Death of another X - Diesel Forum

bwalker5 · 09-20-2003, 02:37 AM

Well, it finally happened to me today. After commuting into Silicon Valley for the last 13 years,3.5yrs with the X.
My X was involved in a conflict of space with a Pontiac Sunfire,
X was traveling at 45mph and Sunfire runs a red and turns left directly into my path. She never saw me coming. Didn't even look.
Girl in the Sunfire was hurt but not as bad as I thought she would have been. I managed to have enough time hit the brakes and swerve to the right and try to scrub speed before the iminent collision.
Must have worked because I only traveled 50-60 feet into the intersection before I was spun 180degs. Both airbags deployed. Windshield broke. Fenders jammed both front doors. Everything not tied down ended up in the drivers side foot well. Something hit the passenger side windshield before the airbag deployed. Put a star in it from the inside.
DON'T LEAVE THINGS ON THE SEATS!!!! Never know when these things are gonna happen...
I'm pretty sure the Beam Blocker saved her life. It was mangled and puhed back about 8inches.
I got banged up pretty good. Bruises and burns from the bag.
I walked away though. Felt bad the girl got hurt.
I will post pics after I upload them...
SUCKS!!! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

Guardrail · 09-20-2003, 10:12 AM

I tell all my friends when they marvel at the size of the X, that it is 7500 lbs of steel. You don't want to be on the receiving end of it. I would hate to hurt another person (I am an army pilot and have put the ultimate hurt on "others" but that was "legal" at the time) in an accident, but when I and another vehicle mesh metal, I'm hoping that the 7500 lbs insures my family and I will always come out winners.

jdadamsjr · 09-20-2003, 03:50 PM

Cool you're in good shape!

That's why I drive this thing... I LOVE my family and want them with me as LONG as possible...
I think the BEST safety feature is it's weight !!!
right behind it's height...
most will hit us around the feet...

I played football thru school and I was fast but undersized
begged to be as big as I am now, but glad I waited this long !

it amazed me how fast I could run into someone and still bounce off ! Me usually going a lot further then them !!!
Started running around them right after the second or third OUCH :-)

powerboatr · 09-21-2003, 02:54 PM

glad the shear mass saved your tail. we saw a little one like that hit a f350 the daddy and moma went thru the winder, baby lived in car seat both rents DEAD DEAD DEAD.
moral.....
drive a 8k vehicle

bwalker5 · 09-21-2003, 05:16 PM

Yeah, phyically I'm fine..Mentally, well, it's weird.
Bruises, stiff neck, some knee pain. I braced with my left leg while my right pushed the brake pedal to the floor.
Second guessing thing has been going on since the crash..
Couldn't see any way out of it though. There was only about 1 second of descision time and all I could think of was not to hit the other car square on. I'm hoping she is OK...

Real Moral...
Everyone loses in a collision.
B

jdadamsjr · 09-21-2003, 07:41 PM

The important thing about second guessing is that it will only wear on you... You did ALL you could with the information and time at hand....

Hindsight is ALWAYS 20-20... the four worst words in the English language are "I wish I had..."...

Hug your kids (if you got em) every day and be thankful...
don't concern yourself about what you could have done ! It doesn't do you or those around you any good except to make you be a tiny bit more aware the next time...
which we hope never comes...

Matt Nelson · 09-21-2003, 10:14 PM

second guessing option....bury your foot into the throttle. Just kidding. Glad to hear your ok.

Ggg6 · 09-21-2003, 11:03 PM

Glad to hear you and the other person are ok. You might have saved someones life by your actions, no need to feel guilt, or second guess over that. As far as doing something different to avoid the accident completely, well the other person sealed your fate on that one buy running the red, not you. The thing that broke the windshield before the air bag deployed was probably the dash panel that blows out just as the air bag comes out from behind it.

H ED S · 09-21-2003, 11:26 PM

Sure glad you came out of the wreck as good as you did.

I had a wreck in my old 91 Ford diesel and was dang glad it had the weight that it did. Fellow ran a left turn light right in front of me and I had a car on each sid of me and nothing I could do but jam on the breaks. 45 mph speed limit and I was doing about 35 mph when we collided. He was in a Dodge intermediate size vehicle and I pushed him into the curb. It wiped both doors and I guess when it hit the curb his roof was bent up. The only damage that I had was the bumper was rubbing against the tire. Broke the plastic grill and bent the hood a little. I had a Western bumper mounted grill and brush guard on it and it saved a lot of damage on mine. My X has a stainless steel frame mounted one on it for this reason. I had been called out for overtime and the wrecker guy that came out pulled the bumper off my tire and I went on to work. My air bag did not deploy . The only problem that I had was a red mark and a sore left shoulder where the seat belt held me in place. Luckily they were not hurt either other than the loss of their car as it was totaled and the citation he got. Their wrecker had to put it on dollies as it jambed the rear axes into the differential and it would not roll.

Another safety feature of a diesel is the diesel does not catch fire very easy. Its flash point is a lot higher than gasoline. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

---:usa:---All Rights Reserved, The United States Constitution © 1791---:usa:---

- [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img] - Ed

crumm · 09-22-2003, 12:08 AM

[ QUOTE ]
X was traveling at 45mph and Sunfire <font color="red"> runs a red </font>and turns left directly into my path.

Yeah, phyically I'm fine..Mentally, well, it's weird.
Second guessing thing has been going on since the crash..

[/ QUOTE ]

What is there to second guess? She will think twice about running a red next time. Glad you are ok and hope she is to but imagine if she had been in the bigger rig. We may drive big trucks but as long as the accident is not your fault then don't worry about it.

bwalker5 · 09-22-2003, 03:01 AM

Thanks everyone for your support.
This was the first time I've been in an accident when someone was hurt.
You always think it will happen to "the other guy". Someone has to be the "other guy". This time it was me.
Should find out in a couple of days what they are going to do with the X.

Ggg6, I didn't think about the panel.
I guess if the panel hit the windshield at the speed that the bag deploys, it would have enough energy to break it. That would also explain the "smudge" that was there.
All I remember about the A/Bag's was that the truck was FILLED with smoke. Front to back. I couldn't see out of the windows when I stopped. Still though everything I had on the pass seat was in the drivers foot box. Digital camera, PDA, papers, a few $$, not to mention the soda I had in the cup holder.
Take care all..

B

jdadamsjr · 09-22-2003, 08:36 AM

Knock on wood !
Never had an air bag deploy...
Isn't the 'smoke' from the air bag deployment? and isn't it some kind of gas/powder/dust from the bag?

Guess I need to go to howthingswork.com !!!

powerboatr · 09-22-2003, 08:43 AM

not to make fun... but did the soda stay in the cup holder?
mine grips em like the devil thankfully

glad you ok,
rob

JADFPE · 09-22-2003, 10:55 AM

Glad to hear your okay. I have drove my share of miles in all types of vehicles. As a general rule, bigger is better. I have second guess my self to death after an accident. The only good it does is to make you think about what you might do the next time. Do not spend a lot of time on it. As said earlier, you did the best you could in the time you had. Hug your family and say a pray for the other party. Life is too short.

Have a great week and good luck with the insurance company.

John

ag4ever · 09-22-2003, 12:07 PM

Glad to hear you are OK.

The other weekend I was hauling around a highschool fried of my wife's and her two little girls. As their gradpa was straping them in their car seat he said he felt my truck was the safest place for them to be, what with the 8000 pound truck and 5000 pound boat behind it. He also asked if I got a beg enought truck. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] There would be very little on the raod that could standup to that kind of shear mass. I just hope that I never have to rely on that to keep my passengers safe, but it is nice to know it is there if you need it.

Your post is a good reason to keep the blocker beam on the trucks no matter what other benifit you might have taking it off. Besides it adds that much more mass that will protect you as well.