Mitsubishi Eclipse Crash into
Derby Kansas
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Eclipse Crashes
This KS Crash : Pic 1 | Pic 3
What Happened: I was stopped, turning left into a residential neighborhood on
Rock Road (a 4 lane, main drag from Wichita to Derby). I was
watching oncoming traffic (the light ahead of me about 1.5 blocks
just turned green), and checking my rearview mirror. I noticed
a large red truck coming at me at a very fast speed. I assumed
that the driver may have been experiencing break failure because
he was not slowing down or changing into the other lane. I punched
the gas to try to avoid impact, assuming if he did have breaks,
he'd see me by now and slow down, but I was hit anyway.
Upon
impact, my hands flew off my steering wheel and turned my wipers
on full-blast, and I was lifted (but held in by my seatbelt)
in my seat, where I received a rug-burn abraision on my lower
back. My head whipped forward and hit the back of my seat, causing
my whiplash and concussion. I was told by a passing motorist,
that my rear spoiler flew about 10 feet into the air and landed
on the other side of the road. He was generous enough to pick
it up for me, and put it in what was left of my backseat.
As it turns out, the driver of the Chevy did have operating breaks,
and just wasn't paying attention. He claimed he didn't see me
at all, even though the lights on my car were fully operational,
my headlights, left turn signal and break lights were on, and
the road is flat and wide open where I was hit.
The Derby Police assume that my airbags did not deploy because
I was not completely stationary at the time of impact. I was
still rear-ended between 40-45 mph by the truck. I was very lucky
that I was wearing my seatbelt, and paying attention to the drivers
around me while I was turning. It uld have been a lot worse!
My car was considered totaled, (frame damage and crumpling on
both sides of the car due to the force of impact). The truck
had a dent in his bumper, some scratches where his paint wore
off on my car, and had to replace a headlight cover.
Date: September 11, 2003
Location: Rock Road and Glenn Hills Drive, Derby Kansas Injury: Abraison on lower back from Lumbar Support, Mild Concussion
and Moderate Whiplash