Home » I Just Saw A Horrible Car Crash On Angeles Crest And It’s A Reminder Of How Dangerous Driving Is

I Just Saw A Horrible Car Crash On Angeles Crest And It’s A Reminder Of How Dangerous Driving Is

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I’m still a little shook by what I just saw. While leaving Newcomb’s Ranch on LA’s legendary Angeles Crest Highway, I spotted up on a steep embankment, leaning hard to its left side, a Chevy Camaro with all of its airbags popped off. The car looked mostly intact, but then as I kept driving, I saw against the canyon wall a Honda S2000, its front end severely crushed, and in the right lane a Honda Fit. On the shoulder of the road a man — who had apparently been in one of the vehicles — held his arm in pain as bystanders seemingly attended to the situation. I don’t recall seeing fire or smoke.

After driving past the crashed Fit, I pulled off the right side of the road, shocked at what I’d just seen. I wasn’t sure what to do, but seeing that there were many cars heading towards the crash, I walked across the road and began waving down oncoming vehicles, warning them of what was ahead.

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The last thing we needed was some unsuspecting speed-racer coming in too hot and hitting either the crashed Fit or the others on the scene. The cars slowed down, and many turned around and left:

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While slowing down traffic, it dawned on me that, though there were people at the scene, and plenty of folks had driven past since it was 4th of July and the road was super busy, it’s possible none had been able to reach the police due to lack of reception near Newcomb’s Ranch. So I used the iPhone satellite texting feature to text my wife, who called 911. I then sent some messages to emergency responders directly.

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In time, a helicopter arrived, and after that, fire trucks and ambulances and police cars.

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This was a horrible crash, and part of me wishes I had done more, especially learning later from a Twitter account that tracks police calls, the driver was trapped (presumably the driver in that S2000). Should I have stopped and helped those already on the scene get this person out? Or should I have tried doing…something other than redirect traffic and call police? I wish I had. It took me too long to process what was going on, and by the time I did I wasn’t sure whether to go back, and I figured those already on the scene had it under control, but why make that assumption? It had happened recently; maybe I could have lended a hand? Or maybe that would have just made things even more chaotic. I don’t know. I’m a little flustered at the moment and I have a lot of feelings flowing through me, a big one being regret, a bigger one being sadness.

Those poor people in those cars — the S2000, the Fit, and the Camaro — they will be in my prayers. I feel so bad for them.

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Before this, the day had started off well; I’d met some friends at the local cafe — them in their lightweight sports cars and me in my i3. I got some tea and a croissant, and we headed up the hill. I kept up with the Miatas/Lotus/BRZ for a while, but after the forklift in front of them pulled over it became apparent that my i3’s 175-section front tires weren’t giving me nearly enough grip at the nose, my lack of a rear sway bar meant I was leaning like a Pisano tower, and the powertrain kept derating (presumably for thermal reasons).

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That’s all to say: I got dusted.

But it was still fun, and when we arrived (well them, then I) at Newcomb’s Ranch, I couldn’t help but be amazed at just what an incredible movement two people had built here on this sacred spot. Watch this beautiful piece our partner Galpin’s video team put together a few months back– it’s truly moving:

Just look at all these cars!:

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It was such a beautiful start to Independence Day, but on the way back home to my wife and baby boy, I saw the aftermath of that tragic crash, and upon arriving at my abode I picked up my boy and hugged him for 10 minutes straight.

He, surprisingly, didn’t cry. He just stayed there in my arms, quietly, and when I took a good look at his big baby eyes, he smiled. And it was at that moment that I was reminded that, as great as cars are, and as fun as it is to drive them quickly around canyon roads, they are machines that mean nothing in comparison to people. I’ve said it many times before: The best thing about cars, and the reason I’m in this field in the first place, is that they connect us with others in a way that only a handful of other things can (food, music, sports). Cars are a glue that bonds so many of us together, and especially in the current polarized political climate, that is immensely important. Part of being part of the amazing car community is taking care of one another, and putting both your safety and the safety of your fellow car-enthusiast first. There is no apex you can hit or beautiful exhaust sound you can hear or excellent shift you can make that is more important. People come first.

As a car journalist, I cover car crash news all the time, I dig into IIHS/NHTSA statistics, I look into crash test results and modern safety tech, and what has become increasingly obvious to me is that cars can be as big a source pain as they can be a source of joy. Far too many people — famous ones like George Patton, Princess Diana, James Dean, Paul Walker, and so many who don’t make the front page but who mean so much to our families and communities (40,000 people annually just in the United States) — pass away from motor vehicle crashes. It’s too damn many.

And it’s a reminder that, as comfortable and quiet as modern cars are, even 40 mph isn’t as slow as it may seem behind the wheel. As shown below in the IIHS Small Overlap Crash video, at that moderate speed, a heavy car carries enough kinetic energy to cause serious damage to a vehicle’s safety cage:

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Please be careful out there. Never underestimate how dangerous cars are, and remember that driving fast on public roads is incredibly risky and, often times, just not worth it.

I’ve decided I’m never going back to Angeles Crest. The number of cars on Angeles Crest was a recipe for disaster today, and though I’m not going to say it could have been worse given the severity of the crash scene I saw, I will note that, upon my descent a motorcyclist came into my lane while passing a car, and then a bicyclist crossed the road on the back side of a tight turn I was driving through. Both were close calls. On top of that, while looking around to see if there was any news on this crash, I found so many stories about horrible crashes on that road (here are just three of many)…

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And the last time I drove Angeles Crest, it was with Griffin and Mercedes, and I remember driving back down the hill and seeing emergency responders driving by, and I was worried sick. I called the police station and asked, and they told me there was a crash on the road. I drove home worried that something had happened to Mercedes or Griffin. Luckily, they were OK, but someone else was apparently involved in a crash that day.

Between my experiences and the road’s seemingly permanent place in the grimmest sections of the newspaper, I’ve decided I’m never going back up Angeles Crest. I never thought such a beautiful road could be so ugly.

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1978fiatspyderfan
Member
1978fiatspyderfan
3 months ago

DT you did what was needed to do. You aren’t trained in rescue work. Notifying the experts then staying out of the way is best. I have a similar situation but will not state and try to one up. I do want to take this moment to now educate you that many of these terrible accidents are caused by vehicles in less than excellent condition. You have been lucky driving shit all over the country and not causing or being involved in a bad accident. Having your family hurt or hurting others. Maybe take this as a wake up and tell people only drive vehicles that are safe. You aren’t only taking your own life in your hands but everyone on the road

Joke #119!
Joke #119!
3 months ago

IMO, you did the right thing slowing down traffic. You likely prevented a lot more wrecks. Unless you have a specific set of skills involving getting people out of cars, or some EMT training once they are out, you’d just be standing around like the rest.

Cassidy Miller
Member
Cassidy Miller
3 months ago

WHY DOES ELISE SHOUT ALL THE TIME?

Cassidy Miller
Member
Cassidy Miller
3 months ago

As I emphasize to my employees and family, driving is by far the most dangerous thing we do every day. And I totally get as a new father feeling that mortality more than you would have previously… but don’t let that deter you from a particular road. Timing is key, a super popular road on a long weekend might be the wrong time. Be safe out there.

RadarEngineer
RadarEngineer
3 months ago

I live in Glendora, which is east of Los Angeles. Glendora Mountain Road, also known as GMR, dead ends in our city. This is a roadway very similar to Angeles Crest, although with less vehicle traffic and more bicyclists. Wrecks like you describe are a weekly occurrence on GMR, we hear sirens / helicopters almost every Friday and/or Saturday night. There are numerous crosses memorializing folks that have died while driving this road. Quite often when driving that road (always in the daytime), we come across crane trucks pulling vehicles up the steep dropoffs that crashed the night or a few nights before. There has been talk for years of closing these roads at night, but there are never enough resources to do it, plus these are public roads that us citizens should be able to use whenever we want.

When my kids were younger and just learning to drive, GMR (and it’s companion canyon road, Azusa Canyon Road) were off-limits to them; I didn’t want them to get in over their heads on that road, or come across somebody doing the same going the other way. Add to this the large number of bicyclists on this road, and the recipe for disaster is just too great. This also happens on many other mountainous roads surrounding the Los Angeles metropolitan area (Ortega Highway, Hwy 246 from Banning to Hemet, Hwy 330 to Big Bear, Hwys 76 & 79 down south from Temecula to Julian are just a few examples).

LTDScott
Member
LTDScott
3 months ago
Reply to  RadarEngineer

Ha, yesterday I was watching The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift with some friends and one of them mentioned that part of the movie was filmed in the Victorville area. He even claimed that the mountain drift scenes were filmed there, to which another friend questioned where in Victorville that could be.

I chimed in that I knew people have been racing/drifting GMR and Azusa Canyon Road for years, so maybe that was the filming location instead of Victorville.

Your comment here prompted me to look into it and I was mostly right! The main drifting scenes were filmed on San Gabriel Canyon Road, right near GMR and Azusa.

https://youtu.be/CNHT5XrQXbc?feature=shared&t=8m37s

RadarEngineer
RadarEngineer
3 months ago
Reply to  LTDScott

Lots of movies filmed up there, as well as commercials. My wife and I go hiking on the trails up there pretty frequently, and we’ve come across road closures for filming on a bunch of occasions. Very popular.

67 Oldsmobile
Member
67 Oldsmobile
3 months ago

Put speedbumps all over that fucker I say. On your thoughts about this accident and the dilemma you faced on turning back or not,I had a similar experience. I was driving in my town one afternoon and noticed a Nissan Navara stopped in the road with a older man behind the wheel not looking to sharp. Now,I was driving a ways off and was making a exit before the place he had stopped. There were cars behind him waiting and probably some passing him as well,so I figured it would be okay,also I didn’t want to bug in. I went about with my day and drove past maybe half an hour later,the truck was gone,great. Later in the afternoon I drove through the area again and saw the Nissan had plowed into a bus-stop and the driver was retrieved by a ambulance. Going home that evening I couldn’t help but think about the driver and if it would have played out differently if I had just stopped and checked on him the first time. What if the bus-stop had been full of people and he injured or killed one of them? That would have been just as much on me for not helping as on him maybe driving while having a condition or something. I hope I will stop and get involved the next time I experience a similar situation.

Clear_prop
Member
Clear_prop
3 months ago

I was once the first car not to be involved in a 15 car accident since I saw a trunk randomly fly open four cars ahead of me and stood on the brakes since that section of road frequently has all lane panic stops.

The car behind me somehow violated the laws of physics and swerved left and somehow passed through the cars crashing in that lane without touching them to end up in front of all the other accident vehicles.

I got out to help, but there were multiple nurses checking people over and the most serious injury seemed to be a motorcyclist that locked it up and went over the bars at low speed. He was wanting to get up but multiple people told him to stay down. Multiple people complained about ringing ears from airbags, but there is nothing non-specialists can do about that.

About the only useful thing I was able to do was turn off the motorcycle.

Driving by the next morning, it looked like CHP went through several cans of spray paint trying to mark all the positions of the vehicles and debris.

For the Bay Area folks, it was 85N just before Fremont Ave.

DNF
DNF
3 months ago
Reply to  Clear_prop

I was in traffic in a high grip sports car in the center lane. Three lanes hemmed in by curbs.
We were ahead of other cars.
There is some idiot in a slow car trying to dice with me. I’m just trying to stay away from him.
Finally, he starts edging over into my lane, as I edge into the lane next to me.
To his credit, the guy next to me is over as far as he can get to give me space. Suddenly there is a hard bump, as the idiot hits me.
I grip the wheel hard, and I had lots of traction
There is a flash, a crash, lots of breaking glass.
I brace and suddenly I am rolling free.
It took me awhile to figure out what happened.
I had no body damage.
Found a line of melted rubber on the knife edged chrome bumper.
Idiot has put his rear tire hard against my bumper edge, then spun hard left in front of me, right into the car on my left, being so very careful.
Multiple crashes followed.
I saw the idiot later.
His car was all bondo and primer.
Felt so sorry for the other drivers.
That melted rubber on the bumper never would come off.

Last edited 3 months ago by DNF
Bob Boxbody
Member
Bob Boxbody
3 months ago

A couple of years ago I was close behind a (very) aggressive motorcycle rider who slammed full speed into the side of a school bus. I immediately called 911, and ended up giving a couple of statements to the police that night. I had considered pulling over to help, but there were a bunch of people already right there, and since I am not a trained medical fellow, I decided that I would only get in the way and add to the chaos.

I was told later that my statements had been helpful. The driver of the school bus had just finished the last stop on his last run before retirement, so there was some question as to whether his age had been the cause, but I’d been around the motorcycle for a few miles before the accident, so I was able to give a detailed account of things.

Mostly I was just glad that there had been no kids on the bus; that would have been incredibly traumatic.

Jason Leder
Jason Leder
3 months ago

I also witnessed a horrifying accident over the holiday weekend. I was driving home from a friend’s Fourth of July day party when I saw a Mini Cooper stopped in the far right lane of the highway. It had hazard blinkers on, visibility was excellent and traffic was relatively light. I saw the Mini from far away, but didn’t know more about the situation, so I moved into a farther left lane to give it additional space.

As I passed the Mini on the left, another car rammed into it at full highway speeds — it didn’t seem like the car slowed down at all or tried to do any evasive maneuvers. The Mini flipped at least three times from the impact and then I was past it, and could only see a cloud of dirt in the rearview. I exited the highway and immediately called the cops…I also wondered if I could have done more, but the reality is that I was already too far away when the initial shock wore off, and letting the authorities know is probably best for everyone.

I don’t know much about the aftermath, since local news barely exists anymore. But they didn’t close the highway, so I can take solace that no one died. But I can’t imagine the injuries were minor, and I have to wonder why the driver of the second car never saw the Mini.

(If anyone is interested, this happened on I-580 in Oakland, CA)

Spopepro
Member
Spopepro
3 months ago

I’ve decided I’m never going back up Angeles Crest.

I have real mixed feelings about this. There may be good reasons not to, but so much of the world (and especially the USA) is wasting away slowly in an attempt to prolong life at all costs.

I got hit on a mountain road. On a bicycle. Head on. The minivan was passing around a blind hairpin. I’m mostly fortunately that I remember starting down the mountain and then my next memory was in the helicopter. It kind of killed my competitive racing days, but mostly because of years of rehab and being slow… not a fear of riding. I’ve since taken up other things… like rock climbing, paragliding, ski mountaineering. TBH all of them seem safer than road cycling these days. All of that is to say–I think about risk a lot.

Which is, I think, the real problem. People work to avoid thinking about risk. They either are blindly accepting it or being unwilling to face it at all. I think it’s really healthy, and rewarding, to work on understanding risk, the components, the consequences, and working to build a way of mindfully accepting the risk for a commensurate reward, or mindfully rejecting the risk and the missed opportunity. I wouldn’t make an ultimate decision after an emotional experience.

Abdominal Snoman
Member
Abdominal Snoman
3 months ago
Reply to  Spopepro

I agree with both you and also the original sentiment. I used to do a whole lot of mountain biking, and then later on got involved in street luging. The latter one went bad one day so I had to stop both. I was also really into cars too, have gotten into racing, and have hundreds of miles of the tail of the dragon under my belt but from about 15 years ago I no longer want to go back. It’s stupidly dangerous now no matter what I do as there’s a 90% chance of being taken out by another inexperienced driver. Ever since the smart phone, as tech improves to make things safer people compensate by getting dumber.

They may not be at the most convenient time if you’re on a budget, but track days are not that expensive and usually come with plenty of gravel runoffs making it very unlikely you hit something regardless of stupidity, tire barriers to minimize damage if you do, and a full safety crew there that can respond within 30 seconds no matter what happens. I highly recommend people visit them even if only to push back against NIMBYism.

Tbird
Member
Tbird
3 months ago

I recall running my 5 speed SHO up the Blue Ridge Parkway 25 years ago or so. A lot of fun never getting past 2nd or 3rd gear or pushing thr limits.

Last edited 3 months ago by Tbird
Widgetsltd
Member
Widgetsltd
3 months ago
Reply to  Spopepro

There are so many reasons to head up into the mountains. It’s saddening to hear David swear off Angeles Crest highway. Even if one isn’t interested in driving that highway for the sake of driving, there are still so many hiking and camping opportunities up there in the forest. You often see bicyclists on the road up to and including the turnoff for the observatory. It would be a shame to miss out on these aspects too.

Is there friction between the “hiker/camper” folks, the cyclists and the car enthusiasts? Yes. Even so, all groups can peacefully coexist if respect is shown. Car guys (and gals) need to understand that this ISN’T a racetrack. If you’re getting tire squeal with a performance car on a public road, you are driving irresponsibly fast. Keep your eyes up, drive at a moderate pace, and be ready for the unexpected. You never know when there will be a cyclist, a hiker, or a rock in the road around the corner. Hiker/camper folks: when driving slowly, please use the turnouts. If you have a 6-car train behind you for miles, you really should use a turnout and let those cars pass.

Also: Holiday weekends are always crowded up on the Crest. This goes for all users, not just the car enthusiasts. For a more peaceful (and likely safer) experience, head up on an ordinary weekend or – better yet – on a weekday.

Last edited 3 months ago by Widgetsltd
GirchyGirchy
Member
GirchyGirchy
3 months ago
Reply to  Widgetsltd

You’re completely right, but the problem is there are plenty of selfish assholes out there who just won’t slow down. When you can limit your risk of being in a bad wreck by avoiding a certain road, that’s not a bad decision.

It’s the same way with walking, cycling, whatever. Just because you can legally walk or ride on certain busy roads, it doesn’t mean you should.

Twobox Designgineer
Twobox Designgineer
3 months ago
Reply to  Spopepro

My experience has been like what David’s might be, that having a kid changes your valuation of life (consciously or unconsciously), which then alters all your risk assessments (consciously or unconsciously).

Spopepro
Member
Spopepro
3 months ago

Yeah, to be clear–all I’m advocating for is “Consciously”. I think in particular the “risk” doesn’t change when you have kids, but the “consequences” sure skyrocket. It will absolutely change your decision making, but there is still room for it being a conscious decision.

Theotherotter
Member
Theotherotter
3 months ago
Reply to  Spopepro

This is a great comment. I don’t usually see this framework for understanding and living with risk outside of contexts such as those for outdoor activities like skiiing and rock climbing. So no surprise that you do some of these things.

Cheap Bastard
Member
Cheap Bastard
3 months ago
Reply to  Spopepro

There’s zero reward in driving, walking, or biking around surrounded by jackwagons driving too fast.

The reward is staking your claim to use the road DESPITE those jackwagons. If you keep giving up the roads to those jackwagons eventually you will have no roads left.

NewYorker In LA
NewYorker In LA
3 months ago

People forget that the ACH is a commuter road. I’ve had work-related trips from LA to Palmdale, and when the highways are backed up the ACH is a genuine option. As such, not everyone on the ACH understands all the canyon driving etiquette, just like how there are slow cars on the left lane on regular highways and how some people just don’t know how to use a left-turn lane. But that doesn’t make it OK for others to cross double-yellow to pass cars at blind corners.

I’ve seen cars using the full width of both lanes of the ACH to make corners like they’re on a racing line, and I’ve seen work trucks making U-turns at blind corners. In the wintertime when morning road temp is below 40 degrees (Surprise! It gets cold in the mountains in winter even in LA!) I’ve seen cars with summer tires with drivers claiming they’re driving carefully – like that’ll help when summer tires hit black ice. I’ve accepted the fact that there will be uneducated drivers on the ACH as long as cars, drivers, and humans exist in LA, and stopped heading that way a 3 years ago. Driving excitement means nothing if I’m not alive.

Mouse
Member
Mouse
3 months ago

David, I am very very very serious when I say, from what I can tell, you helped SO MUCH. Please have no regrets about how quickly you responded (or didn’t). Slowing down the other cars was GOOD. Using your satellite whatever it was was GOOD. If 911 had received a bunch of other calls about this crash, they would’ve asked you enough to confirm it was the same crash and then told you emergency services were already on the way. That they kept asking you questions, and that emergency services showed up shortly after you did your calling and texting, suggests to me you might have been the only one whose calls went through.

MrLM002
Member
MrLM002
3 months ago

I’m not saying these people are speeding, just that speed is a factor, and that it’s why I’m happy being putt-putt-McGee.

Really all the for fun driving/riding/sailing/flying I want to do is at slow speeds nowadays. When I was a kid I was a bit of a speed demon (spurred on by having a 1991 Audi 90 Quatto 20V as my first car), but really I see no advantage to it except for emergencies, which with lower speeds are much less likely.

Abdominal Snoman
Member
Abdominal Snoman
3 months ago
Reply to  MrLM002

I once had a 20 Volt Quattro too, but mine was only an 02 A4 V6. Oddly enough, the more time I spend on track the less fast I drive on streets. People are so unpredictable now and while I first hated wearing a HANS device, it worries me deeply to the core now driving fast without one.

MrLM002
Member
MrLM002
3 months ago

I just realized I forgot the r in Quattro -_-

Abdominal Snoman
Member
Abdominal Snoman
3 months ago
Reply to  MrLM002

🙂 I didn’t even notice as I was too focused on whether it has one or two t’s so just copied you.

Wagonsarethebestanswer
Wagonsarethebestanswer
3 months ago
Reply to  MrLM002

HAHA!! Speed demon, in an Audi 90?!? Puh-leeease..
*Kidding, kinda* As the former owner of 3 ’90-’91 20V Coupé quattros, I know they weren’t too quick/fast, but when well driven they could carry a lot of speed thru twisties with all that Torsen grip. Shame they lacked a turbo here in USA tho, cuz when I got a ’91 200 20V Turbo quattro Avant (= Wagon!) the difference was huge: truly fast + handled better than the Coupés.

MrLM002
Member
MrLM002
3 months ago

That was the problem, slow to accelerate, held speed like a runaway freight train. If the thing had some beans I might had been sated, but no, I had to do double to speed limit to feel like I was having fun.

JaredTheGeek
Member
JaredTheGeek
3 months ago

I drove all over California for work for over a decade. I have seen some pretty crazy crashes over the years. One that looked like it was Michael Bay directed to being stuck in traffic watching Life Flight land to carry people off. I watched as on our way to Big Sur a woman drive up towards the mountains and then swerve back towards the ocean side cliffs where her car was luckily bounced by the metal barrier that just started at that curve, she had fallen asleep on PCH. It can pretty sobering and it’s not just your skills you need to worry about but those around you. We get pretty complacent driving, I know I do, but its a dangerous thing to do and over confident people make it that much worse.

Urban Runabout
Member
Urban Runabout
3 months ago

Yet more proof that the most dangerous thing about public roads are the drivers.

Roads like these are much better done on a weekday – Not a holiday weekend when every Camaro/Mustang/M3 driver thinks they’re the hero of their own movie.

Last edited 3 months ago by Urban Runabout
Mark Tucker
Mark Tucker
3 months ago

I absolutely will not take part in any of those group-drive things anymore, and I avoid “popular” driving roads like the plague. I drove Angeles Crest once, when I lived out there, and got tailgated by a BMW M3 for miles until I found a place to let him by. And I was pushing as hard as I felt comfortable.

It was just one of many incidents that convinced me that I’m not a fast driver, nor should I try to be. Better to know you can’t and “wuss out” than to think you can and have it end in disaster. I’ve got nothing to prove to anyone.

The World of Vee
Member
The World of Vee
3 months ago

We were going on a drive in the rain at Saw Mill Parkway out of NYC and a female driving a CRV was next to my mini texting and driving and locked eyes with me. I made the “eyes forward” gesture to her and she in turn flipped me off. Ok, whatever no big deal.

About 20 yards down the road on the opposite side (divided by a grassy divider) I saw a Honda Fit start hydroplaning and cross the median and flip in the air and land upside down in the middle lane and the CRV driver smashed right into it and rolled over. I pulled over (as I’m a physician) and checked on everyone and the CRV driver looked at me and shouted “DID YOU CRASH INTO ME?!”

Good lord, I wanted to show some compassion but all I could muster after seeing she was clearly ok was, “if you weren’t texting you’d have seen the flying car and stopped in time…I did.” She just scowled.

Luckily everyone was ok, shook, but ok. So I got back in my car and drove on off but man what a scary reminder of how fleeting life can be. The rest of that drive was a cruise to the meeting point to show everyone the dashcam footage and then home.

MikeInTheWoods
Member
MikeInTheWoods
3 months ago

Good for you and shame on her. Sadly, that’s the standard reaction people have these days when called out on texting while driving. I didn’t sign up to be an extra in this idiotic dystopia we now live in, so I guess I’ll have to work hard to make it a better place. Thanks for doing your part to help.

Clear_prop
Member
Clear_prop
3 months ago

The Saw Mill Parkway is awful in the dry. Given its lack of proper drainage grading and inconsistent lane sizes, it is straight up evil in the wet even before the distracted drivers are factored in.

Spikedlemon
Spikedlemon
3 months ago

I dislike the arms race in automotive that has led the severe mismatch in size/weight of vehicles out there.

And, yes, they’re all bit from perspective of a motorcycle – at least I can hope that I’ll get tossed over a Camry rather than crushed by the massive grille of pickuptruck.

ClutchAbuse
Member
ClutchAbuse
3 months ago

I passed a Jetta heading south on 101 through Morgan Hill years ago. As I passed I looked over and saw two younger guys sitting in the front seats. When I was a ways in front of them my passenger yells “Holy Shit there’s a car flipping behind us!” I looked at my side mirror and the Jetta was cartwheeling end over end in the center divide.

I have no idea what happened. Hours later on the trip back there were still emergency crews at the scene. Traffic was crawling in both directions and the Jetta looked terrible, it had clearly been cut into to get those guys out.

I didn’t pull over because of the amount of cars on the road made it unsafe.

Driving can go south in an instant.

Nate Stanley
Nate Stanley
3 months ago
Reply to  ClutchAbuse

So you know the area, I commuted from Watsonville over Hecker Pass to Morgan Hill, San Jose And even Fremont over about 30 years.

Hecker Pass over Mt Madonna is a wonderful road, double striped and off limits to semi trucks. But it is unforgiving. After awhile you get used to who is driving the road in your time slot. For the most part people behave themselves.

But one day some hotshot driving a Porsche 914 with a big whale tail started driving the commute, acting like he was some sort of race car driver. 3 days in a row he passed me and others over the double yellow. Friday morning I passed him, he had gone off the road, center punched a tree and both headlights were looking at each other.

I don’t know how the driver would have survived. All for saving about 10 minutes going over the hill.

ClutchAbuse
Member
ClutchAbuse
3 months ago
Reply to  Nate Stanley

I rode a sport bike on those roads for years when I was younger and very very stupid. It’s a miracle I’m alive today. Several people I used to ride with who were much more skilled than myself are not.

Nate Stanley
Nate Stanley
3 months ago
Reply to  ClutchAbuse

Who knows maybe we (almost) met. Glad to hear you survived that stage.

A few years back when the road was clearly posted as off limits to semis, a guy tried to go westbound with his parents and a load of frozen broccoli.

You probably know the 25mph curve less than a mile past the summit, his back wheels started to slip into the ravine, eventually dragging the entire rig backwards and down into the heavy weeds some 100 feet. Taking 129 would have added just 10 minutes to the trip.

Cerberus
Member
Cerberus
3 months ago

I saw this somewhere else that said the S2000 driver died, hit by a car that crossed the line after first hitting the Camaro. Unless you’re medically trained or you could have helped with an emergency extraction, like the car was on fire, IMO, you did what you could and it’s best to leave someone for medical professionals if they’re not in immediate danger as moving the wrong way can cause greater injury. Calling for pros is obviously very important and directing and alerting traffic might seem minimal, but you could have very well prevented it being worse. That said, I’d probably be questioning if I could have done more, too. Even though I’m not normal, I think that’s a normal response. Also, I need to start carrying road flares again.

If someone crossed the line, they’re driving way too fast for the street (I don’t care what they do on a track). That irresponsible crap always bothered me when I’d see it in magazines and their accompanying shows back when magazines were still a thing as that appeared to set a tone of acceptance. Here’s a speed respect visualizer I learned: with someone else driving even just 30 mph, look out the side window and without moving your head or eyes, picture colliding with any stationary object you see out there as you pass it and imagine the damage it would do.

I had a moron ripping through morning highway traffic at about 90 in a Civic Si spin out on the cold pavement (not icy, but reduced traction) in front of me and, after spinning back and forth and looking like he was going to end up in the ditch/guardrail (forget where the guardrail started), he shot across the highway directly into my path, two lanes over (must have pinned the throttle). With no way to swerve, I hammered the brake and impacted his rear wheel at probably about 15 mph, giving it that negative camber the children like so much and pretty much destroying the front of my car. Airbags didn’t go off, I don’t have the nanny sensor package or the fancier headlights, and it was still $12k in repairs (bumper cover, grille, underbody panels, fender, fender liner, headlight unit, hood, radiator). My neck hurt, too, but I have had so many repeated neck injuries in my life that that might not mean anything. Anyway, that was a mere 15 mph—hell, it could have been a little less. I’ll stop here before I go on a rant for 20 pages. OK, one last thing: graduated licensing.

Commercial Cook
Commercial Cook
3 months ago

I have had a guy at work who lost his 19 years old younger son. hi son was out hanging out with friends. they ended up hitting RV head on and he did not make it. I still remember how he was crying on the phone telling/yelling me: I had to put my Jeremy off….

then about a month later I saw him back in the office, he looked like he aged 30 years in 1 month. he lost about 40 pounds, was unrecognizable, like he shrunk. the pain literally made him smaller.

then he quit as he could not function anymore… he was such as funny guy at work, he would always crack inappropriate jokes in the middle of the important meeting and I could not keep my face straight. he was the only guy who would park in old boss’s parking lot on purpose. he was the only guy who can tell the owner to go f..k himself.

as a father of 2, this is my biggest fear in life to experience what he has had.

God save and bless all of you, please stay safe. dying in the car or after accident is just not right.

Secret Chimp
Member
Secret Chimp
3 months ago

I’ve been driving in the canyons around LA for about 25 years now. I drive enthusiastically but not necessarily fast. 6/10ths I’d say, because you always need to have enough extra grip, braking, or performance to react to the other boneheads and to the randomness of life (gravel, coyotes, disabled cars, rapid tire deflation, mechanical failures, etc). If you regularly drive to the edge of the performance of your car, you will eventually be bitten. Sometimes you will be bitten HARD!

Angeles Crest has always been a bit of a ‘take your life into your own hands’ experience but it has gotten significantly more dangerous in the last 5 years or so. I’m not sure if it is caused by drivers who are getting more daring, if it has to do with the car manufacturers arms race for more HP and performance, or lax police enforcement. It’s probably a combo of all 3. But when you have cars traveling at over 100mph in some sections followed by sheer drops and blind corners, it’s a recipe for disaster.

Angeles Crest Highway sees several fatalities each year (more than 1 per month some years). It is one of, if not the most, dangerous sections of road in CA and possibly in the US. If you are going to go up there and drive you need to really have your wits about you because many of the other drivers do not.

I was up at GVBC in June. On my way home, there was a car flipped onto its roof up near the Ranch. About halfway down, another driver sideswiped a maintenance vehicle. I also had 3 cars come up behind me so quickly, that they crossed the center line and just flew by…on a blind hump in the road. I would have pulled into a shoulder if they gave me even 5 secs to do so. It’s nuts.

I fear someone will eventually try to hold the organizers of GVBC liable for someone’s death, or at the very least, shut the road down to enthusiasts, if we can’t figure out how to calm drivers down a little bit.

Last edited 3 months ago by Secret Chimp
Cerberus
Member
Cerberus
3 months ago
Reply to  Secret Chimp

That last part isn’t at all unlikely. A few dickheads will ruin it for everyone. As usual.

DNF
DNF
3 months ago
Reply to  Secret Chimp

Driver training was ended here years ago, and now those same kids are buying real cars.
Single car high speed crashes in clear weather spiked during the pandemic.
The least interested generation in driving in history is on the road now.
I rode with a friend that grew up in NYC, and he would forget he was driving.
He looked at cars as smaller buses.
They are legion now.

Commercial Cook
Commercial Cook
3 months ago

I remember I when i just picked up the C124 coupe (beautiful 300CE, Spruce Green on Mushroom leather) from in the middle of nowhere, I slapped my plates from other Benz just to take it home…i was driving westbound on 401 (Ontario, Canada) and the girl in the Smart in front of me rolled over, I think she was either under influence or fell asleep at the wheel. she rolled 2 times and ended up on the wheels. I and other few cars immediately pulled over to give her a hand. I put the smart in park and shut the ignition off as the other guy was helping the girl to get out. luckily the poor girl was ok but obviously in a big distress. she got lucky by walking away from this.

Roofless
Member
Roofless
3 months ago

The fact that you stopped at all puts you in the top tier. Unless you’re an EMT or have some serious medical training, you did the right thing – contact the authorities and try to help where you’re qualified and capable to do so. You did the right things, and your feelings here are totally normal. You were a net good today, don’t ever think otherwise.

(As a friend of mine once put it: “goal number one is not to turn one patient into two.”)

Also, thank you for the reminder of our responsibilities when engaging with our hobbies. Cars are a lot of fun, but they’re dangerous, even if we’ve been convinced they’re not. We need to understand when we’re out there in public, it’s not just our lives we’re putting on the line – it’s our moral responsibility not to make other people pay for our stupid mistakes.

Last edited 3 months ago by Roofless
Nick B.
Member
Nick B.
3 months ago

I’ve told the story here and in Discord, but left out some details about the car accident I was in last June. I wish someone else would have done what you did and contacted the police. Nobody did until I regained consciousness five minutes later and did so myself. The older guy who hit me didn’t have a cell phone and had a speech impediment. Even in my concussed state, I could understand him fine with what he could say and his gestures, but over the phone it would have been extremely difficult.

My car was blocking one lane of traffic on a busy four lane road, so I can understand nobody getting out to check. But five minutes would have been two cycles at that light and SOMEONE could have, especially with the driver completely unresponsive and the passenger mostly so.

DNF
DNF
3 months ago
Reply to  Nick B.

The last time I called in a car off the road, they were clearly annoyed that I was calling.
Maybe more people call them now?
Worst case would be going off the highway where you can’t be seen.
When mobile phones are lost in the event, dramatic survival stories happen next to active traffic.

Last edited 3 months ago by DNF
Pilotgrrl
Member
Pilotgrrl
3 months ago
Reply to  Nick B.

Some phones, like the Pixel, have crash detection and will call 911 automatically if it happens.

Nick B.
Member
Nick B.
3 months ago
Reply to  Pilotgrrl

I have a Z Fold 5 and it does not. Or at least did not at the time; it might have gone in recently. I don’t see any confirmation that it has on a quick search.

DNF
DNF
3 months ago
Reply to  Nick B.

I’m thinking an emergency phone firmly mounted in reach is a smart idea.

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