faithful readers will note that a lot of my time and energy (among other things) have been invested into my car, a Subaru WRX. well, that car is no more, i fear, after today's unpleasant wreck on the freeway.
the wreck happened at the start of hwy 16, as it branches off from interstate 5 in tacoma, washington. chris han and i were driving through a downpour in tacoma on our way to the season-ending autocross in bremerton. there is a 40 mph section from the onramp extending for about 1/2 mile, and i dutifully slowed down to 40.
at the end of the onramp is a right turn. as the turn begins an additional lane appears to the right, and i switched into that lane in what i believe to be a smooth fashion. in doing so the car's balance was somehow upset and the tail stepped out. thanks to much practice spinning and recovering from spins at autocross events i countersteered by instinct. unfortunately, my instinct was to countersteer too much, and as the tires regained traction the car's tail swung back from the left to the right. i now found myself headed left in a right turn, with scant feet left between the car's nose and the wall.
the impact was at a 60 degree angle, approximately, with the origin pointing straight down the road. it was a loud bang, both from the sound of crunching metal and carbon and from the deployment of the two front airbags. incidentally, airbags smell of gunpowder after they've gone off, and leave a fine dust floating in the air for several minutes.
as we surveyed the damage another car spun at the same spot. an image of a white camry travelling backwards towards chris and me is now marked indelibly in my mind. it slid to a halt mere inches from the wall, and about 10 feet from my car, but in the process forced me to jump out of the way, literally, and caused chris to leap over the guardrail into the median. luckily, he leaped at a point below which there was solid ground, rather than the 15 foot dropoff found a few more feet down the road. (as a side note, 4 additional cars after this camry spun at the same spot in the road during the hour in which we were waiting for a tow truck. was there oil on the road? i don't know, but having 6 cars, including mine, spin in such a short amount of time either suggests a road hazard or mass incompetence. i'm hoping it's not the latter.)
the damage to the car seems quite extensive to my eye-of-limited-expertise: the bumper, hood, quarter panels, intercooler, radiator, horns, and headlights are definitely in need of replacement. the frame is possibly bent, given that my door was difficult to open at first. the gearbox and engine are also screwed up in all likelihood, as i was unable to shift the car out of gear after the accident.
on the upside: neither chris nor i were seriously injured. chris got a few scrapes in jumping over the median, and a small laceration on his pinky. furthermore, no other cars were involved, so there will be no monkey business with 3rd party insurance, medical claims, lawsuits, and the like. also, my carbon hood collapsed as it is supposed to do, rather than decapitating me and chris, as has been claimed in some urban legends within the car community.
on the downside: my car is probably gone, marking the end of yet another era. i was also issued a ticket for "speed too high for conditions" (note that i was not speeding technically, and given the remarkable coincidence of 5 other cars spinning at the same turn within the hour i am going to contest this ticket).
stay tuned to this channel for updates in the future of the fate of my wrx, the possible process of parting it out after buying it back from insurance, and what its replacement might be. in the meantime my parents are going to give me their 1996 Ford Expedition, a true hulk of a vehicle, so i might actually be freed up by this to get a more impractical car as a second vehicle. we shall see. (a Spec Miata? hmm.)
a pic or two, see the gallery (wrecked wrx) for the rest:
the wreck happened at the start of hwy 16, as it branches off from interstate 5 in tacoma, washington. chris han and i were driving through a downpour in tacoma on our way to the season-ending autocross in bremerton. there is a 40 mph section from the onramp extending for about 1/2 mile, and i dutifully slowed down to 40.
at the end of the onramp is a right turn. as the turn begins an additional lane appears to the right, and i switched into that lane in what i believe to be a smooth fashion. in doing so the car's balance was somehow upset and the tail stepped out. thanks to much practice spinning and recovering from spins at autocross events i countersteered by instinct. unfortunately, my instinct was to countersteer too much, and as the tires regained traction the car's tail swung back from the left to the right. i now found myself headed left in a right turn, with scant feet left between the car's nose and the wall.
the impact was at a 60 degree angle, approximately, with the origin pointing straight down the road. it was a loud bang, both from the sound of crunching metal and carbon and from the deployment of the two front airbags. incidentally, airbags smell of gunpowder after they've gone off, and leave a fine dust floating in the air for several minutes.
as we surveyed the damage another car spun at the same spot. an image of a white camry travelling backwards towards chris and me is now marked indelibly in my mind. it slid to a halt mere inches from the wall, and about 10 feet from my car, but in the process forced me to jump out of the way, literally, and caused chris to leap over the guardrail into the median. luckily, he leaped at a point below which there was solid ground, rather than the 15 foot dropoff found a few more feet down the road. (as a side note, 4 additional cars after this camry spun at the same spot in the road during the hour in which we were waiting for a tow truck. was there oil on the road? i don't know, but having 6 cars, including mine, spin in such a short amount of time either suggests a road hazard or mass incompetence. i'm hoping it's not the latter.)
the damage to the car seems quite extensive to my eye-of-limited-expertise: the bumper, hood, quarter panels, intercooler, radiator, horns, and headlights are definitely in need of replacement. the frame is possibly bent, given that my door was difficult to open at first. the gearbox and engine are also screwed up in all likelihood, as i was unable to shift the car out of gear after the accident.
on the upside: neither chris nor i were seriously injured. chris got a few scrapes in jumping over the median, and a small laceration on his pinky. furthermore, no other cars were involved, so there will be no monkey business with 3rd party insurance, medical claims, lawsuits, and the like. also, my carbon hood collapsed as it is supposed to do, rather than decapitating me and chris, as has been claimed in some urban legends within the car community.
on the downside: my car is probably gone, marking the end of yet another era. i was also issued a ticket for "speed too high for conditions" (note that i was not speeding technically, and given the remarkable coincidence of 5 other cars spinning at the same turn within the hour i am going to contest this ticket).
stay tuned to this channel for updates in the future of the fate of my wrx, the possible process of parting it out after buying it back from insurance, and what its replacement might be. in the meantime my parents are going to give me their 1996 Ford Expedition, a true hulk of a vehicle, so i might actually be freed up by this to get a more impractical car as a second vehicle. we shall see. (a Spec Miata? hmm.)
a pic or two, see the gallery (wrecked wrx) for the rest:
hehehe, just kidding
mmm.
A cop gave you a ticket after you crashed? 
