08-23-2007, 12:09 AM
Many of you got to meet my 1983 GMC Sierra 3500, whom Linds and I affectionately named Hank. He was an ornery son of a bitch sometimes, but he had more character than any other vehicle I've ever owned and you could tell he'd had a rough life. He had previously served on two farms, had personally taken several hits from steer and the rust monster, and it was quite an undertaking to get him back to a fully maintained, roadworthy machine. In the end, he turned out to be pretty reliable, although not particuarly fast. He was purchased with the intent of serving as a tow vehicle and we really got a lot of use out of him between trips to the dump, moving stuff, as well as towing. He was never exactly pretty, but he was mechanically perfect and nothing in the engine or drivetrain ever gave us any problems.
Meet Hank (#1 & #2 from purchase, #3 a few months later):
![[Image: im002153.jpg]](http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e274/93anthracite/Truck%20wreck/im002153.jpg)
![[Image: im002150.jpg]](http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e274/93anthracite/Truck%20wreck/im002150.jpg)
![[Image: finishedPS.jpg]](http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e274/93anthracite/Truck%20wreck/finishedPS.jpg)
Some of you already know this story, however I just got service back at our house (off since July 24th) so this is to share with everybody. On July 21, we drove down to Richmond and picked up a big load of furniture and went to VT to help move in Linds' sister. Pretty uneventful trip, aside from deciding he was tired and not wanting to start up when we were ready to leave; I told you he was ornery. We left for a bite to eat, started right up when we came back.
As mentioned before, this truck wasn't very fast. In fact, his max speed was about 55mph. If you were going much more than that, it seriously felt like the truck was about to explode right there from all the vibrations. The engine pulled just fine, but the differential + 3 gears didn't really make this a highway cruiser (in '83, 55mph was movin'!). As a result, we put our flashers on to alert other people that we were slow. Not once did tthis cause a problem for our entire trip.
As we approached Charlottesville on I-64 at 11:30pm, specifically as we were passing Crozet, I saw a pair of headlights coming behind me. I didn't pay it much attention, as this was normal and I assumed he would get over and pass just like everybody else. Turns out, I was wrong.
Everybody has a 6th sense when something doesn't feel quite right. Mine kicked on in time for me to see a pair of headlights go under my tailgate and hear tires squealing, not even enough time to even think about warning Lindsey to brace herself. The truck immediately started swerving about on the interstate, completely out of control. It is truly amazing that it did not roll. I had been travelling on the right hand lane and by the time I came to a stop, the front of my truck was 2 feet from the guardrail on the left hand side, sitting perpendicular to the highway.
I sat in shock for what seemed like minutes, but was probably less than 10 seconds. There were lights shining into my window from a car which was stopped about where I had been hit (about 200 feet away), presumably the person who hit me. My window seemed crystal clear, almost as if it wasn't even there; it happens in movies all the time, and that is really the only way I can describe it. Then the adrenaline rush came. Once Linds and I established that we were both mobile and not seriously injured, we got out of the truck. Lindsey was able to flag down the next person to pass by and use their phone (hers had been tossed around in the cab and actually broke apart). By the time she was actually talking to the 911 operator, a cop car was already pulling up.
The rest is kind of a blur. We were eventually both checked out by the ambulance and Lindsey was taken to UVA b/c of pain in her neck and back. At the time I felt fine, I'm sure it was being masked by the massive adrenaline rush. We were informed by the cop that the driver who had hit us was drunk (surprise!) and that he had actually been called in by another driver b/c of erratic driving (hence the quick response time). That driver had paced him going approximately 90 mph. We saw them searching over the woods so we thought he had actually left the car on the side of the road and ran into the woods. After Linds' treatment at the hospital, we finally got home around 4 in the morning.
We decided the next day to go out to the yard where our truck had been towed to so we could get a better idea of the damage. His car was actually parked right in front of the truck. The cop had paid us a visit while we were in the hospital that night to drop off his information, which is when we found out what he was driving, a 1991 Cutlass Ciera, and that he was 20 years old!
Basically, it would appear that this drunk peice of shit wanted to see how far his needle would roll into his dashboard...
![[Image: Accident7-21-0736.jpg]](http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e274/93anthracite/Truck%20wreck/Accident7-21-0736.jpg)
And he didn't leave the car on the side of the road and run away. He took the car with him, right into a tree:
![[Image: Accident7-21-0716.jpg]](http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e274/93anthracite/Truck%20wreck/Accident7-21-0716.jpg)
Upon running into us on the driver's side rear of the truck, he actually swerved to the right and went off into the trees. If you look really closely in the first of the following pics, you can actually see where his skids go to the right and where my tires actually slid too from where he hit me so hard. The second pic is of the gaping hole he punched into the forest. From standing at that entrance, you could not see the tree that was responsible for stopping him; he was really far in there:
![[Image: Accident7-21-0741.jpg]](http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e274/93anthracite/Truck%20wreck/Accident7-21-0741.jpg)
![[Image: Accident7-21-0747.jpg]](http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e274/93anthracite/Truck%20wreck/Accident7-21-0747.jpg)
Finally, the damage to my truck:
![[Image: Accident7-21-0727.jpg]](http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e274/93anthracite/Truck%20wreck/Accident7-21-0727.jpg)
The bed is torqued a solid 6 inches from where it originally was, and the bumper (one of the heavy duty kind that could be used as a light-duty trailer hitch) was literally tucked up underneath the bed. The class IV trailer hitch which I had welded to my frame back in February was literally ripped away from the frame rails and hanging from a couple scraps of metal.
Later that day my neck started stiffening up; I was diagnosed with a cervical strain. Luckily, both mine and Lindsey's injuries were muscular and within a week we appeared to be better physically. Even to this day we're both still haunted and have flashbacks of it, like a very mild case of PTSD.
It's been a while since all this happened. The truck was totalled by the insurance company, no real surprise there, and is headed off to the an auction. I got a reasonable amount of money for it, though nowhere near what I had into it. He has been charged with underage possession, DUI, and not wearing a seatbelt. Oh yeah, he survived just fine, although I think he would have done us all a big favor if he would have removed himself from the gene pool.
He has also entered an Alford Plea to these criminal charges, basically allowing him to not admit guilt while saying that there is no doubt it could be proven that he was guilty. Weird; I just wish the sorry sack of shit would own up to it. He'll be sentenced in a couple weeks; we'll be there to see if he looks even remotely remorseful for it. His appearance and demeanor will determine if we want to pursue a civil case.
We're still working on the settlement with the insurance company, since the hospital takes its sweet time getting the bills to you.
Basically, I had a great vehicle taken away from me b/c some retard decided to get trashed one night and ram into me, going 40 mph faster, despite me having my flashers on to clearly indicate where I was. It's like I was a bullseye for him to aim at :? . I am truly grateful that Linds and I really weren't hurt too badly, had we been driving any other vehicle that we own, the results probably would have been much more tragic. I firmly believe that truck saved our lives that night.
So please guys, if you're going to go out and have a good time, call a cab or somebody instead of telling yourself you're OK to drive. It just isn't worth the risk of hurting somebody else or yourself.
Meet Hank (#1 & #2 from purchase, #3 a few months later):
Some of you already know this story, however I just got service back at our house (off since July 24th) so this is to share with everybody. On July 21, we drove down to Richmond and picked up a big load of furniture and went to VT to help move in Linds' sister. Pretty uneventful trip, aside from deciding he was tired and not wanting to start up when we were ready to leave; I told you he was ornery. We left for a bite to eat, started right up when we came back.
As mentioned before, this truck wasn't very fast. In fact, his max speed was about 55mph. If you were going much more than that, it seriously felt like the truck was about to explode right there from all the vibrations. The engine pulled just fine, but the differential + 3 gears didn't really make this a highway cruiser (in '83, 55mph was movin'!). As a result, we put our flashers on to alert other people that we were slow. Not once did tthis cause a problem for our entire trip.
As we approached Charlottesville on I-64 at 11:30pm, specifically as we were passing Crozet, I saw a pair of headlights coming behind me. I didn't pay it much attention, as this was normal and I assumed he would get over and pass just like everybody else. Turns out, I was wrong.
Everybody has a 6th sense when something doesn't feel quite right. Mine kicked on in time for me to see a pair of headlights go under my tailgate and hear tires squealing, not even enough time to even think about warning Lindsey to brace herself. The truck immediately started swerving about on the interstate, completely out of control. It is truly amazing that it did not roll. I had been travelling on the right hand lane and by the time I came to a stop, the front of my truck was 2 feet from the guardrail on the left hand side, sitting perpendicular to the highway.
I sat in shock for what seemed like minutes, but was probably less than 10 seconds. There were lights shining into my window from a car which was stopped about where I had been hit (about 200 feet away), presumably the person who hit me. My window seemed crystal clear, almost as if it wasn't even there; it happens in movies all the time, and that is really the only way I can describe it. Then the adrenaline rush came. Once Linds and I established that we were both mobile and not seriously injured, we got out of the truck. Lindsey was able to flag down the next person to pass by and use their phone (hers had been tossed around in the cab and actually broke apart). By the time she was actually talking to the 911 operator, a cop car was already pulling up.
The rest is kind of a blur. We were eventually both checked out by the ambulance and Lindsey was taken to UVA b/c of pain in her neck and back. At the time I felt fine, I'm sure it was being masked by the massive adrenaline rush. We were informed by the cop that the driver who had hit us was drunk (surprise!) and that he had actually been called in by another driver b/c of erratic driving (hence the quick response time). That driver had paced him going approximately 90 mph. We saw them searching over the woods so we thought he had actually left the car on the side of the road and ran into the woods. After Linds' treatment at the hospital, we finally got home around 4 in the morning.
We decided the next day to go out to the yard where our truck had been towed to so we could get a better idea of the damage. His car was actually parked right in front of the truck. The cop had paid us a visit while we were in the hospital that night to drop off his information, which is when we found out what he was driving, a 1991 Cutlass Ciera, and that he was 20 years old!
Basically, it would appear that this drunk peice of shit wanted to see how far his needle would roll into his dashboard...
And he didn't leave the car on the side of the road and run away. He took the car with him, right into a tree:
Upon running into us on the driver's side rear of the truck, he actually swerved to the right and went off into the trees. If you look really closely in the first of the following pics, you can actually see where his skids go to the right and where my tires actually slid too from where he hit me so hard. The second pic is of the gaping hole he punched into the forest. From standing at that entrance, you could not see the tree that was responsible for stopping him; he was really far in there:
Finally, the damage to my truck:
The bed is torqued a solid 6 inches from where it originally was, and the bumper (one of the heavy duty kind that could be used as a light-duty trailer hitch) was literally tucked up underneath the bed. The class IV trailer hitch which I had welded to my frame back in February was literally ripped away from the frame rails and hanging from a couple scraps of metal.
Later that day my neck started stiffening up; I was diagnosed with a cervical strain. Luckily, both mine and Lindsey's injuries were muscular and within a week we appeared to be better physically. Even to this day we're both still haunted and have flashbacks of it, like a very mild case of PTSD.
It's been a while since all this happened. The truck was totalled by the insurance company, no real surprise there, and is headed off to the an auction. I got a reasonable amount of money for it, though nowhere near what I had into it. He has been charged with underage possession, DUI, and not wearing a seatbelt. Oh yeah, he survived just fine, although I think he would have done us all a big favor if he would have removed himself from the gene pool.
He has also entered an Alford Plea to these criminal charges, basically allowing him to not admit guilt while saying that there is no doubt it could be proven that he was guilty. Weird; I just wish the sorry sack of shit would own up to it. He'll be sentenced in a couple weeks; we'll be there to see if he looks even remotely remorseful for it. His appearance and demeanor will determine if we want to pursue a civil case.
We're still working on the settlement with the insurance company, since the hospital takes its sweet time getting the bills to you.
Basically, I had a great vehicle taken away from me b/c some retard decided to get trashed one night and ram into me, going 40 mph faster, despite me having my flashers on to clearly indicate where I was. It's like I was a bullseye for him to aim at :? . I am truly grateful that Linds and I really weren't hurt too badly, had we been driving any other vehicle that we own, the results probably would have been much more tragic. I firmly believe that truck saved our lives that night.
So please guys, if you're going to go out and have a good time, call a cab or somebody instead of telling yourself you're OK to drive. It just isn't worth the risk of hurting somebody else or yourself.
