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Got into a bad accident today
Brian
Detroit, MI Moderator
Very wet and rainy day in the metro detroit area. At 10:20 AM EST this morning, I spun out on a major expressway (I 94), slid across three lanes of traffic facing the opposite direction, and in the left lane, got into a head on collision with an oncoming car.
My truck (94 Jeep Cherokee) is totalled. The guy's car is totalled. No one was killed or seriously injured. We're both sore.
Yay!
This is the first accident I've ever had where it has been "my fault" - Even though I didn't really screw up, I just lost control of the car on wet slippery pavement.. Thankfully, nobody got killed.
I really thought I was going to die. I felt the jeep tipping, and I thought for sure I was gonna roll it. I was sure of it.
Here I am. Bring on the next day :hrm:
My truck (94 Jeep Cherokee) is totalled. The guy's car is totalled. No one was killed or seriously injured. We're both sore.
Yay!
This is the first accident I've ever had where it has been "my fault" - Even though I didn't really screw up, I just lost control of the car on wet slippery pavement.. Thankfully, nobody got killed.
I really thought I was going to die. I felt the jeep tipping, and I thought for sure I was gonna roll it. I was sure of it.
Here I am. Bring on the next day :hrm:
0
Comments
be well, friend...
We're all so thankful you all came through it ok.... Was the other driver ok about it? I mean, as well as the experience, did he give you a hard time? Hope not.
Just so glad everything is ok.
It's only a car, Brian.
But you - now you are something else.
There's always some dark humor going on at accident sites, and this time was no exception. As I was walking back to my jeep, I found his front Ford emblem embedded dead center into my radiator.
I am very grateful that you are still in this bardo.
...And you must have read it backwards, which is 'droF'.... I undestand that, in a rare and obscure Russian dialect, this means 'Doofus'....
Glad all is well, Brains....
Thank god/Buddha/Allah/insert supreme being here.../you are okay!
I am grateful to hear that you are relatively unhurt after such a horrifically sounding accident! Coincidentally, last week a girl I work with drove over a forty foot cliff in her car, which landed on the roof. She suffered a concussion and doesn't even remember climbing out of the car and up to the road.
Jason
I'm glad you are alright. But when you said it wasn't really your fault it struck me funny.
You "just lost control." I'm not looking to start trouble, but I beg to differ with your analysis. You were driving the car. You lost control. You hurt someone besides yourself because you were driving too fast for conditions. Taking ownership for your actions is important. My father has about 15 % of his functionality left because of another driver who still has never taken ownership. The amount of hurt that can ripple through families because of someone's carelessness is almost inconceivable.
You and the other driver got very lucky. Before you drive again, might I - with true kindness at heart - suggest you reconsider your responsibilities as a driver?
It is certainly good to take responsibility for one's actions—especially actions that might have resulted in the harm of another person—nevertheless, one does not have to take upon him or herself extra guilt or culpability when they are undeserving of such responsibility. A driver has control over the majority of what happens when he or she is driving; however, a driver does not have complete control over every condition involved in the operation of a motor vehicle.
For example, most people do not have any control over the traction of their tires during a rainstorm. If a motor vehicle hydroplaned due to water trapped between the tire contact area and the road surface—unless of course the driver was negligent and had dangerously worn tires, speeding, or was not watching the road—it was not necessarily because the driver was being careless. The fact is, accidents do happen, however unfortunate they might sometimes be.
Respectfully,
Jason
I'm still heaving a huge sigh of relief that tragedy was avoided, Brian. I'm really, really relieved.
I must apologize because I do not wish to turn this into some sort of blame game versus zero responsibility thread; nevertheless, I have to disagree. There are many examples of accidents that do not necessarily involve driver error. Error implies that a person did something wrong. When equipment fails (such as when my father's tire fell off on I-75) and causes an accident, that is not necessarily the driver's fault; if there is unseen debris in the road which causes an accident, that is not necessarily the driver's fault, et cetera.
It is not only human beings that would have to be perfected in order to avoid collisions altogether—automobiles would have to be perfected, the weather would have to be perfected, road conditions would have to be perfected, et cetera. Perhaps Brian was driving too fast considering the adverse weather conditions; however, one does not have to be driving fast at all to hydroplane. I feel that it is unfair to make blanket statements that anyone was at fault, careless, or in error without knowing all of the relevant details.
Jason
Hydroplaning occurs when a thin sheet of water gets between the road surface and a vehicle's tires, causing them to lose contact with the road. The vehicle then begins a skatinglike movement across the road. Hydroplaning can start at speeds as low as 30 miles per hour and in water little more than 1/8 inch deep.
When your speed increases, so do the chances of hydroplaning. Your ability to slow, stop, or even slow your vehicle, is greatly reduced. Once you begin to hydroplane, any sudden jerking of the wheel or even a strong gust of wind can send you into an uncontrollable skid that can result in a crash."
(from here)
Sometimes I hear Radio or TV announcers discussing accidents and pile-ups, due to fog, or rain...in most - but not all - of these cases, it could have been prevented by driver care....one condition though, that DOES leave any driver completely at the mercy of Fate (or Karma...ok, ok....let's not get pedantic here.....) is Black Ice. Hit that, and even Micahel Schumi's on the skids.....
Please disregard my earlier blanket statement because it would be far more accurate to say that the majority of car collisions occur as a result of driver error, not all of them. Obviously if you're driving over or under a bridge and it collapses, as happened in Montreal a few days ago, the resulting collisions are not in any way the fault of the drivers.
I do understand how difficult it is to drive in wet weather. Canadians drive under the worst weather conditions imaginable. Driving in two inches of snow is very different for a driver in a warm climate who isn't used to it than it is for the average Canadian who was probably trained on icy, slushy, snowy roads often under blizzard conditions where visibility is almost nil. My point was that if the police in Canada have stopped calling car collisions "accidents" after having to deal with them day in and day out and having these collisions occur under the conditions they do, they're saying that there are things one can do in order to prevent a collision. They are actually empowering the driver by putting the ability to avoid collisions in their hands by using skills and intelligence. I wanted to illustrate the empowering aspect of the police's decision and used exaggeration to make my point. Sorry! Thanks for calling me on it, Jason.
My second to last accident felt like pure boomerang karma, although I've recently read there's no such thing. I was in an absolute furry at my mother and we we're fighting while I was driving in a blizzard. Missed the stop sign and went into the guardrail at 40kpm which held, thank everything, because the drop beyond would have killed us. We didn't really hit very hard, not enough for the airbags to inflate, but the dumb car crumbled. It was a piece of s%*t. No injuries and insurance paid for the car so I wasn't out any money but I'll never, ever forget the sick panic I felt when I wasn't sure if I'd hurt my mother or not. Hurting my mother would have driven me insane with grief and guilt. I was a MUCH better driver after that incident.
The condition I disliked the most was heavy rain on the highway because the stretch I had to take to get to work was heavy with transport trucks and being behind a transport when it's teeming with rain can be pretty stressful. ZERO visibility. Scary. Oh, and fog. Don't like driving in fog! Love how fog looks and feels but not when I'm driving.
My last car accident was while I was stopped on the freeway due to construction. A lady in a big ole circa 1970's pickup truck never even saw the stopped traffic. I was the last in line, thus the first to be hit - when she was doing about 60.
Five of us were towed away and the only thing I got out of my mouth right before I saw she wasn't going to stop was "Oh Sh"BANG.
Now you get the pleasure of dealing with insurance and hobbling around town until you get a new car.
What joy.
-bf
There is no need for you to apologize. I am simply expressing my own viewpoints regarding accidents. I agree that accidents are due to driver error the majority of the time (all of my accidents that involved other people were my fault), but I also understand that everything is not under the driver's control. My reaction was simply in response to the idea that somebody must have been at fault in this situation, and that the person who initially lost control of his or her vehicle (Brian) must accept the blame.
Jason
So Brian, consider this a great big, gentle hug full of warmth and gratitude that you're still with us and in one piece.
Brian,
I am sorry to read of your accident. I am glad, though, that no one was seriously injured. Take care of yourself, now.
Adiana:hair: :usflag:
I've spun out, before but didn't end up in a collision.
Glad to hear from you so soon. Best wishes to you.
Steve