How many vehicle accidents have you been in?

All but one were decades ago.

1. I was driving my parents' six-week-old '65 Chevelle Malibu when a kid in a '56 Buick and with no insurance and who, the cops said, admitted he had been feeling up his girlfriend, ran a red and T-boned me in the middle of the intersection. No one was hurt. Four years later my dad received a letter from the insurance company saying the kid had finally finished paying.

2. A gravel truck ran a stop sign and ripped the right side off my '56 Austin Westminster. I lay across the seats (no seat belts) and was uninjured.

3. A guy ran a red, smashing into my '60 Falcon wagon. I scored a new right-front fender. The day I got it back from the body shop, I drove into a car-radio store's repair-and-installation garage where a customer in an Oldsmobile, without looking, backed into me. No wheels for another week.

4. I was driving through a small Alberta city in the curb lane of a downtown street when a kid to my left hit the gas and cut in front of me, hitting the front left of my year-old '69 Cortina as he turned right. He stopped in indecision on the cross-street, then sped off. But he had given me enough time to grab my camera, and the next day the city's police department, along with my insurance company, received a series of 8 X 10 glossies of my car and the kid in his, speeding off into the distance, his licence plate clear as crystal, along with the back of his head. Turned out the hit-and-run genius's old man was the police chief.

5. I was fifth in line at a red light when a drunk going at least 40 mph rammed into my two-year-old '69 Cortina. In astonished disbelief I had seen him coming in the rear-view mirror and was lying across the front seats when he hit (lap belts only). The collision pushed me into the car ahead, which crashed into the car ahead of it, which crashed into the car ahead of it. I don't remember where the chain reaction stopped. The Cortina was totalled, but I was unhurt. The drunk staggered up to my now Cortina Accordion and yelled into my face, "What the [heck's] going on here?"

6. A woman ran a red and smashed into the right side of my '64 Studebaker Lark as I pulled away from the left curb on a one-way street. It was totalled because it was an 11-year-old Studebaker — but [darn] it, it was a top-of-the-line Daytona V8 with a transistorized AM radio, no less. Luxury!

7. A woman slammed into my '72 Pontiac Parisienne when I was stopped at a red light (pre-cell phones, so she wasn't texting). She was so unnerved It took three cups of coffee at a nearby restaurant before her hands steadied.

8. A year or two later, a drunk with no shirt on, being caressed by his girlfriend, drove into the same Pontiac at a red light. Between hiccups he said he'd pay for it himself. Just don't tell the insurance company. R-i-i-g-g-h-h-t.

9. In Winnipeg a couple of years ago a Minnesota woman slammed into my '08 Impala when I was stopped for traffic at a yield sign. That night a man who said he was her father phoned from Minneapolis, saying skip the insurance company; he'd pay for the damage himself. No dice. I could see myself trying to wring cash out of some guy on the basis of an alleged phone call from a foreign country.

I stopped getting hit by idiots running red lights after I put a big sign on the back of the car saying, I Stop for Green Lights!

Just kidding.
 
A deer passing an 18 wheeler 2 lane road in my 1988 Jetta in college. Hit head with windshield causing broken windshield with interior shatter, broken side mirror and dent in back fender.

Cop shot it dead, I passed it on to a local family who likely had food for winter.
 
Originally Posted By: madRiver
A deer passing an 18 wheeler


Was it on a double yellow line road?
lol.gif
 
3 in my life but they where all in 1 year with my tiburon. It was a lowered car so everyone didnt see it. I got paid for the car 3 times tho. Keep putting ebay body parts on it. After i sold havent got hit since. All 3 where not my fault.
 
3 times.

1997 : I hit a deer
2006 : got rear ended. Luckily, low speed so low damage. Icy conditions were to blame, despite winter tires.
2016 : got sideswiped Nascar style on the highway.
 
Originally Posted By: madRiver
A deer passing an 18 wheeler 2 lane road in my 1988 Jetta in college. Hit head with windshield causing broken windshield with interior shatter, broken side mirror and dent in back fender.

Cop shot it dead, I passed it on to a local family who likely had food for winter.


I was passenger in a car that hit a deer on a lonely Scottish Highland road. Took its back legs off. Girls went on to phone the cops and left me with the deer.

We looked at each other. I couldn't really think of anything encouraging to say to it.

Long moonlit wait, and the cop turned up, fairly [censored] off to learn there were no human casualties.

Cops in the Highlands don't usually have guns and probably wouldn't be allowed to use them on deer if they did, so we used my knife, taking it in turns.

It took a while and I found it quite unpleasant, as did the deer.

Job done, the cop asked if I wanted the body, but I figured turning up at the cottage with Bambi slung over my shoulder, dripping, wouldn't be a big hit with the girls, so we heaved it over a wall. Just a Roe deer but still a bit of a waste, though at that post-Chernobyl time they could be a bit radioactive in that part of the Highlands.
 
I'd never had an accident until I bought the 'cursed' car, a 1990 Eagle Talon TSi AWD. The night I bought it, I stopped by a friend's house to show it off, took her for a ride, and some moron turned left in front of me driving down her street. Dragged the front of her beater truck down the entire driver's side of my car. $6500 damage, in 1991 dollars. A month in the shop.

6 months later, 4th of July weekend, was driving back to Gillette, WY from Rapid City, SD on I-90 around midnight, and hit a deer at the Sundance, WY exit ramp. Folded both headlights back into the engine compartment, bent the hood in half, broke the radiator, shattered the air filter housing (and MAF) and front bumper, left teeth marks in the right side mirror, and hair everywhere. Killed the deer instantly. $4500 in 1991 dollars.

Sold that car after the 2nd repair in fear that it was trying to kill me.

Fast forward to 2001, pulled out of a strip-mall rear entrance driveway, blind to oncoming cars due to cars parked on the street, got T-boned by a Dodge Stealth. Destroyed the driver's door on my 2000 Sentra.

Thankfully, that's been it for me. Have never been hurt, nor had an airbag go off, which I dread ever happening.

My sister got it a lot worse years later. All this damage happened while sitting still. She got hit by an oncoming car that lost control and came into her lane. Flipped her Acura into the ditch. She suffered from bone bruising for months and a permanent back injury.

 
Zero vehicle accidents or even dents by other vehicles in my 30+ years of driving.


I always see them no matter where they are, except once...a deer ran into the side of my car in a full sprint right out of the left hand ditch. I didn't even see it until it was right beside me I could see its ugly mug. It was almost like it charged my car. I had a dent in the drivers door, rear drivers side door and back quarter panel. I was going about 50mph at the time.
 
I've been in two. One in 2009 and the other in 2017. Both were 100% the other driver's fault so their insurance paid out, but still a huge inconvenience. Luckily no injuries.
 
About 5...some my fault, some not:

A guy pulling out of a side street hit the back of my 1986 Civic. Said that because he had started to pull out a bit (not blocking lane), he had right of way and I should have stopped for him. Uh, no. Car got fixed.

A guy looking for a friends house in a snowstorm ran a stop sign and slammed into that same Civic about a year and a bit later. This time it was totaled.

Driving down a busy road, looking for a parking spot, I saw one and pulled in. Unfortunately there was a cyclist right in my blind spot and I sent him flying onto the sidewalk. Still say he shouldn't have been that close, I couldn't have seen him.

Driving through a parking lot, saw a person had their reverse lights on, but figured they would wait for me to go by. Nope, drive right into the back door of my 2002 Cavalier. Car got fixed.

Worst one was I was downtown Ottawa, trying to turn right at a busy intersection. I waited for pedestrians to cross, and then started through the intersection. A blind woman, without an identifying cane, stepped off the curb outside the crosswalk and walked right into the side of my car. Even if i had stopped, she still would have hit my car. She claimed to the police that I had hit her with the front of my car, and for some reason all the 'witnesses' there agreed with her, even though I had marks on my car from where she hit the side.

I was going to fight it, but the investigating 'officer' told me point blank that she believed the woman and had witnesses to back it up, and if I fought it she would charge me with with vehicular assault and make sure I went to jail. If I didn't, it stayed as a 'lane change not in safety' and became a fine. I should have fought it, because there were so many lies and inconsistencies that it was absurd, but I was scared of loosing my job so I just took it. If I had known the problems it would have caused me later on, I would have fought it all the way. Almost lost the ability to be insured.

Ever since then I have had very little respect for lawn enforcement, they are nothing but overpaid thugs who have the power to do what they want.
 
When I was 2 my mom pulled out in front of a guy and got T-Boned. Before seat belts were a thing. When I was 16 I rear ended an old lady in a Buick. It was dark and I was doing the speed limit. She had left the store and did not know how to turn her lights on. Deemed my fault since I rear ended her.

A year later I was hauling my dirt bike out to the desert. Came to a blind sharp corner. Had a ricky racer going the other way hit me head on mid slide.
 
In 30 years, only five. Two were deemed my fault and I should have fought one of those decisions (as I was not moving). But overall, not bad and always injury-free, minor accidents. Between commuting, driving for work, and weekends, I probably drive 30k a year, so those numbers aren't bad.
 
I have zero, about 40 years of driving. I guess it could happen today. Yes, I got stuck a few times, slide off a slippery road once, no damage.
 
In the Prius: Bumped a deer a week after I bought it. No damage. Got ever so lightly bumped from behind in traffic one day. Got out, just minor scuffing on the bumper. Shook hands with the offending driver and laughed about it for a second and drove off. Lady's door blew open in a parking lot and (according to the note she left under the windshield wiper) nailed the passenger side door. For the life of me I couldn't see a dent and could only find the faintest little hint of a scratch. It's a Prius, not a show car. I have better stuff to do than sweat the little scratches here and there.

In my WRX: Owned the car for a month. Hit a deer going 65-ish. ~$14,000 in damage. Car was at the body shop for a month while waiting for panels. Had the car back for a week and got backed into HARD. Like, $12,000 in body work hard. Buckled the hood, took out the radiator, AC condenser, core support, both front fenders, bumper. Car was in the shop for 5 weeks. Had the car for a month. Hit a dog. Car in the shop for two weeks. Cursed.
 
Over 39 years of driving, two accidents. Both times the vehicle was totalled.

First was my fault.

Second was the fault of the lady who pulled out right in front of me. I didn't even brake, her car stopped me, that's how close I was to the exit of her apartment complex when she pulled out.

The funny thing was, while waiting for the police, she told me it was her fault, she was late for work, didn't stop, etcetera and asked what I should do. I simply said tell that to the police officer when he arrives and she did. Officer asked me if I had anything else to say. I said no, she pretty much got it right.

She was ticketed and her insurance paid me for the car.
 
Over my 42 yrs of driving I can think of 6 accidents I have been in. All minor with no injures and vehicles still drivable. 3 my fault.

1) Driver from Mexico decided to dart into a 4-lane and stop. I T-boned him and wrecked his little Camry, my beastly Panther slamming into it and tossing it like a rag doll. He got towed. I drove thousands of miles more sans any repairs, lol! (not my fault)

2) Kid rear-ended pather at a stop light, 2-3 mph. Super minor. (not my fault)

3) Lost control of my Trans Am and ran it through a golf course. Road was wet, I was 19, lessons were learned. (my fault, paid out of pocket)

4) Drunk ran a yield-on-green and T-boned the Panther. Bent the frame. I went to the chiropractor for a while. (not my fault)

5) Guy rammed my mustang at the fuel pump with his horse trailer. I was not in the vehicle at the time. (obviously not my fault)

6) Woman lost control of her SUV on an icy bridge and side-swiped my 370Z. $13K in repairs. (not my fault)

7) 370Z hydroplaned on me on the freeway, was getting it settled when ABS popped the brakes a few times and spun the car. Ended up doing 60, backwards, and coming to a rest in a ditch. Wildly, zero harm or issue to anything from that. (my fault, zero harm)

8) Bucket flew out of a truck and hit my 370Z. Wire pulling twine was in it. Wrapped around the mirror and did a number on the paint. It was dark, and I was plenty far behind the buy so as noone could accuse me of tail-gating. His statements at the scene led to it being his fault, although he later changed his story, the police report had been done, so he couldn't wriggle out of it. Also around this time I hit a raccoon. It shattered the paint across the entire front bumper. No real fault there, super dark area and it came barreling across the street at the wrong time.

I put 20K miles or so on the pathers, 20K or so on the mustang GT, 30K on the trans am, 35K on the 370Z, for reference. My last 3 vehicles have been wreck free, 40K miles on my 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 78K miles on my 2015 CX5, 52K miles on my 2019 CX5. Other wreck free cars include my 2001 Trans Am, 2011 Z06, and 2002 Infiniti G20.
 
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