REAR-ENDED BY DRUNK AT 65 MPH

[Larz]

Unfortunately, last Friday at about 1am, I was stopped on A1A about to turn into my street when I was struck by a girl who was drunk driving over 60 mph (speed limit is 25). The impact sent me to the hospital where I stayed until Sunday due to intractable vertigo and vomiting which subsided when the swelling started to decline. CT scans and MRI's confirmed no broken bones or internal injuries. I escaped with just a mild concussion, bruised ribs, and strained shoulder and lower spine. I'm at home on bed rest (enforced by Fetucini who is now known as Nurse Ratchet) LOL. I'm rather sore, but I should be fine with some rest.
I consider my lack of serious injuries a testament to the safety built into our Ms. The seat belt tightened and held me in place and the head rest prevented major neck injury. I assume that no air bags deployed because the impact was from the rear and that allowed my head to hit the driver window as the car spun about.
There was a policeman who was at my window seconds after the crash. He told me he was following the other driver, clocking her speed from 60-65 mph, and was about to turn his light show on to pull her over (a little late on his part). He witnessed the entire incident and told me her brake lights never came on. The girl was arrested for DUI and taken to jail.
Regarding the black beast ... Fetucini drove us yesterday to the yard where the car was taken. She snapped some pics while I signed a release to allow my insurance company to move the car to the dealer for assessment and repairs. It's well banged up, and looks to be a tangled mess underneath. There are creases along the rear on both sides along the roof line and quarter panels and the passenger side rear door is no longer flush. Both driver side doors are stuck closed. I'm hoping that it is not too far gone to be repaired, but from what I saw, it doesn't look good.
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I will update with the progress of repairs.

[DoN_BLaZe34]

Goes without saying but really glad you were/are "ok". Really sorry for the misfortune.

[Logan00]

WOW, good thing you are ok, worst case the car can be replaced.

Get well

[EniGmA1987]

The insurance company will probably be totaling the car. There looks like frame damage for sure and even a tiny bit of frame damage will have them totaling it, sometimes they even will issue the car as totaled even if there is no frame damage these days since cars cost so much to repair. it is probably time to start thinking if you want to just take the money and move to something else, or buy the car as is an use the insurance money to have it repaired. Resale value will be nothing though if you go that way.

Oh, and Im glad you are ok Larz.

[Ilya]

Glad you're okay man. Being Slavic, and being that most Slavic male immigrants either do auto body, trucking, or construction...I've spend my fair share of time at my friend(s) autobody shops. That car is done. You don't want it. You could buy it back, part out the good stuff, and then sell it at the auction. But I'd personally take the check and be done with it.

[Wangtang408]

Hey Larz, glad that you're ok and hope you recover fast.
I was involved in a similar collision when I had my 2002 Accord, I was dead stopped at a red light coming out of In & Out Burgers when I got rear ended hard at least 50mph+. The guys who hit me where immigrants, no license, no insurance etc.. they left the bar onsite and booked it. My Accord was well paid off years earlier and I only got liability, luckily I had uninsured motorist policy but only received $3500.00 when my car still worth at least 7K.
This is how I got my M. I hope that the girl has insurance, at least it will come out of her insurance or that you have full coverage. We all know and seen how well and loved you maintained the black beast with all your gadgets and customs. My advice to you mate, take off anything upgrades you invested that are salvageable and sell them on here.
You are a well respected member and other members will definitely taken them off your hands.
This your chance to upgrade to the new Q70L like you've talked about or.... just get a new black beast with Bourbon leather and install back the parts you salvaged off the old beast.
Good luck and hope you get well soon.

[Mjkkb2]

sad to see your post. hope you get well soon.

[svard75]

Holy crap! Glad you came out of this alive! You should start seeing a chiropractor as soon as possible because the actual pain might not appear until a few months later. All of this should be covered under that girls policy. I would also think about litigating to ensure she never drives again. Pain and suffering!

Regarding the car. It will be given a salvage title then sold as is at auction. Someone might want to buy and repair or part it out. This may be an opportunity to get into a newer gen or get your self into a completely different car.

[cruzad3r]

good news is that you're safe. good luck with the recovery. as for the car, it's time to part out your mods and move on.

[bicsintegra]

glad you are ok, a car is replaceable your life is not. the same thing happened to my niece in July idiots never even saw her stopped at the stop sign. I would have to agree the car is most likely totalled.

[Ilya]

Holy crap! Glad you came out of this alive! You should start seeing a chiropractor as soon as possible because the actual pain might not appear until a few months later. All of this should be covered under that girls policy. I would also think about litigating to ensure she never drives again. Pain and suffering!

Regarding the car. It will be given a salvage title then sold as is at auction. Someone might want to buy and repair or part it out. This may be an opportunity to get into a newer gen or get your self into a completely different car.

This!

Go see a back specialist. I was a passenger in a wreck when I was 16 and I think that's what caused my herniated disc/degenerative disc disease issue that I've been dealing with since I was 20 (I'm 27).

Don't take any chances. I'd do anything for a healthy back...I'd be in such better shape if I could play ball/run for more than 10 minutes lol.

[pedsemdoc]

Wishing you a fast recovery mate!!

1. Be kind to your back - bend your knees when you start picking things up, instead of at the waist
2. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications [ibuprofen (Motrin/Advil), naproxen (Alleve) or aspirin] are good for pain - just make sure you don't take them on an empty stomach, plus stay well hydrated...their metabolized by the kidneys, so you don't want to damage them if you take them for a while
3. May even want to think about a TENS (transcutaneous electro-nerve stimulating) unit to help with chronic pain, so that you don't need to be narcotic dependent and go down that dark hole
4. Stretching/Yoga can also help

Man, sorry to see your M all twisted up, but it prolly saved you potentially more serious injuries

You had done such a nice job with darkening your tail lights and customizing them with the stripes, along with your other mods...maybe a somewhat newer year model? 2009 M45?

The girl should have her license revoked - lucky she didn't kill someone or herself.

[szh]

Ouch!! Sorry to hear the news.

Glad to hear you are okay. Ultimately, that is the best possible outcome from what could have been much worse. Regardless of which, you should NOT take the injury lightly at all - back and neck injuries can be the cause of later problems for a long time. Get rest for sure.

To my untrained eye, the car looks quite totalled from an insurance perspective. Get whatever money you can - sue as needed - and then get a good replacement vehicle.

FWIW, I suspect that the other driver did not have much injuries ... statistics show that drunk drivers tend to be relatively loose and "untense" in accidents, and as long as seat belts and airbags work, they tend to get lucky. Causing death and destruction, but often surviving themselves.

Z

[06M4.5]

Larz sorry to hear about the news, I'm glad you're ok.

[kmiles]

Larz,

Sorry to hear that this crash happened to you, and I'm glad you were not hurt worse than you were. I hope you heal completely. I'm surprised that it didn't trigger your air bag to prevent you from hitting the windshield.

We'll miss all of your posts, you're one of my favorites to follow. Hopefully you can find an even better Infiniti as your new project car.

Take care and get well!

[Larz]

Thank you, everyone, for your concern and well wishes. I will make sure I follow all the doc's advise and treatment plans. I am confident I will heal and that's the most important thing.

[MOWellsinVA]

Larz, I'm sorry to hear of your misfortune. As others have said, be thankful that you were not seriously hurt. Your plan to follow your doctor's advice is prudent. As I handle personal injury cases, and from personal family experience, I know that it may take months before you are fully healed. Be patient and don't try "shake it off": back and neck injuries are tricky and can, indeed, cause problems in the future, especially if you don't get treatment you need NOW. You may end up needing some physical therapy. If your doctor suggests it, do it!

[CPJ LB]

OMG! Larz, I'm glad to hear you are 'ok'...could've been waaay bad... I hope for a speedy recovery.

cars will come and go... I think it might be time to get a lawyer! Your current lifestyle will be affected and whatever line of business you're in may suffer, so you should get compensated for the pain/suffering and potential salary loss due to the injury accident.

keep us posted... take care brother!!!

[moedawg140]

Hi Larz,

I'm sorry to hear about the tragic incident, but I am glad that you will be okay. I second the notion that looking into purchasing a TENS/EMS unit may help out in the long run. Some health insurance policies even provide one if you request the device.

As the other gentlemen previously posted have advised, I would do as well. Part out as many of your awesome gadgets as you can, and use the insurance money you receive to purchase the car of your choosing. At least this will give you a reason to test drive some cars.

Again, no matter what, considering the severity of the incident, you came out of this relatively unscathed, and that is a testament to not only the safety of our M's, but more importantly, a higher entity/God is looking out for you.

Hope to see you around sometime, I'll miss your majorly informative (and entertaining) stories and posts. Please keep us informed of your health.

-Maurice

[Six_Legs]

This REALLY sucks to read about but I'm relieved to hear you are resting and healing up. TAKE YOUR TIME and don't try to rush the healing process. Like others have said, it may be months before you have any issues. I'm still dealing with back issues from a crash that was over 3 yrs ago. I may need surgery again in the near future thanks to a red light runner.
I hope you come out of this with no lingering injuries and are able to live your life the way you did prior to the accident.

Drunk driving is NOT a priority in our society. Penalties are too lenient and amount to nothing more than a slap on the wrist and a financial inconvenience...

Feel better Larz!

[Minus (-)]

Glad you're ok, I know the amount of work you did with your own bare hands. My advice is to lawyer up! Had a bad accident a couple years ago, all bills were paid, I now drive a M and you're compensated for pain and suffering.

[sin1505]

Glad your okay!
I have seen the amount of love, care, and time you spend on your M but walking away with minor bruises is a blessing. I don't think that M will be repaired, seems like it took serious damage, getting hit at 60mph+ on a non moving object means that you got hit pretty hard!
Make sure you take the time to rest properly, get well soon!

[Larz]

Thanks again for all the well wishes. I am pretty banged up, but very grateful I was able to survive it. You lot were right. The dealer called yesterday and my car is listed as 'salvage non-repairable'. The body was twisted off the frame and both frame rails were bent more than 10 degrees. Fetucini drove me to the dealer to sign the car off and she and my mate Scooter removed all the extra mods that were not damaged. I am now waiting for the guilty driver's insurance company to contact my agent so we can begin the process of determining what they will need to pay me for my car, my medical bills, and liability.
I hope that when I am feeling better, I can find another M similar to mine. I like the Q70-L but not as much my 07 M. If I am unable to find an M I like, I will probably get a CPO Jag XJ-L. The one below has 40k miles, is available with a 6yr ext warranty, and it has bourbon leather (though the Coventry factory calls it "London tan").

http://www.warrenhenryjaguar.com/certif ... 4b3e66.htm

[svard75]

http://youtu.be/f5PBedgrmI4

Make sure you buy an extended warranty for the life of the jag. Parts are bloody expensive and they break often. Or you can buy another M :-)

[steelcity]

Wow Larz..

Thank God your okay. 65 mph is fast man. I know that A1A. It's just a real "chill" cruise. It happens so fast. The hell with the car at this point. Take the check and move on to the next. Also start getting some therapies ASAP. Her insurance is going to pay for it anyway. Chiropractor is not a bad idea to keep you aligned. The good thing is that your MRI and x rays all came back negative. Get well.

[sin1505]

Larz - If you do go the jag route make sure you get a warranty!
You will be missed if you end up leaving the Nissan/Infiniti world, your posts and feedback was always appreciated!

[wideopn11]

Hope you are feeling better and glad it wasn't much worse of an accident. Must have been a hell of an impact to twist the body off the frame .
Best of luck finding a new car, hopefully in the Nissan family but I'm not gonna lie, I kinda like the newer Jags.