den: (cranky)
den ([personal profile] den) wrote2008-10-17 08:04 pm

There is a sound

So I'm driving home from work after picking up a well-read bat from a local book shop. (Travel section, Australian Touring Maps.) The afternoon was warm and dry, and the traffic was slowing down for a round-about. I saw the traffic stopping, so I stopped.

There's a sound you never really want to hear when you are driving; the sound of four wheels locked into a skid. There is something about the sound that you just know you're going to be involved. In the words of Batty Koda from Fern Gully, "This is gunna huuuurt!"

I pushed harder on the break, possibly to make the car behind me stop faster. It didn't work, sadly.

So this car


hit my car


quite hard.


In fact, he hit me hard enough to push my car


into the car in front of me


There is another sound that occurs when this happens. It's a dead slience broken only by cooling metal and the tinkle of glass.

The Police were called, of course. I was lucky because my pushing on the break had braced me against the seat and head-rest, so when the crunch happened I sank into soft Toyota seat and head-rest goodness. And when I hit the car in front I hardly stressed the seat belt. And the air-bags didn't go off. Which is nice.

My car is driveable despite the damage. The boot, bonnet and doors all open and close, and after a little work with 100mph tape

I was off. What you can't fix with duct tape, you can fix with a hammer. And if you can't fix it with a hammer then it's an electrical problem.

First stop on the way home was to buy some essential supplies.


The bat is fine. I remembered to put my hand on the box to stop it from going flying. I'll feed her then take her back down-town in my brother's car for release.

[identity profile] hespa.livejournal.com 2008-10-17 09:17 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, suckage. Hope that's not going to cost you.

**big hugs**

AAMI love

[identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com 2008-10-17 09:23 am (UTC)(link)
Not my fault, no loss of no-claim bonus, no excesses to pay.

Even so, my car is bent and I'll be without it while it's at the panel beater's.

[identity profile] beki.livejournal.com 2008-10-17 11:08 am (UTC)(link)
I am glad you and the bat are ok!

[identity profile] zhenzhi.livejournal.com 2008-10-17 11:31 am (UTC)(link)
glad to see that you and bat were unharmed.
:-) xo

you poor dear!

[identity profile] guruwench.livejournal.com 2008-10-17 12:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh dear!! I'm glad you and the bat are both okay - I'm also very glad you were set up as you were, so you didn't get the whiplash and belt-bruising often suffered in such a case.

[identity profile] janewt.livejournal.com 2008-10-17 12:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank goodness for essential supplies. I suppose the bat probably doesn't sympathize with you as much as she ought, but like everyone else I'm glad you both are in better shape than the poor car.

(Taricha, not -really- stalking you from Skyrates...)

[identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com 2008-10-17 12:46 pm (UTC)(link)
It sucks, but it's repairable. Much more repairable than I am.

[identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/crossfire_/ 2008-10-17 12:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Jesus. How fast was the jackass behind you going?!

I'm glad you're okay, and that the bat is too.

[identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com 2008-10-17 12:54 pm (UTC)(link)
He was doing <50kph which was lucky. My car would be much worse otherwise.

[identity profile] weyrdbird.livejournal.com 2008-10-17 12:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Eyow!
Glad you and the bat are all right! *Hugs*
And yes, duct tape can fix anything. From holes in a couch to temporary joist repair for faulty plumbing.
First time I have sen is used on a bumper!

[identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com 2008-10-17 12:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Fixes everything
frith: Cosgrove/Onuki (anime retelling) (Default)

[personal profile] frith 2008-10-17 12:52 pm (UTC)(link)
You were trapped! It is a good thing those air bags didn't go off.
frith: Cosgrove/Onuki (anime retelling) (Default)

[personal profile] frith 2008-10-17 07:25 pm (UTC)(link)
No roo bars... No roo bars on the cars?

[identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com 2008-10-18 03:07 am (UTC)(link)
No, luckily. My car would have been wrecked.

The police have one.
frith: Cosgrove/Onuki (anime retelling) (Default)

[personal profile] frith 2008-10-18 07:51 am (UTC)(link)
Yes, I saw the one on the police cruiser. That's what reminded me. I guess people in Europe think I live in an igloo and perpetual snow and I think all cars in Oz are equipped with roo bars. ^_^
frith: Cosgrove/Onuki (anime retelling) (Default)

[personal profile] frith 2008-10-18 01:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, no, but in the summer the temperature drops 50° as soon as you step north of the 49th parallel. I guess that's how they decided where to put the border. ;-)
ext_74: Baron Samadai in cat form (Default)

[identity profile] siliconshaman.livejournal.com 2008-10-17 12:55 pm (UTC)(link)
For a second there, I thought the car in front of you was police car! [that would have been a 'emergency pants' moment for the jackass behind you].

Glad you and bat were ok...although she's probably muttering to herself something about having stopped to look for directions and next things she knows she's in a car accident!

[identity profile] tatterdemalion.livejournal.com 2008-10-17 01:15 pm (UTC)(link)
OUCHIES..

well I am rather glad that neither you nor the bat were hurt..

that would suck...

btw, according to Jackie Boyce, Monika (from ltuae) died while on hols in germany 8-(

[identity profile] tatterdemalion.livejournal.com 2008-10-18 03:36 am (UTC)(link)
yah, she was only 56 too.. 8-(

[identity profile] acelightning.livejournal.com 2008-10-17 01:19 pm (UTC)(link)


[identity profile] janetmiles.livejournal.com 2008-10-17 01:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Ow. Glad you and the bat are well. Been there, done that, lots more damage (car behind me was bigger and going faster).

Beer was probably an excellent idea. Muscle relaxant, after all.

Good luck with the car and collecting on the other guy's insurance.

[identity profile] sleepyjohn00.livejournal.com 2008-10-17 01:46 pm (UTC)(link)
OW. Glad you're OK. My wife got rearended at a stop sign, years back, and got a concussion bad enough that she was night-blind for weeks. The person in the car behind walked up, said, "Oh, everyone's OK", and drove off. She had a big smear of lipstick all down the side of her face, so guess what she was doing instead of watching the road.

What was your jackass's excuse?

[identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com 2008-10-18 12:42 am (UTC)(link)
The low sun shining on the rear of my car meant he couldn't tell if my brake lights were on or not.

I'd have thought the line of stationary traffic in font of him might have been a clue.

[identity profile] sleepyjohn00.livejournal.com 2008-10-18 03:08 am (UTC)(link)
"None of the cars ahead of me are moving, but I don't see any brake lights, so I'm OK." Nice to know we don't have a monopoly on that kind of idiot.

[identity profile] silmaril.livejournal.com 2008-10-17 01:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Blah. And grr. But I'm glad you and the bat are fine.

[identity profile] marmoe.livejournal.com 2008-10-17 04:06 pm (UTC)(link)
Ouch. You and the bat are fine, that's good. Not good on the car part. Sorry to ask, are you sure the frame of your car is OK? I've seen cars with less visible damage going to the scrap yard.

[identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com 2008-10-17 10:30 pm (UTC)(link)
That is something that will have to be checked. The assessor will see it next week.
ext_8684: (Default)

[identity profile] gorthx.livejournal.com 2008-10-17 04:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Eep! Glad you're both ok.

[identity profile] ionotter.livejournal.com 2008-10-17 06:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeeaahp, that's a bad sound. Glad you two are alright? Bet he was a bit grumpy after that, though. Well, both of you, actually.

I have to say, though, that you blokes have got the most AWESOME police cars. Light bar AND bubble-gum machine, 4x4, push bar and a winch on the bumper.

"That's not a knife police car? THIS is a knife police car!"

[identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com 2008-10-18 12:34 am (UTC)(link)
This being essentially a rural area, the Police never know what conditions will be when they are on patrol. That wagon is a crew-cab and can seat 4 up front and one in the rear. The Highway Patrols are a little more... streamlined.

[identity profile] walkertxkitty.livejournal.com 2008-10-17 06:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Yikes! Very glad that you're all right. It could have been so much worse.

[identity profile] hopeforyou.livejournal.com 2008-10-18 03:54 am (UTC)(link)
Phew! I am so glad you're okay, but yeah, I can imagine how that skid must have been horrifying.

Where did the accident take place? Was it someplace I'd driven through/around a fair bit?

[identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com 2008-10-18 04:28 am (UTC)(link)
Right here:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=-32.249915,148.611331&spn=0.002028,0.003455&t=h&z=18&sid=114486564936720584558.0004597f7cfd7db8a5f22

[identity profile] jim-lane.livejournal.com 2008-10-18 05:26 am (UTC)(link)
Glad you're OK, my friend. Cars can be fixed/replace. There's only one of you, and you're a lot harder to "fix" when broken--- };-)

[identity profile] hafoc.livejournal.com 2008-10-18 01:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank Whatever is Out There you're OK. My heart sinks at this because I've heard that sound too, and I'm always on edge listening for it.

Nobody around here seems to pay attention to what they're doing when they drive. They're either blatting on the cell phone, eating a sandwich, in an animated arm-waving argument with the person in the passenger seat (gesturing with both hands!) or they're driving a Buick... which almost always means they're at least 98 years old and no longer able to SEE the road, let alone pay attention to it.

[identity profile] the-berrys-08.livejournal.com 2008-10-21 07:00 am (UTC)(link)
So it wasn't that you decided that it looked like a good place for a rally, ha ha. And yes, here in Seattle I am constantly amazed at how many drivers I see driving whilst on the phone, drinking coffee or smoking (sometimes all 3 at once). Earlier in the year a law was passed here that said you can't text message whilst driving, BUT, police can't pull you over if they see you doing that. They have to catch you doing something else wrong, eg changing lanes without indicating, then they can say, ah ha, we also saw you texting whilst driving, here's an extra fine. Also the dui limit is .08 and there is no random breath testing.

[identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com 2008-10-21 09:57 am (UTC)(link)
It wasn't a very good place for a rally, and lacked 80m high cliffs off to one side.