How To Save $8,759.09. --------- DON'T WAVE!

[shatto]

Two weeks ago I was motoring home after a long day of...driving around picking-up and delivering stuff. Why? I'm a courier, and that is the job description; pick something up from one client and deliver it to another client. In fact that is the way I got the odometer on the Dakota to read what it did (see below) but, I digress.

I was traveling on Highway 13 toward Highway 24 and then on towards Walnut Creek and Concord, and home.

Highway 13 is a four lane highway at the base of the Oakland hills and we commuters were moving along in smartly, like parallel snakes with the segments made up of cars.
Being commute traffic, we all were into a rhythm of the gentle speeding up and slowing as the traffic undulates up the hills and down the hills with the road, and all was going smoothly as it does every day.
In the neighborhood of a mile from the junction of 24 is the final rise of the road before a downhill where the Berkeley traffic begins merging left to continue on and we began working our way into the right lane to be set-up for the off ramp.

Just before the crest is a pedestrian overpass.......
With about a dozen kids........
Waving.
I waved.

It was no more than two seconds, more like one;
"OHSHITCRAPDAMMIT!" "WhydidIlook"
Both feet on the brake pedal. Looking down out the windshield at the too-near car.
"My 'Scary Good Tundra Brakes' aren't going to stop me" WHAM!

"BLAM!"
Said the air bag.
Blinding, stinky, dust everywhere.
Damn bag blocking my vision so I couldn't steer, so I am using karate and pawing at it trying to get it out of the way but every time I pushed it away, it popped up somewhere else.
Finally off the road and stopped, I popped off the seat belt opened the door and fought my way past the air bag to check on the driver ....... of the BMW....
And the Corolla he hit.

Fortunately, BMW makes supremely safe automobiles. I told the driver not to move but, to do sort of like a 'systems check' and notice if he hurt anywhere and if everything worked. Eventually he said he was fine, just shocked, and I pushed his car completely off the road out of the way of traffic.

The first of three Oakland Police Motorcycle officers stopped, asked what happened, asked if anybody needed an ambulance and, upon hearing that all was copacetic and that the Highway Patrol and a AAA tow truck had been called, he left. The other Motors did the same thing. Amazing to me, as I don't recollect ever seeing a motorcycle officer on this stretch of road.

The Corolla driver came back and we all preceded the exchange of information and had just finished when the CHP Police Interceptor pulled up. We gave all the information to him.

I gave the Corolla driver a bungee and hooked it up so his sprung trunk stayed closed.
The BMW rear bumper was against the wheel and the car wouldn't start.
I drove home.

I couldn't understand why the seatbelt was so short I couldn't buckle it and it was jammed. It is self-retracting in an accident.
[The TRW Active Control Retractor (ACR) links active and passive safety systems. ACR is designed to use braking and stability control sensor information to sense a potential accident. The system removes the seatbelt slack to help better position the occupant in relation to the vehicle's airbag restraint system.]
Who would-a-thunk it! In an accident the seat belt doesn't just stop me, it actively pulls me back.

SO:

$3,594.56 for all the parts, including;
$1,580.75 for the airbag parts and new retracting seat belt.
$611.88 for the expert to come install, test and re-program everything.

To Make 'Clyde The Ride' whole again.
$8,259.09 Parts and Labor
$0 500.00 Deductible

$8,759.09

Having insurance: Priceless.

[Morning Glory]

That sucks man.

Glad to hear you're okay. I had a similar incident in my dad's Sport Trac. However, I stopped but my dad's foot still cracked the windshield. Great braking system.

Got any pics?

-rockstate

[Barney_Fife]

Originally Posted by rockstate45

That sucks man.

Glad to hear you're okay. I had a similar incident in my dad's Sport Trac. However, I stopped but my dad's foot still cracked the windshield. Great braking system.

Got any pics?

-rockstate

foot cracked the windshield? dont tell me your dad is one of those that puts his feet on the dash? feet belong in the floor. period.


also, OP, sounds like the guy in the 07 tundra that was texting and ran into the back of my wife's benz and knocked her into the focus. 16k in damages to the benz but it protected her like it should have. dont know what his tundra's damages were, dont really care. he didnt have enough insurance to cover it all once the diminished value claim was done and the other cars damages etc.... dam people who think they can carry the state required 25k minimum in liability damages and thats all they need....

[Morning Glory]

Originally Posted by 07DCwhiteSR5

foot cracked the windshield? dont tell me your dad is one of those that puts his feet on the dash? feet belong in the floor. period.

Yeah, I'd never seen him do it before but he had has his feet up on the dash/windshield for about 30 miles and he was listening to one of his coworkers b!tch about something so he just thinking,

Needless to say, he learned his lesson. My mom always taught us never to do it but every once and a while if I'm tired I'll stick 'em onto the mirror.

I should add that we drove the 240 miles in the morning so he could wing an hour long speech, then drive the 240 miles back so not only was he tired but he was glad to have that stress off his shoulders. Bad timing really. All could have been avoided if I could have seen over the hill to the car in front of the Dakota or whatever it was. I always watch the brake lights in front of the guy in front of me. This time I couldn't see 'em nad I was watching that crappy mini Lincoln SUV come barreling up behind me and into the slow lane to pass me doing bout 90 only to get stopped by a slowing down semi... which reverted my eyes to the slowing Dakota.


-rockstate

[guntech]

WOW, that really sucks. Glad to hear that everyone was OK. Yes, we need pictures......