4CN Air

iTrader: (7)

So it's last night, a beautiful 60 degree western PA in JANUARY; and I decide to take my car out for the last spin it will see this year before it gets put into hibernation. It's not inspected because I was just going to wait until I pull it out in the spring. So I see a cop eyeing us up (a friend of mine was in his supercharged Integra), so we pull into a gas station, check tire pressure, you know, burn time until he leaves. So he circles around and leaves the way we needed to go. So we take the long way to our destination, little did we know, my car would never make it.

As we were crossing a bridge, moving a decent pace but by no means were we racing or even really getting on it. I'd say I was at about 85mph, which on a smooth highway seems like 25 in an FD. So I'm coiming up the right lane and there is a dump truck going slow in the right lane. Just before the nose of my car crosses the tail of his he swerves over, no turn signal, no warning as to what he was about to do. He swerved over like he was trying to smash me against the barrier (he obviously was unable to see the lowered black car. So I hit the brakes and swerve left (at this time he is in the middle of a two lane road, barely enough room on either side of him to get by. So I swerve left and pull it back to the right to avoid the senter divider. My *** end kicks out just slightly, but enough for my right front wheel to contact his left front wheel, which kicked us sideways and then came the coutersteering, I'd say at least 4 or 5 oscillations, but it recovered, without hitting any of the walls or other cars (my freind's brembos had stopped him in time to avoid everything). The car was still runnign, which I was happy about but there was obviously wheel/suspension problems.

I run back to check the other guy, and I see a couple cars stopped, I was thinking the worst, someone had gone over, or at the very elast there were multiple cars involved and soemone was hurt. This wasn't the case, just me and the dump (which had slammed himself into the wall TWICE, and almost went over. There were tire marks up the side of the concrete the whole way to the top!

The bad thing is we took the on ramp pretty quickly and another motorist saw us, and stopped at the accident to let the dump driver know that he would testify for him that we were speeding (even though he was at least a minute behind the accident) and we had slowed down by now. The police are currently assessing blame, I thought it was totally going ot go against me (since the first thing he did was oull my friend aside who was uninvolved with the accident, and accused us of racing). But he also said it was impossible that the light collision of my superlight car pushed the dump into the wall twice. So it might end up not being either fault, which is acceptable to me (I have full coverage with a small deductable).

The pics are attached.

BTW: Once I tried to change the wheel I discovered the upper A arm was broken, don't ask me how I counter-steered. Someone was looking out for me.


So if anyone has:

upper passenger side A-arm or a black passenger fender I'm interested.

MWM

Did you get into any trouble with the cops from the car not being inspected?

KaiFD3S

iTrader: (37)

sorry to hear man, it looks like it is easily fixable...at least you did not get hurt and the car is not repairable

jpandes

That Sucks! I hope it owrks out for you. What did the truck driver say happened?

weetbix13

that didn't bite the dust thank god!
i thought another FD was gone forever, but you'll get it back on the road and kick your mates Honda's *** in no time!

rotoboy661

hey man its koo

easy fix

let me know if u need anything

mike

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

You might want a new bumper too

Dave

RoninX

tasted but not bitten the dust yet...youre pretty damn lucky.

bajaman

Well...that sucks but looks repairable. However...you fucked up, plain and simple. By your own admission you WERE racing/speeding/exceeding the posted limit (which was what, by the way?) and so you came up on traffic that is not expecting someone to be doing twice the posted limit or whatever, and the guy in the truck is not expecting the closing speed you are doing (nor should he be) so he really isn't at fault. And you have another motorist who must have seen you and your buddy "having fun" at some point...not good! And you were taking an untagged or unregistered car out for a run, to boot?

Man....you got lucky.

Spirit_Rotary_7

sux man.. glad you are ok. Just do not let events like this happen again in the future and all will be well..

Mikey

rfreeman27

iTrader: (5)

I have the front suspension (minus shocks and coils)

Shoot me a PM for parts

RE Suzuki

Good thing you have spared your life in that collision. Now its time to go for 99spec front bumper.

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

Another motorist saying you're speeding has no weight. You can easily shoot down that they are not qualified or trained to identify a vehicle's speed by sight.

Good thing that looks easily fixable. The truck looks like it made out far worse!

Dale

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

^ I'm thinking the same thing. It also looks like someone got hurt, wasn't that blood on that guys jeans leaning against the FD?

["Another motorist saying you're speeding has no weight. You can easily shoot down that they are not qualified or trained to identify a vehicle's speed by sight."
Dale ]


^IMO, not necessarily so. They're not saying he was going a particular speed, only that he appeared to be exceeding it. I've seen such testimony accepted many times.

Kento

Agreed. All the witness has to say is that you were going much faster than the flow of traffic, and the authorities can take that as testimony that you were speeding.

How would the cop know that your car is "superlight"?

4CN Air

iTrader: (7)

a couple things:

1. Yes I do admit that it was my "fault" because anytime you're going faster than the speed limit and something happens or is made worse by the excess speed its the speed and thefore the driver that is at fault. I should have been paying closer attention to the other cars.

2. No one was hurt, the blood on my dad's pants was from helping my grandfather (his dad) skin a deer he got (it's muzzleloader season in PA).

3. The witness that says we were speeding had no way of seeing how fast I was going when the accident occurred, he saw us take an on ramp at a speed he does not expect most cars to be capable of maintaining around the bend. However I was more than likely not in excess of the speed limit on the on ramp. The recommended speed limits for ramps are not set limits, they are recommendations. I could technically get a ticket for unsafe drving or something but never a "Xmph in a Xmph zone" ticket. Also I can arguethat the other motorist is biased based onmy age and the car I'm driving, because I'm sure my friends' bias will be called into question even though they were in the best position to tell what happened. The driver of the dump truck doesn't know what happenned because he never checked hi mirrors, he didn't see me until I was sideways beside him. He admitted it to me but then changed his story slightly when the cop asked him (imagine that).

4. A front bumper isn't in the list of needed parts because more than likely either a 99 spec or a GTC bumper will take the stockers place. Foudn out today afterexamining in thelight that I'll need a hood too and a steering rack (which needed replaced anyone, I already have a new one).

5. Thanks for the kind words, I was fearing hatred; and coments on my age. My age and abilities had nothing to do with the accident. Speed and timing did. Yes some people drive slower when they age but I doubt I will, my father still loves to rip around in my car, often to such an extent that he advises me to "lay low for a while" before taking it back into town. It's in my blood. But like I said before, I'mnot going to blame it onanyone else, I chose to exceed the speed limit, and even though the other driver changed lanes without looking or signalling I could have probably prevented the accident at 65.

I'm waiting until they decide fault and I'm sure my insurance company will cover it before I make future plans for the car.

4CN Air

iTrader: (7)

It was a younger cop who knows a little about cars, he knew it had a rotary engine (more than most people). Plus you'd have to be an idiot to look at an FD and say that it pushed that huge, heavy truck. Especially with all the more damage that the collision cause. All the damage that was done to his truck was from him slamming into the bridge.

The truck could have easily seen me IF he had LOOKED behind him before changing lanes. I was not racing, and was no where near double the limit. If you've never gone 85 on a highway then you can fault me, but only then. It may be hard from my explanation (I just reread it) and the pictures to figure out what happened but I assure you that at least as much fault lies with the other driver as it does with me. Also the car being unregistered has nothing to do with the accident. A sticker on my windshield would not have helped anything.

TT_Rex_7

^--I totally agree with you and hope everything is ok in the end. I'm sure bajaman was saying if your car wasn't registered then it shouldn't have been on the road. In other words, if your car isnt registered, then it shouldn't have been on the road, then the accident would have never happened.

-Alex

4CN Air

iTrader: (7)

yeah you're right, it wouldn't have happened if my car would have been registered because I wouldn't have avoided the cop and I would have never been on the bridge

TT_Rex_7

Oh well you live and learn and atleast you wasn't hurt, and the car isn't in to bad of condition. Things can always be much much worse...

-Alex

`sl!mXP

aw man that totally sucks - I never even got to see your car !! Do you have any idea whats going to hapen next? (Totalled, repair, parting out, sell it as is?) Either way I wish you the best of luck man - from one steeler fan to another

It was nice having that 70 degree high the other day though in the middle of january

4CN Air

iTrader: (7)

def going to repair it, yeah things could have been a lot worse. The other driver could have went over the bridge. His tire was on top of the cement barrier and broke one of the pipes going across the top.

cover8

People switching lanes was what scared me most about my bike...the faster I went on the bike, the more people swithched lanes without looking...sold my bike after a woman merging switched over two lanes right in front on me and did not see me... I hit the back brakes causing the bike to tail slide and damn near highsided it...I parked at the light with the damn lady and wanted to kick her teeth in!

teaks92hb

Umm...yeah I was in the car w/ him and I give him much credit for keeping control of the vehicle..Oh and the car is registered...it's not inspected....The guy in the truck is lucky as are we. By the way...I still love my honda, but I have a new found respect for rx-7's... woah are they fast!

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

I dunno what these guys are talking about...your speeding has practically no weight in this accident. You didn't lose control of your vehicle, and you didn't hit him. You were maintaining your lane, and he 1) did not give a signal, 2) did not yield to traffic, 3) forced an accident. You could be doing 215mph, and it would STILL be his fault.

I was actually in a rear end collision, where I, well, basically flew into the rear of a lady's car doing a good 55mph. That's the speed of impact, AFTER braking. I was initially doing about 75mph (this was on a 55mph highway, a few years back). Long story short, even though I rear-ended her, and she claimed I was speeding, it was STILL her fault, because I was in the left lane, and she was trying to get onto the highway from the SHOULDER, doing about 35mph...my God. Stupid drivers. The cop said my speed was inconsequential, given that I had the right of way, and she had to yield to me, and entered the highway without a signal, etc etc.