Pictures of the fatal wreck...
 

If you don't know the story...go here https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...hreadid=127436 then look at the pictures.

another
 

another...i've got around 12 pictures...

damn dude.. :( that sucks.. i would like to see the others if you dont mind posting..

how hard was it to go back?

interior

i give you props.. i could not sit in the car to take that picture :( i really feel for you man. i can imagine how hard that was

i actually had to bring two very good friends with me to keep me from breaking down. Thank you Bonnie and Brandon!

drivers(fathers)-side...the car hit the tree on that front fender...it didnt hit his door.

There's no way I could have gotten back inside the car. That was taken from the back window which was broken out.

This is the back of the drivers front wheel that hit the tree...the front part of the rim is still in the tire. The rest of the rim is being held on by a 3 3-4" piece that hadn't broken off.

...engine bay...

holy shit.. how did that happen to the rim? how deep was the water? have you gone back to the place where it happened?

Sorry about your loss.

I'm speechless man.

If you look closely, you can see the firewall/pedals pushed about 1.5' further into the engine bay. That hole is the reason the car sunk so suddenly.

When we hit the tree my dad had the wheel turned all the way to the left, hitting the wheel lock, and when we hit the tree it ripped the rim off. Yes I've gone back, but since it rained on monday/tuesday, the shoulder was VERY wet and I got stuck:(. I had to call my brother to pull me out so I just said 'fuck it' with the pictures. They say the car was in 8-10 feet of water.


This is a picture of the dash being pushed towards the driver. Even in he could have unbuckled himself, he was pinned under the dash.

...sunroof...

I did not post in the other thread because I don't know how to handle death. You seem to be totally on the right track to making the best of this and moving on and having an awesome life. I can't believe that you lived through this wreck.

I am so sorry and hope everything gets better for you.

Snook

Those pictures tell a lot of what happend. Like you said, given that the car was in about 8-10 feet of water, it would have been VERY difficult to get back into the vehicle. Also, keep in mind that the RX-7 is a low profile car to begin with. The smooth aerodynamic body lines don't exactly allow for large window openings.

And yes, your father was unfortunately pinned under the dash. This is very apparent in your picture of the interior on the driver's side.

You are a very strong individual for being able to take these pictures and do a pretty good analysis of what happend so soon. My prayers are with you and your family. I have lost friends in other types of situations. But, PM me if you should need anything, I will give you my contact info.

Its amazing you were able to get out of there. Like others said, you seem to be dealing with it pretty well.

Come on guys,,dont push brandom to post pics..
Imagine yourself in his situation??
I wouldnt take pics.
Tuca

The main reason I can deal with it this well is because I know he accomplished what he had to, which was just make anyone and everyone he crossed paths with happy. I don't regret anything because I spent as much time with him while he was here as I could.

Another reason is the support. So many people all over the internet are showing there condolences and all of the family's person friends are helping us get through this alot! There were over 800+ people who signed the book at his wake just to give you an idea of the amount of personal support we have.

Brandon

Thank you Tuco, but it's fine. I voluntarily took the pictures and posted them. I just want to try and make the reality hit as many people as I can so I can at least save one live from a wreckless accident.

Brandon

oh man....I know what ur going through...my dad did the same thing...but I got lucky. He took the car out for a "spin"...literally, but managed to avoid any kind of accident. He spun it out on the freeway, and somehow dodged all cars and any objects, and didnt get hurt. No damage to the car whatesoever, and thankfully him either. Really scared me because he came inside the house looking pale as a ghost, and I have never seen anyone so shocked and happy to be alive. I thought his situation was bad enough, and I would never want anyone to have to experience worse. I really give you props for being so incredibly strong with the situation that youre in. My deepest condolences go out to u and your family. I lost my mother at a young age, so I know what its like to lose a family member. I am so thankful that I didnt lose my dad.

More than 10 years ago, I owned an 84 Camaro. I nearly drove it off of a cliff, moving down a rode called Decker Canyon. I was pushing it threw a part of the canyon that I had driven at least two dozen times. The car hit a small oil spill, fishtailed one way and then the other, finally sliding off of the road and into the dirt. When I stopped the car one of the rear wheels was hanging over the edge. It was that close. I parked the car and was shaking so hard I had to lie down. I was younger and moved on quickly. I’m going to be a father in three months and this thread (and the first, text only thread) has been with me every day since it was posted. I may have forgotten my Camaro experience but doubt that I will ever forget what happened to Brandon.

Brandon, I hope that I am able to be as good a father as your dad was to you. I now live near Topanga Canyon and will NEVER push threw it as hard as I did Decker in my Camaro (I have a 94 rx7 now). Thanks for reminding me how lucky I am to have the chance to be a dad!!!!!!!!!

Everyone, this car is fun at half its capability on a twisty road. Don’t forget to leave plenty of reserve capability when you’re driving. The bump, water, oil, animal, or even a person in the road is out there more than you think.

You're stronger that I am. I would 've lost it seeing the car again. Friends with me or not.

sorry to hear you lost your father like that. I lost my father when i was 7.

Be strong my friend, may God bless your father and he be in a better place. You take care and remember you are in the prayers of others, myself included.

Ryan

I read your story and now the pictures make it such a reality :( My prayers are with you, your friends, family, and father; God rest his soul.

again i am speachless. so sorry to see this.

Holy shit man..... :(

That has to be one of the worst wrecked cars I have ever seen.


My condolences to your family.

Oh my god.

I can only express my sincerest condolences again. After seeing the pics and the extent of the damage, I think I speak for everyone hear when I say that we're thankful that at least YOU are still with us.

My condolences. He's in a better place now

May GOD shine HIS light upon you and your family. Everything has a reason. Your Father's untimely death may be the one thing that keeps someone else alive, just because you shared with others.

i ahd a red rx7 wrecked pretty bad. my condolences.

on the pic attached to this post...............there looks to be blood or some red stuff on the tire........:(



sorry to hear about your loss........my condolences

ALI

My condolences to you and your family.
Will you ever own a Rx-7 again? Just wondering because if that happened to me i dont think i could.

I am sorry to hear about your father. My deepest condolences goes out to you and your family. I specifically joined from the DSM community board dsmtalk.com, and DFWdsm to convey my condolences. The automotive community wishes you good luck.

Just my 2 cents! this is no Joke, i just read about this thread about a 18 year old dead because of a rx7 spinning out of control and recently the other case where this guy and his dad took his car out of a spin and lost control into a tree and then a lake,,---- results FATHER DEAD IN HIS SONS DREAM CAR.

Just my 2 cents! BE VEARLY Careful. December last year I lost control and hit a tree while rainning, nothing happened and I didnt learn my lesson or at least i took my life for granted. i was happy i was getting a new suspension and a new paint job, but this shit dont matter when you can loose your life.

2 weeks ago, i took a small turn not even going fast after the light turn green and my car did a 360 degree turn and almost hit a tree. I dont think these cars are a joke, specially when is wet or snowing! we should all be carefull when driving in the rain or in the fall, That goes out for anybody who drives a rear wheel drive car. It doesnt matter how much experience you have on the wheels, how old you are or how good of a good driver you are, It can be any of us! anytime at any moment driving our cars in a sllipery road!!!
WATCH OUT THERE!

Saul V

My whole school prayed for you and your family today on my request at mass. There's some more support for you man :) it makes me really happy to see you getting through this so fast and being able to celebrate your fathers life.

Would you mind sharing this in the lounge section?

If people can see these pictures this can save a few lives..........

WOW I never ever come into the 3rd gen section and today for no reason i decided to,

this is the one and only post i have decided to read in here and i have no clue who any of you are or what was going on,

about 1/4 through the page i pretty much figured it out then it was later confirmed that what i thought was, actually was

all i can say is i dont know if that was your car or your fathers but the connection with the loss of that car and your father driving while you where co-piloting just brought a tear to my eye and im not joking at all.

this is extremely sad and right now i envy you for having more strength then any member of this board has ever shown
I feel this subject is way to touchy to comment on,i dont know you personally but you have my blessings and i'll pray for you

my Commiseration goes out to you and your family
may god be with you

hello brandon,
firstly, im sorry to hear of yours & familys loss,
but as ive read on, i feel you really did survive due to your dad cutting you loose, and its a dam shame you lost someone wonderful, to a simple drive to spoil his son to put one last smile on your face before he left life..
but im very glad your still here & your family didnt loose 2 loved ones bro..your dad had one last thing to do in life before he left, and that was to make sure you lived & you made it brother, so sharing this story with us all is
a mighty fine way to say thanx to your father!! i know its always going to be hard and you will always dearly miss your father, but never put your head down and cry over whats happend ok, keep your head up high and remember how it really is and was bro, because his not really all gone unless you let go & that i carnt see happen, so smile once more for all us people, who you have touched our hearts with all thats happend and make your dad proud one last time... remember bro, your dad was your hero, but really he was your ledgend....

regards... mark...

So very sorry. really sorry.:(

I feel soo sorry for you :(. Reading that and seeing the pictures nearly brought tears to my eyes. I could hardly imagine what it would be like for my father to die now(im 17). I hope that people will read this and be able to learn from your fathers life. Life goes on, "The sound you hear is times winged chariot", keep on keepin on Brandon. Brighter times are right over the horizion;)

I'm a new member, and I know this is late, but I'm very sorry to hear about that accident, it's horrible how such bad things happen to good people, my condolences to you and your family. Thank you for bringing this sad story to people, it will certainly save lives.

My deepest condolences to you and your Family, may Good rest your Dad's soul. I feel sorry for you, that is a very big loss.
Will pray for his soul, God bless you and be strong we feel for you.

this thread came back from the dead but I think its a good reminder to the seriousness that needs to be taken into consideration when driving a high performance rearwheel drive car.

I am not looking at the pics forget it, i cant see the car like that, my deepest condolensces my friend, my prayers are with you

bump becuase it's related

Woops! Didn't even look at the dates.