*notcot in tech , 00:35

The Car Accident- 07.27.11

accident1.jpg Wow. So some of you may have heard on twitter and/or facebook that it’s been a rough few days, since i got in a car accident on Sunday. Sadly out of nowhere a car made a harsh left turn into me (when we were supposed to merge on to PCH) pushing me into stopped oncoming traffic. 4 car collision blocking PCH. Not fun. Airbag in my face upon impact, cops, firemen, and tow trucks on site in no time ~ neckbrace on ~ out of the car and on to a stretcher and into an ambulance and straight to the ER. Apparently it is just like the TV shows ~ the views of rolling by staring at the ambulance ceiling… and the hallways of hospitals from the room with the TV to the xray machines and back… Watched some of The World Is Not Enough from what seemed to be a James Bond marathon on Syfy while waiting. And i was lucky ~ really really lucky apparently ~ while my car is TOTALLED (poor poor car - see pics on the next page) ~ i managed to escape with a separated clavicle leaving my arm in a sling and neck pains that need icing/heating, and quite a bit of bruising everywhere the seatbelt makes contact. Hopefully, that’s all, but they do say things sometimes creep up on you as your body adjusts to the trauma?

Anyhow ~ it’s been a rough few days ~ and that’s why i’ve been pretty quiet. Dealing with the nice insurance guys ~ the collision guys who just shake their head when they see the state of my car and look in wonder at how i survived so unscathed… and starting to come to terms with the fact that my Toyota Highlander that took such good care of me the last 5 years is pretty much a goner (though, amazing how well it took such an impact and protected me!) needs replacing. So car shopping begins now? Ideas? And along the whole insane catastrophe, couldn’t help but to snap a few pics with the HTC Sensation - so take a peek of pics during, after, and the state of my car on the next page!

p.s. Rumor has it that i might have been hit by a 2012 Honda CR-V mule in super spy mode? See more close up pics of it here.

First person views… this is the first thing i saw after the moment of impact and airbag blew… accident2.jpg

When they moved me to stretcher and in to ambulance ~ i couldn’t see much with the neckbrace on and only being able to stare straight up ~ so used the phone like my periscope to see what was going on out there… nice fireman/ambulance guys and i guess that’s the guy that hit me? accident3.jpg

It was quite a scene ~ but impressive how fast police, firemen, ambulances, and tow trucks got there. accident4.jpg

View while waiting around in the hospital ~ strapped down with a neckbrace, limited views… but you can see me reflected in the light… and there’s bond taking down the villains on the tv… accident5.jpg

Not being far from my parents ~ my mom was able to get to the scene pretty quickly as well ~ and got a few shots of what was going on… accident6.jpg

I’m the middle car… accident7.jpg

… as they tow the others away, you can see how badly i was crushed as that car turned into me and pushed me into the others… accident9.jpg

As for the aftermath… here’s the state of my car now! First where it got towed… accident10.jpg

And i went by today to the collision center they moved it to to see it for myself for the first time… accident11.jpg

It’s incredible how much it crushed! accident12.jpg

Pretty scary, since i didn’t see it at the actual accident since they moved me from driver’s seat to ambulance so quickly… accident13.jpg

accident14.jpg

The most amazing part was how well the exterior took the impact ~ and how untouched the interior managed to be… had the car been filled with others, they should have been pretty ok as well ~ perhaps hurting, but alive! accident15.jpg

Anyhow ~ i hope that wasn’t too painful/frightening to see ~ sharing it ~ and making sense of it all seems to help me deal a bit too! And to everyone who has been super supportive the last few days ~ THANK YOU! Hugs

Tags:

34 Notes

Hello Jean. Sorry to hear about the accident. Hope you and your car get well soon. Take care…

----- ece cenker (Domus '04) 06.08.11 04:17

Hi Jean, Wow that’s a big bad CRV! Happy to see that you are back on your feet. Hurray to the Cops/EMT guys who rushed to your help. Best Wishes.

----- Navin Ivan 30.07.11 23:50

Hey glad you got out of that OK, car accidents are such painful things to go through.
Good luck with the recovery!

----- Benjamin 28.07.11 08:44

So glad to hear your OK. Hope you recover fast and find a new better ride! What are the odds of getting in a accident with a blacked out test car? Cheers for continuing to take snaps. There amazing.

----- AJ Lamb 27.07.11 23:08

JAW - glad you are well. This could have ended much worse. I wish you a speedy and full recovery.

----- Matthew Harrison Smith 27.07.11 21:01

Wohow! That looks scary! I am glad you are well. The car looks incredible. But funny that you document everything with your camera. Even photos from the inside of the car and ambulance, crazy! That is effort! :)
Get well soon!

----- Markus 27.07.11 15:13

I hope you heal up soon. Sorry that you had to go thru that.

----- Erik Lopez 27.07.11 11:06

OUCH!! Glad you fared way better than the car…

----- Jack Wax 27.07.11 11:02

glad to hear everyone is ok, actually happened to see the accident on autoblog.com and said hey i read that notcot site everyday! get well soon!

----- brent 27.07.11 10:34

You’re a bit famous on the car blogs for colliding with a prototype test vehicle!

Anyway, vehicles today are made to sacrifice themselves for the good of the passengers inside. They are designed to absorb the crash energy with crumple zones. That’s why the front end gets destroyed - it’s absorbing a tremendous amount of energy so that it doesn’t get transferred to you.

In a big collision what you want to see is an intact passenger compartment from the windshield rearward and a very smashed front end - and that’s exactly what happened in your situation.

Glad that you are okay.

Since safety is very fresh in your mind right now, you may want to select a new vehicle that does very well in safety tests. The IIHS puts together a list of Top Safety Picks each year which can be found here: http://www.iihs.org/ratings/

----- Steve 27.07.11 10:33

Best wishes on a speedy recovery.
From your pictures it looks like you may have been hit by a test mule car trying to stay incognito while testing the new platform. The crazy bra and the covering over the back windows is usually a dead giveaway that they are trying to disguise the new sheet metal of the new vehicle. Maybe they can give you one for your troubles.

----- Shan 27.07.11 10:24

That’s a pretty scary intersection. Glad you’re OK!

----- Peter 27.07.11 09:54

First off, glad ure alright. I’m still surprised that the car is totaled. I have a 2002 Chevy Trailblazer, and I ran into a deer on the freeway… I thought it was totaled when I got out and saw the crushed front end and smoke, but alas, the mighty car survived.

----- WOWW 27.07.11 09:26

Tildes! Tildes everywhere!~

----- Jorby 27.07.11 09:13

I hope that you get better soon…turned out to be a drama with a happy ending!

----- Omar Pertew 27.07.11 09:10

Ouch! Glad to hear you’re ok!

It’s nice to see that your Toyota’s crumple zones worked as intended, and if you’re going to get hit by a car, at least it was one with an interesting background! (Autoblog says it was the CR-V test mule.)

----- Cory OBrien 27.07.11 09:09

I had seem some chatter on Twitter and Facebook wishing you well, I had only assumed you had a cold or similar. SO glad you made it out OK, and like a true professional you were taking photos ;)

Wishing you a speedy recovery, take care jean :)


ae

----- Alan eagle 27.07.11 08:50

As a matter of fact yes you were in a collision with the new 2012 Honda CR-V in its camo. check out autoblog.com for the story. Sorry to hear you were in the accident I wish you a speedy recovery.

----- Ezekiel Wheeler 27.07.11 08:48

i’m so glad you’re ok jean, this is terrifying! i hate the thought of you trapped in that car waiting for help! ahhh! i’m so glad your mom was close. xoxo

----- sarah 27.07.11 08:44

Jean, I’m so glad that you are ok after all of this! I’m sad to see your Highlander in such a sad state, it’s also reassuring to me because we have the same car (I suspect from the interior it’s probably the same model year) so I know I’ll survive pretty well if I’m involved in a major accident.

I hope the next weeks bring you a speedy recovery and a beautiful new car.

----- Adri 27.07.11 08:42

Holy moly, I’m so glad you made it out as ok as you did. So scary.

----- Johanna 27.07.11 08:26

Lots of love, hugs, and kisses from NYC Jean!!!

----- Paula P 27.07.11 08:21

:/ sorry you had to be in the middle of all this, wishing you a speedy recovery!

----- JChong 27.07.11 07:52

Hope you feel better, you are correct, that was a prototype 2012 CRV

----- David 27.07.11 07:48

Happy to hear your are ok!! My wife and I had a similar accident with a Hyundai mini van. We really appreciate the effectiveness of the air bags and seat belts.
The airbags pop out so fast!!!

----- Jim Roberts 27.07.11 07:47

You definately need another Toyota after that accident. I can’t beleive how well you fared!

----- Justin 27.07.11 07:47

Oh, your car looks really bad. Hope you are OK after all and get well soon!

----- Eser 27.07.11 07:37

ugh i’m so sorry! terrible! whenever something comes up in my life that feels stressful or awful (much like your accident, of course) i try to remember to take solace in the things i can actually control, no matter how small. not putting off a phone call i’ve been meaning to make, a little extra cheese on my sandwich at lunch, 5 more minutes in the shower … you’d be surprised how these little things can make you feel better. and of course, let your friends and family do things for you, especially if they offer. they don’t mind … :)

----- rebecca f. 27.07.11 07:32

Very glad you are okay! You were very lucky, and you’re car def did it’s job. I had an accident at the end of 2009 when a guy in a Yukon ran a red light doing 60 & tore through the front of my Toyota Venza (my interior looked just as pristine as the day I bought it too). The police & EMS said my car saved my life. And I’m pretty positive I’ll never own anything else but a Toyota Venza or another Toyota SUV again. Good luck in your car hunt, I would definitely say get another Toyota! And I hope you start to feel better soon. (and sorry if this is an over share from a stranger).

----- Ashley Rae 27.07.11 06:58

You got hit by a mule car??? Am I seeing that right? It appears to have all the black-out tape on it. Which car company was it for? Possibly those cars are not fit for the road, thats why they are testers. Thats really bizarre… glad you are ok!

I would write to that car company and demand to see if the mule should have been on the road. :(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Development_mule

----- Joe 27.07.11 05:37

gosh, this looks scary!! Hope you get better soon. xxx

----- vicki 27.07.11 03:58

Wishing you a speedy recovery Jean!

----- James 27.07.11 03:03

Wow, that looks bad. Hope you get well soon.

----- matt 27.07.11 02:49

yikes!!! glad you’re okay after such a bad wreck.

----- Terri 27.07.11 01:41


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