Well... So I post in the thread about stupid drivers and people not paying attention almost wrecking our beloved MINI's. I said, "I have been really lucky with near misses in the MINI....". I post that and leave work to go to meet my best friend for lunch... The first intersection after leaving work I was involved in a head on collision with a Dodge Caravan at somewhere in the neighboor hood of 20mph. I have been diagnosed with a C-T-L spinal strain and will probably be having a C.A.Tscan on friday....... "Evil Betty" is also injured. The front spoiler and hood are busted up pretty good but considering the event Im shocked at how good she survived. I could actually drive her home(after I pryed the wheel well away from the tire enough to where it only rubbed real bad when I turned). I wanted to cry when I saw my beloved car with it's *** kicked like that... This is my very first accident of any sort. I have never even been in a car that was in a wreck. This ******* decided to just to from the turn lane as I was crossing thru the intersection.... DAMMIT

The good news... Im not dead(my ex wife would probably argue the "goodness" of this fact) and Evil Betty has her first confirmed kill The Caravan was pronounced dead by the officals and was loaded unto a flatbed for a cowards burial. And depending how this whole insurance thing works, (I have no clue) as to wether I get a check to fix the car or the body shop gets the check, I might be getting that super fly oraci(sp?) body kit

Well thank you for your time and your paitence bartender, your always such a good listener. Goodnight.

Whoa

P.S if this message is not coheriant it's due to extremely potent meds I have been put on tonight for my injuries. Sorry to ramble

 

:evil:

Cheers!
Clover

 

Thank Goodness your injuries were not more seroius....here's to wishing you a speedy recovery, and looking forward to the day when you and Evil Betty are once again ruling the twisty roads. :smile:

 

wow! glad you are OK! take care of yourself -

Good luck and recover!

 

Bummer! Hope your scan comes out alright.

:???:

 

That's terrible! I hope Betty's mended and back in top form ASAP.

 

MrWhoa,
Sorry to hear about this. Wishing you a speedier recovery than I.
I will be thinking of you while I lay flat on my back staring at my car keys.

 

Sorry to hear of your loss. Be very good to yourself now.

God speed.

 

:smile: :smile: Best wishes for a very speedy recovery... :smile:

Chow!

Donna
donna@dcmetrominis.org

 

Yet another story of a MINI walking away from a collision with a much bigger vehicle. Hearing about these different accidents really make me feel safe in my MINI ... and really make me start to hate SUV's.

~Steve~

 

Whenever I read these accident threads, I always think "there but for the grace of..." You just never know.

Whoa, I hope you're going to be OK and that the scan comes out fine. A few questions though, for when you're back online...

1) What were the circumstances of the accident? How do you have a "head on" collision at an intersection when you're only going 20mph? Did they just drive straight into you from directly across the intersection??

2) Did your airbag(s) deploy...and if so, how did you actually drive home? Does the ignition/power cut off simply reset itself right after the collision?



_________________

Bring Out the Scoops!

 

Very sorry to hear about your misfortune.
I wish you a speedy recovery.

The car is replaceable ..you are not !!!!

Peace,
D

 

Sorry to hear about the wreck and hope you’re OK, but that was the fastest check in and check out of MCO I’ve seen.

 

:evil: :evil: :evil: I hate stupid drivers that hit MINI's :evil: :evil: :evil:

 

>> :evil: :evil: :evil: I hate stupid drivers that hit MINI's :evil: :evil: :evil:


You said it all D.J :evil:

 

I guess you should be glad that you were in a MINI and not a Civic or something. Glad to hear that the cars are as safe as advertised!!! All the best in your healing and I hope you get your sweet MINI back soon! Will the ins. company allow you to rent a MINI during your baby's repair?

 

Wow, I wish you a speedy recovery.

 

sorry to hear about that chief.... I hate hearing about wrecked MINIs.... Get that bodykit then go on some twisty curve roads :smile:

 

Thanks for all the kind words people! Im back at work through the miricale of modern perscription drugs and the never ending need for money.... I feel like utter crap, but Im gonna be fine after all the junk in my back settles down. Someone asked how I had a head on @ 20mph. The person failed to yeild from the turn lane of the opposite direction I was headed. I was going about 45mph, and thank god these cars have the brakes they do or I would have hit her ALOT harder. Oddly enough the impact was hard enough to have me floating against the seatbelt on impact, hard enough to make my gear shift **** fly straight off and up into the air, but not enough to trigger the airbags... A good thing I guess since they were not really needed and cost a ton to repack. Damage to the car is SHOCKINGLY slight. The officer on the scene was blown away that Betty's victum had to be put on a flatbed and I drove home

 

Having "been there done that" only with a wall, I think I can give some ideas on things that will need to be looked at. First check all the suspension components on the side that was hit. Replace the bearings and all the items that might be connected to your left side suspension. The stress of the hit, even though it might not have left visible damage has now made these parts unreliable. Check your front bumper supports to make sure they have not bent in the force transfer. Think everything thing through as you get a clear head. Try to imagine how the engineers designed the car to transfer the forces of the impact and check all of the connected components.
The cost of your materials will probably be very low but where you will get hit is in labor since it takes time to check out all the possibilties.
Glad to hear your recovering as well.

 

>>I have a question for the wreck savy amoung you. If the frame is straight, and no engine components were damaged in this... Should I be losing sleep over fears of my MINI having some post wreck demons?? Could the impact have damaged the drivetrain? On the drive home the car was acting fine, didnt sound outta whack, drove in a straight line, etc... I have NEVER been in a wreck and my head is swimming from all of the negative thoughts Im having over the recovery of my car.
>>

Glad to hear that you're recovering quickly, don't fret over the car, it is replaceable, people aren't. Wreck damage, unfortunately does not always follow in linear progressions, and much of the "shock absorption" takes place in panels below the surface of your car. Until the frame man has a chance to remove the outer panels and take detailed measurements, there is really no way of telling how much damage has occured.
Last winter, my wife had a wreck similar to the one you described in her car. Although the airbag didn't deploy either, our repair estimate went from $3k to $7k once the shop had removed all the outer panels and measured the distortion to the frame, ugh! Oh well that is what insurance is for. Hope that your MINI is on the mend quickly too.

 

Isn't the MINI unibody construction?

 

Yes it is, However, there are subassemblies that should spec. out when measured. Oftentimes, these crumble in an accident, and are bent to a degree that it is not possible to hang replacement panels upon them until they have been repaired / replaced. So while I used the term frame, it is technically a unibody not a chassis with a separate body upon it.

 

I've been in an identical accident (in a Volvo at the time). I was going a little faster (maybe 30mph), and the oncoming car took a left in front of me, for no apparent reason. My advice? Make sure a doctor gives you a good once-over, especially your lower back. I was standing ON THE BRAKE when I hit, and the sudden deceleration ripped alot of soft tissue in my lower back. The bad news? The doctor wrote off the "soreness" to a pulled muscle and/or general stress. I still can't sleep on my back. So, I'm glad you're OK, and I'm really gald to hear the MINI protected you, but make sure to take care of your back. You'll be glad you did.

I really am glad you're OK, and I hope you're back on the road soon!

 

>>Isn't the MINI unibody construction?

It is, but like all cars using unibody construction, there are distinct sections underneath which act as a 'frame' would in a 'body-on-frame' car. If you look under your MINI you will find longitudinal and lateral 'frame rails' where the suspension components, the front subframe and the bumpers connect. These pieces which are integrated into the body sections (mostly the floorpan) make up the 'frame' of the vehicle. The only real difference between this and body-on-frame is the unibody car has the 'frame' welded to (unitized with) the body sections.

If these 'frame sections' become badly damaged in an accident, it is very difficult to restore them to their original strength and condition. A slight 'tweak' is easily straightened out on a frame rack, but damage which kinks or deforms the frame members will be very dificult to repair, and if just simply straightened out, will not be nearly as strong as before (think of the last time you bent a telescopic radio antenna, a mild bend is fixable by straightening it out, but a 'kink' ruins it).

Damage done to 'soft' body panels such as doors and fenders can be pretty much repaired to as good as new. The exception is for rear quarter panels which are welded into the floorpan and roof structure, this requires a lot of cutting and rewelding that is difficult (but not entirely impossible) to do as well as was done at the factory.

________________
'03 MCS, Dk Silver, 17" R85s, NAV, DSC (often turned off!), Packs #1 and #3, Rally lights, etc, etc. Fulton, MD. FRS 7-21
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