I am amazed you didn't have some bruising from the seatbelt! I am well aware of where the accident occurred...drove past the scene many, many times after your accident there. You didn't know what the spot you took off from was called, hence my description of the Crossroads of Time, there at Deal's Gap, from where you took off to catch up with your friends (on 28), which is why I posted the info above. A 2007 is another MINI, yes?

 

Not to be morbid - but do you have these videos posted anywhere?

 

how do you explain that one to the insurance company..:(

 

no video of henry, just those pics you saw on page 2 (from that night)

The biker video still has to be uploaded, I'm sure it will get around.

also have a video of some teenage skater kids... one of them attempting a kickflip down a 8 or 10 stairs (in front of the rec center building) and biting it. :D

 

Henry - glad you're ok man.

 

Looks like the first tree took a big bite on your A pillar, the dense forest absorbed a lot of impact thus actually saved your life. I'm wondering how come the traction was completely lost prior to that, is there a way to regain control under such a condition? On top of gravels, the grass & moisty soil look pretty slippery to me.

 

Well I am glad when I came through there was only a cop and a tow truck.

All future Dragon riders please heed this as a warning.

This guy is lucky to have made it out, had the roof collapse been on the other side I do not want to think of the ramifications.

Man I am happy you made it out in one piece. I have thought for a while now something like this would happen in order to remind people how dangerous it can be, and I am really happy that it only cost a car and not a life.

I hope to see you another year up there all the wiser for this tragedy.

 

Hey I'll be back to post later, but I think I can explain why the airbags didn't go off and i don't think it's a concern. I am finishing my PhD on auto-safety work, and yes, I did see Henry's crash... my fiance and I stopped when we saw the two Pittsburgh MINI's on the side. His crash was far from a typical car crash and I don't honestly think it was a hard enough deceleration (relatively) to warrant the airbags going off.

Well heck, here's my post on Motoringfile (Kennedy) where I kind of already said what I was going to say...

-EK

http://motoringfile.com/2006/05/08/b...#comment-37248

http://motoringfile.com/2006/05/08/b...#comment-37262

 

And Henry, again man, we're all HUGELY glad you're OK!!! And taking it all very well, I must say. Best of luck to you.

 

hey David! I can't believe you witness all the accident in the dragon. next time I'll let you drive in front of me. j/k. glad you were there for me, man. Thank you!

 

OMG... no no... this is my first MINI but, second one got totaled. I had a EVO VIII before the MINI. EVO was T-bone by a GMC van and Ram 1500. It wasn't my fault in that accident. the GMC van was trying to make turn and cross the intersection before I get to there.

 

2007 MINI Cooper S! Very possible... if I have no problem to getting them on time.

 

Henry,

So thankful that you are ok! Your MINI did its job in keeping you safe, but I'm very sorry about your loss. Best of luck with everything to follow!


Dj_Konky and Drew,

Thank you for not following me back to Fontana after we pulled off for the biker.

Dragon Paprazzi?? More like the Dragon Aura of Destruction!

(It was good to meet you guys, though, even under the cloud of stupidity of that biker. Psh... no helmet, what an idiot.)

 

nice to meet you too


He did have a helmet on btw, when you got there it was already off, it did take a nice beating on one side though...

 

more from the motorcycle wreck i witnessed... (video soon to follow)

 

Oh wow!

No wonder he wasn't dead! Seeing that video made me shudder. Can't wait till you get it uploaded so others can see it too.

 

OMG!

Dave and Drew, please don't follow me next time.

 

Henry -- so glad you're OK, and that there was no one in the passenger seat!

 

I think Iggy's theory on the airbags is the right one. They deploy in response to EXTREME sudden deceleration. "Rolling" to a stop (sorry) is not that extreme.

 

I wonder what the MINI engineers would make of this accident.

 

I think the system worked as it should. The driver was not hurt. A passenger would have been hurt badly, and I do not think a deployed airbag would have made a difference.

 

That the roll was an example of Newton's First Law of Motion. Wich states that an object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. Or a kinda-balanced one (i.e. tree).

 

Vid of Biker wreck we caught...

http://www.hostdub.com/albums/Konky/Biker.mov

 

Is it just me or did he try to drive through the side of the mountain?

 

'

Actually, seeing him shortly after the accident (me and *Isabella* actually pulled off the road waved him and the bike ahead of him around us no more then 2 minutes prior cause they were going so fast) it looked like he was trying to make-out with the rock wall.

Maybe he was lonely, or wanted some rough action.

Needless to say:

Hot shot on bike: 0
Rock wall: 1