The big guy crashed the car (He is okay)

[Misanthropical]

My big guy had picked up his little sister from work the other day and was on his way home when he rear ended a car in front of him at a low speed. The other car only had a few scratches on the back bumper, but the front end of my car was damaged beyond belief.

My daughter was texting me this information when my big guy calls the house and blurts out "I'm so sorry, mom!" when I answer. I told him never mind about that is he and his sister okay? They were both fine and the only damage done was to the car, thank the gods!

He is still surprised that I'm not upset about the car. I asked him what the point of that would be? I told him things happen and as long as it doesn't because habit I will understand.

Mr. Mis said my life would never be boring if I married him and he wasn't lying!

[Greenday]

Amazing how even a slow crash will fuck up your front end. Did that once to someone on a highway. Not even a scratch on the other car.

Glad your kids are okay!

[Kogarashi]

Mis, I'm glad your kids are okay. As a parent, I'd frankly only be mad at the kids for it if the accident was caused by deliberate recklessness (horsing around, etc.).

Amazing how even a slow crash will fuck up your front end. Did that once to someone on a highway. Not even a scratch on the other car.

Well, it might depend on the vehicle in question. I once hit another car (at very low speeds, admittedly) with the front end of our '95 Jeep. Despite it being a very light tap, the other car ended up with a softball-sized dent in the side panel. The Jeep, on the other hand, maybe had some scratched bumper paint. Sure, we get crap mileage, but I love the nice solid frame of the thing.

[teh_blumchenkinder]

Glad they're both okay!
Cars that crumple like that do so because that's how they were designed-- to diffuse impact.
Granted, it also means they're super-expensive to get fixed, or impossible... but 'that's besides the point.'
My sister and I got in an accident (us:76 Malibu, them: some smallish-mid-nineties crumple-bum) around 2000, and it was low speed: my sister got a nasty bruised knee and I got a bit of whiplash, cleared up after a day or two, our bumper and hood got bent in a little. Them? car was destroyed to mid engine block! (yes, the engine was crunched in) It was gratuitous. Thankfully, we didn't have to pay, as they ran the red light.

[draggar]

I'm glad the kids are OK. I'm sure at first your heart was racing.

Amazing how even a slow crash will fuck up your front end. Did that once to someone on a highway. Not even a scratch on the other car.

You have no idea. Someone I used to work with was married to a motorcycle enthusiast. He was out riding his Harley one day when he was t-boned by a Neon.

The car hit his leg and knocked him off the bike. He got up, wasn't injured and the only damage to his bike were scratches from the drop.

The front end of the Neon? All bent up, broken off, and was almost undriveable.

[protege]

Yep, those "5mph bumpers" are a bitch. I know of a couple cars that *failed* the then-required testing. Both of them--my '87 Tempo, and a friend's 1980s Dodge Charger...didn't do so well in impact testing. Yep, I'd hit some ice, and my Tempo slammed into the Dodge. Er, did I mention that the Tempo had been wrecked the week before (some dipshit in a 1970s Pontiac T-boned my dad), and the car had only been in my family's possession less than 24 hours? Oops. Anyway, I was behind the Dodge. He left the traffic light, I left the light. For whatever reason, he slammed on the brakes. I tried to stop, but slid right into him. We weren't even going very fast (probably about 25-30mph), yet I totaled his car, and destroyed the front of mine.

Considering that we'd *just* picked up the car from the body shop the day before (it still smelled of lacquer), I was surprised that my dad wasn't pissed. I mean, I'd just smashed up his freshly repaired car! To quote him "stop mentioning the car. In fact, *fuck* the car." Dad was more concerned that I'd been hurt in the crash. Cars can be fixed, but his kids couldn't.

But, the all-time accident champ...had to be the '81 Volvo station wagon we once owned. Within a month, it was involved in a serious accident. We were driving back from a friend's place in South Park, and we were hit. Some idiot in a Ford sedan ran a stop sign, hit a big Chevy (a Chevelle, IIRC) passing through the intersection...pushing him into us. The impact, which we barely even felt, took out the entire side of my mother's car, but we got off lucky. Both of the other cars were heavily damaged, yet the Volvo was drivable.

That was 30 years ago, and I can still see the look on my dad's face. You could tell that he was pissed about the car (remember, Volvos were expensive, even then), but he didn't say anything about that. He was more concerned about the 3 young children and their mother, who were *in* the car at the time. He wasn't pissed at my mother--she was *stopped* when the accident happened. Rather, he was pissed at the asshole in the Ford, who ran the stop sign and *caused* the wreck.

[Misanthropical]

My car is 2001 Toyota Corolla LE. The other car is a 1995 Toyota Camry. The insurance still hasn't decided what to do about my car, which is fine, since I like the 2010 Jeep Patriot they gave us till they do decide. I still haven't been cleared to drive from my surgery (I still wear a pain patch and am still having pain issues) but I am enjoying Mr. Mis driving me around in it.

I told my children that any car I have can be replaced, they can't be, so my worry is going to always be about them and not the car.

[Food Lady]

I'm glad the kids are ok! Yeah, cars can be replaced.

[Talon]

Glad he's ok.

I had one of those "low-speed" rear-end collisions. Barely a dent on the other car, and not much damage at-a-glance to my old '98 Toyota Corolla. Turns out the other guy slipped underneath my rear bumper and tore up the underside, $1500 bill. Ironically it was his too-late braking that caused his bumper to slip under mine. Maybe he should have just hit me at full speed?