This morning I was driving in to work, almost stopped, to join the line of traffic waiting to turn onto Robb Dr./freeway. I just happened to look up in my rearview mirror and saw a car coming fast and out of control behind me. The car was fishtailing and I realized it was going to hit me!
An
INSTANT later this car slammed into my rearend, and pushed me into the car in front of me (and I had already pressed down HARD on the brake, but the road surface was icy so the brakes didn't help). I remember hearing crunching and glass, and my car rolled into the left lane, over the traffic island, and into the opposite side of the street before it stopped. Thank God no other traffic was coming in that direction at that moment!
I got the car pulled off to the side of the road, and I'm here to tell you that the safety of the Subaru WRX definitely held up for me today. The rear bumper was crushed and torn, the rear window was completely broken out, and the front bumper and hood took the impact of hitting the car in front. Poor car.
But it's only a car that's broken, nobody was hurt.
After I got out of the car I saw a pickup truck that was also involved, the car in front of me must've been pushed into it.
Other incidentals: Am I glad the air bag(s) did NOT deploy. I must have been traveling at less than 5mph at impact, though the car behind me appeared to be moving much faster. My driver's seat was leaning back a couple of notches. (The body shop manager showed us a skeleton of the seat frame, and where the metal may have bent back upon impact - moral of the story being that the seats are not one of the stronger points in the car, but it still protected me). Also, the ashtray came out by itself, I found it sitting on the floor.
Now I get to share Art's experience with waiting out the body shop experience. Blah!