RIP Vibe...

[earlyre]

So my best friend had a bad day this past Sunday.. Driving down "the highway" not sure which, but knowing his usual Sunday routine, likely I-71 between downtown Cols, and Worthington, OH

crap... Westerville, not Worthington....

thought it looks a bit more Rural... I only say 71 between downtown and westerville, Because he lives just outside Bexley, His inlaws are in Westerville, and they usually spend Sundays there....BUT... whomever that is in the passenger seat in the one pic, Definitely is not his Husband..... don't know, none of my business, Judge not lest ye be judged, etc...

...come to think of it...he did let a friend borrow the vibe for a while(like a couple months) , a bit back....maybe that's the friend...IDK..
but my friend was def. behind the wheel when it happened...

someone wanted pics of the tires... sorry, the 3 i posted are all I have, he lives about 100 mi from me...
but the last set I remember him putting on (not that he couldn't have replace them and it just didn't come up..or i forgot...) would have been around...2016? with around 200-220k mi on the clock?... as of a few months back it was some where between 250-275k mi.... so.. likely culprit if they are the same ones...and likely never rotated either.... what can i say... i know the way he treats cars.

and folks suggesting he buy a corrolla... he's in no place to be buying anything right now.... unemployed, and making payments to HIS mother for the 2012 Mazda 3, and To his Mother in law for various home improvements such as Vinyl Siding, complete HVAC overhaul, Bathroom remodel,etc. ( the mother in law owns the house, it was her Fathers. she let the boys "have it" when he passed.)

 

[97prizm]

So my best freind had a bad day this past Sunday.. Driving down "the highway" not sure which, but knowing his usual sunday routine, likely I-71 between downtown Cols, and Worthington, OH

View attachment 169050View attachment 169051View attachment 169052

in his words:
"Rainstorm Flooded the highway. left side. Hit a puddle (and all the mud underneath) and Skidded. And then there was a Cherokee Parked (Again, left side of the highway against the median wall, not on right side) waiting the storm out. not enough time to correct though the slide before impact.

And I don't want to Drag that Family...but I thought he left median was for accidents only, and just "stopping" was supposed to be done on the right."

he ended up with a $2k fine for "Failure to control" (good thing he's unemployed ATM..)

Everyone is alright, and luckily he had the airbag recall done a while ago....
He bought that car (2003 Pontiac Vibe) in 2010*, with 120k mi, fresh off a slap together rebuild from a Previous wreck for $5k.
we both put a lot of work into keeping that car going over the years, Didn't quite make 300k mi, or more importantly 299,999 mi when the Odometers stop on these cars.

luckily it's not his only car, he also has a 2012 Mazda 3 that he's making payments on.

* strangely enough just about this time of year in 2010, it was a good runabout for 13 years..

Is Ohio insane. I get that he hit someone else and totalled his vehicle but that high of a fine looks like it was a DUI or something. In Colorado it wouldn't have been too fast for conditions $200ish and 3 points. No previous accidents would have brought it down to 2 points

 

[Dave Hess]

Luckily he was not killed and car can be replaced.

 

[JHZR2]

It depends on the state, but your friend may want to do a deeper dive into whether the left side is intended for vehicles that fully stop.

Given how he explains the conditions and whether he has a clean record they may waive the fine. He should do his research and be well dressed for that day. I'm not a lawyer, but when there are mitigating circumstances most judges will take that into account and a flooded highway is certainly one of them.

Very true, but it sounds like this was a downpour, and someone stopped due to the conditions making it impossible to proceed. OPs friend lost control/hydroplaned because they did proceed despite the conditions.

Begging for pictures of how much tread the tires had......hard to see from the pics but the edges don't look great.

There is this thing about driving too fast for the conditions.....

Otherwise glad he is OK.

I agree it would be very interesting. However I suspect there may be benefits to it not being known in a massively litigious society. Especially not plastered on the internet.

 

[fdcg27]

The left shoulder is never a good spot to park a car, but the Jeep driver must have felt overwhelmed by the downpour and maybe couldn't see well enough through it to move into the right lane and then onto the right shoulder.
Tires may or may not have been a factor. Hit a deep enough pool of standing water at enough speed and no tire in the world will save you. OTOH, even at full tread depth, not all tires are created equal and some aren't much good in the wet while others excel.
Too fast for conditions is often a retrospective thing. In this case, the Vibe's driver wasn't too fast until suddenly he was.
Bad road drainage is a contributing factor here. Looking at the damage to the Vibe speed was probably no more than 20-25 mph at impact, so he wasn't going at all fast.
Anyway, everybody was okay and that's what matters. Paying for the damage is what insurance is for.

 

[supton]

That’s a bummer, on multiple sides.

Reminds me why I don’t go below 4/32’s—and why I don’t care about tire mileage warranties. Heck I don’t think at 4/32’s my beloved RT43’s are doing all that great, certainly not in standing water.

 

[Tdbo]

Is Ohio insane. I get that he hit someone else and totalled his vehicle but that high of a fine looks like it was a DUI or something. In Colorado it wouldn't have been too fast for conditions $200ish and 3 points. No previous accidents would have brought it down to 2 points

No, Ohio isn't insane.
There is some important detail omitted here that apparently was not shared with the OP.

 

[Hall]

Is Ohio insane. I get that he hit someone else and totalled his vehicle but that high of a fine looks like it was a DUI or something. In Colorado it wouldn't have been too fast for conditions $200ish and 3 points. No previous accidents would have brought it down to 2 points

"Failure to control" is a minor misdemeanor in Ohio. Maximum fine is $150. Court costs could be in the $100 range on top of that. The $2000 amount his friend is claiming simply isn't true.