exploded a partridge today! What have you hit?
Discussion
In thirty years of driving I've only ever hit something once on the road, on the way to the NEC classic car show in November last year I thought I'd just missed a pheasant by a few inches on the A45, as I pulled into the car park about five minutes later an elderly lady walking past the front of the car started wailing and pointing down at where the n/s fog light is. I got out to have a shuftie and there it was, the remains of said pheasant stuck in the plastic mesh grille surrounding the fog light (it's an Alfa Giulietta). The old dear wandered off muttering to herself, I pulled the bird out of the grille and dumped the poor blighter on the grass next to the car park fence.
I've hit no end of livestock at work driving trains - several cats, two large dogs, numerous pigeons, rabbits, pheasants and badgers, all you hear is a dull thud as they bounce off or get smashed to bits, depending on the speed.
I've hit no end of livestock at work driving trains - several cats, two large dogs, numerous pigeons, rabbits, pheasants and badgers, all you hear is a dull thud as they bounce off or get smashed to bits, depending on the speed.
Hit a dog in my Maestro when I was about 18. Bunch of fat idiots were talking it on a walk without a lead on a 40mph road and it ran out in front of me.
I leapt on the brakes but hit the dog and it went under the car. It scrabbled out from under the car and was screaming as it ran off. One of the blokes bellowed 'You b
d' (yes, because it was my fault you chubby cretin) and went off after the dog.
As I was 18, and feared a beating, I roared off but after about a quarter of a mile I turned round and went back and they'd all gone.
Even though it wasn't my fault I felt terrible about it and can still remember it as clear as day almost 30 years later.
Apart from that I had a some large insect smash into my forehead whilst I was doing about 80 in a convertible down the A38 this summer. Christ that stung.
I leapt on the brakes but hit the dog and it went under the car. It scrabbled out from under the car and was screaming as it ran off. One of the blokes bellowed 'You b
d' (yes, because it was my fault you chubby cretin) and went off after the dog.As I was 18, and feared a beating, I roared off but after about a quarter of a mile I turned round and went back and they'd all gone.
Even though it wasn't my fault I felt terrible about it and can still remember it as clear as day almost 30 years later.
Apart from that I had a some large insect smash into my forehead whilst I was doing about 80 in a convertible down the A38 this summer. Christ that stung.
Thankfully all in the car rather than motorbike...
First was a young muntjac deer at about 2 am. Saw one to my right stood in the road. I slowed, and it dashed across, but the one to it's right on the pavement that I hadn't seen that ran across behind it wasn't so lucky - clipped it with the LHS of my bumper. No damage and no deer to be seen, hopefully it survived.
Coming off the M4 towards Bracknell at 70 mph I came across a pigeon that was pretty fearless. He didn't move, so I lined him up so he went under the middle of the car. Wasn't feeling hopeful. Then saw a huge cloud of feathers in my rear view mirror. Ooops.
Last of all was a bizarre one. 5 am on a country lane, a muntjac stepped out of the hedge. I saw it for a split second before it stuck it's head out - straight into the back of my front left wheel arch I suspect. Must have died instantly
First was a young muntjac deer at about 2 am. Saw one to my right stood in the road. I slowed, and it dashed across, but the one to it's right on the pavement that I hadn't seen that ran across behind it wasn't so lucky - clipped it with the LHS of my bumper. No damage and no deer to be seen, hopefully it survived.
Coming off the M4 towards Bracknell at 70 mph I came across a pigeon that was pretty fearless. He didn't move, so I lined him up so he went under the middle of the car. Wasn't feeling hopeful. Then saw a huge cloud of feathers in my rear view mirror. Ooops.
Last of all was a bizarre one. 5 am on a country lane, a muntjac stepped out of the hedge. I saw it for a split second before it stuck it's head out - straight into the back of my front left wheel arch I suspect. Must have died instantly
I once saw three fledglings flittering down from the nest right in front of my nearside wheel. A crunch each from the front and rear wheels ensued. Even though I happily eat animals on a daily basis I felt really bad about smashing a bunch of baby birds on one of their first forays out of the nest.
Also not long after passing my test a kid on rollerblades shot straight out of a T-junction into the road I was driving on. fortunately it was a residential area with lots of parked cars around so I was only doing about 20mph and stood straight on the brakes. He slid up my bonnet then down into the road. The couple of seconds that passed before he pulled himself to his feet with nothing worse than a ripped pair of trousers were horrendous.
Also not long after passing my test a kid on rollerblades shot straight out of a T-junction into the road I was driving on. fortunately it was a residential area with lots of parked cars around so I was only doing about 20mph and stood straight on the brakes. He slid up my bonnet then down into the road. The couple of seconds that passed before he pulled himself to his feet with nothing worse than a ripped pair of trousers were horrendous.
I hit a Red Kite a few years ago in my MR2 with the roof down. It was already dead having been hit by a lorry coming the other way as it tried to zoom across the road. It struck the top of the windscreen frame, went over the top of the car and hit the middle of the windscreen of the car behind. They are big birds when they are coming straight at your face! Lots of feathers in the car to clean up also.
Allow me.
Drove into a heard of cows on a dark b road in Northumberland at around 3am.
Was doing around 40 and I'm looking at these 2 green lights that are hovering on the dark in front of me. I couldn't parse what they were but started to brake anyway.
As if by magic the outline of a cow appears, kind of standing across the road looking at me.
I skidded to the right of it and it's head hit the a frame smashing the windscreen. It then span round and it's fat arse hit the rear quater. Once I'd got my foot off the brake I saw it lolling around amongst its pals.
They all start running down the road away from me - towards where I need to be - and where the police station is.
Couldn't do much except drive a 8 mile detour and tell the police. Spent the rest of the night helping round them all up with police and farmer. No thanks and no help with costs to car from Giles.
This was a mk2 fiesta so I just thank my stars that I didn't hit it straight on!
Drove into a heard of cows on a dark b road in Northumberland at around 3am.
Was doing around 40 and I'm looking at these 2 green lights that are hovering on the dark in front of me. I couldn't parse what they were but started to brake anyway.
As if by magic the outline of a cow appears, kind of standing across the road looking at me.
I skidded to the right of it and it's head hit the a frame smashing the windscreen. It then span round and it's fat arse hit the rear quater. Once I'd got my foot off the brake I saw it lolling around amongst its pals.
They all start running down the road away from me - towards where I need to be - and where the police station is.
Couldn't do much except drive a 8 mile detour and tell the police. Spent the rest of the night helping round them all up with police and farmer. No thanks and no help with costs to car from Giles.
This was a mk2 fiesta so I just thank my stars that I didn't hit it straight on!
Loads of badgers in my neck of the woods, ran over an already dead one years ago, did 2 grands worth of damage to my E36.
Hit a live one two or three years ago in my E46, got away with damage to the undertray, arch liner and various under body mouldings - probably around £1K to repair at a garage, the badger just ran off.
Hit a live one two or three years ago in my E46, got away with damage to the undertray, arch liner and various under body mouldings - probably around £1K to repair at a garage, the badger just ran off.
colin79666 said:
Pigeon. Nice trail of crap from the bonnet, up the windscreen and along the roof. Blighter then hit the aerial and there was a feather explosion I witnessed in my rear view mirror.
That just reminded me, I just missed a pigeon once, it flew straight towards the windscreen but at the very last moment it flew up and over the roof away to safety...or so I thought...I found one of it's feet dangling from my whippy aerial when I got home. Wonder if it had difficulties landing ?Decapitated a rabbit once, with my Golf GTi MK2. Top half off rabbit attached to front grille, eyes still wide open. God knows where the bottom half went.
Hit a badger with a Mini Cooper a couple of years ago. It went straight under the car, twisting the gearbox a couple of centimetres and cracking the lower front bumper. Solid little buggers, badgers.
Hit a badger with a Mini Cooper a couple of years ago. It went straight under the car, twisting the gearbox a couple of centimetres and cracking the lower front bumper. Solid little buggers, badgers.
Hit a chicken on a back road - amazingly huge cloud of feathers in the rear view mirror.
Hit an empty fishbox - expected a fair bit of damage to the Golf but not a mark although bits of wood were falling off the car for a couple of miles afterwards that had got into the suspension and wheel arches.
Hit a piece of 2x1 that fell off a pickup in front of me and cartwheeled across the carriageway - again expected a bit of damage but just a slight mark above the grille.
Ran over a wheel trim that fell off a car going the other way - not much left of that.
Hit a truck mirror assembly that was lying in the road - got a O/S/F puncture.
Hit an empty fishbox - expected a fair bit of damage to the Golf but not a mark although bits of wood were falling off the car for a couple of miles afterwards that had got into the suspension and wheel arches.
Hit a piece of 2x1 that fell off a pickup in front of me and cartwheeled across the carriageway - again expected a bit of damage but just a slight mark above the grille.
Ran over a wheel trim that fell off a car going the other way - not much left of that.
Hit a truck mirror assembly that was lying in the road - got a O/S/F puncture.
I witnessed a large crow wipe out a formula 3 race car at Silverstone years ago .
The crow took off from a fence post on the approach to Copse corner and flew straight into the crash helmet of the racer who promptly spun into the guardrail , the driver was lucky not to lose an eye , it ruined his helmet , broke his nose and sliced his cheek open .
I had a huge gull hit the empty box body head on on a 7.5t DAF truck , that made a hell of a noise .
The crow took off from a fence post on the approach to Copse corner and flew straight into the crash helmet of the racer who promptly spun into the guardrail , the driver was lucky not to lose an eye , it ruined his helmet , broke his nose and sliced his cheek open .
I had a huge gull hit the empty box body head on on a 7.5t DAF truck , that made a hell of a noise .
As a youth I was out reasonably late returning from a weekend away. There was a rabbit crouched in the middle of the road. I slowed from the NSL down to about 40 and had planned to drive around it, but there was an oncoming car. I thought I had skillfully straddled it and it would live. In reality the car passing over it made it stand up, the dull clonk from the rear let me know it was an ex rabbit.
A pheasant flew straight out at me, catching the a pillar. The picture in the rear view mirror had all the appearances of an IRA bomb attack at a pillow factory.
Two deer, small so probably muntjac, leapt with grace right into the side of my car, one hitting the front corner and going under the front wheel, the other hitting the rear passenger door and going under the rear wheel. Both rather dead and not in a fit state even for bambi burgers.
A pigeon immolated itself on my wing mirror, took off vertically from a verge on a narrow lane. Would have been fine if it sat still.
Most recently a badger. It just ambled out right in front of me. Clouted it at 50-odd and at first I thought the car had got off lightly. The badger didn't as it went under both the passenger side wheels.
It was very dead. Completely destroyed the lower grille, cracked snapped and bent various bits of bumper and the foglight had just completely disintegrated. Fortunately, the rad, Intercooler and recently replaced oil cooler were all still intact. The undertray must have surfed over the carcass keeping it away from the critical bits!
The worst thing was seeing the damn thing lying at the side of the road for weeks, almost like it was mocking my now cable tied bumper. I did eventually turn up a replacement, but they are not very common, or cheap!
Plinth said:
The seagull survived this 170mph impact with a "damaged wing", but the Yamaha needed a new fairing.
(Ian Hutchinson, IoM TT practice 2012)
amateur!(Ian Hutchinson, IoM TT practice 2012)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtYnBLiXkNw
Edited by jjones on Tuesday 16th October 21:49
I have hit a couple of foxes.
On one occasion i hit one in my tuscan doing around 120. It was catastrophic! destroyed the front splitter, bent the air con rad. I saw it run out and knew if i braked i would be the one dead so drove straight through it
I had to literally rip off the remaining splitter parts to get back, fox blood (which fking stank) all over my arms. air con rad pissing all its fluid out.
I then proceeded to jet wash the mess, i put the lance in the wheel arch and out came an intestine! I honestly nearly threw up and it genuinely disturbed me, was fking grim. I settled down and drank a bottle of prosseco after all that and actually threw up, i could not get the smell or image of the guts out my mind
The other one bounced off my bumper in an m3, i must have hit it in a certain way because its body was propelled a significant distance just damaged the bumper on that one.
On one occasion i hit one in my tuscan doing around 120. It was catastrophic! destroyed the front splitter, bent the air con rad. I saw it run out and knew if i braked i would be the one dead so drove straight through it
I had to literally rip off the remaining splitter parts to get back, fox blood (which f
king stank) all over my arms. air con rad pissing all its fluid out.I then proceeded to jet wash the mess, i put the lance in the wheel arch and out came an intestine! I honestly nearly threw up and it genuinely disturbed me, was f
king grim. I settled down and drank a bottle of prosseco after all that and actually threw up, i could not get the smell or image of the guts out my mind The other one bounced off my bumper in an m3, i must have hit it in a certain way because its body was propelled a significant distance
just damaged the bumper on that one.Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff