Well, there was quite a snowstorm two weeks ago in the middle of Massachusetts.. luckily I had already switched with my dad for the A4, so the M5 was back in Florida. The car had all season tires on it (AND quattro, mind you), but that was no match for the black ice I encountered on I-91 northbound. The car ended up going into a full spin at around 55 mph and I went from the right lane into the median barrier, hitting the front right corner first (yes, I was momentarily facing traffic) then swinging to the rear right corner. Luckily, it didn't take the wheels out, so I was able to drive the car to the auto body shop in Northampton. A week and a half later, the insurance company's guy estimates $10.5K damage to the car, thus it is being called a total loss. Luckily, there was no harm done to myself or my passenger. Be careful out there...
Sorry to hear about your accident! Unfortunately, no automotive safety technology can overcome the laws of physics. Glad you and your passenger came out unscathed.
Chris, it was Northbound a few hundred feet before exit 17B, near Holyoke. The highway banks a little to the left, and I guess it was black ice on that curve that took the car out for a spin. It's just unbelieveable how quickly it can happen!!
ycchan.. actually, i'm at harvard dental. the program here is different because we are in the med school for the first two years, then we get back to the dental school for the last two clinical years. fortunately, we get to keep the perks of the med school until we graduate (i.e. web space, 50-in wall-hung plasma screens in each classroom, hooked up to a new dell desktop computers, etc.)
I've lived in the snow belt forever and have never had an accident that was winter-related until last night. I was driving my stepfather's Toyota Tacoma pickup. I had driven it through heavy lake effect snow in Cleveland and had put it four wheel drive after quickly realizing that rear wheel only traction absolutely sucked. There was only a trace of snow in Wooster, the roads were wet, and the snow had changed to rain, so I took it out of four wheel mode (it is a locking system and leaving it in four wheel mode is not recommended). On my way back to Cleveland (just leaving Wooster) I crossed a bridge at about 45MPH when all of a sudden the engine redlined. I immediately thought "WTF?!!! What's happening?!!!" but in nanoseconds the rear end swung left fast, hammering the cement center barrier HARD. (The engine revs was the exact same thing that happens when you suddenly disengage the clutch without letting off throttle). Now there was no traction at all and the truck did a 180 rotation, hitting the guardrail past the bridge and finally coming to a stop with the rear end up on the guardrail and the front facing traffic. I was like a beached whale. I turned on the hazard lights and got out, unhurt. I was shaken as it happened so quickly and unexpectedly - but it got worse!!! Oncoming cars, after getting close enough to notice that my truck's nose was partially in the right lane naturally applied brakes to slow down and shift into the passing lane - on the bridge! One car after another broke loose only to regain control (thankfully) and drive on. A man ran up to me from farther down the road (he had hit the same bridge but slid out of control for a longer distance) and together we waived flashlights and arms frantically trying to get people to slow down before the bridge. Every few minutes one of us would yell "That one's (car) is coming for us!!!" and we'd jump over the guardrail just in case. Luckily none actually came close to us except for a Jeep Cherokee, which did a 540 and crashed headlong into the guardrail 50 feet in front of me. I started walking towards the Jeep to make sure nobody was hurt when all of a sudden he started the thing up - and left! Never got out to look at his car, didn't swear at me (I had expected that he might go nuclear and start blaming me for his accident), nothing - just drove away! I had been on the phone with 911 trying to get somebody out to me fast. They didn't want to respond immediately because nobody was hurt and because there were other accidents to deal with. I repeatedly explained how my mere presence was a huge danger in itself, but I don't think the lady fully understood. I wanted to run up ahead of the bridge and slow people down before they got to the bridge but just crossing the bridge was clearly hugely dangerous (there was nowhere to jump except the highway below and I had watched the Jeep and my pickup bounce from wall to wall like a pinball machine) and I decided against it. The feeling of being basically powerless to stop the near certain harm that was to come was way more intense then my accident itself. It seemed like an eternity before the sheriffs arrived.
The rational side of me says that it was my fault and I could have done something different, but I don't really know that I did anything wrong that I would have/could have changed. It was "clearly" above freezing (raining, no snow, nothing freezing on the truck, wet roads only, I had been on lots of bridges in the area in the 20 minutes prior to the accident without detecting any ice), was was going 10 miles under the speed limit (40-45MPH in a 55MPH zone - I thought I was "playing it safe"). I was not accelerating/reaccelerating, changing lanes, etc. Moments before the accident I had mentally made a note to myself to remember to turn on four wheel drive when I got the the fringe of the lake effect. Part of me says that I should have left it on but another part of me says "how could I have known?". I am nearly 100% confident that this would not have happened to me in a car/truck with traction control or four wheel drive engaged and I seriously have a greater appreciation for the technology that goes into a BMW.
Sorry for the long-winded venting but I feel better and I hope somebody learns something from it
Winter weather.. be careful out there!!
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