God damn fucking squirrels...
Dec. 31st, 2004 10:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wolfwingsSlid out coming home. Was behind a car on an offramp so no, I wasn't going fast at all. 405 North, Brookhurst North, 30mph turn, was going 25-30 and it had started raining (light mist, the worst rain type for driving) when a squirrel decided to end it's life by diving between me and Mr. Eggshell Generic Midsized Car.
Bad reflexes I do possess include trying to dodge a foreign object coming at the side of my car suddenly.
On the wide left turn, I made a sudden sharp right, lost traction on... I think only the front wheels, interestingly. I was able to 'rudder' the car back straight, but then I hit a 'thump' and the back end slid out the OTHER way, pointing me out towards the outer edge of the curve again without enough room to get back on the road.
So, squirrel got his wish, I went off the embankment, slid down the ice-plant on my passenger-side, at the 75-degree section of the embankment the car slipped off the wheels entirely at which point I sat back, released the steering wheel, killed the engine, and covered my face with my arms and ducked, expecting the car to roll over onto it's roof, all the glass to implode, and me to end up stuck that way, wishing I'd had time to drop the seat back first.
Car _did_ roll very neatly onto it's roof... and it didn't even buckle the roof, just slid along quietly, caught the dirt ditch just before the fence with the driver-side, which stopped that part, and basically rolled the car almost vertical again, at which point I 'sat down' as hard as I could, and a moment later the car was... well, trying to be upright again, all the glass intact (even the already-cracked windshield took no further damage) dropped up on all four wheels on the chain-link fence.
About 90 minutes later, the car was winched backwards along the fence until it 'drove down' itself onto the dirt, then power-assisted back onto the road.
Total damage? Shitloads of iceplant wedged in EVERY orifice, including a wad I shot out of the exhaust pipe when I turned over the engine. And both front quarter-panels and the front 'hood latch cover' panel took a beating, but other than that the car is actually unharmed as near a I can tell. Still drives very straight, still shifts as smooth a ever... I blame it on the fact the car weighs about 1200lbs total, and the roll was very slow, and onto a very cushioning substance.
On a side-note... just found the stack of XMas cards folks had sent me... And I have to ask,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
dingo_? Is that virtual mistletoe redeemable? =^.^=
Sorry, I'm just a little desperate for some humour right about now. But at least the squirrel is dead... or I saw the bloody tail, so if it's not dead I'm awfully surprised and think it's about to die. So someone got their wish, apparently.
Andkattything? I'm going to be at FC, by hook, crook, or other insane method. No matter what. =^.^=
Bad reflexes I do possess include trying to dodge a foreign object coming at the side of my car suddenly.
On the wide left turn, I made a sudden sharp right, lost traction on... I think only the front wheels, interestingly. I was able to 'rudder' the car back straight, but then I hit a 'thump' and the back end slid out the OTHER way, pointing me out towards the outer edge of the curve again without enough room to get back on the road.
So, squirrel got his wish, I went off the embankment, slid down the ice-plant on my passenger-side, at the 75-degree section of the embankment the car slipped off the wheels entirely at which point I sat back, released the steering wheel, killed the engine, and covered my face with my arms and ducked, expecting the car to roll over onto it's roof, all the glass to implode, and me to end up stuck that way, wishing I'd had time to drop the seat back first.
Car _did_ roll very neatly onto it's roof... and it didn't even buckle the roof, just slid along quietly, caught the dirt ditch just before the fence with the driver-side, which stopped that part, and basically rolled the car almost vertical again, at which point I 'sat down' as hard as I could, and a moment later the car was... well, trying to be upright again, all the glass intact (even the already-cracked windshield took no further damage) dropped up on all four wheels on the chain-link fence.
About 90 minutes later, the car was winched backwards along the fence until it 'drove down' itself onto the dirt, then power-assisted back onto the road.
Total damage? Shitloads of iceplant wedged in EVERY orifice, including a wad I shot out of the exhaust pipe when I turned over the engine. And both front quarter-panels and the front 'hood latch cover' panel took a beating, but other than that the car is actually unharmed as near a I can tell. Still drives very straight, still shifts as smooth a ever... I blame it on the fact the car weighs about 1200lbs total, and the roll was very slow, and onto a very cushioning substance.
On a side-note... just found the stack of XMas cards folks had sent me... And I have to ask,
dingo_? Is that virtual mistletoe redeemable? =^.^=Sorry, I'm just a little desperate for some humour right about now. But at least the squirrel is dead... or I saw the bloody tail, so if it's not dead I'm awfully surprised and think it's about to die. So someone got their wish, apparently.
And
kattything? I'm going to be at FC, by hook, crook, or other insane method. No matter what. =^.^=
(no subject)
Date: 2004-12-31 06:42 pm (UTC)*nuzz* Danke, hon.
Date: 2005-01-01 09:49 am (UTC)I have new-found respect for my love of older solid-steel vehicles with the idea of reinforced bodies instead of 'crumple zones' everywhere. Most accidents won't do more than cosmetic damage. :-)
(no subject)
Date: 2004-12-31 06:55 pm (UTC)Danke. *hugs*
Date: 2005-01-01 09:48 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-12-31 07:02 pm (UTC)I don't know why...
Date: 2005-01-01 09:47 am (UTC)I tend to have slow-motion and logic. Which can be a good thing. =^.^=
(no subject)
Date: 2004-12-31 07:15 pm (UTC)*LionHUG* I'm -really- glad you weren't obviously seriously injured!
Damage to me is minimal.
Date: 2005-01-01 09:47 am (UTC)As for the car, aside from a crushed pair of $20 front quarter panels and a $10 front hood-latch cover panel and the back bumper bar, there's actually no damage at all to the car. Alignment is still true enough I can keep my hands off the wheel for over 1/4 mile without the car swaying out of the lane.
Re: Damage to me is minimal.
Date: 2005-01-01 10:01 am (UTC)What a way to get the new year started, eh?
(no subject)
Date: 2004-12-31 07:31 pm (UTC)Good to know that you're alright. See you tonight, hopefully.
Yeah, 1980 cars are the 'last era' of tank-cars.
Date: 2005-01-01 09:50 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-12-31 08:12 pm (UTC)Yes, iceplant is a wonderful thing!
Date: 2005-01-01 09:45 am (UTC)It's hard to crumble a car that can support it's own weight on almost any angle, except in a 'direct impact' collision.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-12-31 09:39 pm (UTC)Poor squirrel.
I once sucked asphalt for similar reasons (laid down a motorcycle to avoid a possum).
Next time, hit it.
Cheers.
Unfortunately...
Date: 2005-01-01 09:44 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-01-01 08:27 am (UTC)Actually, in a mutant way it's a nice thing...
Date: 2005-01-01 09:40 am (UTC)omg
Date: 2005-01-03 07:24 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-01-05 01:41 am (UTC)The reason I could switch off the engine that fast...
Date: 2005-01-05 02:24 am (UTC)The ignition itself is a combination switch and push-button.
Pull the switch towards you to 'activate' the car's electrical systems, akin to switching a normal ignition to 'On' since I removed the 'Accessory' circuit from the car entierly. The pushbutton just triggers the starter motor, nothing more.
So, to switch the engine off, I just flicked my hand across the panel mounted under the dash when I ducked and covered my face, and had already dropped the transmission into neutral when I started to skid, so the engine had almost no fluids moving when it went inverted, AND was disconnected from the wheels so they could spin freely without damaging it or the transmission.
There's a reason why I re-wire my car the way I do. :-)
Re: The reason I could switch off the engine that fast...
Date: 2005-01-08 03:12 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-01-05 01:42 am (UTC)Bitte sehr.
Date: 2005-01-05 02:28 am (UTC)