Oops, I was in Toronto Canada visiting my buddy this week and I drove straight through a "T" intersection at about 40 mph. The intersection was RIGHT after a blind corner I came flying around and right after I dodged a 40 pound raccoon in the middle of my lane. After I corrected for the skid from the coon I didn't have a chance to stop before I hit the curb, went airborn and landed on the front bumper. When I got out of the truck the front wheels were on the ground and the rear wheels were in the air with all the weight sitting on the front end and rear bumper. I was across a steep deep ditch. No airbags thank god and no body panel dammage. The WHOLE plastic front clip and grill are destroyed / missing though. The bumper in the back is all OK, mostly because I had a hitch in the receiver I think. Took a wrecker to pull me out foreward and I plowed up about a 100 pound divot of earth upon landing. The drivers headlight is taped in now and the allighnment is a little off. I thought for sure when i landed I blew the front tires due to the sound but I remember hearing / feeling the front brakes locked up right before I impacted the curb and I took my foot off the brake about two feet infront of the curb ( the skid mark stopped there ) This probably saved my new tires. The rim held up well and the seat belt saved my face. I did jam my finger when my hand flew off the wheel and I hit the dash and I have a black bruise on my abdomen where the lap belt drove my belt buckle into me.

Got a couple of questions:

1. Why didn't my truck hit the curb and sail into the field landing on all four tires like the movies? It flew about 12 straight out and just did a nose dive the eight feet down. The Dukes of Hazzard make it look so easy. I guess all that HEMI horse power is heavier these days.

2. I notice when I stopped for fuel on the way back to Chicago the next day that there are two identical marks on the back of the cab where the whole truck buckled in the middle and the box dinged the paint and put the smallest dents in the cab below the window behind the passenger seat and drivers seat. (I told you it was a rough landing) Is this a normal flexing of the frame under extreme load, from what I can tell it sprung back to where it should be. Do you think it was the impact or was contact made as the wrecker pulled on the front and the bumper was pulled down the ditch to level land? I can only imagine the damage if I was in a non-boxed frame truck for this wreck, the thing probably would have folded like a taco and I would have made the 8 hour drive in a rental back to chicago the next day.


3. Just from this limited information, does anyone have a guess on the damage total? I will post the total after I have it fixed and maybe the web master will send you a prize if you get the closest without going over. A dodgeforum.com sticker maybe? Those stickers are expensive you know.


Just thought I would drop this story on you all and make you feel better about that shopping cart door ding you spotted on your truck this week.

WEAR YOUR SEATBELTS!!! Trust me on that one. --Kevin

HERE IS A LINK TO THE EIGHT PICTURES I TOOK --> http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...l&x=0&y=63qjfx

 

sorry to hear about your accident, hope everything works out for you. Might want to contact a insurance agent on pricing.

 

Your my hero![sm=funnypostabove.gif] Sorry to hear about your 'rig' man. It dosen't sound like it did to much damage.

 

We will see tomorrow, I am going to the body shop. I am with State Farm and they have been really helpful thus far. I called on a Sunday afternoon and they gave me a list of about five shops that I can just pick to get the work done. No estimates needed. I hope it dosen't take a week to do because rental cars are kind of expensive. At least I will beat the hell out of the rental to get rid of the frustrations. Can't wait to see what happens when I pull the emergency brake at sixty miles per hour in an 04 Chevy Cavalier.

 

Initial estimate is $4,300. The guy only did a quick estimate without putting the truck on the lift. I really believe it will be around $5,500 when it is all said and done. Kinda makes me feel better about paying those insurance bills. Well worth it this week.

 

can we get some pictures?

 

I will see what I can do. Got a digital cam but my fiancee' will have to help post them. I am useless with computers.

 

My in-laws are insurance agents. They always say that if an animal runs out in front of you and you can't stop in time before hitting it that you should just hit it. The reason being is that if you hit the animal the damage is covered under comprehensive. But if you hit a tree, another car or a big *** ditch because you swerved to miss it...it is considered an accident. Comprehensive claims don't make your insurance go up. Accidents do.

 

sounds about right, would rather fix some undercarriage instead of the front end u know.

 

Sorry to hear about your accident. I'm sure we all have stupid stories to tell when we weren't "being cautious"....even if we say we don't.