So the truck was unrecognisable?

 

Just some legal info: When speaking to police, insurance rep, attorney re: an accident, never, ever say "he/she came out of nowhere." The legal translation of that is "I wasn't paying attention," because, of course, he/she didn't literally come out of nowhere. Now, I am not saying it means you were at fault, because we all know in the real world what is meant by that expression. But, that's just how that expression will be translated by the other side.

 

It was a late-model Ford Ranger 4x4, and it was also a total loss. He came around the bend in the road too fast and lost control of his truck (driving well over the speed limit).

 

No, I was still very much in the excitement of having a new car (and my perfect Mini dream car) when the accident happened. That's the saddest part - I went from total Mini euphoria to not even being able to look at all the great pics I had just taken the week before of my beautiful Mini. I'm glad I'm getting a replacement but I'm terrified to drive it now. It's sucked all the driving excitement right out of me. I'm hoping the new Mini will cure me when it arrives.

The cable barriers did a lot of damage that, according to my insurance company, wouldn't have happened if it was a standard metal one. People tell me it's good I hit the cables because it keeps cars from crossing into oncoming traffic on the very busy Interstate where it happened....but I wasn't going fast enough to cross into oncoming traffic (I was basically stopping when I hit the cables) so it just makes me sad that it tore my Mini to shreds.

 

Yeah, thanks.

I didn't say that in my recorded statement to the insurance company, just that I was looking around quickly due to being lost in an unfamiliar neighborhood, there were obstructions in my way, and as soon as I looked back to the road after visually sweeping my immediate area, the car was in front of me. My brother has even told them the other person was clearly speeding, and I brought up that it would be a little hard for his car to spin a time and a half and travel 75-80 foot down the street from the intersection in the direction he was initially traveling, if he was only going 25mph.......

Ins company is still assuming liability because I ended up striking him behind the passenger rear wheel. My record was spotless before this, so I'm not TOO worried about it, I just want my Mini back.

.... having withdrawls.

 

This is exactly what happned to me on 10/24/2007 on the LIE, only the damage was much more , it was declared a total loss, I bought it back from the insurance company cost $14446 to repair with $1800 out of my pocket.

see this thread for full story and lots of pictures:

 

Time. That's the only cure for the PTSD that comes after a bad crash. I hit a tree sideways in a BMW after a front tire went flat during a sharp left curve at highway speeds. I broke my back, but had no other injuries. The tree snapped off about 25' high, but at least it prevented me from hitting the double concrete culvert that was behind it! I still have occasional flashbacks on left hand curves, and it took a long time before I could ride with my husband, who already drives faster than I do--I used to grab onto anything I could. The MINI has helped a lot, though. Now I sometimes pass the site without noticing.

The crash was 3 years ago.

(Nice helicopter ride, though...)

 

I guess I should post this in here...

how about crash video? (contains adult language)

 

great video..

trees suck

 

what a video.. can someone explain to me how that slide happened?

didnt look painful.. just sucked though...

 

I wonder if insurance covered that....

Hey, I just wanted to remind those unfortunate drivers that I will buy some components to headlights. Though they appear to be ruined, many times the ballasts and some projectors are salvageable. If anyone is just trashing them, I will pay cash.

Sorry about being a vulture again... but I see lots of caustically damaged parts which are very expensive getting trashed. Usually the garage you take it to makes money off it, if its not taken to the junkyard. Hey, at least you should be able to recuperate some money for that hefty deductible.

 

After he took the right turn, he swung into the left, the force of the swing might have caused him to under steer and start sliding. I wonder if it would have been less damage if he steered to his right instead of the left and gased it to counter the under steer.

 

Wow. I take it that it wasn't a horrible break being as you are still driving, however you are still a very lucky person. How long did it take, and what measures did you have to go to for healing? If you don't mind my asking, what type of BMW were you driving? Was the car completely obliterated? (Being as you broke the tree, it seems like wouldn't have fared too well...)

Speaking of thinking about accidents every time your pass the spot, I don't think I will ever forget (or not think about it when I pass the spot) when I witnessed an accident where a woman was making a U-turn on the downside of a hill, and a BMW 5-er came FLYING over the crest, smashing into the side of the van. The woman was thrown from the drivers seat under the front wheels of the van. Her sons and I had to help lift the van off of her...

-Chase

 

Wow--that must have been quite a sight--did she live?

Okay, my turn. I was driving a 2001 325 Coupe, then 2 years old and brought over from Germany via the Euro delivery program (something we loved, BTW). The driver's side looked fine but wasn't. The passenger door took the impact and everything from the A-pillar back was toast. The car was totalled. I was stuck in the car since I had a band of intense pain about 4" high, and running from one side to the other across my back. Movement made it...worse.

Funny, thing, though. After flying to the #1 trauma center in Houston (name omitted, but sounds an awful lot like Hermann Hospital), I was told I had a "mild back strain." This was after x-rays and a CT scan. They sat me up, I went into shock, and they tried again a while later, after more morphine. Somehow I made it home, totally doped (no, I wasn't driving).

A year went by, during which I was unable to stand more than about 15-20 minutes at a time. Finally, I got smart and had another doc take a look. (In my defense, I'd been sick much of the year and unable to go anywhere.) Hmmm--80% wedge-shaped compression fracture at L1-T12. Too late to do anything about it, though--the bones had healed that way. Since then, I've had 5 doctors drop their jaws that the trauma center at the hospital that sounds like Hermann missed it. Hold the x-ray up to the light and a monkey could see it.

It's taken a long time, and the efforts of a very good pain doc, but I am functional again. Hasn't exactly been a pleasant time, but I can now stand about 30 to 45 minutes at a time--quite a victory considering.

Oh, and if there are any lawyers amongst you, you'll get a kick out of this. About a year earlier Harris county had passed a law intended to stop frivolous lawsuits. I guess it did, but it also gave virtual immunity to ER doctors and hospitals. I couldn't get anyone to take the case because of it, even though I could prove I'd lost my only chance to fix it.

 

Ho-ly Crap. That is quite the story. I absolutely cannot believe that something like that was able to "slip" past the doctors... How terrible! Also, I don't think that I would consider your case frivilous.... That would definately be Malpractice IMHO. It is affecting your day to day life... So sorry to hear...

The woman in the van did live, she was fine enough to send me a thank-you card a couple of weeks later! That made my day.

-Chase

 

That's horrible! I'm a lawyer...and, sure, attempts to stop frivolous lawsuits seem like a good thing but it can go way too far, like it obviously did with you. I sympathize with your

 

I did it again. Saw the thread on the left of the page and thought I'd check out the latest carnage.

I am sick!

 

Happened to my husband on 2/22/06. Called me and told me he had had a little accident and I needed to come pick him up

What actually happened
He walked away with





Found my dream MINI on the show room floor and drove Angel home on 2/28/06.

 

Let me guess, he also told you it would buff right out huh?

So, was it really "just a bump" or was it something more? Seeing as how he describes things, he could have actually had a gash...

Good to hear that he walked away though, it looks pretty gnarly.

-Chase

 

sarafil: ....your front is all squished but the passenger compartment looks like it held together perfectly....how fast were each of you going?

 

Not the best photo, but Here is my 2004 IB/W MCS. Totaled by a kid in an F150 who slammed on his brakes in front of me (there was no one in front of him). The strut towers crushed, motor mounts broke, the engine block cracked and there was tons of cosmetic damages. I ended up with some back problems, but my daughter seems to be OK.



I am picking up my 2007 BRG tonight!

 

How was that handled by the police and the insurance companies? Did they label you at fault? or was there evidence/a witness that was able to prove otherwise?

-Chase

 

He really only had a bump on his head. He says "he must of ducked"

 

These are all gruesome pictures and i'm cringing:impatient at each picture i see. However, lets all praise the MINI's that have fallen in the line of duty and did their job well, sacrificing themselves to protect their passengers! HEAR HEAR!

 

MINI was going around 25-30. Unsure of the speed of the truck, but it was definitely over the limit. Probably around 50.

The passenger compartment was 100% in tact. The dash was in place, and there was no intrusion into the floor on either side of the passenger compartment. Despite some obvious unibody "tweaking", both doors opened and closed fine as well.