Near Death Experience Last Night

[RailroadJoe]

Rule of thumb, stay 3 seconds behind car in front. Works at all speeds.

[Merrymeeting]

Originally Posted by RailroadJoe

Rule of thumb, stay 3 seconds behind car in front. Works at all speeds.

...and brk-int... It doesn't always work.

About a month ago I was leaving on a business trip from Manchester Airport. I left the lake and was a few miles north of the airport, where 93, 293, and 101 all join and the road is at times 5 lanes wide.

I was in the middle lane, doing the speed limit, with no one ahead of me for several hundred yards. There were cars on either side of me in the other lanes.

All of a sudden, bounding down the lake toward me, bouncing at least 3-4 feet with each bounce, and tumbling madly, is what I still assume was a water pump. It was a large piece of metal, probably about 40-50 lbs, with short pipe stubs sticking out in several directions.

To this day, I have no idea where it came from, or where it ended up. Thankfully I was the only one in the car. I moved left as much as I could without hitting the car to my left and it hit me on the next bounce, at headlight level.

I can only imagine what would have happended had I hit it on a higher bounce and a bit to the left.

Plastic and glass exploded everywhere. By the time I was able to safely move across lanes and pull over, I was far down the road from where it happened. It wasn't going to be safe to go back. Luckily the car was still driveable, so I continued on to the airport and my trip.

A week later, the assessment... Almost $3,000 of damage, crushed radiator, several structural parts of the body mangled badly, hood pushed back, quarter panel destroyed, ac compressor compressed. Imagine what it would have done to a human body.

Check your truck beds.

[Mink Islander]

Thanks everyone for you kind thoughts.

I heard so many stories from others both here and elsewhere, that I no longer call this a "freak" accident. Truth is, road debris of one kind or another cause serious accidents every day. Carelessness about tying down loads/loose objects certainly contributes to this. My experience will stick with me and my family for a lifetime.

Now I could start a whole new thread that would burn up the site about my feelings towards insurance companies.... Since I had no body damage to the vehicle beyond the windshield -- it hit nothing else, Commerce calls it a glass claim. I objected. Said there were glass shards everywhere in the car and it would need to be carefully detailed to remove that hazard. Don't worry, says Commerce, the glass installer is paid to clean up all the glass too! Well Larry Daryl and Daryl at the local fly by night subcontracted glass installer did little more than run a shop vac in the vehicle. That's probably enough if a vandal knocks out a side window since that mostly creates chunks of glass. A high speed collision creates much finer glass debris and it was blown everywhere in the vehicle. Needless to say, everything from chunks to fine slivers are still embedded in the passenger seat and everywhere else. Call the insurance company. Her suggestion: well you should call the glass installer (that Commerce hired and only called me when the work was supposedly done, otherwise I had no dealings with) and see if they will pay under their warrantee for you to get the car detailed to your satisfaction. At this point, Ms. Commerce got more than an earful from me. I told her the car was undriveable in its current condition and the glass was a hazard to anyone riding in it. I want it taken to a professional body shop who will dismantle the interior and carefully get all the glass from every nook and cranny. She begrudgingly agreed to send over a claims adjuster only after I told her the seat has cuts in it so it's not "just a glass claim". Have now discovered the driver side power window doesn't work because glass slivers are in the door switch mechanism. Went over to the local body shop we know and they said what I suggested is exactly what has to be done to make the car safe -- will cost about $1000. Had this been an accident with major body damage, removing the interior and cleaning it up would be an automatic part of the repair. But in a "glass claim", apparently not. Wonder why Ms. Commerce Insurance didn't suggest that originally? I'm sure I'll come up with a reason eventually.... Oh yeah, it costs them money.
Claims adjuster expected to call this morning. Can't wait....

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by Mink Islander

Thanks everyone for you kind thoughts.

I heard so many stories from others both here and elsewhere, that I no longer call this a "freak" accident. Truth is, road debris of one kind or another cause serious accidents every day. Carelessness about tying down loads/loose objects certainly contributes to this. My experience will stick with me and my family for a lifetime.

Now I could start a whole new thread that would burn up the site about my feelings towards insurance companies.... Since I had no body damage to the vehicle beyond the windshield -- it hit nothing else, Commerce calls it a glass claim. I objected. Said there were glass shards everywhere in the car and it would need to be carefully detailed to remove that hazard. Don't worry, says Commerce, the glass installer is paid to clean up all the glass too! Well Larry Daryl and Daryl at the local fly by night subcontracted glass installer did little more than run a shop vac in the vehicle. That's probably enough if a vandal knocks out a side window since that mostly creates chunks of glass. A high speed collision creates much finer glass debris and it was blown everywhere in the vehicle. Needless to say, everything from chunks to fine slivers are still embedded in the passenger seat and everywhere else. Call the insurance company. Her suggestion: well you should call the glass installer (that Commerce hired and only called me when the work was supposedly done, otherwise I had no dealings with) and see if they will pay under their warrantee for you to get the car detailed to your satisfaction. At this point, Ms. Commerce got more than an earful from me. I told her the car was undriveable in its current condition and the glass was a hazard to anyone riding in it. I want it taken to a professional body shop who will dismantle the interior and carefully get all the glass from every nook and cranny. She begrudgingly agreed to send over a claims adjuster only after I told her the seat has cuts in it so it's not "just a glass claim". Have now discovered the driver side power window doesn't work because glass slivers are in the door switch mechanism. Went over to the local body shop we know and they said what I suggested is exactly what has to be done to make the car safe -- will cost about $1000. Had this been an accident with major body damage, removing the interior and cleaning it up would be an automatic part of the repair. But in a "glass claim", apparently not. Wonder why Ms. Commerce Insurance didn't suggest that originally? I'm sure I'll come up with a reason eventually.... Oh yeah, it costs them money.
Claims adjuster expected to call this morning. Can't wait....

You are quite correct regarding glass cleaning. Unlike the side and rear window, the windshield is made of non tempered, annealed laminated glass which when broken fully will expel the tiniest shards of glass everywhere. These shards will embed themselves in everything and a simple shop vac will not remove it. The side and rear window are made of tempered safety glass and when it breaks explodes into small solid pieces which can be easily vacuumed up.

You should be able to get reimbursed from your insurance for the additional cleaning necessary. I would however have a claims adjuster come out and take another look to confirm.

Good Luck, and really glad you and your wife are O.K.!!

Dan

[chipj29]

That rubber thing could have been on the road and kicked up by a vehicle passing in the other direction, or another vehicle on the road in front of you. Several years ago a 2x4 piece of wood was kicked up by a tractor trailer that ran over it. I just happened to be approaching from the opposite direction at the time...on my motorcycle. The 2x4 hit my speedometer, and flipped over me. I saw it coming so I was able to duck, and it hit the very back of my helmet. Other than a scuff on the speedometer and on the back of my helmet, I was unharmed. I did however have to get clean underwear.

[Just Sold]

1st Mink Islander I want to say that I am glad your wife's injuries are healing and that she will be OK. Sorry for the insurance company hassles but don't let up on them until you are satisfied they have taken care of everything.

2nd There is always debris and other objects out on the roadways that can get you. My neighbor many years ago was on Rt 290 in Worcester when a tractor trailer going the opposite direction lost a wheel off the trailer. It crossed the highway and came through the windshield just off center killing the passenger instantly. My neighbor had a hand/arm injury but that was all. The tire had locked the steering wheel with his hand on it and the car kept going straight until he got it stopped.

I am on the road frequently and see lots of things fall out of and off of pick ups and big rigs all the time. I also see vehicles kick up items that are on the road. I lost a windshield to a small piece of debris a couple of years ago myself. Thankfully the debris did not make it all the way through the glass.