Another one bites the dust!!!!

[lagalaxy13]

Glad to hear your okay. Sorry to hear about your loss.

 

[Bobpantax]

I am willing to bet by the looks of the floor pan and bell housing tunnel on the inside of the car, that when he went airborne and hit the fire hydrant, that the engine and transmission shifted hard to the left, pushing the floor around the bell housing of the car into the gas pedal which caused it to bend to the left under the brake pedal. Very freaky result of the accident indeed.
Glad you are ok.

Tim

Excellent observation Blue Pilot. I looked again and your analysis looks right on. I am glad that it was not a maintainence or defective part problem.

 

[silversrt]

Wiseasp,

Call me. You know the #. To discuss insurance issues. I believe you once told me you had Nationwide...not sure. That car is most definitely totalled.

Grayson

 

[Smog Dog]

No doubt at all---the car is a total. Sorry about the freak accident, and glad nobody was hurt. Looking at the long string of Vipers you have owned, I'd say you are surfing the internet looking at 08 and 09's about now....that's the bright side!

Bill

 

[viperDoug]

I am sorry for your loss and I'm glad you are ok. I always admired all the the mods you had done to that car. In the end...it's just a car and you'll replace it.

 

[Newport Viper]

Wow... glad you are ok!

 

[HensleySRT-10]

Could have happened to any of us!! Glad you're okay. Goodluck on the hunt for a new baby!!!!

 

[cudavip]

Viper, I-pod and deer, O'my. Way too many distractions these days, good that your ok.

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

Sounds like you have some quick reflexes. Good to here your well.

Not to dwell on the iPod issue, we all know there are many things that can take your attention off the road ie (a hot girl walking down the sidewalk) but I've caught myself spending to much time messing with my iPod that I now don't use the thing in the car. Their just to small to F#@k with. IMO

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

ps. we need to shoot more of them damn deer.

 

[cudavip]

We really need to put ourselves in check and do the task at hand. From deer, coyotes, rabbits etc. to kids or another car things just don't appear out of nowhere. Peripheral vision works thats why we have it. Maybe if the op did'nt look away he would have seen the deer on the approach he could have slowed, stopped blew the horn and moved on with no harm. Now one way or another we all pay in higher insurance rates. I'm glad to hear the OP and the deer are fine. Just stop ****ing with other things while driving and keep your focus on the task at hand why is it so hard?

 

[rcl4668]

Well Friday the 13th came and bit me in the ass. I think I totaled my 06 VCA Coupe. First accident I ever had. I was going down the road, looked down to mess with the ipod, I looked up and 2 deer are right in front of me. I swerved out of the way and swerved back. I then hit the brakes and the car took off like a freaking rocket. I lost control and spun around hit the curb went airborne hit a wire holding the telephone pole, spun around again hit a fire hydrant, threw that about 40 yards. At this point I was STANDING on the brakes and the damn car kept going faster. I was in third gear and was bouncing off the rev limiter. I then missed another pole and got back on the road. The car is still bouncing off the rev limiter. I put it in neutral and then just shut the car down and used the e brake to stop. I jumped out of the car and could not believe what just happened. I looked at why the car kept going. The damn gas pedal broke and got stuck UNDER the brake pedal!!!! So every time I stood on the brakes I was just doing a hell of a power brake. Geico is looking at the car Monday or Tuesday. The hood is banged up as well as the front, rear, all 4 wheels, the frame, both side sills, drivers front fender, the trans will not go into 6th gear, the engine will not start and the whole bottom of the floor pan looks like waves in the ocean. The only thing that happened to me was that I banged my right shin and I said every cuss word I knew....

Very sorry to hear about this but am glad you're ok. Under the heading of making lemonade from lemons, Viper prices are incredible now

 

[my viper]

Guys, 'wiseasp' has been on this board for a long time and going by his signature, has owned many vipers before. I'm sure he knows the possibilities of having a viper bite and how to counter them as he tried to do in this case.

The small lapse of focus is what caused this - but you never know, this could've happened even if he was focussed and two deer just jump in front of the car. Or, when any of us look away for a bit. God forbid, could also happen due to some driver next to us that doesn't focus.

Wiseasp, we don't need to tell you that stuff like this happens. Glad you are okay and hope to see you in a 09 soon. Let us know how it goes.

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

Guys, 'wiseasp' has been on this board for a long time and going by his signature, has owned many vipers before. I'm sure he knows the possibilities of having a viper bite and how to counter them as he tried to do in this case.

The small lapse of focus is what caused this - but you never know, this could've happened even if he was focussed and two deer just jump in front of the car. Or, when any of us look away for a bit. God forbid, could also happen due to some driver next to us that doesn't focus.

Wiseasp, we don't need to tell you that stuff like this happens. Glad you are okay and hope to see you in a 09 soon. Let us know how it goes.

Agreed, next thing they be telling us we can drive with our girlfriends or wives in the car. Talk about a lot of distractions.

 

[EllowViper]

OK. Geico vs. USAA......anxiously awaiting the outcome.

 

[JonB]

W-Asp..... Im glad you are OK,,,,,,, my wife is glad the deeer are OK..... and you should perhaps salvage the VCA DASH PLAQUE if you are able......the rest of the car is a total.

Please: Tire age / temp? Original runflats?

Ive been to a couple SRT-Drive Experience events, whereby "rookies" as well as Viper SRT10 Owners are invited to drive the 08-09 SRT10 in a twisty autocross, and at the end they must brake aggressively using full ABS and STOP IN THE BOX.

Instructors WARN participants that when you panic-stop, you "might hit the rev limiter" but dont take your foot off the brake til you are stopped.

I was amazed, when the adreneline is flowing, how many VIPER OWNERS as well as rookies mashed the gas and brake simultaneously! Rev limiter is POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW til the car stops! Even when you PLAN this maneuver, you may get it wrong in panic-stop mode and mash both pedals.

I agree the pedal set was likley broken as a result of the accident. The pedal vendor once told me the OE pedals are robotically tested for ONE-MILLION CYCLES, including hydraulic load tests, before they were accepted by Dodge.

Im sure your adreneline when you saw the Deeer could have made you break a pedal arm, but my guess is you have size-12s and you mashed em both.....and the break occured on impact.

If I can be of any help with insurance issues, please write or call.

 

[09 Venom]

It also doesn't help the gas pedal and brake pedal are so close. Anyone with a shoe size...say... larger than an 8 can easily hit both at the same time under normal driving let alone a quick maneuver. Just glad to hear your OK.

 

[gb66gth]

I'm glad you're OK, considering how much worse it could have been. Still, that *****!

 

[DAMN YANKEE]

You made it through!

Now buy a gun and hunt, man, hunt!

 

[2snakes4us]

Im sorry for your car ,but happy for your health. What was the time of the accident(day/night) ?
When im in the viper's I turn off the phone(cant hear it anyway) and my stero plays MP3's so i have a 4 gig memory stick with only the tunes I want to hear. That helps keeping both hands on the wheel. Now deer....we have no control over. I hope you find a great replacement you will be happy with.

 

[AFL in NJ]

Glad you're okay! Sorry to hear about that.....I really think we ought to have some sort of grenade launcher for deer like that...I mean really, there's tons of them...what's two less?

Regards,
Aaron

 

[VAViper]

Glad to here your OK. The positive side

1) Your here to tell the story.
2) It's the best time to buy (more for your money)
3) Great story to tell the grand kids.
4) You always wanted new shorts
5) You gave the new administration another reason to take our guns away.

 

[Bobpantax]

From the initial post: I swerved out of the way and swerved back. I then hit the brakes and the car took off like a freaking rocket.

Everything was under control until AFTER the deer were avoided. The question is was the gas pedal broken at that point or was it just a case of accidently hitting the gas and the brake at the same time and the pedal breaking after the fact as Blue Pilot suggested? It will probably never be determined. The bottom line is that even without looking down for a moment, if he had swerved to avoid something rapidly moving into the road in front of him, the same thing may have happened. Sometimes accidents just happen. Despite the illusion that some people may live under, we do not control everything around us that affects and effects our reality.

 

[Coloviper]

Glad you are okay. Say I think the problem was your blower. The high pitch whine must have attracted the deer to the road, which in turn, started the chain reaction resulting in the replacement of the 06' by a new 09' ACR. Happens all the time!

Seriously glad you are okay, but I can imagine that you wrecked your shorts too. I would have. Funny how the first thing everyone says is when you get a hi-po vehicle is that they are going to wrap it around a pole. You sound like you came pretty darn close.

I have only one question. You mentioned it was not going into 6th gear? Did you drive it home and make sure it was totalled. I probably would have too.

 

[Shandon]

Sorry you had to fall victim to the snake bite! Deer are a PIA, I kill as many every year around here as I can! I think insurance companys should pay for our hunting tags due to the cost of these critters on there books! Fenders, engines, frames, cars are replaceble you on the other hand are not "no matter what your wife says". Glad you are ok!

Now for a RANT
Anyone and I mean anyone on here who would "selfrighteously" dare voice a disparaging comment about this event and being somehow caused by lack of attention needs to be flogged in the street for ignorance! There is not one person with a valid driver liscence on earth who hasn't touched the (radio, ac, girlfriend, Ipod, etc etc yada yada while driving) ! Shut UP!

If you cann't say something nice go call lord Obama and see if he can add driver awarness to his stimulus porkbill so we can understand better the foly of being distracted while driving. Im sure it will create jobs too

Ok im done.

 

[Cop Magnet]

Agreed, next thing they be telling us we can drive with our girlfriends or wives in the car. Talk about a lot of distractions.

Just not both...at the same time
Glad you are OK. I would look to this as an opportunity on an '08/'09!

 

[Y2K10 SRT#39]

Wow- I knew there was a reason I put on my driving shoes each time I drive my Viper!
6'6" tall and size 13 feet! It's pretty easy for me to hit all three pedals at the same time, but I have never done it. I'll thank the track time for that!

Glad you are OK!

PBR

 

[ViperTony]

Glad you're OK...I take a size 12 w shoe and can easily hit both the gas and brake pedals in my GenII, not so much with driving shoes though. You walked away and that's all that matters at this point.

 

[Vman455]

Anyone and I mean anyone on here who would "selfrighteously" dare voice a disparaging comment about this event and being somehow caused by lack of attention needs to be flogged in the street for ignorance! There is not one person with a valid driver liscence on earth who hasn't touched the (radio, ac, girlfriend, Ipod, etc etc yada yada while driving) ! Shut UP!

True--from the description of the accident, it sounds like distraction was not the issue here. There are a million things to pay attention to on the road, in the car, in the passenger seat, etc., and a driver can't notice and react to everything, no matter how attentive he is. Generally, though, whatever we can do to minimize distractions while driving will increase our chances of noticing and reacting to possible dangers. My rant: as a cyclist who was creamed by a guy in a Silverado two years ago who "didn't see me" (seriously? I was wearing bright blue, red, and white, riding a black and white bike with white bar tape! who knows what he was looking at?), I have no sympathy for distracted drivers who cause injury or death as a result of their negligence. For instance, things like texting while driving (a teenager who was doing this killed another local cyclist a year before I was hit) are just plain stupid.The point I think others have been trying to make here is not that distraction was a factor in this accident (and I am in no way asserting this either), but simply to remind us not to take unnecessary risks.

Off the soapbox. I'm truly sorry to hear about this, Wiseasp, and hope everything goes well with your insurance and taking care of this.

OK. Geico vs. USAA......anxiously awaiting the outcome.

Me too. I've been with Geico for several years now, but have never had to make a claim. I like to think they'll be easy to work with...

 

[DodgeViper01]

Sorry to hear about the car but glad to hear you are okay. Good luck with the insurance company. Can't wait to hear what happened.