Heavy front end collision in my C2S
07-23-2007, 12:54 PM
#1
Heavy front end collision in my C2S
Dear Renners,
Yesterday I was involved in a fairly heavy collision in my 2005 Carrera Sport. I was driving along a 4 lane divided street (2 lanes in each direction) at about 40 to 45 mph. There were 3 or 4 cars lined up in the left lane, waiting to turn. So I moved to the right lane to pass them. While moving past them, out of nowhere another driver made an illegal left hand turn in front of me, and I broadsided him -- hard. The reason his attempted turn was "illegal" was because he was attempting to turn into a jogging path to make a U-Turn!
Anyway, I had maybe 20-30 feet at most from the moment he made his turn in front of me, until the impact. So essentially no time to brake or slow. I hit him at full speed. I could not swerve left because of the string of cars waiting to turn. And I could not swerve right, because of a steep curb, telephone polls, etc. What I figured out later is that I actually turned left a bit just before the impact, which was a good thing. This was good because (a) instead of hitting his front passenger door, I hit his rear passenger door, and (b) instead of impacting and coming to a full stop, I impacted and essentially grazed the entire side of his vehicle, and spun him a full 180 degrees, thus reduced the angle of impact a bit.
His wife was seated in the front passenger seat, and nobody was seated in his rear seat. So if I had hit the front driver side door, she could have been badly injured. So that actually helped him.
And the fact that my vehicle actually spun his around reduced the severity of my impact, because after the collision, my vehicle continued to roll about another 100 feet past the point of impact before coming to rest. So it was not as though I came to a complete and sudden stop at the time of impact.
Nonetheless, the damage was heavy. He was in a full-size 4 door sedan, I believe some type of Chevy (Lumina?) His was a government issue vehicle with US Govt plates. I was not injured, and just have a very sore neck today. He was apparently not injured either. But his wife, the passenger, was taken to the hospital and later released. So it sounds like she's okay as well. Thank goodness, it seems we're all okay.
Both airbags deployed in my car. It was the first time I've ever been in a vehicle when the airbags went off. The violence of their deployment is quite remarkable. My ears were ringing quite loudly afterward, whether from the explosion of the airbags, the impact itself, or probably both. The pressure change blew out the seals around the sun roof. And the passenger side airbag actually shattered the windshield.
The impact occured on the front passenger side corner. The radiator was fractured, and there was coolant loss. But the car was smart enough to turn off the engine, turn on the hazards, and unlock the doors. The car did everything that it should have done.
I remember at the split second when I knew there was a collision, I told myself I was going to be okay. I know our P-cars are engineered to the nth degree, and I knew that the car should easily manage to sustain an impact at that speed without anything horribly catastrophic occuring. Thank goodness I was correct.
Damage includes the front fender, hood, headlight, bumper/fascia, radiator. Not sure yet if the frame was bent. And of course, when the airbags deployed, much of the dash was dismantled. I didn't get a chance to closely examine the PCCB rotor on the front right wheel, but a casual observation revealed it to be in tact. But to be honest, I was quite amazed that this was the extent of the damage. Overall, I think the car fared remarkbly well.
The offending vehicle did not fare nearly as well. The entire passenger side was based in, heavily. Most glass was out of the car. The front two tires were pushed off their rims. And rear wheel was completely off the car, probably from impact with the steep curb when he spun 180 degrees and the wheel impacted the curb. Many of the police and fire rescue people on the scene commented on the difference in both the vehicle's ability survive the impact.
The driver was ticketed for failure to yield. Even though I think he should also receive a citation for his attempt to either turn into a jogging path, or perform a U-Turn in heavy traffic. According to the officer collecting info at the scene, he said that the driver of a car waiting to take a left from my direction of traffic had motioned him to go ahead and make his turn/U-Turn. So he proceeded to follow that guys advice and make his completely blind turn into oncoming traffic (me!) Don't they always teach people in driving school NEVER to follow someone else's motion to cross/proceed!!???
And as I explained to the officer, if I had ever expected the possibilty that anyone may be making a turn in front of me in this area, I would have proceeded through there a bit more cautiously. But who would ever expect that a car would be turning in front of me in order to drive on a jogging path?! I've driven that round hundreds of times, and NEVER scene anyone attempt a maneuver of that sort.
What a horrible ending to my summer of enjoyment with the Porsche. Of course the happy ending is that everyone appears to be okay. Hopefully my neck will feel better in the next few days. And hopefully the repair shop will be able to restore most of the former glory to my (ex) beautiful car.
I've got State Farm for insurance, and they've always treated me well. The insurance listed for the offending Government issue vehicle was listed as "Government, Self Insured." Hopefully that won't cause any issues.
I just wanted to make this post for a couple reasons. First, to provide the obvious caution to everyone about "expecting the unexpected." Be careful out there! And second, to let everyone know how remarkably well our car holds up in a front end collision. I remain impressed with the integrity of the car. If you are ever unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident in your car, you can at least take some comfort in the fact that it seems to hold its own out there, and protect you pretty well at the same time.
All the best.
Yesterday I was involved in a fairly heavy collision in my 2005 Carrera Sport. I was driving along a 4 lane divided street (2 lanes in each direction) at about 40 to 45 mph. There were 3 or 4 cars lined up in the left lane, waiting to turn. So I moved to the right lane to pass them. While moving past them, out of nowhere another driver made an illegal left hand turn in front of me, and I broadsided him -- hard. The reason his attempted turn was "illegal" was because he was attempting to turn into a jogging path to make a U-Turn!
Anyway, I had maybe 20-30 feet at most from the moment he made his turn in front of me, until the impact. So essentially no time to brake or slow. I hit him at full speed. I could not swerve left because of the string of cars waiting to turn. And I could not swerve right, because of a steep curb, telephone polls, etc. What I figured out later is that I actually turned left a bit just before the impact, which was a good thing. This was good because (a) instead of hitting his front passenger door, I hit his rear passenger door, and (b) instead of impacting and coming to a full stop, I impacted and essentially grazed the entire side of his vehicle, and spun him a full 180 degrees, thus reduced the angle of impact a bit.
His wife was seated in the front passenger seat, and nobody was seated in his rear seat. So if I had hit the front driver side door, she could have been badly injured. So that actually helped him.
And the fact that my vehicle actually spun his around reduced the severity of my impact, because after the collision, my vehicle continued to roll about another 100 feet past the point of impact before coming to rest. So it was not as though I came to a complete and sudden stop at the time of impact.
Nonetheless, the damage was heavy. He was in a full-size 4 door sedan, I believe some type of Chevy (Lumina?) His was a government issue vehicle with US Govt plates. I was not injured, and just have a very sore neck today. He was apparently not injured either. But his wife, the passenger, was taken to the hospital and later released. So it sounds like she's okay as well. Thank goodness, it seems we're all okay.
Both airbags deployed in my car. It was the first time I've ever been in a vehicle when the airbags went off. The violence of their deployment is quite remarkable. My ears were ringing quite loudly afterward, whether from the explosion of the airbags, the impact itself, or probably both. The pressure change blew out the seals around the sun roof. And the passenger side airbag actually shattered the windshield.
The impact occured on the front passenger side corner. The radiator was fractured, and there was coolant loss. But the car was smart enough to turn off the engine, turn on the hazards, and unlock the doors. The car did everything that it should have done.
I remember at the split second when I knew there was a collision, I told myself I was going to be okay. I know our P-cars are engineered to the nth degree, and I knew that the car should easily manage to sustain an impact at that speed without anything horribly catastrophic occuring. Thank goodness I was correct.
Damage includes the front fender, hood, headlight, bumper/fascia, radiator. Not sure yet if the frame was bent. And of course, when the airbags deployed, much of the dash was dismantled. I didn't get a chance to closely examine the PCCB rotor on the front right wheel, but a casual observation revealed it to be in tact. But to be honest, I was quite amazed that this was the extent of the damage. Overall, I think the car fared remarkbly well.
The offending vehicle did not fare nearly as well. The entire passenger side was based in, heavily. Most glass was out of the car. The front two tires were pushed off their rims. And rear wheel was completely off the car, probably from impact with the steep curb when he spun 180 degrees and the wheel impacted the curb. Many of the police and fire rescue people on the scene commented on the difference in both the vehicle's ability survive the impact.
The driver was ticketed for failure to yield. Even though I think he should also receive a citation for his attempt to either turn into a jogging path, or perform a U-Turn in heavy traffic. According to the officer collecting info at the scene, he said that the driver of a car waiting to take a left from my direction of traffic had motioned him to go ahead and make his turn/U-Turn. So he proceeded to follow that guys advice and make his completely blind turn into oncoming traffic (me!) Don't they always teach people in driving school NEVER to follow someone else's motion to cross/proceed!!???
And as I explained to the officer, if I had ever expected the possibilty that anyone may be making a turn in front of me in this area, I would have proceeded through there a bit more cautiously. But who would ever expect that a car would be turning in front of me in order to drive on a jogging path?! I've driven that round hundreds of times, and NEVER scene anyone attempt a maneuver of that sort.
What a horrible ending to my summer of enjoyment with the Porsche. Of course the happy ending is that everyone appears to be okay. Hopefully my neck will feel better in the next few days. And hopefully the repair shop will be able to restore most of the former glory to my (ex) beautiful car.
I've got State Farm for insurance, and they've always treated me well. The insurance listed for the offending Government issue vehicle was listed as "Government, Self Insured." Hopefully that won't cause any issues.
I just wanted to make this post for a couple reasons. First, to provide the obvious caution to everyone about "expecting the unexpected." Be careful out there! And second, to let everyone know how remarkably well our car holds up in a front end collision. I remain impressed with the integrity of the car. If you are ever unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident in your car, you can at least take some comfort in the fact that it seems to hold its own out there, and protect you pretty well at the same time.
All the best.
07-23-2007, 01:03 PM
#2
Instructor
Wow! Glad to hear that you're safe and that no one was hurt. It's great that the safety features did their thing, too. Accidents happen very quickly; don't be surprised how much time you spend mulling it over.
Let's hope that your insurance hassles are minimal.
J
Let's hope that your insurance hassles are minimal.
J
07-23-2007, 01:35 PM
#4
Rennlist Member
An accident is always a harrowing experience, glad to hear everyone's relatively okay. Hopefully the insurance battle will be smooth, and it's important to make sure the cost and responsibility for the accident goes against the government's policy, not yours.
If the frame is bent even a few mm, I don't think I'd want the car back. If you post photos, we can play armchair-insurance-adjuster.
If the frame is bent even a few mm, I don't think I'd want the car back. If you post photos, we can play armchair-insurance-adjuster.
07-23-2007, 01:47 PM
#5
Approaching an intersection where I needed to make a right turn I went around a line of cars stopped at a red light (to their right to get into the turning lane). I accelerated into that lane and out of nowhere a large SUV turns in front of me into a parking lot. Never saw him coming. I was sure of a collision and broke so hard my right leg hurt afterwards. I stopped about 2 inches short of his car.
You have to be very careful when passing a line of stationary (slowly moving) vehciles as there is a blind spot in front of you and 2) someone may suddenly try to change lanes. I now always proceed very slowly in those situations.
You have to be very careful when passing a line of stationary (slowly moving) vehciles as there is a blind spot in front of you and 2) someone may suddenly try to change lanes. I now always proceed very slowly in those situations.
07-23-2007, 01:55 PM
#6
Addict
Lifetime Rennlist
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Ive allways wondered about the strength of my car in a collision.You have answered those questions.A porsche may look like a sleek sports car but is built like a brick s**t house!Glad you and your wife are gonna be allright and good luck with the repair.
07-23-2007, 02:02 PM
#7
Race Car
That sucks. But at least you're OK. I've been taught at driving school to always try and crash your car while going straight, as that's how they design them to be most effective. So your judgement to hit him head on was the right one. Also let go the steering wheel before impact. Thanks for the write up. I feel safer now.
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07-23-2007, 02:03 PM
#8
That's what always impresses me about Porsches. They really do crash well, not that you ever want to experience an accident first hand. It's amazing especially for a rear engine car. In addition to the performance, this remarkable Porsche engineering is what you pay for, and never want to need.
I don't envy your situation now-the choice between pursuing a claim against Uncle Sam vs. letting your insurer pay. A sure recipe for you to get the short end of the stick. But luckily no one was seriously hurt.
I don't envy your situation now-the choice between pursuing a claim against Uncle Sam vs. letting your insurer pay. A sure recipe for you to get the short end of the stick. But luckily no one was seriously hurt.
07-23-2007, 02:13 PM
#10
Three Wheelin'
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Lesa, Italy & Atlanta, GA
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i have some possibly bad news. i was once involved in an accident with an atlanta cop (on duty) who was cited for an illegal turn. it turns out that they would only pay up to $1,000 for the accident; my uninsured motorist coverage had to pick up the rest (if i didn't have uninsured motorist coverage, i'd have been out of pocket).
while i still wound up covered, the $1,000 contribution from the city of atlanta only settled 1/3 of the total tab. i had to pay 2/3 of my deductible. plus, since the damage was covered by my insurance company, i got no diminished value or pain in the a$$ money. this opened my eyes to the severity of this sovereign indemnity concept. i hope you fair better than i did.
on the upside, since this happened on a sunday and this guy was with his wife, i doubt he was on official business. this may mean his personal insurance coverage will be tapped. i'm glad you are okay.
while i still wound up covered, the $1,000 contribution from the city of atlanta only settled 1/3 of the total tab. i had to pay 2/3 of my deductible. plus, since the damage was covered by my insurance company, i got no diminished value or pain in the a$$ money. this opened my eyes to the severity of this sovereign indemnity concept. i hope you fair better than i did.
on the upside, since this happened on a sunday and this guy was with his wife, i doubt he was on official business. this may mean his personal insurance coverage will be tapped. i'm glad you are okay.
07-23-2007, 02:24 PM
#11
The Penguin King
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Glad to hear you're ok. I've had State Farm for 36 years, and they have never failed to step up to the plate when I've filed a claim. It may take a while, but they will take care of you. If your car is fixable, and you want some info on diminished values claims, PM me. I can tell you what I know fwiw.
These cars are VERY sound structurally. I was rear ended about a year ago by a Suburban. My car survived (though with a fair amount of damage, at least from a monetary point of view). The Suburban was totalled!
Glad everyone is ok.
These cars are VERY sound structurally. I was rear ended about a year ago by a Suburban. My car survived (though with a fair amount of damage, at least from a monetary point of view). The Suburban was totalled!
Glad everyone is ok.
07-23-2007, 02:27 PM
#12
Originally Posted by insite
i have some possibly bad news. i was once involved in an accident with an atlanta cop (on duty) who was cited for an illegal turn. it turns out that they would only pay up to $1,000 for the accident; my uninsured motorist coverage had to pick up the rest (if i didn't have uninsured motorist coverage, i'd have been out of pocket).
while i still wound up covered, the $1,000 contribution from the city of atlanta only settled 1/3 of the total tab. i had to pay 2/3 of my deductible. plus, since the damage was covered by my insurance company, i got no diminished value or pain in the a$$ money. this opened my eyes to the severity of this sovereign indemnity concept. i hope you fair better than i did.
on the upside, since this happened on a sunday and this guy was with his wife, i doubt he was on official business. this may mean his personal insurance coverage will be tapped. i'm glad you are okay.
while i still wound up covered, the $1,000 contribution from the city of atlanta only settled 1/3 of the total tab. i had to pay 2/3 of my deductible. plus, since the damage was covered by my insurance company, i got no diminished value or pain in the a$$ money. this opened my eyes to the severity of this sovereign indemnity concept. i hope you fair better than i did.
on the upside, since this happened on a sunday and this guy was with his wife, i doubt he was on official business. this may mean his personal insurance coverage will be tapped. i'm glad you are okay.
This is what happened to me with a off duty fire truck. They were training a new driver and he made a left right in front of me and I nailed him..obviously I get the worse end of it.
Dave
07-23-2007, 02:38 PM
#13
Rennlist Member
Originally Posted by mglobe
If your car is fixable, and you want some info on diminished values claims, PM me. I can tell you what I know fwiw.
07-23-2007, 02:48 PM
#14
I will try to get some photos of the car in the next few days. Right now it's at the tow yard, but getting picked up and delivered to the Porsche-certified repair shop this afternoon. I'll head over there tomorrow with a camera.
The guy driving the Government vehicle is a post man. He was visiting from out-of-state, and apparently issued this car to drive while he was in town. He was apparently touring around the area with his wife yesterday when the collision occured. In fact, his attempt to turn around was apparently a result of his desire to go back to a tourist site he had just driven by.
I spoke with my State Farm agent a few times today, and she said that they have collected from government before without any problems, to include deductible. She sounded quite confident, so hopefully she's correct.
I do have a repair shop that I've used in the past that I KNOW does beautiful work -- but they are NOT Porsche certified, and do NOT have a frame machine. So I'm going to stick with the Porsche certified shop that does have a frame machine.
My car is actually on a lease through a business that I own, and about 2 years into a 5 year lease. I had originally planned to purchase the car at the end of the lease, but now I'll probably just turn it in.
I did speak with a witness today who saw the whole thing, and gave me his name and number yesterday at the accident site. He volunteered to testify on my behalf in the unlikely event that an attorney got ahold of the situation, and tried to twist it around in any way that my try to make me liable for anything. My insurance agent feels very confident that things will be okay, as a failure to yield citation is essentially self-explanatory.
Fingers still crossed.
The guy driving the Government vehicle is a post man. He was visiting from out-of-state, and apparently issued this car to drive while he was in town. He was apparently touring around the area with his wife yesterday when the collision occured. In fact, his attempt to turn around was apparently a result of his desire to go back to a tourist site he had just driven by.
I spoke with my State Farm agent a few times today, and she said that they have collected from government before without any problems, to include deductible. She sounded quite confident, so hopefully she's correct.
I do have a repair shop that I've used in the past that I KNOW does beautiful work -- but they are NOT Porsche certified, and do NOT have a frame machine. So I'm going to stick with the Porsche certified shop that does have a frame machine.
My car is actually on a lease through a business that I own, and about 2 years into a 5 year lease. I had originally planned to purchase the car at the end of the lease, but now I'll probably just turn it in.
I did speak with a witness today who saw the whole thing, and gave me his name and number yesterday at the accident site. He volunteered to testify on my behalf in the unlikely event that an attorney got ahold of the situation, and tried to twist it around in any way that my try to make me liable for anything. My insurance agent feels very confident that things will be okay, as a failure to yield citation is essentially self-explanatory.
Fingers still crossed.
Last edited by eilig; 07-23-2007 at 02:49 PM. Reason: typos
07-23-2007, 03:15 PM
#15
Three Wheelin'
Originally Posted by eilig
I will try to get some photos of the car in the next few days. Right now it's at the tow yard, but getting picked up and delivered to the Porsche-certified repair shop this afternoon. I'll head over there tomorrow with a camera.
What shop are you going to? Following being rear-ended, our car was fixed at International, in Elmhurst. Came out to about $25k, but the work done was excellent, and the car looks/drives like new. Downside is the other guy's liability coverage was the state minimum, or $15k.
