Lets try this for the second time as my computer crashed (no pun intended
) last night and couldn’t be bothered to re-do this. I will still post as if I made this post yesterday the 2nd May 2008.
[Reality check]
Yesterday (1st May 2008), I woke up at 7:45 after waking up from a dream that I had crashed my car and wrote it off. Thankfully it was just a dream and everything was good. I went back to sleep and eventually got up at 8:10. I got washed and ready for college and headed for college at 8:45. Heading towards college for a 9AM lecture, I was going down a country road, with the limit at 60mph.
Going down the country lane at around 45mph, I was heading towards the second and last major bend on the road, which was a steady long right hand bend. I was following another vehicle which was a blue Renault Clio, 57plate. With the road being a country road with fields on both sides, tractors regularly use this road. Just entering the steady right hand bend following the blue Clio I could see a Black VW Golf 50meters or so away from entering the same bend. Following the bend round, I ran through some wet, boggy, sludge like mud in the road that was too late to react to. I never saw it due to the Clio in front of me and was unable to avoid it due to the Golf coming my direction as I would have hit him straight on or ended up in a dike. It was inevitable what was going to happen.
Going round the long steady right hand bend after hitting the mud, my rear end stepped out on me, to my left. (Being in the UK, driving on the left, in a right hand drive car). My car ended up doing a 90degree+ spin anti-clockwise and crossed to the other side of the road. Thankfully due to the spin being anti-clockwise it was my passenger’s side door that was the impact point, with the front end of the 52 plate golf. There was a very load noise as the two cars collided closely followed by eary silence. I had not been knocked out, either by the accident or the other driver. It struck me what had happened and I just sat there thinking for a few brief moments. I had several cuts along both of my arms, as my two left hand side windows had been smashed and front window cracked. I noticed my dash was in a bad state. While still in the car, a then noticed neither of my airbags went off. While getting out of the car i realised how severe it was when I was incapable of getting the key out of the ignition. It physically wouldn't come out and the impact was on the otherside of the car.
The whole thing happened in a flash, and was a very scary, eye opening reality check. After a few kind words were passed on between the other driver and myself, another guy pulled up and helped out. He made sure everyone was ok, calmed us down and called for paramedics, fire brigade and the police. Surprisingly enough, they were here in a flash. Within this time, I had called my step-dad and told him to come down. I did this as he is in the trade, rational and could come help out. He is actually an Estimator for the local nationwide crash repair centre. After I had made the call, It was now I saw both vehicles clearly from the outside and realised the extent of the damage!
I was checked by the first response team and seemed to be ok, but I was taken to hospital for a thorough check up at around 9:30. I was later dismissed at around 10:45. I had whiplash, cuts and bruises, nothing serious thankfully. Coming out of the hospital I bumped into the other guy in the golf, he apologised for his irrational behaviour and just had a few words about the whole experience.
Before the day is out, at 5:00, 8hours after the crash, I was told that my vehicle and the 52pate VW Golf were both scrap. I was told I would get a £3050.00 payout from my insurance. By the way, if you’re curious to what I was driving it was a 51plate Citroen Saxo 1.6 VTR in gold. It had 63,000 miles on the clock and was a fantastic little car. I bought the car super cheap from my brother as a favour to me.
I wake up today, my day off college, with still a sore neck, and now a sore upper chest from the seatbelt. Took my details into the police station and went and collected my possession from my car.
Thankfully, noone was injured in this accident but it definitely put the reality to what is easily done in a road traffic accident. The scariest thing was that it was at such a ‘safe’ speed, 15mph under the limit. The car doesn’t look good at all, but thankfully there was no passenger in my car, as they would not be in a good shape, if any at all.[/Reality check]
Pics;
Before.
After.
