Bob Edelton, owner of said 32 Vicky was sitting at a stop light in Sherman Oaks, Ca.on this Sunday past, when he was hit by some Nube, along with another Women and two children, said driver was going 30 to 40 m.p.h. when she hit the Vicky. This instantly rang Bob's bell, Knocking him approx. 75 feet from the collision, igniting the fuel tank. Four unidentified samaritians pryed Bob from the car, saving his life. Speedy recovery Bob!!! P.S. A friend of his, told me that Bob had just picked the car up from Brizio's just a few days earlier. Bad,Bad Deal... Bowtie40
I was driving through St. Louis during the winter back in the early Seventies and pulled into a filling station, just pumps and a little shack, to buy gas. I filled my pickup and the guy in charge came out to take my money. He had on an old Army field jacket. The left pocket had a hole burned in it. I like to gab, so I asked him if he got too close to the heater. "No," he said. "A fellow tried to rob me." He showed me his cannon, and I shrugged and drove off. I knew the robber was a dead bird, 'cause the man was packing a Goverment model 1911-A1 .45. Other than that I can't say much about the place except Budweiser had some pretty neon on it. Never been back. As far as the wreck and the fire goes, my heart goes out to the injured. I have some sympathy for a man losing his pride and joy, especially a Vicky. With today's sense of entitlement that drivers in large cars have, and all the safety features, I have to agree with Bill Burnham who wrote in one of his editorials back in the day, that it's no wonder accidents happen more frequently. Drivers feel safer and with all the distractions, children, sound systems, limited IQ's, and electronic gizmos. In the limited space inside their brains, all the extra noise vies for their attention and they have less concentration for the road. The upside in this story is that he's still alive to pick up the pieces. Those who pulled him out deserve a medal. Especially when you consider Good Samaritan's get sued more often than not, since there's no one else to sue. A big medal. I know it's not for me to bring this up but why doesn't HAMB give out medals to people who do good deeds and commit acts of heroism above and beyond for their fellow rodders? They'd sure look good on someone's dash. Only problem is too many of us would just go looking for an excuse to do a good deed, save someone's life, that kind of thing. That might become a liability. Who knows. Funny how we short change ourselves by thinking.
I have 2 friends who have been sitting stopped at red lights in hot rods get creamed from the rear by folks with their head up their ass. I assume coincidence, but both were in Model A coupes, channeled and fenderless, with working tail and brake lights. '50 Lincoln on one and '39 "teardrops" on the other. One was bright red and the other, just being recently built was in primer and faded black. Anyway, it's got me wondering if it isn't that folks have become so accustomed to pulling up to a stop behind these modern cars that have huge brake and tail lights plus the third brake light high in the center, and the low, smallish brake and tail lights combined in the common hot rods just don't get their attention til too late? The "A" roadster I'm almost thru building has a louvered deck lid, 107 louvers, 7 rows wide. I've got some big red LEDs that I'm considering placing up inside the louvers deep enough to not be noticeable when not illuminated, but fairly bright when the brakes are actuated, acting like a third brake light lit up all the way across the upper, more horizontal area of the deck lid. No doubt in my mind they'll be more noticeable from behind when you're on the binders, and I believe safer. I just hope they aren't noticable otherwise! Dave
Uhhhh, yeah.... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=502791&highlight=vicky+crash Rich
A lot of truth in that, Dave, and one reason I won't ever run blue dots, they really reduce the light from whatever they're in. My truck sits high enough that my tail/brake lights are at eye level for most cage drivers, having a bright colored truck doesn't hurt either (not why I chose it, just sayin').
Well when moving I can see your point. However, when the car ahead of you is not in motion and the traffic signals have been redesigned from the lenses to the poles and their positions, I'd say there are more heads up asses and attention being paid to something other than what should be while behind the wheel. There's a lot of difference in an accident and a wreck. Just sayin-because I got hit in the rear while stopped last week in my big, white Suburban with all those lights glowing. And I know there's not a visibility problem there.
It's been almost five years since I was rearended at a pedestrian crossing by woman yapping on a cell phone. She hit me so hard her car ended up underneath my truck, and I still get recurring back pain. It seems everyone is in a hurry nowadays, and ,as mentioned above, distractions are everywhere. Keep your eyes open!! Glad to hear the guy in the Vicky will be okay.
This happened to my 40 coupe in 2004 I was in another state at a little run ... Big trouble. Over 10 thousand dollars damage ... and I had a difficult time collecting from his insurance company. Finally got the $$$ and fixed it. Glad the guy in the Vicky is OK
I am a collision tech by trade and allthough I make my money off wrecks... 80 percent are idiots not paying attention in parking lots. 10 percent are what we call heavy hits!! (my speciallty...) are retartards not paying attention on the open roads and 5 pecent are innocent people who couldn't get the fuck out way in time. and unfortunatlly the last 5 percent of the cars that come though are get are the cars that cant be fixed!!! and of that 5 pecent (bare with me here... I do have a point!!) 50 pecent of the people nevermade it out of the car!!! ALIVE that is. is real and it sucks!!! we also have a tow yard... every time I see one of those grosome wrecks I want to take it to a high school and drop it off in the football field... show the kids whats really up!!! where fucking around in a car can get you. Ive seen some of the grossest shit in some of those cars. I wont get into details but trust me. I've puked!!! and I'm no pussy. I worry every time my wife and kids travel up to my mother in laws. because I am a realest and I know what other people are out there doing!!! so in short I am glad he is ok!!! be safe guys!!
If your interested in seeing the video of Bob being retrieved from his car, go to LA daily news .com. Bowtie40...
I'm with you on this one. I'm a field damage appraiser for a large auto insurance company and I come across the same thing you do. In the past I've handled claims and more than a handful of fatalities. I drive for 8-9 hours during the day for my job and get to see a lot of bonehead moves that people do while driving. No one has any courtesy or common sense anymore, especially in California. Wishing Bob the best in recovery from his injuries and from the insurance company.
Best wishes to Bob for a speedy recovery, hope the Vicky gets rebuilt quickly............Just Googled the LA Daily News site, it is well worth reading, car owner is 69, and the guys that pulled him out of that burning car do deserve a medal. The video didn't work but there was a still photo of what happened.
They should make it harder to get a license, I am amazed at what I see daily on our roadways and wonder why there are not more wrecks then we already see. I hope Bob has a quick recovery from his injuries and reparations are fair towards his car.-Weeks
I know it might seem insensitive, but I really think there is a need for "Safety Stand-down" messages after accidents are reported. Of course we don't know what really happened or how the victim's cars were equipped, but in terms of just visibility how else can you improve your chances of NOT being rear ended besides having a bright colored car and brighter lights? Dune buggy style flag on a stick? Emergency flashers? Some of those crazy biker deals that flashes every light and strobes when you apply the brakes? I don't think my first attempt at "engineering" rear lighting worked out too hot. Despite the best laid plans (old school-wise), and a high-mounted 3BL in the rear window, those "bright" 12v bulbs everyone told me about just sucked in my 37 sedan. First off, the OEM lights are very low-mounted. Plus, the car was raked nose down, which points the center "projection" of the rear lights updward. And of course, the 3BL was behind tinted glass because I want it to be as "hidden" as possible. Tripple DUH. Think about it... why bet your life on a pair of teeny, tiny, glowing little wires about the size of dog fur? And then go to the extra effort to mount them low on the car, tilt them at wierd angles or hide them under the body or bumpers? After a couple of panic situations (rear view mirror-wise) where I thought I was going to be hit hard from behind, nothing but LEDs will do for me now. People will always drive like idiots, but there are a lot more of them now and they all have many more ways to be distracted. So unless you wave a big-ol red flag in front of them, they don't seem to notice much beyond their own noses. My 27 Truck has repop LEDs and the 3BL is outside the cabin and high. Frenching LEDs for the 3BL would have been better, but we wuz lazy. I don't think there is a better way to protect yourself against distracted drivers, day or night, than LEDs. Perhaps more important in the daytime? I'm sure everyone has a buddy with a red rod and OEM fixtures with bulbs. In the day time, nobody can tell if he has his brakes on or signals activated, and not many want to follow him for long, either. Lastly, do you pump your brakes a few times before getting to the corner or intersection to let that tail gating ass wipe on your bumper know you are changing speed or direction? Do you signal your turns 100ft back, or mid-turn like the other idiots? Do you keep your foot on the brake when stopped? Even on level ground I keep the brakes on at least until the car behind me has come to a complete stop. If you are stopped, but the lights are out, then some idiot might think you are going to move out or even start turning. Hope the folks in the accident are going to recover and the car gets a fix, too. Later, Gary
Glad the guy is O.K.---i'm just finishing the 40 and I know there are those who don't like the LED lites, but here in TX you better have something that is brighter than OEM. Way too much cell phone, texting and other crap going on. There ought to be a law........
I have long predicted that there is going to be carnage on the roads as the baby boomers like me age and continue to drive amongst the current generation of multi-tasking (texting and cell phone) types who are in such a damn hurry every where they go. I wonder if anyone ever considers how stupid it is to be rushing along, driving aggressively then see their self right next to the people they worked so hard to pass at the next stop light. As much as I love my old cars, I would not mind eventually living in a community where I could walk, bicycle or bus myself everywhere I need to go and maybe just take the old tin out on special occasions for a cruise.
that video is so scary, I hope he will be okay, Does anyone make a fuel cell for a 32 tank, I have always like the look of the rear tank, but in the back of my mind I worried about that type of accident when I had my 32,,,,
Holy crap! Look how far that car traveled after it got hit, that is crazy. Thanks to the kindness of strangers that guy is going to live, I hope the other driver gets some heavy citations
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