Car Crashes I Have Known (part four)

September 1993 - Who Me? I Had Nothing To Do With It.

I thought that it was a good idea to take the kids to school and drop the wife off to work but a few other people had a different idea about how I should spend my day.

Funny how one thinks that the car you fall in love with at first site will always be your one and only. I guess that guys are fickle that way (at least when it comes to cars). This dazzling maroon 1993 Honda Civic LX was all that I had wanted in a car. Besides power windows, it didn't have anything special but it looked smooth, ran great and that's all that mattered.

We were following our usual route and were now on the stretch of Baychester Avenue which would lead use Wilder Avenue, where we would pick up my niece. Poor thing was going to be left out. My dear niece (photo on top, on the left) was not able to participate in the fun we were about to have.

I was in the pilot's sit and Wen (the co-pilot) was sitting next to me. (For those who are curious, that's a picture of Wen, on the left, next to the chariot).The wife had made it a habit of backseat driving from the front seat but I guess that's the job of the co-pilot. Regardless, you can only make comments on another person's driving, when there is time too. This particular occasion, all judgment calls were on me.

I could see the yellow Dodge Shadow approaching and there was nothing unusual to see. That is, until the white Acura, parked in the opposing lane, decided that he was coming out of his parking space. He did this regardless of who was already in the flow of traffic and had the right of way.  The yellow Dodge honked but it was too late to slow down. He was forced to swerve to his left in order to avoid the white car, which he successfully did. But to accomplish this, he also had to cross the double line and move into my lane. I quickly moved to the right to avoid a head and I was relieved for a second when this didn't happen. Unfortunately, it seemed more important for the Dodge not to hit the Acura than to maybe hit me. The front of his car rammed the rear left side of mine, causing us to spin a bit. I was able to straighten the car out but for reasons that I couldn't understand, I seemed to no longer had control of the car. The front right side of my Accord struck/scraped the nearby Plymouth causing a lot of damage. and the only reason we came to a stop is because we then smashed into the an older model Civic. This video should make clear the events that I just described.

Just before I turned around to see if everyone was okay (which they all were), I glanced in my left side view mirror. I could see the Dodge sitting at an angle, across both lanes. I felt relieved that me and my family were alright and then sorry for the guy in the Dodge who had done his best to avoid all this. My emotions then turned to anger because also in my mirror, much further away, I could see the white Acura. He had driven away from the accident that he had caused and he hadn't sustained a scratch. I watched as he moved onto the highway entrance and away from the scene.

When I did get out and walked around the car, I found that the front right and left rear tires of my car were both totally flat. Wow! No wonder I finally lost control of my car.  Thank God it wasn't much worst.

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Car Crashes I Have Known (part three)

March 1989 - I May Be Crazy but At Least I'm Not Blind

Many people complain about their mother-in-laws. Seemed like I must have lucked out because I had one that I really got along with. I liked her so much in fact, that dropping her off every morning didn't seem like a chore at all. I looked forward to our conversations and this particular morning was no exception. In retrospect, if we had had a terrible relationship, I probably would not have been able to speak about the upcoming events.

I had just dropped off the grand lady and waved goodbye as I pulled away from the curb in my sleek golden 1987 Honda Accord. It had the hidden flip-up headlights which reminded me of the Aston Martin car in the James Bond movies. Tres cool.

I took great care to check my blind spot to ensure that that there would be no sudden surprises. Over the past decade I had learned to become a very careful driver. I'd learned my lesson about driving defensively, At the age of thirty-five I'd discovered that the being speed-racer and driving with my ego on my sleeve would probably get me killed.

I had gotten to the point of my fifteen minute return drive where there was a three block stretch of road which had no intersections or turns. This trek had me driving downhill for about halfway there and then coasting uphill to the light the rest of the way. As I started down the slope, I'd given the car a bit of extra gas knowing that inertia would move me along  to the end of the block. In the distance, in the opposing lane, there was this light grey Grand Mercury Marquis which was doing thirty-five down his slope of the hill, the same as me.

As I got to the midpoint, just before the hill would slope upwards, the Marquis begins to turn left in my direction. I knew there was no intersection but I quickly glanced over to my right and saw that there was a driveway. If that was where the guy was headed it didn't make any sense. Couldn't he see that I was in the way! I was in the furthest right lane which would put me next to this driveway that he was headed for. I looked back at him and he was definitely heading for the driver's side of my car and there was no avoiding him.

I began to speed up hoping to pass him and I was able to get my driver's side further forward but other than that it was too late.  I couldn't avoid the accident. The front of his car hit the side of mine.

Miraculously myself and the elderly male driver and his wife were able to walk out of our vehicles. We exchanged information since this occurred in the days before cell phones and I was going to walk up the hill to to the pay phone, call the cops. I had only gotten a few steps away when I finally heard the explanation for our dilemma. I heard the wife angrily but quietly say:

"I told you you should have worn your glasses."

I was stunned but I kept on walking as if I hadn't heard. As bad as it sounds, the old gentleman had driven towards the driveway as if he couldn't see me because he hadn't.

The police arrived soon after I made the call. I quietly mentioned to the officer and then later on, loudly told my insurance representative what I had heard.  On the positive side, it was deemed that I was not a fault. On the other hand, my car was totaled so how great was it to really be in the right. At least I was able to buy a shiny new maroon 1989 Accord. Made me feel a little better, anyway.

To be continued........


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Car Crashes I Have Known (part two)

September 1979 - Second Car

What a beautiful fall day. Not a cloud in the sky. It was about nine in the morning and I was on my was home from work. I was feeling particularly good because I was driving my wife's new 1980 Toyota Corona. Actually, it belonged to both of us but we figured that it was only safer for the wifey to drive the newer car. This meant I got the '74 Corolla which was a bit run down but it was paid for.

When I prepared to go to work the night before, I knew that she didn't have to get up in the morning. As I walked towards the parking spaces where our two cars were parked, I could vaguely hear the Corona calling my name. "Lloyd. Don't you want to take a smooth ride tonight and ride home in style in the morning?" The Corona and I looked over at the sad little white Corolla. I accepted the gold Corona's invitation and proudly held my head high all the way to work.

I know this probably doesn't happen to most guys (yeah, right) but when a man is twenty-six years old and driving a fancy new car, it's difficult not to feel a bit pumped. The sun had climbed halfway up the eastern skies and I was feeling great. I'd been driving legally for the pass year and a half with no problems to speak of. As I drove, the leather of the dark brown steering wheel felt very increasingly comfortable in my hands. I inhaled deeply and that new-car smell filled my lungs with pride. Every man should experience that smell at least once in his life.

Was it my imagination or did that good looking girl just take a second look at me. I had basically noticed her reaction in my peripheral vision but I had to make sure. I quickly turned my head just for a brief second. Yes, she was definitely smiling back and the glance was in my direction. Now that my ego was properly inflated, I returned my eyes to the road ahead and back to my expert driving. It just wouldn't be worth it to get into an accident with this new car. At the top of the hill ahead of me was the last intersection which, after making a left, would lead me into the apartment complex.

As I approached the left turning lane, there was a dark blue vehicle in the opposing left turning lane ahead of me. A more experienced driver would have known to slowly proceed with caution. There might be another car that can't be seen on the other side of that vehicle that was also waiting to make a left. I didn't know to think that far ahead. All I understood was that the car ahead was signaling left and I saw nothing else coming. I began my turn and as my right side passed the blue car, I could now see that there was a red car approaching me at about thirty-five miles an hour. My last thought before he hit the broadside of my car was that he had the right of way. His light was green. OH NO!!! The video speaks for itself.

Except for my left pinkie finger being sore, I was not hurt. Fortunately, the other guy was okay too. As I stood there, learning how to exchange information and patiently waiting for the police, I didn't feel like such an experienced driver anymore.

Finally, I found that the car was drivable but it moved from side to side a bit. I tried not to look at how caved in the passenger area was and how much closer it felt to me. As I pulled into the parking lot, I dreaded facing the wifey. She would not be happy about what happened to her new car. The next calamity would not be a car crash but probably just as bad. Obviously, I had a lot more to learn.

To be continued.......


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