So I was in a high-velocity accident today . . .

[Notesurfer]

It was buckets of fun.

I was cruising down the highway at a mild 55 mph (about 88 kph) when three lanes merged into two. Rather than merge behind me, an individual we shall henceforth refer to as Captain Imbecile decided to try to cut past me before the merge. This made me swerve to the right to avoid a collision, then left to avoid further colliding. This resulted in me doing a powerslide (blue sparks and all) for about 100 feet down the highway before my car regained traction, hit the median, spun around 3-4 times, and ground to a halt, all without leaving the left lane.

My car is most likely totaled - the entire front end is completely smushed. The worst injury I sustained was one to the wallet - I'm out of a job for the winter and cannot afford a new car.

Thankfully, my violin was safe. The people on the highway probably thought I was crazy, but the first thing I did (while sitting in the left lane) was hop out and pop the back open to check on the violin. Wasn't even out of tune ^_^

Incidentally, that instrument is worth more than my car, so all things considered I did quite well.

[N3B]

May be worth more, but it ain't gonna help you get around town ;P

Good to hear that you're ok though, shame that the car's so mangled.

[Draxas]

The most important thing is that nobody was hurt. That's good to hear.

Did you get Cap's license plate? I assume he was too much of a jackass to stop despite causing the accident, but with his plate number, he might get caught for hit & run.

The whole no car thing totally sucks (been there for a short while some years back), but your insurance should cover a rental, at least for a short while. If you really need to get around for the short term, that should help. However, if you're not able to go car shopping right away, you'll probably be SOL again in about 2 weeks.

[niff]

ouch. glad you weren't the one smushed, though.

this kind of makes me glad i can walk to everywhere i need in 10-20 mins.

[Altl]

Bicycle + tied on milk crate = transportation with a place for the violin

p.s. the cd was good, but I haven't been able to give it a thorough listen through to form a more detailed opinion though hence why I haven't e-maiiled ye back about it.

[Notesurfer]

My main problem is that to get anywhere (school/work/friends/etc) I have to drive anywhere from 15-45 miles . . . and my bike is already broken. I used to bike a lot, but once it broke I became much more car-dependent.

And Drax, I was kind of preoccupied with the powersliding/spinning, and when I actually hit the median the airbags deployed and filled my car with so much dust I could barely see. I know it was a red sedan, but beyond that . . .

Luckily someone who saw the accident pulled over and helped me push the car onto the shoulder. Still, I don't think I could have gotten that guy on anything anyway . . . technically he didn't hit me, just caused an accident by being moronic.

I'll never understand why people refuse to drive the speed limit. \-:

Altl, 's all good, let me know when you're done. (-:

[Ranger]

yeah I love how in the driving test if you are about to be in an accident that's not your fault if you try to avoid it or do something to try to make it less impacted or whatever you actually get marked off for it.

Also tis the season I was in my first fender bender last week too. Truck was on the cell and speeding hits the truck behind us and it hits us enough to snap us forward to a bit and crunch the trunk. So yea. Sorry to hear it man.

[Notesurfer]

In other news, insurance is a total money trap, and most people just accept it because that's the precedent that's been set by the government.

[Altl]

I'll see your high velocity accident a raise you a relatively high velocity (Probably around 25mph since it was down hill) over the handlebars bike crash onto cement without a helmet that resulted in a dislocated shoulder and lots of cuts and bruises and a call for replacement bike rims. Followed by more stupidity over the course of the evening.

Surprisingly the new cellphone that was in the pocket of the shoulder I landed on came out without a scratch and the laptop that was in my backpack works fine except the left speaker's connection is loose now.

[Notesurfer]

No helmet? Tsk tsk . . . I used to bike 20-50 miles a week, and I always wore a helmet. Honestly though, a helmet isn't going to help much if you get hit by a car, but I digress. When did all this happen?

[Altl]

Friday evening. I was running late for an exam review so I took the bike on a whim hence no helmet, although even if it wasn't a whim theres a 50-50 chance I wouldn't have worn it. Interestingly enough on the way there when I was rushing I didn't get in an accident it was on the casual way back. It was a route I hadn't biked before and I underestimated how fast I was going, how steep the hill was, how sharp the turn at the bottom of the hill was and my ability to slow down. It wasn't pretty, the campus infirmary was closed, there isn't an emergency room anywhere near by and even if there were it would have been complicated to deal with having to deal with my HMO and all.

In this situation I think a helmet would have been a lot of help since it would have provided the cushioning for my head that my palm had to provide. Also, when you realize the crash is inevitable the fact you don't have a helmet on makes it a bit scarier.

[Notesurfer]

Yeah, there's always been a split second of realization for me when it comes to bike/car accidents where I know a mishap is unavoidable. Some people freak out, but at that point I just try to minimize damage and hope for the best.

Also as a side note, isn't it recommended that you drive with a helmet too?