Randy V

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by Barry Johnson:
<strong> I'm baffled by it, but its a sign that I need to make some changes in my life and this finally got my attention. Please, all of you, if you think something is trying to get your attention, listen before it gets more drastic like it has with me. </strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">'Something' like a couple DUI's? Just kidding, but hope for your sake in court that alcohol didn't play a factor.

John Struthers

Barry,
If this goes the full Monty ... and you haven't admitted on paper to anything...
The 'SNEEZING FIT GAMBIT" has worked well in many a courtroom. It is a medically proven fact that sneezing and it's autonomous effects (clenching, jerking, eye closure, eye watering, radical head movement, and the reflex to cover your mouth with a hand that is oddly enough connected to your arm) can affect -seriously- the ability to maintain control of a pencil on paper let alone a moving automobile.
The skid mark in your provided flick doesn't make sense to me as the impact would have been on the right side. Is this a case of the front left being locked as you LEFT the scene?
If you were coming from the other side - left side of picture coming toward the camera and the rear broke to the shoulder, and then you corrected/braked I could see how it happened.
the braking with the wheel turned simply enhanced the impact momentum.
The attack angle exceded the 35 to 45 degrees needed for a good spin but I believe next time you should try to steer out of it and use the go pedal.
Night time driving also affects reflexes, and most of our visual references turn into target aquisition/fixation cues. Ever notice how many telephone poles get hit? Considering their spacing it's not just a case of bad luck. We aim at them albiet not intentionally.
Same applies to pedestrians and vehicles pulled over for traffic stops. TARGETS!
I don't know what your speed was, if you had imbibed any brain lubricants, or if you were trying to impress someone with the sHARk, and your driving prowess but as you indicated there is a lesson to be learned here and even in it's
mildest form "Here today, gone tomorrow" the results are close to catastrophic.
I feel for you and this unfinished story.
One other thing I had a strange handling experience last year on a SITO run.
The bend went from a fast flat slow rise into a left-bank turn then it leveled pushing the car to the outside. There was a slight dip that floated the sHARk front end first then the rear just as the banking for the decreasing radius curve resumed. The car gave me the impression that it could break loose or, possibly, FLIP as it felt like there was a twist with the front and rear end opposed. If the banking hadn't resumed ...
well... it would have been a write off.
If you use the sneezing fit route make sure you explain that it was multiple sneezes' starting at the entrance to the curve - after you were committed to the curve - and you only had snapshots of the road in between the sneezing'.
Good luck and wishing your 928 a speedy recovery.

AO

A.... aaa.... aaaaaaa......

(Bwahahahahah)aaaaaachoooooooooooo!

"Sorry, officer. I must have sneezed!"

Damn that's a good one. I'll have to remember it next time I get pulled over. Are there any others out there who can attest to this defense?

ROTFLMAO!! <img border="0" alt="[hiha]" title="" src="graemlins/roflmao.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[burnout]" title="" src="graemlins/burnout.gif" />

ErnestSw

Go into the courtroom with a handfull of tissues and say to the Judge:
"Your Hodder, by dose id codstadly ruddig ad I cadt stop sdeezig. I had a sdeezig fit right at the turd ad I coulde't see where I was goig".
If you can keep a straight face it could work!

Thom1

Barry,

Sorry to hear about your accident. That one is so minor. It was just an accident. That is why they call them accidents. If the cop did not pile on extra charges, it would really not seem bad at all. I imagine that the judge could let you off of some of that stuff. Get a good lawyer.

Maybe this will help you feel better. I laughed out loud a few times at this one. Hmmm... Do you think he used the Armorall defense?

See: <a href="http://www.is300.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13317178" target="_blank">http://www.is300.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13317178</a>

4MIDLIF

The bee in the car defense has also worked.

<img src="http://www.aowm60.dsl.pipex.com/bumblebee.gif" alt=" - " />

Barry Johnson

Wow, that armor all thread gave me a good smile . Thank you all for your support and kind words. Yes, as many have said everyone is ok and the car IS fixable from what I can tell (frame is ok), and I'll make it better than ever. Now I'll finally be able to do all those things I wanted to the car <img border="0" alt="[burnout]" title="" src="graemlins/burnout.gif" /> . Also, today we found a lawyer, an ex judge of the city I'm being tried in, very cool. Now, I just have to get the insurance settled and hopefully not be cancelled, or at least have some time before they guilotine my policy. Thanks again guys! I'll keep posting the news as I get it.

ViribusUnits

Good luck, crazy stuff happens.

I've broken my share of iron myself. A a wheel fall off of a trailer I was pulling behing a tractor. Thats right, a freeking wheel! forchantly, the trailer was tough, and the ground was soft. Jacked it back up, cleaned it all off, one new bearing, one recovered, recovered seals, and some greese, and I was back in bussness. Crazy **** happens.

I've spun out twice, narrowly missed killing myself. Thank you Dr. Porsche. I've got a scratch on my 928's frount end to remind me of that every time I drive her. Turned out to be a ****ty set of tires. I corrected and everything both times, but both time it was gone. Oh well.

I've backed into trees, ran over nails, and winched loads in to tires.

I had a guy accitently try to drop a 2,000 lb peice of pipe on me. Another time, I accidently put the tip of my pinky finger under an 8,000 pound tool. That hurt.

Around here, we regulary lose a bit of fence to cars every year. All it takes is a moment and your ploughing up a fence. Oh well so be it.

**** happens. Ain't nothing you can do about it, but rebuild, heal, repair, and keep on keeping on. I always figure it ain't God telling me soemthing, but the devil trying to play God, and God keeping my *** safe. I just to to be as safe as I can, and go from there.

Here's to keep on, keeping on!

tdelarm

VBU.

I stapled my finger once...does that count <img border="0" alt="[ouch]" title="" src="graemlins/c.gif" />

Barry,

So sorry to hear this but least you guys are ok...I'll be up in you hood within a few weeks...Holler if you need sum help with whatever.

<img border="0" alt="[thumbsup]" title="" src="graemlins/bigok.gif" />

ViribusUnits

Actualy, telederm, stapleing your finger hurt more than when I smashed the tip off. Course, the bone was exposed, and I had to go to the hospile for some stiches, and stuff, and while it hurt, it wasn't the worst I've ever felt.

I got off lucky. If I had accidentaly moved my hand more under the tool, more of it would have been lost. Conciveably, I could have lost up past the wrist if it had cushed it. Lucky I only had the tip of the finger under there, and thats all I lost.

Just make sure no one gets killed, and your good to go.

Steve J.

VU - Trouble typing R's and T's? Sorry, couldn't resist.. <img border="0" alt="[typing]" title="" src="graemlins/yltype.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[burnout]" title="" src="graemlins/burnout.gif" />

ViribusUnits

Actualy, Steve, apperently so.

It's fixed now, I think.

Better?

karl ruiter

"Dude! We can fix it! My dad has an AWESOME tool kit! "
..Jeff Spicoli from Fast Time at Rigdgemont High.
But seriously, you can fix it. Most people tend to give up way too soon. They cut the roof off my '82 to remove the P.O.. It took me a while to fix it(this was before ebay or 928 international) but it was a labor of love and I have had 120K good miles out of it since. If you have the option you might consider fixing it your self using and not filing an insurace claim. Might lower your chances of getting dropped. These days (with ebay) its not too hard to get the parts cheap if you are patient. Really there is no amount of damage that you cannot fix if you are willing to invest the effort. Even if the uni-body is bent you can get a used one out of a parts car for pretty cheap. Its a big job to change everything over, but far from impossible. It's just a matter of how much effort you are willing and able to invest.
My guess it that hedge encounter might have partially had to do with having a full load of passengers. I have noticed that the 928 behaves suprinsingly differently with 4 adults than with one.

Rufus Sanders

Barry, Too bad about the S4. With the rareness of our cars and the alum. parts, it is our worst nightmare to have this happen. The arrest was just salt in the wound, and I completely understand when you say you had a "hint" with all this.

The one thing I can offer is that yes, many of us use the roads as our cars were intended to use them. But the risks are higher on the road. I too have roads I love to haunt, and curves that have made me pray to the Wiessach gods as the back end does that thing they made it do. I don't push it as hard as I could anymore, thanks to a "hint" or two I've had along MN 60. Those in the Minneapolis area may know the curves I mean.

But, the hints could be saying, "don't give up, just change how you do it". That S4 would make a great track car now that it's not prefect anymore. Go that route and see if you don't get even more out of your 928 phoenix's life. - Ruf

bcdavis

Your insurance will not get cancelled until something goes on your record. That will not happen until the case is resolved. I think that with all the downsides with regards to suspension, insurance, etc, I would think it would be worth it to get a lawyer. I think that given the circumstances, even if they do not use any outragious excuses, you should still be able to plead it down, because after all, you did just hit a bush. If you were out in the woods, and hit a tree branch, or a bush, no one would expect you to call the police and file an accident report. It seems pretty lame for the police to be so harsh about it.

And on the finger thing... I smashed mine too.
And it did not really hurt. It is that "shock" thing.