Closest you've come to certain death whilst driving?
Discussion
Grayedout said:
brrapp said:
Just being a bit pedantic, but it obviously wasn't certain death if you didn't actually die.
Probably my closest was while rallying a Mini on Mull many years ago. I was going slightly too fast and was oversteering on a long bend on a clifftop over the sea, slowly drifting towards the outside edge of the road and nothing I could do but try to keep it neutral and hope I'd stop drifting out before I reached the edge. It didn't work, the front wheel slid off the road but luckily hit a rock on the scarily narrow verge. I bounced back on to the tarmac but with my steering wheel on full lock, as soon as the tyre gripped, the Mini rolled, two and and a half times down the road, landed upside down at right angles across the road. I climbed out the shattered window, lifted the car back onto it's wheels and got back in and drove off. My only injury was a black finger nail which had been trapped under the roof as I turned the car back over.
I went back later in daylight to look at the crash site and almost s
t myself. The verge which I had slid onto was only about 2 feet wide with at least a 100 foot drop to the sea below, no barrier. The section of road I'd barrel rolled down was single track, about 9 feet wide, a foot narrower than the length of the mini with a rock face on one side and drop to the sea on the other.
If they'd done the lottery back then that would've been the day to buy a ticket.
What year? If it's in the last 20 then I was almost certainly there and can probably guess whereabouts it was !Probably my closest was while rallying a Mini on Mull many years ago. I was going slightly too fast and was oversteering on a long bend on a clifftop over the sea, slowly drifting towards the outside edge of the road and nothing I could do but try to keep it neutral and hope I'd stop drifting out before I reached the edge. It didn't work, the front wheel slid off the road but luckily hit a rock on the scarily narrow verge. I bounced back on to the tarmac but with my steering wheel on full lock, as soon as the tyre gripped, the Mini rolled, two and and a half times down the road, landed upside down at right angles across the road. I climbed out the shattered window, lifted the car back onto it's wheels and got back in and drove off. My only injury was a black finger nail which had been trapped under the roof as I turned the car back over.
I went back later in daylight to look at the crash site and almost s
t myself. The verge which I had slid onto was only about 2 feet wide with at least a 100 foot drop to the sea below, no barrier. The section of road I'd barrel rolled down was single track, about 9 feet wide, a foot narrower than the length of the mini with a rock face on one side and drop to the sea on the other.If they'd done the lottery back then that would've been the day to buy a ticket.
SevenR said:
Just read this thread.
Fiesta ST for sale.
I'm getting the bus.
A bus you say???Fiesta ST for sale.
I'm getting the bus.
My friends Grandad was a bus driver.
Id like to end my days just like him - with a calm smile on my face and final sigh......
.... not screaming and shouting like his passengers as he drove off the cliff edge.
There is nothing like motorsport to remind you that you are not as good as you think.
Thirty-something years ago and I am trying to become a rally driver with a Hillman Imp in the local club series. Over confidence and poor visibility lead to a rapid collision with a tree, one of the few in that part of Norfolk. The car became about 3 feet shorter than before, which is awkward as an Imp is not a big car anyway. The big front mounted radiator split and all of the coolant flashed off into steam, leaving us sticky with antifreeze. In shock, my co-driver and I get out, survey the damage, note that the seam welded body and roll cage seem to have done the job well and expect to rebuild the car over the next three weeks. This didn't happen; it took more like three months, bruises from the harnesses made the two of us walk like old chimpanzees for a fortnight and almost everything in the car was bent or shock loaded so much it was fit only for the skip. There was a picture in the Express and Star that gave our employer a good laugh.
The next car survived long enough to be sold at the end of the next season, whereupon the new owner beat me consistently all season. I gave up shortly after, going to university made me broke and I was never good enough to make it a career.
Thirty-something years ago and I am trying to become a rally driver with a Hillman Imp in the local club series. Over confidence and poor visibility lead to a rapid collision with a tree, one of the few in that part of Norfolk. The car became about 3 feet shorter than before, which is awkward as an Imp is not a big car anyway. The big front mounted radiator split and all of the coolant flashed off into steam, leaving us sticky with antifreeze. In shock, my co-driver and I get out, survey the damage, note that the seam welded body and roll cage seem to have done the job well and expect to rebuild the car over the next three weeks. This didn't happen; it took more like three months, bruises from the harnesses made the two of us walk like old chimpanzees for a fortnight and almost everything in the car was bent or shock loaded so much it was fit only for the skip. There was a picture in the Express and Star that gave our employer a good laugh.
The next car survived long enough to be sold at the end of the next season, whereupon the new owner beat me consistently all season. I gave up shortly after, going to university made me broke and I was never good enough to make it a career.
Edited by jeremy996 on Thursday 1st September 16:24
Oddly mine was also in a "rally car". I built up a Midget as my A40 was a bit too slow.
On the second event in the midget, we were looking at a top 3 finish, then on a neutral section on an A road, we had to turn right into a white to go down to the next section. A chap in a Peugeot 405 decided to overtake a line of rally cars (it was a straight A road at 4am) and never saw the midget indicating and hit us broadside as I turned right.
The Hardtop came off, door hit steering wheel, rear axle bent, I broke my right collar bone, left thigh in seven places where I hit the transmission tunnel, a vertebra in my neck and suffered a bleed on the brain..luckily the willans harnesses and safety devices cage stopped it from being worse but took me months to be back up and about after that one. I reshelled it and sold it on and its still a race car, as is the A40 so I must have done something right...
The oddest thing was that two ambulances attended and took my navigator away whilst I was still out cold and we ended up in two different hospitals so I had a bit of a panic that he had wandered off in the night and never been found!!
On the second event in the midget, we were looking at a top 3 finish, then on a neutral section on an A road, we had to turn right into a white to go down to the next section. A chap in a Peugeot 405 decided to overtake a line of rally cars (it was a straight A road at 4am) and never saw the midget indicating and hit us broadside as I turned right.
The Hardtop came off, door hit steering wheel, rear axle bent, I broke my right collar bone, left thigh in seven places where I hit the transmission tunnel, a vertebra in my neck and suffered a bleed on the brain..luckily the willans harnesses and safety devices cage stopped it from being worse but took me months to be back up and about after that one. I reshelled it and sold it on and its still a race car, as is the A40 so I must have done something right...
The oddest thing was that two ambulances attended and took my navigator away whilst I was still out cold and we ended up in two different hospitals so I had a bit of a panic that he had wandered off in the night and never been found!!
A27 outside Worthing driving my cayman S at a rate of knots early in the morning. Came over the crest of a hill to be faced with a huge lake of water. Slammed on the anchors but hit the water at a good speed, car aquaplaned and hit the kerb bursting the tyre and launching it into the air. Flew over a wide ditch and through a fence a fair way down into a sodden field where it promptly slid to a halt and sunk down to its chassis.
Got out and not a scratch on me. When I saw the fence coming towards me I thought I was doomed but instinctively I had let go of the steering wheel, crossed my arms and put my hands on my shoulders, pulled my feet back off the pedals and forced my head right back into the seat.
Phoned Porsche assist who helped me come and drag it out of the field. Police and ambulance turned up but I was 100% fine. Got me into all the local newspapers though
and they rebuilt the car at a cost of over 20k
Got out and not a scratch on me. When I saw the fence coming towards me I thought I was doomed but instinctively I had let go of the steering wheel, crossed my arms and put my hands on my shoulders, pulled my feet back off the pedals and forced my head right back into the seat.
Phoned Porsche assist who helped me come and drag it out of the field. Police and ambulance turned up but I was 100% fine. Got me into all the local newspapers though
and they rebuilt the car at a cost of over 20kHol said:
SevenR said:
Just read this thread.
Fiesta ST for sale.
I'm getting the bus.
A bus you say???Fiesta ST for sale.
I'm getting the bus.
My friends Grandad was a bus driver.
Id like to end my days just like him - with a calm smile on my face and final sigh......
lol Very good.
.... not screaming and shouting like his passengers as he drove off the cliff edge.
Only once - about 30 years ago:
Driving a lovely HC Viva, at night on 'A' roads somewhere near Mansfield. Came to a T-junction, could only see the headlights of two cars approaching from the right, plenty of time to pull out....
Unfortunately, on straightening up, the two 'cars' turned out to be one HGV overtaking another
It was quite a narrow road, and the left-hand verge was virtually non-existent - with a 10-foot brick wall running alongside (a stately home grounds, or somesuch). All I could do was pull in as close to the wall as possible and await the afterlife. The two lorries were still parallel when they went past, just clipping the door mirror by about a millimetere.
If you've ever watched Trains, Planes & Automobiles, there's one scene that always springs to mind
Driving a lovely HC Viva, at night on 'A' roads somewhere near Mansfield. Came to a T-junction, could only see the headlights of two cars approaching from the right, plenty of time to pull out....
Unfortunately, on straightening up, the two 'cars' turned out to be one HGV overtaking another
It was quite a narrow road, and the left-hand verge was virtually non-existent - with a 10-foot brick wall running alongside (a stately home grounds, or somesuch). All I could do was pull in as close to the wall as possible and await the afterlife. The two lorries were still parallel when they went past, just clipping the door mirror by about a millimetere.If you've ever watched Trains, Planes & Automobiles, there's one scene that always springs to mind
Back seat passenger in a mk1 carlton, sleeping, pissed, woke up by fishtailing, then a massive bang, the car ripped a pedestrian railing out the ground then went into a stone wall. None of the doors would open and smoke was coming out the bonnet and underneath the car, waiting for the 1980s electric sunroof to open wondering if we'd be cooked alive in a brown velour hell was the longest wait ever.
As previously posted on 'crash pics' thread
Long story short.
Glaubenbielen Pass Switzerland September 2015. Came round a left-hander to be met by Subaru Forester on our side of the road. He hit the front of the car, 'surfed' the block and came to rest above our heads with the under side of his bumper touching the rollover bar. We were trapped in the car until it was removed by a touring mate and the driver. Photo shows it's final resting place.
I walked away with a bruised thumb, Mrs A not so lucky, although no broken bones, she's still having treatment for a bad back.
Long story short.
Glaubenbielen Pass Switzerland September 2015. Came round a left-hander to be met by Subaru Forester on our side of the road. He hit the front of the car, 'surfed' the block and came to rest above our heads with the under side of his bumper touching the rollover bar. We were trapped in the car until it was removed by a touring mate and the driver. Photo shows it's final resting place.
I walked away with a bruised thumb, Mrs A not so lucky, although no broken bones, she's still having treatment for a bad back.
Slowing down in wet weather on the A1 approaching an accident a short distance ahead. I hit a bit of diesel or oil, which was either the cause of the accident ahead or from one of the affected vehicles. This was a 2 lane carriageway section,and the back end of my car slid into the oncoming lane just as there was a truck coming uphill. I tried to correct it, but over corrected and ended up with the back end of the car on the embankment. Which is where I ended up. Beside the other cars that had already crashed. That truck was too close for comfort, I still don't know how he never ploughed into us. Luckily I never hit anything and was able to drive on. The verge didn't have a kerb so I just slid up the grass.
Another time I met a French car coming towards me on my side of the road on a bend just outside Ullapool. We were both doing at least 50mph, and he managed to swerve out the way onto his side of the road again. That could have been a nasty one.
Another time I met a French car coming towards me on my side of the road on a bend just outside Ullapool. We were both doing at least 50mph, and he managed to swerve out the way onto his side of the road again. That could have been a nasty one.
Aeroscreens said:
Long story short.
Glaubenbielen Pass Switzerland September 2015. Came round a left-hander to be met by Subaru Forester on our side of the road. He hit the front of the car, 'surfed' the block and came to rest above our heads with the under side of his bumper touching the rollover bar. We were trapped in the car until it was removed by a touring mate and the driver. Photo shows it's final resting place.
Was that camera recording at the time...?Glaubenbielen Pass Switzerland September 2015. Came round a left-hander to be met by Subaru Forester on our side of the road. He hit the front of the car, 'surfed' the block and came to rest above our heads with the under side of his bumper touching the rollover bar. We were trapped in the car until it was removed by a touring mate and the driver. Photo shows it's final resting place.
February (ish) this year.
There's a road near me which I'm very familiar with. About half-way down it there's a crest which means you momentarily lose sight of the cars both oncoming and in your own lane. It's around 9.30pm and dark - there are only a few streetlights on this particular road, and they're quite far from the crest. I'm in a Ford Sierra with dipped headlights, doing the 30mph speed limit.
Coming over the crest I see an outline in front of me and it's far, far too close for my liking. I go to ease off and see it's a stationary trailer with no reflectors connected to a Mercedes Sprinter with no lights on. There is no way I can get stopped in the diminishing gap so I take a chance and slew the steering wheel to the right, hoping there's nothing oncoming.
There is, but it's sufficiently far away to pass safely. Except he's absolutely flying.
I throw the wheel back to the left almost before I've even passed the van. I make it back to my own lane with a matter of inches between my car and the oncoming car, whose driver is now on the horn. All of this happened within about two seconds.
While any collision probably wouldn't have been fatal, I came damn close to having my pride and joy written off that night. I pootled the rest of the way home at about 20-25 mph with a heart that felt like it was liable to jump out of my chest, and a renewed vigour in observing the road ahead.
While a scenario like that could play out even with exquisite roadcraft, I've tried since to minimise the chance of a repeat.
There's a road near me which I'm very familiar with. About half-way down it there's a crest which means you momentarily lose sight of the cars both oncoming and in your own lane. It's around 9.30pm and dark - there are only a few streetlights on this particular road, and they're quite far from the crest. I'm in a Ford Sierra with dipped headlights, doing the 30mph speed limit.
Coming over the crest I see an outline in front of me and it's far, far too close for my liking. I go to ease off and see it's a stationary trailer with no reflectors connected to a Mercedes Sprinter with no lights on. There is no way I can get stopped in the diminishing gap so I take a chance and slew the steering wheel to the right, hoping there's nothing oncoming.
There is, but it's sufficiently far away to pass safely. Except he's absolutely flying.
I throw the wheel back to the left almost before I've even passed the van. I make it back to my own lane with a matter of inches between my car and the oncoming car, whose driver is now on the horn. All of this happened within about two seconds.
While any collision probably wouldn't have been fatal, I came damn close to having my pride and joy written off that night. I pootled the rest of the way home at about 20-25 mph with a heart that felt like it was liable to jump out of my chest, and a renewed vigour in observing the road ahead.
While a scenario like that could play out even with exquisite roadcraft, I've tried since to minimise the chance of a repeat.
EazyDuz said:
ChasW said:
Years ago I worked in the medical industry supplying products that put badly injured people, lots of them bikers, back together again after serious trauma. One biker had a bad femur break which was treated by inserting a metal rod down the shaft of his femur. No sooner had he been discharged, and against doctor's advice, he was back on his bike. Before long he had another smash, took the impact on his knee forcing the metal rod back out through his buttock. A real mess but he survived. Cost to the NHS would have been huge. Good business for us though. Interestingly business was better in the summer than winter. Bikers and drivers appear to take more risks when the weather is good.
As a rider myself and many others, we all accept the dangers as part of it. If motorcycles had a big plastic bubble with total guarantee of survival no matter what kind of crash, no one would ride them. A family friend was riding to his mothers birthday dinner, on the way skidded on some wet leaves. Slid right into a tree, brown bread.
ChasW said:
EazyDuz said:
ChasW said:
Years ago I worked in the medical industry supplying products that put badly injured people, lots of them bikers, back together again after serious trauma. One biker had a bad femur break which was treated by inserting a metal rod down the shaft of his femur. No sooner had he been discharged, and against doctor's advice, he was back on his bike. Before long he had another smash, took the impact on his knee forcing the metal rod back out through his buttock. A real mess but he survived. Cost to the NHS would have been huge. Good business for us though. Interestingly business was better in the summer than winter. Bikers and drivers appear to take more risks when the weather is good.
As a rider myself and many others, we all accept the dangers as part of it. If motorcycles had a big plastic bubble with total guarantee of survival no matter what kind of crash, no one would ride them. A family friend was riding to his mothers birthday dinner, on the way skidded on some wet leaves. Slid right into a tree, brown bread.
Some spaz in an Astra down some country lanes decided to massively cut the corner going the opposite way to me, I was on a motorbike. I saw him coming through the bushes at some speed and tucked right in on the left (left hand bend) and he still got close.
Thought briefly about spinning round and chasing him down, but what's the point? Probably a mouth breather who'd want a fight. Could've been nasty if we collided.
Thought briefly about spinning round and chasing him down, but what's the point? Probably a mouth breather who'd want a fight. Could've been nasty if we collided.
Driving my EVO back from being serviced in Fairford, en route back to Malmesbury theres a dip in the road where I thought I could overtake - could see over the hedge to see if there was a car approaching from the junction on the right. I didn't see the TVR as it was obviously lower than the hedge, he pulled out just as I had entered the dip with the junction doing about 80. All I can say is - holy brembo and Michelin saved me that day !!
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