Struck by a drunk driver!
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 2,166
Likes: 1
From: La Jolla, CA
Struck by a drunk driver!
Well I had the most unfortunate timing tonight to have a drunk driver bounce off the passenger side of my 993 tonight. Then he proceeded to run away. My response to this was to follow and call 911 at the same time to report the license plate and his location. Unfortunately the police really did not want to pursue him at that point and requested that I return to the seen. Very frustrating given that he bounced off some other non-car objects on his journey. It was only a mtter of time before he hit something big or really injured someone. The police explained to me that they do not pursue people like that unless they have injured someone. Think about the logic in that? First someone needs to be injured before they chase him down.
You might ask how did I know he was drunk since he never stopped? Well he tried to loose me (very slowly) in an apartment complex just after hitting me and got stuck at a dead end that took him 5 minutes (yes 5 minutes to turn around) to get out off after hitting a wall and a post. My nice bright head lights lite his face up only to reveal a glazed bright red faced drunk behind a wheel. Though, that was not my only evidence. During the slow chase, the police were responding to another call previous to mine where he had run over a sign in a gas station parking lot across the street from where he hit me! He got out of the car at the gas station and bought something. The people in the mini-mart said, "hey you ran over the sign and broke the post?", he replied, "so...." They said he smelled heavily of alcohol and could hardly walk. They proceeded to call the police, but could not detain him long enough so the police could arrive. Unfortunatelfor me cause if they could have stopped him none of this would have happened.
We were turning right on to a three lane road from a two lane right turn road. I was in the outside turn lane and began to notice he was not turning into the first lane like he should. So I moved over a lane only to realize he was not going into that lane either. Now I was forced to the median and tried to stop, but he slammed into the rear passenger fender at the beginning of the rear wheel and slide down the passenfer door to the side view mirror. His wheel hub caps rolling down the street and he ping ponged back across the three lanes to the other curb before proceeding down the road as if nothing happened. Not far from there is where I followed him into the apartment complex. After that he tried to trick me on a freeway entrance and almost hit two more cars. I followed all along waiting for 911 to answer my call. Five minutes later I finally got someone to speak to. Glad I did not have something really bad where I needed immediate attention!
I went back to the scene of the accident only to find the police already questioning the gas station people and taking pictures of the sign. Then they proceeded to question me and take pictures. They proceeded to dispatch police cars to his house which was 10 miles north of where we were. When I left him he was traveling 15 miles south of the accident position. Clearly he thought he was running away, but to where?
So now I have the chore of calling the insurance company and coping with the issues involved with the modifications to may car that they may say are not stock. Fortunately little in the way of performance and race parts were damaged other than the RSCS side skirt. The rear wheel was damaged and the alignment is clearly off now. The rear fender is bent in and the door is totaled. The real sad part is I am registered for the California Speedway event in three weeks, so I need to get the car aligned and checked out and defer the body work until after if I am to make the event. Hopefully there is nothing else wrong due to the hit!?!?!
A sad day indeed....but I guess it could be worse, he could have killed me!
You might ask how did I know he was drunk since he never stopped? Well he tried to loose me (very slowly) in an apartment complex just after hitting me and got stuck at a dead end that took him 5 minutes (yes 5 minutes to turn around) to get out off after hitting a wall and a post. My nice bright head lights lite his face up only to reveal a glazed bright red faced drunk behind a wheel. Though, that was not my only evidence. During the slow chase, the police were responding to another call previous to mine where he had run over a sign in a gas station parking lot across the street from where he hit me! He got out of the car at the gas station and bought something. The people in the mini-mart said, "hey you ran over the sign and broke the post?", he replied, "so...." They said he smelled heavily of alcohol and could hardly walk. They proceeded to call the police, but could not detain him long enough so the police could arrive. Unfortunatelfor me cause if they could have stopped him none of this would have happened.
We were turning right on to a three lane road from a two lane right turn road. I was in the outside turn lane and began to notice he was not turning into the first lane like he should. So I moved over a lane only to realize he was not going into that lane either. Now I was forced to the median and tried to stop, but he slammed into the rear passenger fender at the beginning of the rear wheel and slide down the passenfer door to the side view mirror. His wheel hub caps rolling down the street and he ping ponged back across the three lanes to the other curb before proceeding down the road as if nothing happened. Not far from there is where I followed him into the apartment complex. After that he tried to trick me on a freeway entrance and almost hit two more cars. I followed all along waiting for 911 to answer my call. Five minutes later I finally got someone to speak to. Glad I did not have something really bad where I needed immediate attention!
I went back to the scene of the accident only to find the police already questioning the gas station people and taking pictures of the sign. Then they proceeded to question me and take pictures. They proceeded to dispatch police cars to his house which was 10 miles north of where we were. When I left him he was traveling 15 miles south of the accident position. Clearly he thought he was running away, but to where?
So now I have the chore of calling the insurance company and coping with the issues involved with the modifications to may car that they may say are not stock. Fortunately little in the way of performance and race parts were damaged other than the RSCS side skirt. The rear wheel was damaged and the alignment is clearly off now. The rear fender is bent in and the door is totaled. The real sad part is I am registered for the California Speedway event in three weeks, so I need to get the car aligned and checked out and defer the body work until after if I am to make the event. Hopefully there is nothing else wrong due to the hit!?!?!
A sad day indeed....but I guess it could be worse, he could have killed me!
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From: Germantown, TN
Kary,
I'm glad you were not hurt. So many dui accidents are much worse than this. You were lucky, my friend.
Police won't chase him. That helped a lot.
Really sorry about the damage to your car. Glad you're OK. Keep your spirits up. You know if you go to the right place, your car will get fixed right. I've had some minor recent experience with a very good body man. Results look factory-color match is good. My paint is heard to match. Yours should be much easier, from what I hear.
Good luck. I'm sorry you crossed paths with that idiot who was drinking and driving!
chuck
I'm glad you were not hurt. So many dui accidents are much worse than this. You were lucky, my friend.
Police won't chase him. That helped a lot.
Really sorry about the damage to your car. Glad you're OK. Keep your spirits up. You know if you go to the right place, your car will get fixed right. I've had some minor recent experience with a very good body man. Results look factory-color match is good. My paint is heard to match. Yours should be much easier, from what I hear.
Good luck. I'm sorry you crossed paths with that idiot who was drinking and driving!
chuck
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Joined: May 2001
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From: Eagle ID
That is a really unfortunate encounter, but happy to hear you are ok. Hard to understand the law enforcement lack of reaction in such an obvious imminent danger. Hope you get your car together in time. Good luck.
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Joined: Jan 2004
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From: Edmonton, Alberta
Kary,
Really sorry you had to go through all this because of a drunk driver. But as the others said I'm glad your ok, which is not the case for a lot of people who have been injured or lost their lives because of these idiots.
Really sorry you had to go through all this because of a drunk driver. But as the others said I'm glad your ok, which is not the case for a lot of people who have been injured or lost their lives because of these idiots.
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From: Burlington CANADA
That is terrible... glad you are ok... I had a drunk driver rear end me in Houston. Difference is that the drunk driver left the scene with some nice shinny metal wrings around his wrists 
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 262
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From: The wet NW
Kary;
Soooo sorry about your beautiful car. I know of all the tremendous effort you have put into it. Hopefully you can be ready for CFOS and then get the cosmetics repaired. I enjoyed meeting you at a SDR autocross several years ago.
It's unbelievable that the police wouldn't pursue such an idiot. Especially since he was endangering the lives and property of everyone he approached. Where's the justice?
Glad you're safe and havehope you can make Fontana. I'll be watching for you.
Regards,
Hal Olson
97tt Arena/ SRDs, PSS9s, RS Swaybars, RUF 19s.
Soooo sorry about your beautiful car. I know of all the tremendous effort you have put into it. Hopefully you can be ready for CFOS and then get the cosmetics repaired. I enjoyed meeting you at a SDR autocross several years ago.
It's unbelievable that the police wouldn't pursue such an idiot. Especially since he was endangering the lives and property of everyone he approached. Where's the justice?
Glad you're safe and havehope you can make Fontana. I'll be watching for you.
Regards,
Hal Olson
97tt Arena/ SRDs, PSS9s, RS Swaybars, RUF 19s.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 2,166
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From: La Jolla, CA
To Everyone who replied here:
I really appreciate your words of support. They mean so much to me from a community that I dearly love being a part of! While it is difficult to see my car sustain such damage after spending so many years building it up and sorting it out, it is after all just an object that can be repaired. It could have been much worse for the car and for me. I am lucky for sure!
Thank you again for our support and may all of you have safe journeys on the road ways around th world!
I really appreciate your words of support. They mean so much to me from a community that I dearly love being a part of! While it is difficult to see my car sustain such damage after spending so many years building it up and sorting it out, it is after all just an object that can be repaired. It could have been much worse for the car and for me. I am lucky for sure!
Thank you again for our support and may all of you have safe journeys on the road ways around th world!
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Joined: May 2002
Posts: 23,303
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From: Baltimore, MD
Kary,
I'm sorry to hear of the accident. It could have been worse. At least you weren't hurt and you got the car info. It's amazing that the police weren't more concerned that there was a blind-drunk driver navigating by braille.
I'm sorry to hear of the accident. It could have been worse. At least you weren't hurt and you got the car info. It's amazing that the police weren't more concerned that there was a blind-drunk driver navigating by braille.
Darth Cup
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From: Austin, TX
Kary,
I'm sorry that this has happened to you. Your car has always been one of my favorites on the board and a blueprint for my own car.
Best of luck to you . . . perhaps you can do an RS project now.
I'm sorry that this has happened to you. Your car has always been one of my favorites on the board and a blueprint for my own car.
Best of luck to you . . . perhaps you can do an RS project now.
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 133
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From: Pacific Northwest
Unbelievable! I would be soooooo angry!!!!!
I had a similar situation where I was parked in a mini-mart parking lot watching two guys, who were obviously drunk, drink a six pack of beer in their car. I called the State Patrol to let them know that these guys, who were getting drunker by the minute, were eventually going to drive off. The dispatch told me that there was nothing they could do, as it apparently is OK to sit in a parking lot and drink beer in your car! What??? I said they are about to drive off and are an obvious danger, but again, the operator said unless they cause a problem, I should not be concerned! At that point I said screw-it, I'm going home and God help anyone who is on the road with these two idiots. I was really surprised by the Patrols reaction to my phone call!
I had a similar situation where I was parked in a mini-mart parking lot watching two guys, who were obviously drunk, drink a six pack of beer in their car. I called the State Patrol to let them know that these guys, who were getting drunker by the minute, were eventually going to drive off. The dispatch told me that there was nothing they could do, as it apparently is OK to sit in a parking lot and drink beer in your car! What??? I said they are about to drive off and are an obvious danger, but again, the operator said unless they cause a problem, I should not be concerned! At that point I said screw-it, I'm going home and God help anyone who is on the road with these two idiots. I was really surprised by the Patrols reaction to my phone call!