All photos are available in Let's talk for a minute...
First crash of the year that I know of...
Photo credit: Ron Oyler
This young man nearly side-swiped us traveling the opposite direction as I was taking Lori's little nephew home in the car. As I looked back in the mirror, he continued across the road out of control, completely into the wrong lane. Lori was following behind me in a friend's car, so I slowed to make sure they made it by before continuing on. (He was in their lane when they met as well.) Later we found out this happened on his return trip, and to top it off, he ditched the car and called dad, who came out and took the blame for everything. That'll teach 'em some responsibility! (If anyone has pics of the kid driving, I'm sure the THP and insurance companies would love that.)
Folks, if you're planning a trip here, use some common sense. Have fun! Most folks don't have any problem with that. But show some respect to your fellow travelers, and realize you can cause immense harm with your vehicle. Check your ego, and recognize when you are exceeding the limits of yourself or your vehicle, and back it down a notch before something like this, or worse, happens. You do know you're not the fastest person out there, right?
39 comments:
yes, the kid and his father were wrong.
but
this accusation comes DIRECTLY under a VIDEO of a sport bike being piloted at twice the speed limit ?
c'mon, walk the walk.
In the video above i did not see him cross the line. Kept it in his lane the hole time. BIG difference from crossing the road and almost taking out two separate vehicle's than calling your dad so he can take the blame.
No one is saying you can't have some fun out there, just recognize when it's getting out of control.
Friends don't let friends take their Mom's Maxima to the Dragon.
Adv of GS500:
A reasonable point some might argue.
But, quoting:
"Check your ego, and recognize when you are exceeding the limits of yourself or your vehicle, and back it down a notch before something like this, or worse, happens."
One could argue that the video showed a rider fully in control, who never exceeded the limits of himself or his vehicle.
The proof is in the pudding so to speak (or in this case, it's in the video).
I have ridden and driven that road a bunch of times, have long believed and still do, one of THE major reasons folks crash is they are not willing to admit to themselves "I CAN'T DO THAT".
I believe for those folks it is not a matter of "if", it truly is a matter of "when".
I guess for some it's hard to admit that before a wreck. It is often much easier to say "I should have just..." after a wreck.
By the way - ROCKIN' VIDEO !!
Doesn't look like much of an "accusation" to me... 2 eye witnesses (at least) see the kid out of control and then there is a picture of the same car crashed in the ditch. I think it's safe to tell Columbo to climb back in the Peugeot 403 and roll on back to the crib.
I highly doubt the guy in the video would call his dad to come take the blame. That's an entirely different issue of character, or lack of.
We can split hairs all day long on walking the walk unless people want to pull over and turn themselves in the next time they do 75 on the interstate with 70 posted.
Maybe another comparison would have been more appropriate...
jeez, I hope the weather improves and you guys can can ride again to maybe get the cry baby crap out of your systems ! If you throw your car or bike off the road you are a F-UP ! Take someone with you and you are just STUPID ! There is no defense. Grow a pair by spring , Sounds like yer gonna need em !
When my kids started driving I told all 3 of them they had one chance. If they had an accident or got a ticket that was their fault, they would be on their own with cars, and insurance. They have been good drivers. One hit a deer with his SV650 about a year ago and drove away from it uninjured. He rode the dragon last July.
Stupid, you just can't fix it. Glad you guys were unharmed Killboy.
This looks an awful lot like the same car I followed from Fontana thru to the cavity back in June. Probably not the same, and in this case, it was an older gentleman driving, but I personally witnessed the whole car across the yellow in one turn, and much of the car across in others.
That was a good day to be behind him.
As the mother of the passenger in this car. I need to make a comment. I can say the boys DID NOT ditch the car. I do know that the car behind them stopped and made sure they were ok and then took them to the nearest store to call for help and there parents. My husband and I use to ride up there so I know the danger that comes with riding this rode. I do want to say that I am trully Thankful they did not get hurt or anyone else. I know they did learn a huge lesson on how quick something can go wrong and end up killing themselves or someone else's. They were very lucky and as for being the mother of the passenger I Thank God everyday that it wasn't worse than it could've been.
I think that says it all !
I'm glad to hear they're ok and unhurt. I'm even more glad to hear they both learned a valuable lesson before they had the opportunity to cause grief in life of another motorist on that road (or any road). Many of us who frequent the dragon do so in the constant awareness of drivers like the young man in that car. I hope that he will be a powerful testimony to those of his friends that he can actually influence to drive within the limits (and that means staying within your own damn lane) of both the vehicle and the driver. And... in the event that those limits are not known, stay safely away from the limits.
Drive safe and thanks for the post cmyers.
And WOW, OMG!! I just viewed the full size picture. I can't believe how fortunate those kids were. How long is the drop if the car would have fallen backwards of the little ledge it's perched on?
Either he's a terrible driver, or a potential race winner. I've seen worse. I've done worse. Live and learn.
From the front tire track in the dirt, looks like it spun 90 degrees while balanced on the concrete bridge, trying to drive back on the road in a state of panic...
Parsons Branch, isn't that where Crud Corner is, with dirt and gravel always on the road from tractor trucks? Maybe he hit the marbles at corner exit? Rookie mistake.
Looks like a classic example of throttle-off understeer, which is a fatal design flaw of all front-wheel-drive vehicles. He got into the corner at an okay speed, and would have made the entire curve, but he reduced throttle to slow down ("comfort lift"), which caused engine-compression braking on the front wheels only, causing loss of all steering as the tires exceeded grip on the friction circle. The only solution to going into a curve too fast is to increase throttle, or depress cluth pedal, or shift into neutral, then lightly apply all 4 brakes if required. Good cause of action for a billion-dollar class action lawsuit. Maybe then FWD manufacturers will install slipper clutches.
Real-wheel-drive vehicles are stable when the throttle is reduced, causing an increase in front wheel grip.
Maxima has a solid rear axle, and mcpherson struts in front. Struts lose camber grip as body roll increases. Solid rear axle has a screwed up roll center, out of sync with the front roll center. Very hard to predict when slideways. Poor vehicle design.
Sorry buddy but the auto manufacturer isn't to blame. You don't ride a Harley like a GSXR1000 and you don't drive a Maxima like a Corvette. Driver was well beyond the limits of themselves and the car. They are to blame. Simple as that.
at least this driver did nit hit the chicken crossing the road
Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the house
The chickens were scurrying
Til scared by a mouse
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care
But the chickens, the chickens were no longer there
They had crossed the road hoping that Saint Nick would visit them there.
don’t really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just
want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not.
The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.
Why did the chicken cross the road, roll in the mud and cross the road again ?
Because he was a dirty double-crosser
I agree with C.P.R. You can't blame the ride, blame the driver who more than likely did not learn any lesson at all and will be back on the road showing off and driving aggressively again before too long. This kind of egotistical driver scares me. Glad no one got hurt, though.
Bankerbikechlk I am going to disagree with you on the fact that the boys did not learn a lesson. They learned a huge lesson and lets not forget some of us were younger and dumber before. Everyone is going to do somehting that they regret. And yes the driver is to blame BUT he learned a lesson as did my own child who wss the passenger. I have agreed with everything most people have said on these comments about what they were doing was wrong. NOW give Driver the chance to show that he and my son did learn a lesson. So let it drop!
I didn't say he didn't drive like a twat. Obviously, he did. Take it to a track. $1,000 will get you a Ministock on a local dirt oval for a season. Best driving school on Earth.
It's not rational to expect 99% of drivers to INCREASE throttle when wanting to slow down in a curve with a Front-Wheel-Drive vehicle. That's counter-intuitive for 99% of drivers. Throttle-off understeer is obviously what heppened here. He tried to slow down by backing off the throttle, causing sudden loss of all steering. Picture shows him driving (pushing) straight over the cliff, getting hung up on concrete, then spinning 90 degrees back up the hill.
Parsons Branch needs a guardrail, obviously, though that can slice and dice bikers. 129 should be the first highway to get airfenced.
If we didn't blame cars and roads we'd all still be driving Model Ts on mud bogs.
Plenty of blame to go around.
I came upon this car all by it's lonesome at around 4:30 pm. I got out and couldn't believe it didn't flip upside down in the creek!
I swear if you kicked that car it would have fallen in.
I have been in a car when the air bags deployed.. It sounds like a shotgun going off in the front seat!
I'm glad you kids made it out ok and no one else got killed or hurt.
One of life's lessons for sure..
Thank's Killboy for trying to keep folk's safe..
+1 for driving like a dork and ruining the car. Most of us wouldn't have gotten a second chance, let alone be allowed to drive again.
Pull his license for a few years, maybe then he'll realize that driving is a responsibility, not a right.
Will it happen, no.
Sitting at the local DMV of late with another bike title transfer, the drivers license testors introduced themselves and told the parents they would be back in 15 to 20 minutes. No wonder the majority of new drivers suck.
Now its just a convienience to give a kid a drivers license, so they won't bother you anymore. And you may as well buy them a car while you are at it. Something new and safe, so they will never have to learn how to take care of it.
Pride in ownership...what's that?
C.P.R. said...
Sorry buddy but the auto manufacturer isn't to blame. You don't ride a Harley like a GSXR1000 and you don't drive a Maxima like a Corvette. Driver was well beyond the limits of themselves and the car. They are to blame. Simple as that.
I agree the car isn't to blame and
it's no corvette but they have always advertised the maxima as the, "4 door sports car."
Just sayin....
Glad they are okay, even happier that no one else had to pay a price for them to learn their lesson.
I too was lucky not to kill anyone when I was younger and a little car crazy.
Suspected throttle-off understeer killed 3 bikers in the past couple of years on Foothills and Cherohala. A granny in a minivan pushed into a Gold Wing headon, killing a husband and wife. Another guy pushed headon into a pack of sportbikes, killing a man's wife. TRYING TO SLOW DOWN CAUSES LOSS OF STEERING. THIS IS NOT GOOD.
Sudden loss of all steering is no joke, which can happen at any speed, depending on road conditions. This is a design defect only on FWD vehicles, which need WARNING labels. Slipper clutches on front wheel hubs is better.
That will never happen until a class action lawsuit. How many 10,000s will die until somebody gets some guts and brains on goes to court?
This cheap fix is banned by lawyers for manufacturers, because that would be a confession of wrongdoing. They will never do it until forced to do so by court order.
Same goes for explosion-proof $100 fuel cells, and $100 fire suppression systems, that would save 3,000 lives every year in USA. Those are banned by lawyers on all vehicles, as an admission of guilt, even as options, even on luxury cars. Just like Lee Iacocca banned the $5 plastic fix on exploding Pintos and Mustangs, "to save money".
The worst thing kids can do is play DRIFTER. That's a very stupid "sport", driving slow while ruining tires, taking up both lanes, like this kid allegedly was doing on 129. Hulk Hogan's brat spent 6 months in prison for drifting and crashing on the street, while his adopted-brother/passenger is lobotomized for life for not wearing a seatbelt. GO TO A REAL RACETRACK!
Maybe this family can sue State of TN for failing to install a guardrail, and not banning trucks that put gravel on the road in that corner? Then we can add haybales to protect the bikers.
"Because state and local governments must do the dangerous and onerous jobs that no one else will do, they and their employees are typically immune from lawsuits for negligence, and Michigan statutes, like most states, give the state and its municipalities blanket immunity. However, Section 691.1402 creates what is known as the “highway exception:” Each governmental agency having jurisdiction over a highway shall maintain the highway in reasonable repair so that it is reasonably safe and convenient for public travel. A person who sustains bodily or damage to his or her property by reason of failure of a governmental agency to keep a highway under its jurisdiction in reasonable repair and in a condition reasonably safe and fit for travel may recover the damages suffered by him or her from the governmental agency."
JOURNAL OF COMPETITIVE CYCLING: Legally Speaking - Rough roads ahead
http://velonews.com/article/7191
Uhm, yeeeaaah... about that.... You quote it says the government is responsible to keep the road reasonably safe and convienient for public travel right? I speed on this road like many other, so I'm not on any soapbox trying to preach to slow down. However, I'm willing to bet a good bit that if you maintain the speed limmit on this road and adhere to the speed avisory signs posted you will never have a problem like this. It's not the governments responsibility (as much as I wish it was) to maintain roads in a fashion that we can all drive like maniacs at whatever spped we want. The guardrail is not needed unless you go fast enough to slide your car off the road at a speed that would truely be considered unreasonable. The law also states that drivers are responsible for adjusting speed for the conditions, maintaining speed limits and keeping automobiles in good operating condition for public roads. I'm not sayin.... I'm just sayin.
Okay My cousin was in this car when it wrecked and the driver is one of my good friends...
I just wanted to let all of you dumbasses know THIS IS NOT A MAXIMA! Im sick of reading comments talking about a damn MAXIMA. Its an Infiniti. Dont talk shit if you dont even know what your talking about.
INFINITI NOT MAXIMA!
Thank you.
"Dont talk shit if you dont even know what your talking about"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infiniti_I30
Aside from the leather seats and a different badge, THEY ARE THE SAME CAR!
The thing is, this doesn't change the fact that the person behind that wheel showed poor judgment in driving.
4 things Candice;
1, if you replace every single instance of the word MAXIMA with the word Infinity, it changes NOTHING.
2, Would you please explain, based on the picture, how we are to identify this vehicle as an Infinity instead of a MAXIMA?
3, the MAXIMA and Infinity I30 are essentially the exact same vehicle in the terms of handling and performance. Please check a fact sheet on the two vehilces. Infinity is an upscale brand of NISSAN.
4, learn what type of Infinity you are talking about before you (in your own words) "talk shit". There are many different types of Infinity cars, Most of which are rebranded upscale NISSAN's.
I am so tired of hearing people talk about this wreck.
Jimbo:
1: My son was the passenger in the car I really don't care what kind of car it is. I am just proud of the fact that he survived.
2: Everyone on here knows by now the driver was as fault. When in the hell do we put this behind us and shut up!
3: They learned there lesson and I am tired of hearing about it. I am so very thankful everyday that I did not loose my son or his freind. Or anyone elses life.
When does that come in to the case?
Proud ? Cars full of "survivors" kill innocent people everyday.
cynthia,
If you don't like what you see here then don't return to the post. Also, please read my first post.... actually read them all (everyone's, not speaking only of my posts) and try it with an open mind. Because we post here, some people actually read these posts. If we get through to even one, that may be the one who doesn't cross the lane next time and take me out on my motorcycle, or someones else's son or daughter. Everyone posting here has family that cares about them as much as you care about your son. Should we stop reaching out because you're embarrassed or tired? Should we stop our campaign against reckless drivers because he learned a lesson? Has the driver posted and apologized and I just missed it?
Cynthia, we post because we care too, just like you do.
And by the way, I'm glad as well that your son was not injured. I'm grateful that a lesson could be learned without the loss of life or injury. I only hope they lesson has truly been learned and these "kids" are not just paying lip service to upset parents in order to evade some type of dreaded punishment.
You might consider addressing Casey as posts like that and yours will do far more to stir the pot. I simply will not quit, I care too much.
Sorry Casey, I meant candice*
=P
The last kid that hopefully learned a lesson was in a four wheel slide going by me through a red light while I sat stopped on my almost perfect 2600 mile rz350. He wouldn't look at me when I caught up to him. I restained myself, I was infact still uninjured.
The other guy that I hoped learned a lesson caused me 18 grand in medical bills during what I wanted to be a nice drive to a friends house on a sunday morning on my (was) really clean 1972 yamaha r5. Why did I pay you might ask. Well, the car driver fled. I was far to broken to worry about restraint.
God help the poor soul that drives like a dumass and hurts my wife on her ducati. I won't have the restraint.
Cynthia - When will this go away...Killboy will at some point update the front page. Then it will be archived. If we are lucky tail of the dragon will post this pic on their front page for a longer time. Proud that he survived, Proud of what? That his friends drive like dipshits? That the car manufacturer can build a car that protects those that drive like asshats? How about damn lucky and thankful. Lets see how you feel when someone driving like this does 18k or more worth of damage to your son, and then drives away. Leaving him broken, bloody, brused and casted. Got a visual yet...ya remember that.
I know there are risks in my hobby, unfortunetly my hobby requires that I be near people like the driver of this car every single time I want to enjoy it.
where do i see the video?
nevermind. i thought yall were watching a video of the car crashing. you were obviously speaking of the biker video above. great ride! i would much rather meet the the bike with the butt cam on the dragon than the car teetering on bridge. the bike is probably going much faster than the car was, but the biker stayed in his lane, didnt wreck, or risk injury or death to innocent people. glad the kids werent hurt or hurt someone else. i hope they did learn from this.
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