Car crashes

[Cricko2]

This has reminded me after mentioning my old first car earlier,of a few horredous accidents in my youth. The worst being...

I had a Jaguar XJ6 at the age of 20...I was doing well ....a few lads and I went to a Wine bar in Milton Road down by the Cricketers...The name escapes me now ...In those days drinking and driving was par for the course as long as you got home.

We left about 10ish...9 pints to the wind and went up to the Taj Mahal Indian by the Plough for the usual Indian after countless pints.

Upon leaving I am heading back into Southend, come to the lights at Hamlet Court Road which are Red....I stopped and went to light a ciggy up but dropped my lighter. The Lights changed I am still fumbling around one eye on the road and looking down for the lighter. I Look up and have met the slight bend on London road just after the lights and a Van has parked half on the kerb half off. I do my best to swerve but take the side of my car off down the side of the van ...At this point noticing the Police car coming in the opposite direction..I look in my rear view mirror and see him turning with his Blue lights flashing in the middle of Hamlet Court lights.....Suddenly I was awake .turned left straight away into Summercourt Road I think it is ...Lights Off I made my way to Boston Avenue ...Dumped the car with the damaged side to the kerb and arranged for a firm in Stanford to pick it up the next day on a low loader..Very Lucky night and taught me a huge lesson.

Have any of you had lucky escapes ?


Another story forthcoming:rolleyes:

 

[Xàbia Shrimper]

I slightly crunched my first car on the first evening of driving after I'd past my test. I was trying to park outside my mate's house when my foot slipped and I accelerated into the kerb at high speed. The kerb managed to arrest some of my speed so that I actually met his garden wall at walking pace and got away with a small scratch on the bumper.

I almost stacked my car our here in Spain about two years ago when I was driving along a narrow lane just outside Denia. Another car was coming towards me but rather pull into a space to allow me to pass (for I had nowhere to manoeuvre other than backwards or fowards) she aimed straight for me and I had to take evasive action which resulted in the side of the car scraping along the rock wall and I managed to get back on the road before meeting a large car-size hole further on. Still, they say that all cars in Spain should have a big scratch on the bodywork so I felt altogether more integrated afterwards!

 

[Bluesmanager]

Not really a car, (too young) but I was driving a quad bike once. Went into a hairpin at somewhere around 20-30mph. Didn't brake, tried to do a Hammond (remember when he flipped his van?) and ended up having to jump clear unless I wanted to be crushed by one heavy quad bike.

There was another time when I was a passenger, some dozy numbskull ploghed straight into the back of the car. My back hurt for the rest of the day but nothing serious.

And finally, if you ever go to India, look before you get out of the car. You could be decapitated by their taxis.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Rolled a MK2 Escort into a field on the A47 just before Norwich, police very helpful, called a tow company and had it towed away free.

Rolled a Fiat Strada in Danbury Down in Basildon, trying to avoid a car on a blind bend at night parked in the middle of the road with no lights on. The guy moved his car, called the police, police didn't believe my story and I got 5 points and a big fine...

 

[Pubey]

Rolled a MK2 Escort into a field on the A47 just before Norwich, police very helpful, called a tow company and had it towed away free.

Rolled a Fiat Strada in Danbury Down in Basildon, trying to avoid a car on a blind bend at night parked in the middle of the road with no lights on. The guy moved his car, called the police, police didn't believe my story and I got 5 points and a big fine...

thats why cameraphones are such a good idea! one pic and bob's your uncle!

 

[davewebbsbrain]

thats why cameraphones are such a good idea! one pic and bob's your uncle!

If cameraphones were about in 1988 i would have had a strong case..unfortunately I had no access to a T.A.R.D.I.S or any sort of time travelling machine to rectify that.:angel:

 

[Pubey]

If cameraphones were about in 1988 i would have had a strong case..unfortunately I had no access to a T.A.R.D.I.S or any sort of time travelling machine to rectify that.:angel:

i thought as much... my dad has an accident and the pics he took on his phone backed up his claim against the other driver so it's worth bearing in mind.

and anyway, i haven't had a car accident myself but was involved in one where an old biddy crashed into the side of our car as we went around a roundabout

 

[Mad Cyril]

Around 1990 I pulled into the car park of a local golf course late one night because it was a quiet place to enjoy a few non brand cigarettes with a couple of mates.

When it was time to go I managed to put my Austin Allegro into reverse instead of first gear and shot backwards.

Unfortunately the car park was on a raised bank above the golf course and my car ended up bottomed out and teetering on the edge of the bank rather like the coach at the end of the Italian job.

The only way out of the situation was to lift the front of the car and let it roll backwards down the bank onto the golf course where it flattened a few small conifers en route.

Once the car had rolled to a stop we piled in and then realized we didn't know how to get back on the road. I had to drive around the course for a good five minutes with my lights off before I found an exit back to the public highway.

 

[Interpol Shrimper]

I wrote-off my Mazda 323 in 1998 by going (almost) through a central reservation at 75mph!

I was going down the slow lane of a dual carriageway about 80 and there was a 626 about 1/3 a mile in front, I checked my mirrors before I went to overtake and there was an MX5 steaming up the fast-lane. So I decided to wait for them to pass. For some reason the 626 driver then decided to do an emergency stop just as the MX5 was alongside me and I had to make a split second decision do I brake & hope I don't ram them or do I take evasive action and clip the back of the other car. I went for the 2nd option and didn't clip them but the road was damp and because of my speed and severe nature of pulling out to take evasive action I spun the car and slid at speed towrds the central reservation. Luckily it was one of the new cable ones so it caught the bonnet and then the windscreen smashing it. I came to rest facing the wrong way with the passenger side of the car underneath the cable. The car was totalled with the front end crumpled, the windscreen smashed and the roof severley dented. Not one scratch on me plus the airbags never went off! Strange as well how all 3 cars involved were Mazda's! Still can't believe the idiot in the 626 just drove away as if nothing happened, luckily the woman in the MX5 came back to check I was OK and called the police!

The only other crash of note I had before that was when I was visiting my mate in Hertford and I got caught in the Friday evening rush-hour through the town-centre. There was a fit bird walking down the street in a skimpy top and hot-pants and I paid her too much attention and not enough to the van in front and slammed straight into the back of him at 5mph (luckily it was a works van and he didn't give a toss & I only smashed my numberplate & one of the lights!

 

[chadded]

My mum was unable to drive last year through medical reasons, and so for the first 4 months of 06, I was driving her Fiat Punto. As I was going to Afghan in April, she was going to sell it once I'd finished using it. So the week before I left, I went round my Dad's in it for a bit one night, and came home, Parked on the drive. As my mums friends car was also on the drive, I parked at a slightly different angle to usual, but thought nothing of it. Next morning, I'm taking the car to the car wash, so we can take some pics and get it in Auto Trader etc.

Forgetting that I was at a slightly different angle, I reverved and hit the corner of the garden wall. The wall, about 20 foot long and 2 foot high, buckled quite a bit, and there was a lot of white paint from the wall on my mums black car. At first the car was a write off. Then, it was a whole new bumper. Then, she was just plain mad at me. In the end, I wiped the white paint off, touched up the scrathes underneath, and Robert was my Mother's Brother. (Thankfully in a way, some **** had keyed the side of the car before, so dear ol ma had the touch up kit, and my scratches weretnt the only ones. I went away and she sold the car. Even apologised to me on the phone for over reacting. :D

The wall? That had to go and my wallet was nearly 300 quid lighter. Still think I actually did my mum a favour by giving her the idea (forcing her hand) into getting the wall knocked down. She doesnt agree.

 

[MrB]

When I was about 10 we went on holiday in the South of France, my dad was not a fan of flying so we always drove down there. On the way back having covered 849 of the 850 miles home a car suddenly slammed the brakes on in front of us on Eastern Avenue, we hit the back of him and the car behind hit us. My main memory was seeing a motorcyclist go flying past into the grass verge on my right having obviously hit the car behind us. Fortunately he was ok somehow!

So having made a 1,700 mile round trip we managed to total the car about 2 minutes from our house. Probably better than doing it in France but still pretty annoying!

 

[andrew_sthnd]

Only been in one car crash in Chelmsford on a roundabout. I was on the roundabout signalling right and some lady decided that she didnt want to use her brakes before coming onto the roundabout. The end result, despite the fact I was going at only 20mph and she probably the same, was a broken front axel due to the lady slamming her car right into the side wheel of my car! Luckily thought the first thing she said was "im so sorry i just didnt see you!" - thankyou very much for claiming all liablility! (It was her fault but you know how some people can be!)

 

[Andy_Shrimp]

This ties in with the first car post too.

I bought a Cavalier MK11 2000 GL before I passed my test. Everyone told me not to buy it but I just fell in love with the thing. Car cost me £795. I passed my test in June 1989. After driving the car for a bit, I started having trouble with it, so took it to local garage in Stanford (Benchsound IIRC) and cost me £500 to get the engine sorted.

Anyway after running it it (as you did with older cars) it was exactly the car I dreamed it would be.

Then on 24/11/89 I was driving to work on a rainy Friday on the old A13 between Stanford no Hope and Benfleet approaching the One Tree Hill Lights and there was a tipper truck in front of me. Just as you get to the lights it went to two lanes so I decided to put my foot down to overtake so as not to get caught behind the truck leading to the five bells roundabout.

Bloody truck moved in to the middle lane so I put me foot on the brakes (too hard!!) skidded straight in to the keep left bollard smashing it to peices before hitting the traffic light knocking it to the floor.

Car a write off and a bill from the council for the damage. Final insult was when the breakers yard offered me £35 for the car after the accident. Spent that on beer!!!!

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Hmm... I've had a few in my time.

My worst by miles was in New Zealand - and it was entirely my fault. As I discovered, driving when you are absolutely pumped full of adrenaline is basically a really, really bad idea.

I had just done a 134m bungy (the Nevis High Wire) and, perhaps unsurprisingly, was still a little pumped. Actually, I was unbelievably pumped... in a sort of "I could run through concrete walls" kind of way.

And so, being incredibly pumped, I did something really silly. I got behind the wheel of my hire car.

:thump:

My hire car was a little Suzuki, with all the power of an asthmatic hair-dryer. But my God, I was now Ayrton Senna, and my Suzuki was ready for F1. And so I promptly drove like (frankly) a total ****. I overtook. A lot. And I tried to overtake someone at about 60mph when, frankly, I was far too near to a corner.

Thank goodness, adrenalin does have an upside. It does give you fantastically quick reactions. So, although under any normal circumstances I would have totalled head-on into the guy coming the other way, on this occasion, as the world went by briefly in slo-mo, I managed to wrest my car mostly back onto my side of the road, with the result that our two front wings clipped and mirrors smashed each other off, but with no other damage than that - most importantly, no injuries and no serious damage to either car - just dented front wings.

I pulled my car over to the side of the road, and in an instant the adrenalin was gone, replaced by fear, guilt, humiliation and dread. I had driven like an utter c*nt and it was totally my fault. Just to make it worse, the occupants of the other car was a man, his wife (who had the look of the fear of God on her face when she saw where my car was) and their sleeping child (who, amazingly, slept through the whole incident).

Frankly, in this particular man's shoes, I wouldn't have blamed him if he'd come over and punched me in the face. In an attempt to save what little dignity I had left, I went over, apologised profusely and accepted full responsibility for the incident before he could even say anything. I think he was a bit floored by that, and he thanked me for being so honest.

Bottom line - we were both really shaken, but no harm was done, and the Collision Damage Waiver I'd taken out when I'd hired the car picked up the full tab on the repair to his car and to mine. I lost my deposit on my car hire... but that was only NZ$750, which at the time was a shade over £210.

All in all, bloody lucky.

What else? I mashed a front wing of a Peugeot travelling at 15mph in Vauxhall by crashing into a Mk 1 VW Golf... not a bloody scratch on his car. Bloody French bodywork!

Erm, what else? I've scratched and dented four cars getting them in and out of parking spaces (yes, I'm very bad at parking). The worst was at Rayleigh Station, where my Mum had parked her car in between these knee-high steel bollards, which I had completely failed to spot as I got into the driver's seat. I started the car, turned the wheel, and promptly got the sound of screaming metal as this bollard basically chewed a massive dent in the side of the passenger door. Oops. Luckily, my uncle found a replacement door for £10, so that was lucky!

:o

So yes, I've had a few crashes, but only once has my life flashed before my eyes when doing so. Moral of the story? Don't drive straight after doing a bungy jump, especially a 134m high one...

:thump:

Matt

 

[Cricko2]

Frankly, in this particular man's shoes, I wouldn't have blamed him if he'd come over and punched me in the face.

Are you sure he didn't, Yorkshire said you looked Handsome in your Youth :p

Bungy Jump! Good grief that frightens the life out of me Matt.

 

[Jam_Man]

Worst crash I ever experienced was on the Isle of Wight on holiday with my parents. We had parked our car in a grassy car park across the road to the beach. Some idiot was speeding lost control, careered across the road mounted the opposite kerb, flipped and plowed sideways through a telephone box. Unfortunately the telephone box was being used by a group of girl guides and they were thrown in all directions and some ended up with a chain from a fence embedded in them. Was the most horrific scenario you can imagine.

The car finally came to rest against ours, of course we didnt give a toss bearing in mind what other carnage had been caused.

As far as I know no one actually died in the accident, although being only about 12 years old not sure I would have been told.

The incredible bit was with these poor kids lying all around in terrible state people were stealing the money from the phone box!

 

[Bluesmanager]

Just goes to show what kind of world we live in.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Many years ago i worked for a drainage clearance company in one of those big Gully suckers.

2 accidents spring to mind, both in the Althorne area.

1. While cleaning a drain out, some guy ploughed into the back of our lorry. It later turned out the guy was looking in his glove box at the time and didn't see the bright yellow lorry....

2. While driving back on the same road another time, as we passed a car with a puncture by the side of the road, an MG metro with 2 young lads steamed round the bend at about 80 mph, saw the broken down car at the last minute and proceeded to plough straight into our moving lorry, bringing it to a grinding halt. The metro span round and continued travelling backwards down the road for about 100 yds. Driver had broken arms, legs, hands and feet and when we got to the passenger, we could see his skull through the gash in his head... Not a nice experience!!!

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Bungy Jump! Good grief that frightens the life out of me Matt.

It was f***ing terrifying, John. I'm glad I did it - because it was one of those things that I wanted to do - but I'll never do it again. Dropping towards the earth for 8.5 seconds is one of the most surreal and scary experiences of my life.

I'll tell you what, if I do decide to top myself, I've definitely ruled out jumping off something high as the way to go. Falling towards the earth - when you're that close to it (*) - is not nice.

Matt

(*Although, oddly, I may yet do a parachute jump, on the basis that terra firma is a long, long way away. It's the closeness of the ground that makes bungy jumping so scary!)

 

[Benfleet A1]

Worst crash was more of the ego kind for me. I had just got back from failing my first test feeling somewhat deflated so to cheer me up, dad asked me to move my car (Cortina mkII 1600 Super) off the drive so he could get his motor (Commer Van, freshly resprayed) out.

In I jump with happy smile, turn ignition, drop clutch, engage gear, check mirror, let out clutch........ and stove straight into said van.

Reverse stupid.