laughing at was the way you stated "I lost all fluids" which popped into my mind an image of you sitting there in the driver's seat with a "wha jus happened??" look while your "fluids" slowly soaked your pantsstikrz wrote:Lee in MD wrote:Yeah I'll bet you lost all fluids, and some solids too!stikrz wrote:The only thing operational was the engine and radio. I lost all fluids.
You sure you didn't mean to say "To this day you can still see 2 turd brown spots on the..."stikrz wrote:To this day you can still see 2 forest green spots on the main bridge...
I'm pretty damn sure I would have "lost all fluids" and maybe some "solids" had I gone through what you did!
July 1963, my mom's new (6,000 mile) Ford Galaxie 500 shown here several days after being center punched by a freight train. I was seventeen and life was good! I was on the way to pick up a friend and then on the way to a pre-season high school football team meeting about 6:00 in the afternoon.,
The engineer later told my father that he was traveling about 40 mph as he was passing through an unincorporated area behind a textile mill. The tracks paralleled the street. A 90 degree turn had to be made to cross the tracks. The space between the street and tracks was filled with storage trailers lined up to the crossing which had a light and lift arm. I have no memory of what happened with the signal or when the train hit me. The car was knocked back into the right side light pole destroying it and three car and two trucks parked in a space on the outside of the 90 degree turn onto the track. I wound up in the back seat.
As I tumbled in the car I hit my head on the passenger side door pillar, punching a hole in the left side of my skull between the ear and temple. A nurse happened to be in the car behind me and held my brain in until help arrived. On arrival at the ER, a neurosurgeon was found (just getting into his car to leave after another surgery) and was able to treat me.
Prognosis was if I survived, most of my right side would be paralyzed. Stayed in a coma for 2 weeks and was released after another 4 weeks. Started my senior year on time, went back to hospital at Christmas vacation. to have the 3 pins in my right shoulder removed and a plate of sorts installed to cover the very soft spot in my skull. I never had any paralysis or other problems, except for a bit of change in my speech pattern.
God gave me another chance that day-- I would have been crushed in the seat if the seat belts were on, I took them out that day and washed them while detailing the car, had not reinstalled them.--- there was a nurse directly behind me in traffic-- the only neurosurgeon was caught at the hospital (pre-cell phones)-- I was back to almost 100% in 3 months. After this train/car incident, four other collisions, killing 5 instantly, occurred at this same crossing and two others within about 8 miles of each other in the next 3 years. The second house my wife and I bought was owned by the husband of one of those victims,
Marshall
Survived a train wreck...Marshall wrote:
July 1963, my mom's new (6,000 mile) Ford Galaxie 500 shown here several days after being center punched by a freight train. I was seventeen and life was good! I was on the way to pick up a friend and then on the way to a pre-season high school football team meeting about 6:00 in the afternoon.,
The engineer later told my father that he was traveling about 40 mph as he was passing through an unincorporated area behind a textile mill. The tracks paralleled the street. A 90 degree turn had to be made to cross the tracks. The space between the street and tracks was filled with storage trailers lined up to the crossing which had a light and lift arm. I have no memory of what happened with the signal or when the train hit me. The car was knocked back into the right side light pole destroying it and three car and two trucks parked in a space on the outside of the 90 degree turn onto the track. I wound up in the back seat.
As I tumbled in the car I hit my head on the passenger side door pillar, punching a hole in the left side of my skull between the ear and temple. A nurse happened to be in the car behind me and held my brain in until help arrived. On arrival at the ER, a neurosurgeon was found (just getting into his car to leave after another surgery) and was able to treat me.
Prognosis was if I survived, most of my right side would be paralyzed. Stayed in a coma for 2 weeks and was released after another 4 weeks. Started my senior year on time, went back to hospital at Christmas vacation. to have the 3 pins in my right shoulder removed and a plate of sorts installed to cover the very soft spot in my skull. I never had any paralysis or other problems, except for a bit of change in my speech pattern.
God gave me another chance that day-- I would have been crushed in the seat if the seat belts were on, I took them out that day and washed them while detailing the car, had not reinstalled them.--- there was a nurse directly behind me in traffic-- the only neurosurgeon was caught at the hospital (pre-cell phones)-- I was back to almost 100% in 3 months. After this train/car incident, four other collisions, killing 5 instantly, occurred at this same crossing and two others within about 8 miles of each other in the next 3 years. The second house my wife and I bought was owned by the husband of one of those victims,
Marshall
Well, I'm surely not going to top Marshall's accident, but I will throw out a BMW one.
In my first E12, nominally my wife's, but the best car I ever owned, I swear nothing ever broke in it. Anyway, we were on vacation in Vegas, as we had many times before, with a mere 325k on the car, stopped at a red light on Boulder with no traffic around at all. When I see a pickup approaching in the mirror. And not slowing down. My wife says I had time to get "Oh sh" out before he hit us. And that's not an abbreviation, I didn't have time to get the whole word out. Anger was my first reaction, but the guy was appologetic, just another SOB on his way to work at 9:30 at night. I had some whiplash for a few months, and limited (but not by much) movement for a couple of years and my wife was uninjuried. But the car was an insurance total. Of course owing to the infamous "diving board" US spec bumpers, we drove home 700 miles from Vegas after breaking into a misaligned trunk, and the pickup went off on the end of a tow truck having lost all fluids and all the sheetmetal forward of the doors. And the poor E12, it only saw another 60,000 miles after that.
In my first E12, nominally my wife's, but the best car I ever owned, I swear nothing ever broke in it. Anyway, we were on vacation in Vegas, as we had many times before, with a mere 325k on the car, stopped at a red light on Boulder with no traffic around at all. When I see a pickup approaching in the mirror. And not slowing down. My wife says I had time to get "Oh sh" out before he hit us. And that's not an abbreviation, I didn't have time to get the whole word out. Anger was my first reaction, but the guy was appologetic, just another SOB on his way to work at 9:30 at night. I had some whiplash for a few months, and limited (but not by much) movement for a couple of years and my wife was uninjuried. But the car was an insurance total. Of course owing to the infamous "diving board" US spec bumpers, we drove home 700 miles from Vegas after breaking into a misaligned trunk, and the pickup went off on the end of a tow truck having lost all fluids and all the sheetmetal forward of the doors. And the poor E12, it only saw another 60,000 miles after that.
A truely amazing story. Thanks for sharing.Marshall wrote:
July 1963, my mom's new (6,000 mile) Ford Galaxie 500 shown here several days after being center punched by a freight train. I was seventeen and life was good! I was on the way to pick up a friend and then on the way to a pre-season high school football team meeting about 6:00 in the afternoon.,
The engineer later told my father that he was traveling about 40 mph as he was passing through an unincorporated area behind a textile mill. The tracks paralleled the street. A 90 degree turn had to be made to cross the tracks. The space between the street and tracks was filled with storage trailers lined up to the crossing which had a light and lift arm. I have no memory of what happened with the signal or when the train hit me. The car was knocked back into the right side light pole destroying it and three car and two trucks parked in a space on the outside of the 90 degree turn onto the track. I wound up in the back seat.
As I tumbled in the car I hit my head on the passenger side door pillar, punching a hole in the left side of my skull between the ear and temple. A nurse happened to be in the car behind me and held my brain in until help arrived. On arrival at the ER, a neurosurgeon was found (just getting into his car to leave after another surgery) and was able to treat me.
Prognosis was if I survived, most of my right side would be paralyzed. Stayed in a coma for 2 weeks and was released after another 4 weeks. Started my senior year on time, went back to hospital at Christmas vacation. to have the 3 pins in my right shoulder removed and a plate of sorts installed to cover the very soft spot in my skull. I never had any paralysis or other problems, except for a bit of change in my speech pattern.
God gave me another chance that day-- I would have been crushed in the seat if the seat belts were on, I took them out that day and washed them while detailing the car, had not reinstalled them.--- there was a nurse directly behind me in traffic-- the only neurosurgeon was caught at the hospital (pre-cell phones)-- I was back to almost 100% in 3 months. After this train/car incident, four other collisions, killing 5 instantly, occurred at this same crossing and two others within about 8 miles of each other in the next 3 years. The second house my wife and I bought was owned by the husband of one of those victims,
Marshall
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grey ghost
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In 2002, while riding my Ducati in the roling/curvy hills of Westchester County NY, some biscuit-hole in a van felt the need for speed.
While driving through a right turn curve, he was unable to keep his piece of ISH van on his side of the road and drifted over. I had to pick the bike up out of a left hand curve to avoid him and still try to make the curve.
Well I didn't make it and ended up in the woods with my right thigh bone sticking out through my pants. The bike was totalled and I never saw it again.
I was in the hospital for about eight weeks and had roughly ten surgeries which entailed opening the wound to clean it and closing it back up repeatedly. These types of injuries are highy prone to infection and amputation.
The killer is that three months earlier I was T-boned on the same bike and had my left lower leg smashed and my left upper arm pushed up through the socket into my neck. Suffice to say that I was not fully healed from the first accident. Luckily I didn't reinjure anything, I just added to the tally.
Niether accident was my fault. Wrong place wrong time type of thing.
But I have to say that the helicopter ride was nice.
While driving through a right turn curve, he was unable to keep his piece of ISH van on his side of the road and drifted over. I had to pick the bike up out of a left hand curve to avoid him and still try to make the curve.
Well I didn't make it and ended up in the woods with my right thigh bone sticking out through my pants. The bike was totalled and I never saw it again.
I was in the hospital for about eight weeks and had roughly ten surgeries which entailed opening the wound to clean it and closing it back up repeatedly. These types of injuries are highy prone to infection and amputation.
The killer is that three months earlier I was T-boned on the same bike and had my left lower leg smashed and my left upper arm pushed up through the socket into my neck. Suffice to say that I was not fully healed from the first accident. Luckily I didn't reinjure anything, I just added to the tally.
Niether accident was my fault. Wrong place wrong time type of thing.
But I have to say that the helicopter ride was nice.
Took me a minute to figure out what the hell you were talking about.Son of a wrote: Well there's your problem right there. Anything even remotely associated with GM is a POS these days.
I kept that license plate and put it on my e39 as a keepsake. It has a crease and some of the paint scraped off of it.
