Just had a car accident...

[edesignuk]

I've just got home at 5am after spinning off driving along a dark lane into the ditch. Looks like I slipped on a very thin layer of black ice which spun the back wheels out. Luckily I'm fine, but my lovely new Mini Cooper is seriously damaged, I'm gutted :(

So anyway, have you ever had a car accident? We're you hurt? Or were you like me, nothing more than a ******** up car?

Here's a pic of my wonderful little car....when it was still in one piece! ....I'm soooooooo gutted!!!!! :( :( :(

http://www.edesignuk.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/my_mini.jpg

[Macette]

i'm so desperately jealous - not about the accident, but about your mini cooper. hope you're insured...

<touches wood> i haven't had an accident yet </touches wood>

but it wouldn't be too bad if my 30 year old hunk of junk alfetta got written off. as long as nobody got hurt.

[rainman::|:|]

ugh i'm sorry-- car accidents are very traumatic. i once decided to see how fast a ford ranger (if you don't know it, it's a small pickup made out of tinfoil) could go on a gravel road... one thing leads to another, and i've rolled the truck a couple of times, it's on fire, and i'm blacked out underneath it.

kind of sucked. it was my dads truck. he was not amused.

i was fine tho, other than compression fractures in a few vertebrae... which is painful to this day... my lower shoulders will hurt for the rest of my life, in all probability.

i remember seeing you post a pic of that car before... i know how proud you were, did you have good insurance? that totally sucks :(

glad you're okay tho-- which is the important thing...

pnw

[edesignuk]

Yeah, I'm insured. I rang the "MINI Accident Management" line number that is on a keyring that came with the car and they arranged everything. Within and hour the car was pulled out of the ditch and was on it's way to the bodyshop. I hate to think what this is going to do to my insurance premiums though....it's not gonna be good :(

[WinterMute]

Tough luck mate, travels been a bitch here last few days... Hope the Cooper comes back good as new.

I got hit two years ago in Herne Hill, S London, I was coming home from a gig at about 2am, and was broadsided by a minicabbing twat in a Citroen XM who decided to run straight through a red light. Hit me in the passenger door doing something like 45 mph (a cop reckoned), threw the car 35 feet down the road into a streetlight, bent the chassis about 10 degrees:D

I was lucky to be in a SAAB 9000, I got a few glass cuts and a dislocated thumb, but because I didn't see him I didn't tense up so no whiplash.

Turned out the bast**d didn't have insurance, MOT or a brain, seriously injured the poor sod he was taking home, and then tried to claim I'd jumped the lights!

Cost me a bloody fortune, new car, NC bonus, endless wrangling with the insurance company.

Still, ended up well, cos I suggested getting two cars to replace the beast, which my wife was talking about getting rid of, and I ended up with a Corrado VR6! (couldn't afford the Audi TT:( )

[Chad]

cool looking car ;)
I like them a lot would love a convertible

on the crash I know how you feel

last year I bought a new Toyota Tacoma 4x4 limited dual cab totally killer a few months after we got it I went out to go somewhere and it was gone ???

they finally found it but it was totalled

years ago I had another Toyota 4x4 tricked out very heavily but not stupid jacked looking ;) a true 4x4 beast anyway going down the highway the front end locked up it just started flying up onto its nose and 280 feet later after fliping end over end 2 times and rolling it came to rest ;)
%100 gone no insurance

so I know the feeling ;)

I feel for ya man truely I do

[iGav]

At least you're okay...... cars can always be repaired....

The roads here at the moment are pretty bad, especially if your council doesn't like to indulge in the art of gritting.....

I've only had one smash, I was driving my (old) Beetle down a snowy road, and because of the lack of weight over the front wheels (Beetles are rear engined) I couldn't steer, or brake..... I tried to accelerate out of it but no joy, and whacked a into a lampost at 30 Mph...... sending the car airbourne and into a 180, leaving a huge V dent upto the windscreen, and knocking the lampost into a 45 degree angle....

And the real killer is that the council made me pay to put back up the lampost..... :rolleyes: If only they had gritted the road!!

One of the reasons my next car is going to have 4WD......

Also.... do Mini supply you with a courtesy car whilst yours is off the road?? I remember reading that they didn't if you were under 25.... instead they gave this guy who smacked up his Mini, but was under 25 Bus fare money..... I kid you not!!

Hope it all sorts out for you though!!

Gav

[iGav]

Originally posted by WinterMute

Turned out the bast**d didn't have insurance, MOT or a brain, seriously injured the poor sod he was taking home, and then tried to claim I'd jumped the lights!

Cost me a bloody fortune, new car, NC bonus, endless wrangling with the insurance company.

Still, ended up well, cos I suggested getting two cars to replace the beast, which my wife was talking about getting rid of, and I ended up with a Corrado VR6! (couldn't afford the Audi TT:( )

I'd have repeatedly smashed his head against the steering wheel until he coughed up..... That's the thing with cretins who don't have insurance..... :rolleyes:

I'm after a TT at the mo..... the Turbo Centre in North London do them for 12k, although they're LHD..... but that's a huge saving over a RHD model, that still commands 20k.... Plus with Audi releasing new TT models this year, I'm hoping the price will fall a little further....

Only one problem... do I go for the Coupe or the Roadster???

Decisions Decisions..... ;) :) :p

[ExoticFish]

3 years ago i was driving 60 Mph down this road (yes that was the speed limit!) This jerk ran a stop sign right in front of me. Well, my tiny little Geo Metro slammed into the side of him and totalled both cars. I spun around in circles lord knows how many times and he flipped a few time before landing back on his wheels. Best part about it was when he flipped the first time it sent his luggage rack that was on his roof straight up into the air and when he finally landed on his tires it came down and smashed into his wind shield. Luckily I got enough out of the insurance company to buy the Civic I'm driving today. :D

[Dont Hurt Me]

Sorry to hear this but the fact you are all right is what matters!now with that said i love your mini i had been thinking of getting one but its hard to have another car payment so i guess ill just keep cruising in my truck and mgb!Again those mini's are so cool!

[eyelikeart]

I was involved in an accident...nearly got killed. It's about 3 am, I've been out all night with a buddy of mine, and we're leaving to go home. We get about 5 or 6 blocks away from the bar, when things go wrong.

All of the streets which cross the one we're driving are one way, all alternating directions. So we're driving, and some kid in a Jeep Cherokee comes barrel assing through the street, going the wrong way. It happened so fast, I only had a fraction of a second to think "oh *****!" before slamming into him.

I close my eyes, and feel this movement taking place. It was more like a bad amusement park ride than anything else. I hear this loud "BANG!" and feel something smack me in the face. The movement stops, I open my eyes, see smoke filling the inside of the car, and then my lungs start burning from the gas vapors of the airbag.

Long story short, my car spun for 30 feet into a frontyard fence. My car, which I'll post a photo of later, suffered $11k in damages (about 90% of it being front end damage). 5 hours in Charity Hospital ER (they have the best trauma unit in the country), 6 months of physical therapy for my neck, a year of dealings with my lawyer, I am still here.

That whole ordeal changed my life, seriously. :)

[Mr. Anderson]

I've been hit and had major damage, but never injured, a corvette took out my Honda Civic way back. Did more damage to the Corvette, fiberglass flying everywhere.

But I'm really sorry to hear you have to go without the Mini for a while - that really sucks. Got any pics of the damage?

D

[WinterMute]

Originally posted by iGAV


Only one problem... do I go for the Coupe or the Roadster???

Decisions Decisions..... ;) :) :p

Go with the coupe, I've driven both and the roadster suffers from scuttle shake when you throw it into a corner, plus wind noise. Besides, we live in a country with precisely 3 days of good weather a year;)

I'd also think about the LHD thing, I find it really difficult in London in a LHD car, to the point where I declined the loan of a Porsche 911 for two weeks last year (fool). Mind, at that price...

They did the cab driver for Due care and attention, no licenseand the MOT, he got banned for 3 years and got a £3K fine, I also hear that the passenger is suing him:D

Still, he was probably back on the road the next day, a***hole.

[howard]

been in two accidents...both at low speeds...i didn't get hurt on either...but one could have been bad....one my brother was driving wasn't looking and ran into a parked car...was only going 25-30 so it wasn't to bad. The other ...the end of a snow plow came about 2 feet from my face...it would have taken my head off if it didn't hit just a few feet back from where it hit...he backed into us...this time my cousin was driving...but again it was at low speeds...though the mass of the snow plow completely totalled my cousins truck.

[iGav]

Originally posted by WinterMute

They did the cab driver for Due care and attention, no licenseand the MOT, he got banned for 3 years and got a £3K fine, I also hear that the passenger is suing him:D


That's what I like to hear...... although I fear he's probably driving around as we speak.... :rolleyes:

[edesignuk]

Thanks for all your replys guys :)
The bodyshop has just rang with an estimate of the damage....8k!!! That's (just) more than half the price of the car! I can't believe it! The insurance company arn't gonna be to happy, but oh well, I just hope they don't make to much of a fuss. I really need that car back and running asap.

[Stike]

I had a serious crash once. In 1994, when I had my license for 3 months, I was driving in a hurry, with two friends in the car.
There was a long-drawn left curve, and I thought, I could drift a little more to the right, in case someone could come round the curve, which wasnt completely visual (bushes on the left)

Then, it started to rumble on the right side, and... I think I totally lost my nerves. I must have turned the wheel too fast or something, then the car was dancing a boogey over the whole street and then shooting off into the field.

After I opened my eyes, I thought... hey, everything´s fine, we´ll drive the car out or pull it out and drive on. Someone said "We gotta get out" and so we did. Then, I turned around and saw it... "THE CAR! THE CAR! THE CAR!..." I wasn´t able to hold my breath. It was a wreck. I didn´t notice how it could be SO worse. The car was short on any side, the roof flattened, the front, the back... everthing.

We looked at the field we crashed into. Street. Then a small "crater". Then plants. Then flat plants. Then plants. Then flat plants... and so on... and then... the car. We were doing a cunning 720 degree stunt! The car rotated twice, bouncing through the field, and we were all fine, all three of us. I had a speed of around 90 km/h thats 56 mph...

Then came the medics, they were sending the helicopter back, it wasnt needed. The police were checking my license... and finally I kept the license, because nobody was harmed. The only damage I took that day was when the medics were checking our blood pressure and I hit the ambulance car´s top with my head. Ouch.

[James.Paul]

I've got a big dent in the side of my Peugeot 206. Was sat in the car whilst leaving a party and my mate Ash (absolutely bollocksed!) decided to try and pick the car up (with 4 people still in it as well). He failed miserably so we just drove home. Next day I spotted a huge dent where his shoulder had gone into the car. Unfortunately, the party was his leaving party before he flew back to Canada at 10.30am. Which by my reckoning meant he'd left an hour ago!!!! Not sure where he is now!!!!

Still, at least it beats my girlfriend, who in her wisdom decided to drive straight into a parked transit van!!!

[eyelikeart]

well...here are pics of mine...heh

[eyelikeart]

and another

[eyelikeart]

and one more...

[Moxiemike]

Originally posted by eyelikeart
and one more...

Dang. That's some nasty stuff happening there. Ouch.

I was in an accident in a 1991 Saab 900 (good ol' tank she was) where a woman in a Suburban rear ended me, slid on ice, and while slamming on her brakes, pushed the ol' Saab underneath a gasoline truck.

The ladder from the gas truck got hooked on my front end and snapped off, and when i opened my eyes, i was about 4 inches from the back of the truck. Whew.

Had to climb out the back seat, and the woman was, you guessed it, on a cell phone and applying lipstick (she had a smear on her face)

We (me and the truck) were stopped at a light. She "couldn't see the light was red" and kept going. Dumb B*tch.

But yea. My whole front end was mangled?hood had a hole in it from the ladder, both head lights gone, grille gone, bumper was placed in my backseat.

Rear end truck deck lid was an upside down V shape, both tail lights were bashed it and we tied the back bumper to the frame. Surprisingly, she hit me square and i hit the truck square--no frame damage to the Saab.

So i ended up driving it home (about 7 minute drive) as I didn't wanna pay for a tow truck. hehe

I still have the Saab logo from the hood in my room somewhere. Ran into traffic to pick it up. :)

hehe

[eyelikeart]

Originally posted by Moxiemike


The ladder from the gas truck got hooked on my front end and snapped off, and when i opened my eyes, i was about 4 inches from the back of the truck. Whew.

Had to climb out the back seat, and the woman was, you guessed it, on a cell phone and applying lipstick (she had a smear on her face)


wowser!! :eek:

that's some scary stuff...seems we've all had a mishap of some shape...

[3777]

Originally posted by edesignuk
I've just got home at 5am after spinning off driving along a dark lane into the ditch. Looks like I slipped on a very thin layer of black ice which spun the back wheels out. Luckily I'm fine, but my lovely new Mini Cooper is seriously damaged, I'm gutted :(

So anyway, have you ever had a car accident? We're you hurt? Or were you like me, nothing more than a ******** up car?

Here's a pic of my wonderful little car....when it was still in one piece! ....I'm soooooooo gutted!!!!! :( :( :(

http://www.edesignuk.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/my_mini.jpg

That SUCKS!!!

I'm pissed off right now too, just last week I was at the car wash, and I was using the do it yourself powerwash....... well I tripped over the rubber hose and fell into my new SC Frontier Crew Cab right when the power sprayer was on full steam, it stripped a huge area of paint on the rear drivers side door..... right through the clear coat and down to the sheet metal. Now I have to have it fixed. :(

[scem0]

I can't drive. Here in Texas you can start taking drivers ED when
you're 15, and I am 15, but I have been putting it off, because I
am a nerd, and I would rather be on the computer all day ;) :rolleyes: :D .

[rainman::|:|]

Originally posted by ExoticFish
3 years ago i was driving 60 Mph down this road (yes that was the speed limit!) This jerk ran a stop sign right in front of me. Well, my tiny little Geo Metro slammed into the side of him and totalled both cars. I spun around in circles lord knows how many times and he flipped a few time before landing back on his wheels. Best part about it was when he flipped the first time it sent his luggage rack that was on his roof straight up into the air and when he finally landed on his tires it came down and smashed into his wind shield. Luckily I got enough out of the insurance company to buy the Civic I'm driving today. :D

you're only the second person i've heard of that had a car accident in a Geo and survived... and the first one is still having flesh reconstructions done 6 years later. Most of his body is scraped down to bone, and he's lost so much muscle he can barely move. they just paint over the open wounds with a special sealant, all they can do--

so i think you're pretty lucky :)

pnw

[MacFan25]

I really like your Mini. Hope that you get it fixed and everything works out fine.

[MrMacMan]

Originally posted by scem0
I can't drive. Here in Texas you can start taking drivers ED when
you're 15, and I am 15, but I have been putting it off, because I
am a nerd, and I would rather be on the computer all day ;) :rolleyes: :D .

Welcome to the real world where not everything will happen at your keyboard.

I know its a shock, just let the truth come in.
:o

[scem0]

Originally posted by MrMacman


Welcome to the real world where not everything will happen at your keyboard.

I know its a shock, just let the truth come in.
:o

theres something beyond the keyboard :confused: :confused: ;) :D :D

[edesignuk]

Well, here it is. My newly shaped Mini in the body shop car park. It actually really doesn't look to bad at all. Certainly not £8k's worth of damage, but whatever, I'm not paying for it! Good 'ol insurance :D ;)

http://homepage.mac.com/edesignuk/PhotoAlbum8.html :eek: :(

[Mr. Anderson]

Damn, that's £8k's worth of damage? Sounds like a scam to me. How much did you pay for the thing in the first place?

But I'm glad you're covered.

D :D

[G4scott]

Originally posted by scem0


theres something beyond the keyboard :confused: :confused: ;) :D :D

You know, maybe people like you are safer behind a keyboard than the steering weel of a car (j/k) :p

I've never been in an accident, but my brother had a winter texan (people who flock to Texas during the cold months of winter to take our warm winters, and make the buffet lines really long...) back into him at a restaurant one morning... Let me tell you, a Ford Escort has no chance against one of those heavy duty rigs that those winter texans use to haul their trailers... It just smashed the front passenger door in, and the other guy's insurance paid for it, so no biggie...

[edesignuk]

Originally posted by dukestreet
Damn, that's £8k's worth of damage? Sounds like a scam to me. How much did you pay for the thing in the first place?

But I'm glad you're covered.

D :D
Tell me about it! They've even put on the estimate that it needs a new Mini badge for the back, which if you see in the pics isn't even scratched! But, as I said I'm not paying for it so I'm not bothered, that's for the insurance company to argue with the body shop. That'll be fun :D
The car was just over 14k new, so the damage they have quoted for is over half the value of the car in the first place! That body shop are seriously taking the p*ss! :rolleyes: Mind you part of the cost is probably because they are a BMW approved body shop, and there arn't many of them around. But at least that means they should do a quality job

[Mr. Anderson]

Originally posted by edesignuk

The car was just over 14k new, so the damage they have quoted for is over half the value of the car in the first place! That body shop are seriously taking the p*ss! :rolleyes: Mind you part of the cost is probably because they are a BMW approved body shop, and there arn't many of them around. But at least that means they should do a quality job

Pretty lame, actually. Looks like they're trying to pad the work so they get more money. I hope the insurance company figures it out.

What is the Mini badge? the logo or something? And do you notice anything wrong with it?

Good luck.

D

[edesignuk]

Originally posted by dukestreet

What is the Mini badge? the logo or something? And do you notice anything wrong with it?

It's just the little Mini badge that is in the centre of the boot lid on the back, which as you can see is not damaged, hell, none of the boot lid is damaged!

[Moxiemike]

Originally posted by edesignuk

It's just the little Mini badge that is in the centre of the boot lid on the back, which as you can see is not damaged, hell, none of the boot lid is damaged!

i don't know how insurance is here... but an with 8k of damage, you're insurance is gonna go up a ton. If they're really padding the repairs, and it's more like, $ 3000-5000, which it looks lik from the pics... then you're insurance isn't too bad. But 8k? that's gonna almost double your monthly premium. I'd get a second body quote. :(

[evoluzione]

for all the lads in england, trust me, since i've been in nyc, i seriously do not mind paying road tax, the roads in england are sooo much better than here in new york, they're so crap here, i drive an original mini around (one of only a handful in the city, but not for long as i'm starting to ship some over) and i'm constantly taking off in it 'cause there's so many bumps. mind you, it makes it a lot of fun, if damaging. and what seems to be typical over here in nyc, as far as road repairs go, well, they start digging up the road, and them cover it with a big f-off metal plate and leave it for a few months/year until they can be arsed to finish it. the joys of having the majority of construction crews run by the mob i guess. (yes, true).

anyways, here's my lancia delta hf turbo, or what was left of it when i rolled it and ended up wedged IN a tree on the way back from leceister.

[edesignuk]

Originally posted by Moxiemike

i don't know how insurance is here... but an with 8k of damage, you're insurance is gonna go up a ton. If they're really padding the repairs, and it's more like, $ 3000-5000, which it looks lik from the pics... then you're insurance isn't too bad. But 8k? that's gonna almost double your monthly premium. I'd get a second body quote. :(
Actually is not to bad, all I'm gonna loose is 10% of my no claims bonus, which means the insurance will only go up about £80, all I have to pay is the £350 excess change :D

[evoluzione]

Originally posted by edesignuk

Actually is not to bad, all I'm gonna loose is 10% of my no claims bonus, which means the insurance will only go up about £80, all I have to pay is the £350 excess change :D


damn, that's pretty good. how old are ya?

[edesignuk]

Originally posted by evoluzione



damn, that's pretty good. how old are ya?
19.....but that's not why it's so cheap. I'm on my dads insurance policy ;) but I am down with the insurance company as the primary driver, so it's all cool with them. I've been very lucky, I wasn't hurt, and it isn't gonna cost me much...phew!

[WinterMute]

Looks like the back end twisted a bit, look at the trim line running from the boot to the wing, plus that wing/ underside section is made in one piece isn't it?

Could be they plan to stick it in a body jig and bring it straight, plus it looks like some underside damage too, its always the ones that look ok that are really bad, anything to do with the chassis geometry or the body structure, and your talking plenty folding...

I think you were lucky they didn't just write it off!!!:eek:

My uncle had an electrical fire in his Lexus 400 last year, not bad, contained in the engine bay and out in minutes, but it gutted the electrics behind the dashboard and they wrote the car off.

[Mr. Anderson]

Originally posted by edesignuk

It's just the little Mini badge that is in the centre of the boot lid on the back, which as you can see is not damaged, hell, none of the boot lid is damaged!

Ok, sounds to me as if someone wants to have a Mini Badge for themselves. You should prevent that by saying that if the thing is replaced you want the old one :D

D

[edesignuk]

Originally posted by dukestreet


Ok, sounds to me as if someone wants to have a Mini Badge for themselves. You should prevent that by saying that if the thing is replaced you want the old one :D

D
Huh! What a good idea! I'd quite like that on my wall :)

[iWantAMac]

Your Mini doesn't look too bad. Though I'm sure it didn't feel too good, either :(.
You have my sympathies - Around 4 1/2 months ago I had an accident(/crashed) driving a '00 Toyota Celica (TRD Sports M to be exact) (http://www.roblightbody.com/cars/celica.jpg). No pictures of the result but I can assure you it wasn't pretty; Repairs ended up costing over half of what was originally paid for the car (brand new).
Luckily I was the only one in the car at the time and was able to walk away without so much as a scratch.

All be assured, I did it right the first time... I don't need to have another car accident ever again, and I don't intend to.

[SPG]

Doing just over 60mph in a civic while exiting the 405 in Orange County, touch the brakes and BANG! The front left wheel seems to explode and fly off the car. Civics don't handle so well with only three wheels so it spun once and slammed into the divider...totalled. The brake rotor shattered and tore the wheel off I was told. I walked away without a scratch and without a car since I only had liability coverage. I was lucky, very lucky. 10 seconds earlier it would've been a multiple car high speed wreck.
On a steep hill a CD case slides in front of the shifter and before I realize it I roll back into a jacked up SUV with a battering ram on the front that takes out the trunk of my brand new Jetta 1.8t, damn, my fault, but oh well insurance will cover it. Nope, my insurance was dropped a month prior since I moved and didn't even know I had been dropped. Two weeks later a drunk driver so hammered he couldn't even stand up slams into the back of my car and takes out the bumper, totally crushes the still dented trunk, the lights, and $2500 worth of repairs...he has no insurance but pays the whole thing out of pocket cash. Lucky again I guess, since I didn't have to pay it or report it to my new Insurance.