Side impact with a pole at 55mph?
 

Say you were going down the road at 70 mph and you see a Toyots Sequoia stopped in your lane. You were already slowing down anyways because you found yourself speeding on a road often patroled by the police, so you are at about 50-60mph. You look up at the light that was just green when you saw the sequoia and all of the sudden its red. Now your not sure how fast your going at this point but you estimate it at 40-55mph. You push on the brakes harder to slow you down but you are sure to pass into the middle of the intersection. Well lo and behold your fricking brakes lock up and you go into a skid. You let off the brakes and nothing happens. Your car swings right, you counter steer. Now it whipps left, you counter steer. No response so you steer more. You do a 180 and jump the curb to avoid the Sequoia mentioned earlier. WHAM!
You stop. Before the skid started you had down shifted to third gear, with out gear breaking. Did you feel yourself get faster in the skid or were you just freaking out? So from 40mph during your skid to apporx. 55mph when you get out of the car and realize you hit a Metal utility pole. Is this fast enough to bend the car so the tranny hits you in the knee, and put visible creases in the body of the car? I'm talking ALL over the car. Even the sunroof was bent up and it was in the out position when I hit the pole. Didn't even see the pole. Thought I was stopped by the curb until I got out and saw my poor car. I'm not sure if I'm right but when I hit, the Huge bump on my head is from where the A piller slapped down on my head. WTF!!! It seemed that the A piller just flexed. I felt the seat belt work perfectly, and my back didn't even come off the seat back. But the A piller seems to have hit me in the head. At this low of a speed is this posible? The pole, LUCKILY, hit the car just in front of the driver side door. Right now, sitting in the driver seat you would be facing oncoming traffic. The angels smiled on me today guys. I was supposed to be meeting a friend up at school to see a play, and as soon as I stopped, I looked over at on coming traffic and there he was Screaming down the road to help out. He didn't see the crash but recognized the FC seeing as he drives a TII. Everyone give spazzytroy a Kudos from the consesion stand for a good show at the wreck. He helped get all my expensive speakers and stuff out of the car before the wrecker came. I went to start it to move it up out of the road that I was knocked back into and the tranny was in the way of the gas peddle. Good thing my foot wasn't there right? Give me your feed back.
Charles

Life happens.
You walked away so you're good to go. Cars are disposable, you aren't. Glad to hear you grabbed the goodies before it was towed. Those suckers are thieves when they tow good stuff. Time to replace the car. Good luck.

Ouch... at least you're alive. A rex isn't worth your life. You can always buy another one. Take care of yourself!

- Kevin

See the FC is the strongest bodied RX-7 out there, and just imagine if you were in a honda product... They'ed be dropping you into a body bag.

Don't forget to go to the hospital or your doc and get checked out good

The A-pillar hit your head??! Fook, that was nasty. Glad to see you're still with us, and your friend deserves big time kudos for being aware.

Considering the age of the car, that's definitely a total. Sorry :( Hope you have good luck finding a replacement!

PauLC

Sad story, sorry to hear it. :(

Glad you're ok though. Are you planning to look for another FC?

Hey i see you are in austin, what road was this on? were you down south or west? im north in horrible terrible round rock

i got in a front right side wreck one time and what hit my forehead was the damm sun visor fliped down on me while the wreck happened thats how i got a bump
could it be posible thats what you hit?? with you head?

What a damn shame, from rotary rocket to scrap metal in 2.1 secs. At least you walked away

Hey Bigwoogie,
I was on slaughter. The wreck happened st the T intersection with Barstow. What really pisses me off is that I didn't even leave a mark on the pole! I went and looked at it today and nothing. The least I could have done was dented the pole but NO! I had a major malfunction with the brakes and thats what kept me in the skid. Towing the car to my house today. When the brakes locked they just stayed locked and thats what kept me from being able to steer the car. Bummer. Well time to get back in the drivers seat and find another FC!
Thanks for everyones concern. It means alot.
Charles

Thats awful :(

Anyone know what would cause his breaks to lock up like that?

So the brakes were still locked up when you towed the car?

I thought from reading the description, you had downshifted from 4th to 3rd without matching rpms. I thought this was what locked the back of the car up.

Had the car every been hit before? If so that might have weaked the car caussing the a pi;llar to give way. Good thing your ok.

Nope never hit before. Not even a lick of bondo man. The car was clean, and I mean clean. One of the best I've ever seen. It sux I wrecked it though. And yes the breaks in the front were locked up after the wreck as well. The driver of the flat bed drug the front tires until the brakes released so they could get it off the truck at the impound. The left front steering is broken now as well. I have 3 of the rims left and 2 T rated tyers on the rims with 170 miles on them. They are Futura GLS Super Sports
Charles

That really bites dude. I know how you're feeling. My old rex did a 180 on me and went backwards into a tree at 50mph. I too walked away with no more than a bump on my head, from my radar detector flying off the windshield. I'm curious, mine was an 86 with the poorly made interior and it all busted apart, solely from the force of the impact. Yours being a 90 with the better made interior, how did your interior look afterwards?

At least you are ok
 

Now you can look for a good TII. One positive out of it anyway.....sorry to read about the loss though.

The interior is perfect except for the warning light cover, and the small little peices of metal for braces with the dash. and the fact that the transmition tunnel is covering the gas peddle. Nothing else is broken except my CD player. It was messed up by one of the bent metal braces. It could be salvagable though. I haven't tried it yet. I beleive my driverside window on the door might be intact too. The windows were down and the sunroof open when I hit. I'll check the window tomorrow.
Charles