Screech - Bang

[G-Daddy]

On my way home from a boating weekend on Sunday morning. Stopped at a traffic light on US 13 in Pocomoke MD. Light turned green, first car pulled away, second car pulled away, I moved my foot off the brake pedal towards the accelerator and screech - bang. I was rear-ended. I checked on my grandson in the back seat of the pickup - he's ok. I called my wife who was in the second car to pull away. I called 911 and then was transferred to the city police. I got out of truck to check on damage and can't see any. Looked at the other vehicle and see the front bumper hanging off with a big hole in it where my 3-ball insert caught him. Looked back at my truck and confirmed no damage. Asked the other driver if anyone was hurt - got a blank stare. Asked if he had an insurance card - got a blank stare. Asked if he had a driver's license - got a blank stare. Told the cop I was talking to that it didn't appear that anyone was hurt, but could not be certain because no one in the other car spoke English. He said, "I have a car on the way". After a few minutes from the cops arriving on scene they told me that if my vehicle was drivable I could leave. They didn't see any point in holding me up. The cop glanced back over his shoulder and said, "This is going to take a while".

 

[Nova II 260]

Re: Screech - Bang

Good no one got hurt, in your party. Similar thing happened to me 2 years ago at Christmas. There is a Pontiac running around this town that has a nice trailer ball hole in the nose. That plastic/styro filled bumper darn near scratched the chrome on my ball. It's the boat owner advantage.

 

[rheyboer]

Re: Screech - Bang

I always love it when in a parallel parking situation someone leaves their vehical real tight to mine. Remember they are not called "come closers", they are called BUMPERS! Glad the little one was OK.

 

[WaterWitch2]

Re: Screech - Bang

I've been rear ended twice in the past few years. Once in my Suburban and once in my Dodge truck. Both times I had my hitch reciever in. No damage to me but the little imports with the plastic bumpers had some nice damage. One of my friends always leaves his in just for that reason.

 

[eli_lilly]

Re: Screech - Bang

While I was on my way back to my house with an empty trailer, after swapping my boat to a new one, some old man drove into the back of it. The weird thing is that he had already come to a stop. For whatever reason, he let off the brake while the light was still red. The trailer punched a hole in the bumper of his maroon oldsmobile. He was in spaceville, I am not even sure he knew he had hit the trailer. I couldn't even get him to roll down his window. Didn't do anything to the trailer, he didn't seem to care about his car, so I left.

-E

 

[LTP]

Re: Screech - Bang

I got hit in a Carls JR drive through last year, it was low speed obviously but my ball made a nice little dent in his bumper. good thing that hitch was there to protect my bumper or i would have been PISSED

 

[jasonh]

Re: Screech - Bang

Speaking of taking a while, I witnessed a beat up panel truck loaded with old roofing material make a hard left through an intersection. The load shifted and it went up on two wheels, then flipped over spilling the biggest gawd-awful mess you ever saw all over the road (This was in Plano, TX).

Cars stopped and I witnessed workers (mexican) climbing out through the drivers side window that was currently pointed skyward (it looked like a circus act for a moment). They stood around stunned for a minute trying to assess the situation. Of the 4 that climbed out of the cab, 3 split into the apartment complex nearby. One man was left standing there and I remembered thinking how much it would suck to be a cop trying to sort out that kind of mess.

I love those Southwest Airline commercials with the tagline "wanna get away?" I always think of that abandoned dude standing next to his giant mess while some gringo cop is getting out of his cruiser.

 

[DufferJim]

Re: Screech - Bang

I had one of those moments myself a few years back. I was behind a fully loaded school bus at a yield sign. The road I was on is at a very odd angle joining into a sweeping curve. No other traffic was around and the bus started taking off. As I always do, I kept my eyes on the main road for cars speeding around the bend, and started to slowly pull out (1970 Olds Cutlass S ). BANG right into the suddenly stopped bus, thankfully only at about 5mph. Apparently the driver had intended to go but one of the kids started screaming about something so she slammed on the brakes to yell at them.

In NY state any incident involving a school bus REQUIRES a citation and full police report. So I had to sit there and wait until a trooper came and wrote it, and me, up. Failure to yield. All the while being mocked by a busload of little demonspawn that thought it was the greatest thing that had ever happened. The Trooper and driver were very apologetic, and just doing thier jobs, but boy did I "wanna get away".

The night at traffic court and $50 fine was one thing, but by far the worst part was that the tow hooks on the bus's bumper, and the elevation change between the roads were exactly in the right position to break both my grills.

 

[baconbiscut]

Re: Screech - Bang

On my way home from a boating weekend on Sunday morning. Stopped at a traffic light on US 13 in Pocomoke MD. Light turned green, first car pulled away, second car pulled away, I moved my foot off the brake pedal towards the accelerator and screech - bang. I was rear-ended. I checked on my grandson in the back seat of the pickup - he's ok. I called my wife who was in the second car to pull away. I called 911 and then was transferred to the city police. I got out of truck to check on damage and can't see any. Looked at the other vehicle and see the front bumper hanging off with a big hole in it where my 3-ball insert caught him. Looked back at my truck and confirmed no damage. Asked the other driver if anyone was hurt - got a blank stare. Asked if he had an insurance card - got a blank stare. Asked if he had a driver's license - got a blank stare. Told the cop I was talking to that it didn't appear that anyone was hurt, but could not be certain because no one in the other car spoke English. He said, "I have a car on the way". After a few minutes from the cops arriving on scene they told me that if my vehicle was drivable I could leave. They didn't see any point in holding me up. The cop glanced back over his shoulder and said, "This is going to take a while".

That happened to a fella I new car rear ended his chevy suburban not a scratch but the three ball towing hitch gored the other cars radiator.

 

[Rob454]

Re: Screech - Bang

i had a guy in a POS something or other and he rear ended me. I was in a turn lane so I went through the turn and pulled in the parkign lot. The other person made like they were gonna follow me in but they took off. there was a cop in the parking lot and I went and told her. She asked if I got a plate #. i sdaid no they were behind me. No damage to my vehicle but I saw a nice pullde of coolant in the driveway and it was nice and warm and left a trail down the street. I usually take my hitch ball and turn it around so if someone rearends me I take out the hood and radiator on their car. I figure if theire stupid enough to hit me then might as well f up their car as much as possible.

one other time I got rearended by a friggin illegal. this guy spoke no english or at least acted like he didnt. then he tried to say I go. i said no fing way. I was on the phone with the cops and I told them if they dotn show up quick im just gonna f**k the guy up and leave.
needless to say they had no insurance no drivers license and the car was still registered to the old owner because they never changed the title over. My insurance paid for the damages and unfortunately went after the old owner to collect. not sure if anythign came of it
Rob

 

[Matthew_B]

Re: Screech - Bang

They way you guys that leave the stinger in talk makes me think I should leave my 44" extension in all the time. That would do a real number on anyone rear ending me!

 

[nimmor]

Re: Screech - Bang

I had one of those rearended experiances. Like some of you the reciever hitch saved me but messed up the other guy. I was coming through downtown at 5:15 P.M. on a Friday. Traffic was stop and go very slowly. The light had just turned green and I was inching forward when the truck in front of me stops. I stop and the BAM. My light hookup got a little bent but other than that I was fine. The gentleman's car lost his grill, bumper and headlight, and was steaming so possible radiator damage. I felt sorry for the guy because his wife, I guess that's who she was, is in the car on an oxygen tank. Of course it is hot out and took the cops a few minutes to there. The strange thing is the insurance company called me twice to see if I wanted to file a claim, we both had the same agent. I didn't have more than $5 damage and felt sorry for the old man that I didn't want to file a claim.

 

[heycods]

Re: Screech - Bang

Reciever hitch saved me last week. But it pokes a nice hole in a mini-vans plastic bumper. Bad thing was someone pulled up behind me and I backed over them!

 

[valkyr]

Re: Screech - Bang

Wow. Was in an accident yesterday (Monday) on the interstate on my way to work. I got stopped in time when traffic bowed up in front of me but the guy behind me didn't. He plowed me into a Dodge Caravan in front of me who had a trailer package. Thankfully, he DID NOT have the trailer hitch in, otherwise I would have been calling for a tow I'm sure. My little cavalier (commuter car) would have had a nice hole in it.

Heard the tell tale "screeeeech" - but the bang was more link a CRUNCH!

 

[beezee28]

Re: Screech - Bang

I leave my hitch on my pickup so that if anyone wants to run into me they can and they also mess up their vehicle. I had my back bumper mess up when I left my truck park in the parking lot when someone thought that they could sort of squeeze by but did not have enough space and dented the bumper. Now with the hitch in place I don't seems to have anymore dent on the bumper!!! Sort of a deterrent.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: Screech - Bang

I just got hit two days ago on my way to work. Rear ended while sitting at a stop sign (which was a temporary replacement for a non-working stoplight).

I got hit hard enough to bend my class IV bolt-on hitch down at a 45 degree angle, bend in the left hand side of my rear bumper, push me into the guy ahead of me, and push him into the next guy.

The truck looks surprisingly undamaged, but I have a feeling insurance may total it, because the hitch being bent down torqued the frame where it bolts on, and I don't think they can straighten that safely. Also, the transmission is now slamming into second. I'm lucky I didn't get hurt.

The guy who hit me (Nissan SUV) trashed his front bumper, holed his grill, and dented his hood (on my truck's topper, no less). My front bumper has a 6 inch deep dent in it, the guy ahead of me will need a new trunk, quarter panels, bumper, etc, and the guy ahead of him (another truck) was basically undamaged.

I'm going to go see what that guy's insurance company will do.

Erik

 

[jtexas]

Re: Screech - Bang

tailgating is my mainest pet peeve - somebody tailgating me makes feel strangely like slowing down to compensate for the reduced distance between our vehicles - I don't touch the brakes or even take my foot off the gas or anything sudden or dangerous - just gradually reduce speed. If I'm towing the boat I just ignore 'em and say to myself (or out loud sometimes), "Mr. Radiator, meet Mr. Skeg. Mr. Skeg, say hello to Mr. Radiator."

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Screech - Bang

When being tailgated I always ease back a touch on speed to double my distance to the vehicle ahead of me. This gives me twice as long to stop if I have to and compensates for the idiot behind me.