A completely LUCKY escape but....

[jadefox]

not a total escape I fear

I was driving home tonight from a night out and coming down a country lane, there's a small kerb on one side - my near side - and I was travelling about 40 after slowing down because I could see headlights coming towards me. It's a 60 limit and a reasonably strait road.
I must add at this juncture that I use to be a advanced driving instructor - so I like to think I know how to handle a car in a crisis...

Anyway, this car's coming towards me, he starts to waver across my side of the road and I note he looks like he is actually ASLEEP at the wheel - I hit the breaks and pull the car to the left, hit the kerb on my side with my front alloy - it was really very unavoidable because he is careering towards me and he literally ricochets off of my wing mirror with his, I'm assuming it startles him and in a split second, he pulls off to the right narrowly avoiding taking the side of my car off! I have to tell you that at that point I was holding my breath and waiting for the impact!
By this time I am almost completely on the grass verge with all four wheels - how he managed to avoid me (or rather I managed to avoid him!!!) is beyond me.

The WORST part is instead of stopping to make sure everything is ok - he puts his foot down and shoots off!!! I am assuming he either has no insurance or was drinking, or both.

I got out to look for damage and could see a really big black scuff on one alloy, but no damage to the wing mirror that I can see in the dark. I have taken a torch out to the car and checked it over and it 'looks' ok - the scuff I was fearing the worst with - I thought it may have actually split the alloy, but it looks ok and it looks like it is just a scuff mark.

Partly the reason I have come on tonight is to ask - when I hit the kerb at about 40, well maybe 35 or so because like I said I hit the brakes - is it possible that although there is no true damage so to speak to look at, can it have damaged the wheel at all internally? Or is it likely to have put the tracking out hitting it that speed? It did make an awful bang when I hit it.
I am guessing i should get it checked out, but where - the Main Stealership will cost a fortune won't it?

Ugh. I tell you, I wonder about the state of peoples driving today

 

[Nibbo]

Sorry to read this Jadefox.

They must have been Drunk, Uninsured or in a Stolen car or surely they would have stopped.
By the sound of the driving my guess would be drunk but driving standards are so bad these days its hard to tell.

As for the car, I am sure the geometry would have been upset by this and possibly the wheel damaged.
A good tyre outlet (ATS etc...) should be able to check it all out which would be cheaper than MB.
I would get it checked ASAP though as you may have damaged something that would make the car unsafe.

Good Luck

 

[Gollom]

Glad you are OK anyway

 

[chrispy]

Glad he didn't kill you my friend. Take your car in for a check up at a local garage to make sure there's no other damage.

The same happened to me a few months ago. I was driving home on a Saturday afternoon up a mountain road known locally as 'The Keepers'. The road is restricted to 7.5 tonne and coming towards me was an 18 tonner over both lanes. He forced me off the road at which point I hit a hidden boulder (one of those ones half buried in the ground) and bounced about 4 feet in the air. I had my son with me who practically s*** himself and this toe-rag just kept on going.

Literally 30 seconds later a police car came around the corner but couldn't chase after the fleeing driver because I was causing an obstruction which resulted in him getting away with it and no doubt my insurance taking a dent. It collapsed my front suspension, buckled two wheels and snapped the rear axle of my Ford Transit Connect. Bloody annoying considering I had a perfect record up until then with no claims and not a single point on my license.

 

[R2D2]

Jadefox you have a PM.

 

[grober]

There are several things to check.
1. the tyre for damage-particularly the side wall plies. Run your finger tips round the side wall feeling for dips where the plies have been damaged. I have found this to be better than just visual inspection. If you can then visually "see" a dip in the sidewall then its probably wise to replace the tyre. Important--- you must inspect both the outer and inner sidewalls.

2 The wheel for structural cracks or being out of true. If you find a nice smooth flat surface try getting someone to roll the tyre+wheel along and look for a smooth roll with no bobbling or excessive wobble. Compare it with the other front wheel as a reference. If anything doesn't check out take it to a reputable tyre specialist who will check it out on his wheel balance machine.

3. Get the front suspension ball joints on the impact side checked out for damage normally revealed by excessive play. Any MOT testing station should be able to do this as its normally part of the MOT checks. Any excessive sideways forces on the suspension exerted by the wheel+tyre thro the hub assembly have to be transmitted through these suspension components so they might be damaged and are a safety critical component.

Whether any lasting damage was done is really dependant on how hard you impacted the kerb- its height-- your angle of impact-glancing blow as opposed to full impact etc. You are the only one who can judge the severity of impact.

Bad luck being in the wrong place at the wrong time I guess but could have been lots more serious so lucky escape maybe. Glad your OK-Cars can be repaired - people sometimes can't.

 

[jadefox]

Thanks guys, on your recommendation I took it to my local tyre place earlier. They got it up on a ramp and had a good old look under the suspension and rolled the tyres and made sure everything was aligned.

They said the wheels did need aligning on a laser machine which they did for me while I waited. I got them to check the tyre walls - three of them looked it over and I think it was safe to say they felt that I was lucky to have not sustained anything but my tracking being knocked out!!
When I told the main mechanic just want had happened and the speed, he said I was damn lucky not to have knackered the suspension.

I'm just thankful that the idiot who came at me didn't hit me, that would have been very messy and very tedious to have to sort out if it ended up being a hit and run which I suspect i would have done.

Anyway, thank you again for your suggestions - greatly received, and R2D2 - thank you for your PM.

 

[Dieselman]

Anyway, thank you again for your suggestions - greatly received, and R2D2 - thank you for your PM.

What was in it, not an appology...??

 

[jadefox]

D'ya know what?? my weeks just going from bad to worse
Just came back to the car to notice a reasonably sized scuff mark (two actually) along the side of my back bumper and the back paintwork.
I think I need to go back to bed and start the entire week again

It's the two white bits on the photo *sigh* it's right back to the plastic on the bumper and the paint is not T-cut'able I don't think.

 

[grober]

Try a little wet and dry paper 800 or 1200 grade if it won't Tcut.

 

[Dieselman]

D'ya know what?? my weeks just going from bad to worse
Just came back to the car to notice a reasonably sized scuff mark (two actually) along the side of my back bumper and the back paintwork.

Been parking in tight spaces again have we Jadefox....go on admit it...

 

[jadefox]

do you know, every single time I park with about 20 spaces all around me; left right up and down - someone comes and parks right next to me.