Driver not paying attention slams into vintage Porsche

[duke of chucchinchilla]

This was posted over on the 356 Registry, but I thought you guys should see as it serves a good lesson. It's stuff like this that makes me sick. People were hurt (could have been a lot worse) and a beautiful car that's been around for 45+ years is now gone, all because someone was not paying attention.

Below is the story as the owner put it. Keep in mind they were driving back to Napa from a 356 meet in Park City. Almost made it too..

First...my wife is OK. Second...I am OK. We are a bit bruised but required no medical assistance.

The car is another story. It is a total loss after a 70mph impact from a 2003 Mazda sedan that was being driven by a kid(maybe 20) with 3 other kids in the car. We were stopped for construction on I80. I saw him coming and started to use the medial grass to my left to avoid impact, I was stopped, I selected first gear. turned left and patched out but did so just a little too late. I don't think the outcome would have been good if we had been sandwiched between the Mazda and the Toyota that he also hit. The toyota was pushed into a Ford pickup...all were stopped at impact. Because I was attempting to escape, the glancing blow to our right rear spun our car 180* and put the right side of the car into the guard rail. I don't know what the kid was doing since all lanes were stopped and visibility allowed us to be seen a half mile away. You just can't adjust for stupid.

Here are a few pics, more can be seen in the thread HERE

[Art Vandelay]

I think you should go to jail if you cause a crash while using a phone. This story doesn't confirm it, but I'm betting a phone was involved.

[SSLByron]

Shame about the car, but glad everybody's ok. It's funny to read through the thread and see everybody bitching about "kids" and their texting. I see dozens and dozens of working professionals who commute in every morning with their eyes glued to a smartphone.

Age has little to do with it.

[BRealistic]

If you drive a priceless classic on public roads frequently enough, having some type of incedent is practically inevitable.

[McBanagon]

Too bad he wasn't driving on of them there fancy Mercedes-Benz. They do all the thinking for you these days so you can totally text and everything.

[mack73]

If you drive a priceless classic on public roads frequently enough, having some type of incedent is practically inevitable.

Ditto. Any time you take a car out on the roads, you risk someone running into it. Gotta pay to play.

[Nubbin]

If you drive a priceless classic on public roads frequently enough, having some type of incedent is practically inevitable.

+1

They can build safer cars or make laws and impose big fines but s*** will still happen.

[JMTombstone]

That really sucks. The car is even crying

[BRealistic]

Ditto. Any time you take a car out on the roads, you risk someone running into it. Gotta pay to play.

I've had THREE crashes where I was sitting completely still when I was hit by somebody else.
Twice I was on the horn trying to get them to see me before impact.
You just can't avoid every idiot on the road sometimes.

[absoluteczech]

sucks, but thats what hagerty classic car insurance is for

[duke of chucchinchilla]

Ditto. Any time you take a car out on the roads, you risk someone running into it. Gotta pay to play.

If someone has a nice car and doesn't drive it, the response is "That's not right, these cars are meant to be driven!" So now we have someone who took a road trip to a Porsche meet and got his car destroyed by a careless driver, the response is "hey, that's what you get for driving your car." Typical TCL hypocrisy.

[JMURiz]

Was a cool hotrod 356 too, such a shame.

[Nubbin]

If someone has a nice car and doesn't drive it, the response is "That's not right, these cars are meant to be driven!" So now we have someone who took a road trip to a Porsche meet and got his car destroyed by a careless driver, the response is "hey, that's what you get for driving your car." Typical TCL hypocrisy.

I don't think anyone on this thread has the mindset of "Ha ha!! *Nelson's voice* that's what you get for driving your car."

They are just saying sometimes things like this is cannot be avoided.

[ATL_Av8r]

I think you should go to jail if you cause a crash while using a phone. This story doesn't confirm it, but I'm betting a phone was involved.

Can't be. That's not the hot-button issue of the day on CNN/Fox News/MSNBC anymore. Clearly the kid was being bullied by the other 3 kids in the car and this was his suicide attempt, because obviously everybody who was ever bullied will die a horrible death at their own hands.

[chandlerdoom]

This is why I could never own something rare or vintage, always be afraid someones going to hit me

[GrayMarauder]

I almost feel like there should be no excuse for accidents. Driving is a serious privilege, people often take for granted.

Utah just outlawed talking on the phone while driving.

No better of an example why. Way to go.

[mack73]

If someone has a nice car and doesn't drive it, the response is "That's not right, these cars are meant to be driven!" So now we have someone who took a road trip to a Porsche meet and got his car destroyed by a careless driver, the response is "hey, that's what you get for driving your car." Typical TCL hypocrisy.

no hypocrisy here. Yes some people choose to turn their cars into trailer queens - and that is a shame but to the owner the loss of the vehicle out weighs the joy it brings while driving.

[Old Windy]

Shame about the car, but glad everybody's ok. It's funny to read through the thread and see everybody bitching about "kids" and their texting. I see dozens and dozens of working professionals who commute in every morning with their eyes glued to a smartphone.

Age has little to do with it.

Stupidity does not know age unfortunately. Both my accidents have been while stoped. Once on the Toll both (mind you it was during morning traffic and got rear ended by an idiot speeding.... The next one was while I was park on the street right next to the sidewalk. You sure can't adjust for stupity.

[Cousin Eddie]

Can't be. That's not the hot-button issue of the day on CNN/Fox News/MSNBC anymore. Clearly the kid was being bullied by the other 3 kids in the car and this was his suicide attempt, because obviously everybody who was ever bullied will die a horrible death at their own hands.

^ So awesomely true. Kids need to grow a pair these days. "Wah, I was bullied today!". (And this is coming from a guy who was bullied like crazy in school.)

[seymore15074]

Meh...

[Tokyosmash!]

[bluerabbit0886]

^ So awesomely true. Kids need to grow a pair these days. "Wah, I was bullied today!". (And this is coming from a guy who was bullied like crazy in school.)

I have to agree. What ever happened to having an old Japanese fellow teach you karate and enter you into a sparring tournament so you can beat up your bullies and win the girl?

[Nubbin]

I have to agree. What ever happened to having an old Japanese fellow teach you karate and enter you into a sparring tournament so you can beat up your bullies and win the girl?

Nowadays they're resorted to having an old Chinese janitor, who's still grieving over the loss of his wife and kid in a car accident, to teach them kung fu.

[Bias_Ply]

Can't be. That's not the hot-button issue of the day on CNN/Fox News/MSNBC anymore. Clearly the kid was being bullied

pro tip: stop watching cable news and nothing about your life will change

[Chris Stack]

I almost feel like there should be no excuse for accidents.

That's why in the military we call them mishaps. An "accident" suggests it couldn't have been avoided (a meteor hits your car or something) but a mishap points out that 99% of the time, it wasn't accidental, it was due to someone doing something boneheaded.

[TJ_MK2TT]

I had 2 accidents, one ended up being a total loss and the other slight damage all due to the other party not paying attention.
In both cases, I was 0% at fault and was younger than the other party by 2 decades. Does age have anything to do with this? Well depends, the older audience likes to jump to the gun that its the age and they have no responsibility. Well. What happens when a 40yr old is late and rushing to work and runs a red light and slams into a young adult minding his own business, crossing an intersection? Is it right to say that he's senile?
Moral here is that everyone makes mistakes, no matter what age. Let's all be happy that we are alive and ok.

[duke of chucchinchilla]

That's why in the military we call them mishaps. An "accident" suggests it couldn't have been avoided (a meteor hits your car or something) but a mishap points out that 99% of the time, it wasn't accidental, it was due to someone doing something boneheaded.

QFT

[choochoo]

so sad to see this happen to such a beautiful car. Not just the money, but the most heart breaking is the amount of blood, sweat and time put into it that is now lost....

[Subwoofers]

so sad to see this happen to such a beautiful car. Not just the money, but the most heart breaking is the amount of blood, sweat and time put into it that is now lost....

I would have prob gone insane.

[EGSEDAN]

Too bad he wasn't driving on of them there fancy Mercedes-Benz. They do all the thinking for you these days so you can totally text and everything.

I know totally right? I was driving once and then I fell asleep, but my Mercedes just took over and drove me home.

[nico24vr6]

Moral here is that everyone makes mistakes, no matter what age. Let's all be happy that we are alive and ok.

I was once rear ended by a lady more than twice my age ( i was 22 at the time ) i was stopped in traffic and got rear ended by a pick up going nearly 45mph. called a cop to the scene and the cop told me that it coudlve been my fault if i was on the phone. i denied being on the phone cuz i wasnt anyway. cop said he's gonna "look me up" to see if i was lying, came back to my car and ended up writing the police report.

people jump the gun to assume its the younger inexperienced drivers fault and accuse them for tons. Like others said, age isn't a factor, carelessness, a characteristic that anyone can have regardless of age, is indeed a factor.

[freedomgli]

If you drive a priceless classic on public roads frequently enough, having some type of incedent is practically inevitable.

exactly. cars can be replaced. even really badly crashed cars. good to hear the porsche driver and wife are ok. this is what insurance and the courts are for.

[EGSEDAN]

people jump the gun to assume its the younger inexperienced drivers fault and accuse them for tons. Like others said, age isn't a factor, carelessness, a characteristic that anyone can have regardless of age, is indeed a factor.

Sorry, age is a factor. More young males get into accidents than anyone else. Yes, it's a genaralization, not all young drivers are bad, but as a group they are worse.

[Big Morgan]

If you drive a priceless classic on public roads frequently enough, having some type of incedent is practically inevitable.

Yep. I guess all you can say if you're the owner in this situation is "At least I enjoyed it, and didn't just let it sit in my garage."

[Uberhare]

I almost feel like there should be no excuse for accidents. Driving is a serious privilege, people often take for granted.

Utah just outlawed talking on the phone while driving.

No better of an example why. Way to go.

WA State has had a no texting and no cell phone law in effect for a while now and I still see a lot of people driving around using these devices. The laws have little to no impact on people's behavior.