Has anyone ever been in a Major Car Accident (Collison),what was it like?

Question

I'm always wanted to know what it's like to be in a major accident (in a Car) and to have survived it?Was it like in the movies,did every thing appear to be in slow motion when it happened?Did it happen so fast you didn't even know about it?

I'm a very carefull driver when I'm behind the wheel of a car.I always stay in the slow lane,and I try not to drive very far from home.I hope I never get into a accident,I feel sorry for those who have been in one.

Answer 1

Yes, rear-ended by an 18  Wheeler and it was like in slow motion.  A horrible nightmare!  Luckily we ended up okay but the boat and trailer we were pulling was totaled as with the 18-wheeler.

Answer 2

When I was 17 I was riding behind the driver of a 69 Pontiac Bonneville. There was 1 foot of snow on the ground but the roads were clear. The driver became involved in an argument with the passenger to my right and turned toward him to (make his point). I noticed the speedometer was at 55 as the car veered into a snow bank which pulled the car abruptly into a 16" maple tree at the side of the road. The sound was deafening. The car went from 55 to 0 in 1/2 sec. I was not wearing a seat belt but did have on a leather jacket. I flew forward and impacted the rear of the drivers seat and slammed him into the steering wheel, braking several of his ribs. I ended up bent over with the windshield on top of me. My cousin was pinned in the front seat by crushed metal and had to be cut out. When we got out of the car I noticed that the trunk area had folded upward as if it were going to come over the top of the car. The drivers father gave me a ride home and I never told my parents. The next morning when I put my jacket on, the pockets were full of glass.  

Answer 3

I was T-boned by an off duty police officer at an intersection in a residential neighbourhood. He ran a stop sign with his truck and impacted the passenger side of my car at approx. 60 MPH which caused me to spin across a lawn and end up parked in someones kitchen. The impact from the other vehicle opened up the side of my car and dumped the contents of my car and my trunk all over the lawn. I was shaken up but the seatbelt saved me from injury. The police officer had been drinking but was only charged with failing to stop.

In another accident I was thrown from my motorcycle over the hood of a car. The lady in the car ahead had signalled a right turn and pulled to the right lane so I passed her. Naturally, she turned left. My motorcycle helmet took the brunt of the impact with the pavement and split in half which definitely saved my life. My knees were the next part to hit the road and they didn't fare so well. The other driver was charged with making an improper turn and impeding a police investigation. She tried to lie her way out of the first charge. Fortunately there were many witnesses and she did lose her licence.

My last accident was 25 years ago. I was riding my 'new' motorcycle at well above the legal limit when it went into a severe speed wobble and spit me out onto the roadway. The face of my helmet and my forearms took the major damage. The helmet was destroyed but my face was not injured. My arms were pavement burned down through the epidemal layer. I still carry the scars.

The first two accidents happened so fast and without warning that I had no time to think about it untill after the fact.

I had plenty of time to think about the third accident. It seemed like an eternity. I remember thinking "how the H E L L did I get into this and what do I do now?" I could see the center barrier beam of the highway coming at me and I basically just resigned myself to the fact that I was about to die. Fortunately, when the bike spit me out I went the opposite way and ended up on the shoulder of the roadway. Recovery took over a year. There were no charges laid by the police.