Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Off Topic How fast?

So I'm wondering just how fast the car that hit me in the rear was going... In addition to knocking me into the car in front of me, it broke my seat and knocked my tied tennis shoes off my feet. Seems I remember from driver's ed that car had to be going pretty darn fast. Well, I'm sure my car is totaled. I'm not. I'm sore and shook up but I'm alive. I heard the police say - I guess they didn't think I could hear them - that it was a wonder I wasn't killed. And, you know me, I got out of the car, walked around, and called the police before the paramedics came along, saw my car, and freaked out and put me in one of those nasty collars and put me on a back board. No broken neck. God is good.

Any policemen out there that might know the answer to this?

Horrible, Nancy! You were obviously in shock when you got out of your car. What a relief that you are all right, though! But what about your car, will you get a new one?

Ann

Wow Nancy. Thank God that you're okay. That sounds really bad. And such a sucky time of year to have to deal with all that too. At least you're okay. God is good.

About the speed of the other driver... that sounds like more of a physics question then police question. But either way, it sounds like they were going ridiculously fast.

Hi Nancy. I'm so sorry you were in an accident.

Thank goodness you weren't hurt seriously. My guess is that you had your seat belt on.

The impact effect on your car is dependent on several factors. If the car that hit you was much larger than yours, then your card will have a lot more energy to absorb.

There is also the issue of how each car crumpled when it hit. You said your car was totaled, what happened to the car that hit you?

The three basic factors for determining the collision speed are:
1. The weights of the two vehicles.
2. The crumpling that took place in both.
3. The distance traveled. That is dependent on road surface, tires and if your brakes were on.
The photographs from the scene are usually enough to work all this out. Did they look for skid marks from your car being pushed? Of course, if you were driven into the car in front of you, then determining the speed means that you have to run the same calculation for weight and crumpling between your car and the one you were pushed into. When more than 2 cars are involved, it can get really complicated.

I guess none of this answers your question but if all the correct pictures were taken, then the answer is in there.

Finally, be careful about your neck. Beverly was hit from behind a number of years ago and she seemed fine at first. About a week later she started having neck problems. She was told that in these kinds of injuries, it really is possible for neck problems to start several days after the accident.

Bob

Oh Nancy! That's so scary - I'm glad you're okay.

Nancy, I'm so glad you are O.K., but yes, watch the neck issue and be alert for head injuries. And don't work 16 hour days for a while!
Bob has it right. A couple of other questions also helps determine how fast the other was going when it hit you.
1. Was the road slick and icy when you were hit? There's a lot of that going around today. And the car behind you may have had no control.
2. Were you stopped, such as at a stop light? The physics is simpler then.
Another point is that your insurance company and their insurance company are going to get all this information and do the math to figure out who gets to pay the bills.
Good luck! And watch for any symptoms of not feeling well.
regards
Artemis

OMG, I am so happy you were not hurt!

Do stay alert for anything that starts hurting, and have it checked immediately. I have had a back injury that did not start causing real problems for months, and I ended up having to do physical therapy. Then when I re-injured it later it took two weeks to start causing problems.

I'm going to reiterate what everyone else is saying - God was obviously watching over you and if you have any pain, even in places you don't expect - like a stomach ache or bad headache - get yourself to an ER ASAP. The jarring of an auto accident can cause internal injuries that might not be picked up immediately.

One of my son's close friends died a few years ago just before HS graduation. He had been in a fender bender a day or so before - it looked minor, he had walked away from the accident. Then he took a header off a second story balcony. The newspaper described it as a probable suicide over the accident. Family and friends insisted he would never, ever do such a thing and are utterly convinced he was woozy or unconscious when he fell. Unfortunately, the autopsy was inconclusive so the family has to live with strangers thinking their boy died by his own hand over something as stupid as a car even though the people who know them know that can't be what happened.

Just call this a cautionary tale.

I don't know any specifics yet. It took me till this evening to even find out where my vehicle had been towed to. I probably won't know anything till the end of the week. In the mean time, I still have Mom's car, so I do have something to drive.


Absolutely. Having worked in the emergency room, I've seen too many people killed just for lack of wearing a seat belt.


Hmm... I was driving an SUV - Ford Escape to be precise. The vehicle that hit me was a mini-van, I think. Or it could have also been an SUV. I don't have the police report yet.

My brakes were on. And I was able to find out that the car in front of me had little damage. It was hard to tell how hard I'd hit them since I was hit so hard.


I have no idea. I was whisked off into an ambulance too fast to know what the police did.


Yes, that's true. Sometimes broken bones don't even show up immediately but when another xray is taken days later the break is clear.


Fortunately the roads were dry. The day before they were not.


Yes, I was at a light and had just stopped moving.


Thanks everyone for your care and concern. I will stay alert for anything unusual (which could prove somewhat difficult since my left arm stays mostly numb these days anyway).

Well, they totaled my vehicle. I'm not surprised. I cleaned it out today and found out that even the roof was bent. I didn't know that could happen without a rollover. I'm also not surprised that the insurance company doesn't want to give me enough money to actually replace my vehicle with a comparable one. So I get to go into debt (or more debt, I should say) to get another car when I had absolutely no intention of doing so any time in the near future. So, I'm really bummed out.

I'm so sorry, Nancy.

Ann

Well, I'm still not sure how fast that car was going that hit me. The roof of my SUV was bent, the inside of the cargo area was bent (badly) and the rear end of the vehicle was just pretty much indescribable. To say the least, the SUV was totaled.

I've since realized that I have whiplash in addition to mid back and lower back spasms and pain.

But good news. I was able to find a comparable vehicle (and maybe just a little better) and the payments will be half of what I was paying before!

I'm very glad you've found a new good car, Nancy. I'm sorry about the whiplash.

Ann

I'm so sorry to hear about the whiplash and the back spasms and pain. I hope you recover soon.

Oh I'm so glad you weren't badly hurt! That sounds so scary. I hope you're back to 100% soon.

I wouldn't know how to deal with all that insurance stuff, they'd probably walk all over me. Hope you get everything worked out ok.

Man it sounds like the people that hit you were going way too fast. Scary people on the roads sometimes.

Take care of yourself!