davekempmeister Posted December 23, 2010 Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 Hi everybody. Indulge me for a moment, please. In almost 17 yrs with my employer and something close to 900,000 nighttime miles driven in the course of my work (50k/yr), I'd been fortunate enough to to be incident/accident free. Until 0440 hours EDT 12/21/2010, that is. While traveling on a rural route at 50-55 mph (posted limit), a driver of a Hyundai was at a complete stop at a stop sign on a residential side street to my right. Just as I was about to pass in front of his car he inexplicably accelerated quickly out in front of me and my vehicle annhilated the Hyundai (I was in a GM full size van). The impact sent my vehicle across the double line into oncoming traffic and it threaded itself in between two oncoming vehicles and continued through to the grass just off the road. My vehicle essentially has no more front end and the engine is off the mounts and protruding into the cab interior. I have never been through anything so loud and violent in my life and I can't remember ever feeling so vulnerable as I did when the initial impact was over and I was sliding sideways in between the cars on the opposite side of the road. Nano-seconds seemed like hours. Just all so surreal. Anyway, when everything came to a stop I was able to step out of the van and take stock of myself. I got a 1/2 inch superficial cut to my left palm and my ears are still ringing. A bruise on my shin about the size of a dime. That is the extent of it. I simply cannot overstate how grateful I am to be alive and truly cannot comprehend how I appear to be essentially uninjured. I am still in the "everything is a bonus" mode and telling myself I will never sweat petty stuff again. Everything is enhanced, if you know what I mean. A few times I've just spontaneously pumped my fists. I can't give my wife and daughters enough hugs. It's all so amazing. I try not to be so wordy that people have to scroll but, oh well. If my superiors will allow me to post pics of the vehicle, which they probably won't, I'll do it. Thanks for reading and be safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kieran Posted December 23, 2010 Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 close call. well done on keeping your head together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebionicman Posted December 23, 2010 Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 Glad you are hear to post your story!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted December 23, 2010 Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 Glad to hear you're OK! What happened with the other driver? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
queequeg Posted December 23, 2010 Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 Glad to hear you are ok - I hope the other driver is ok too. Sounds like it had the potential to be a very bad accident. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
two_ravens Posted December 23, 2010 Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 Amazing story. Like Jimmy said: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp1 Posted December 23, 2010 Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 Dave, glad to hear you are OK! It's a shame :( it is so crazy on the roads at this time of the year. Wishing Everyone :) Safe & Happy Holidays........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dingbat Posted December 23, 2010 Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 I am still in the "everything is a bonus" mode and telling myself I will never sweat petty stuff again. Everything is enhanced, if you know what I mean. Bonus Time! Been there twice. Crazy feeling. So glad you're ok and are still here for your family! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Prokopiw Posted December 23, 2010 Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 this summer.I was driving my usual 50 mile drive home from work and blacked out one mile from home while doing 70mph.I remember seeing the Osburn city limit sign and then waking two hours later in the E.R. with ony a sprained ankle,a slighlty wrenched back and the usual seatbelt bruise. This happened to be three days after I completed my first full length Ironman;so even though catscans showed all was ok,we think my sudden need for a nap had something to do with lingering fatigue;even though I was not feeling sleepy leading up to the crash.The car was totalled, but no one else was with me, and no other cars were involved.One of the weirder things was that the left front wheel,struts and shock ended up coming up through the floor,but all I got from that were some scratches and a mildly sprained ankle. We are a one car family so I actually rode my bike to work for the three weeks it took to get insurance worked out. That added up to 400 miles a week and great speed for my last event.I didn't run or swim for a few weeks after the wreck,so I rode the bike leg on a relay team at the Coeur d' Alene Triathlon.We won the team event(80 teams) and my bike split was the fastest of all team and solo competitors I share your sentiment that it feels like everything from here on out is bonus time;especially when I go skiing with my two little boys today! Happy holidays to all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow 15 Posted December 23, 2010 Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 Glad you are ok Dave. I think you have been very lucky, especially as you were not at fault and I'll tell you why. Part of my work is extracting unfortunate people who have been involved in road collisions, and I have lost count the number of incidents I have attended where the driver at fault walks free while the innocent driver/passenger is trapped in a mangle of metal with horrific injuries. So go and give your family another massive hug. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davekempmeister Posted December 24, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2010 Thanks everyone. I still feel amazing! I called the other driver's cell # that I gleened from the Troopers report and spoke with him briefly last night. He has a torn bicep, some broken ribs, lower extremities may have some ligament damage based on things he said. It's nice that I've reached an age and a point in life where I can call someone that nearly put an end to me and express some genuine concern for his well being. Some years ago I don't think I could quell the emotion and would probably focus too much on the "you could have...., you almost...., etc" Thanks again to all of you for the kind words and relating your own experiences. All the best. Dave Kemp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted December 24, 2010 Report Share Posted December 24, 2010 Dave, thank you for sharing your story. A good reminder to all of us to take a moment to appreciate what we have, especially our friends and families. Given your description of the accident, it takes a big man to call the other driver to check on his condition -- you're a class act. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueB Posted December 24, 2010 Report Share Posted December 24, 2010 Dave, I'm very glad you came out of it unharmed! Enjoy your broadened state of mind! Try to maintain it, or at least to remember it, as it doesn't last... At least not to the full intensity you are experiencing right now. Been there 2 or 3 times... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skatha Posted December 24, 2010 Report Share Posted December 24, 2010 I've been working in ERs for 20 years. During that time, I've seen the injury severity of people in the car drop....Thank the engineers that have designed your vehicle to crumple around you and maintain the integrity of the passenger compartment... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack M Posted December 30, 2010 Report Share Posted December 30, 2010 wow, glad you are ok Dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davekempmeister Posted December 31, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2010 thanks Jack. skatha, after a week + to reflect on it, I am realizing just how right you are about the modern engineering and how I may owe my life to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobdea Posted December 31, 2010 Report Share Posted December 31, 2010 I've been working in ERs for 20 years. During that time, I've seen the injury severity of people in the car drop....Thank the engineers that have designed your vehicle to crumple around you and maintain the integrity of the passenger compartment... yeah, it's pretty amazing. some people have this idea that old cars are somehow safer because they don't crumple...... a few years ago there was a youtube video of crash tests of a couple old cars and then some newer ones. was crazy the new cars crumpled but the dummies were pretty much fine and the older cars looked not too bad but the dummies were in pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobdea Posted December 31, 2010 Report Share Posted December 31, 2010 different video but same thing <object width='428' height='352' classid='clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000' id='SFID016554228495806456'><param name='movie' value='http://www.streetfire.net/flash/SPlayer.swf' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' /><param name='allowScriptAccess' value='always' /><param name='wmode' value='transparent' /><param name='allowfullscreen' value='true' /><param name='FlashVars' value='&video=52f8b3cb-550b-4ffc-b2df-99b300157fe6&servicecfg=386'/><embed src='http://www.streetfire.net/flash/SPlayer.swf' flashvars='video=52f8b3cb-550b-4ffc-b2df-99b300157fe6&servicecfg=386' allowfullscreen='true' wmode='transparent' width='428' height='352' allowscriptaccess='always' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer' /></object><br/><a href='http://www.streetfire.net/video/5th-gear-crash-test-between-a-old-car-and-a-new_134903.htm'>5th gear. Crash test between a old car and a new</a> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aisling Posted December 31, 2010 Report Share Posted December 31, 2010 wow. glad you are ok... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softbootsurfer Posted December 31, 2010 Report Share Posted December 31, 2010 Glad you seem alright! Note: I had an accident 5 years ago and was seriously rear ended. I thought all was fine after some months of Physical Therapy and settled within a year with the insurance company on damages...Then about 6 months later the Siren suddenly started howling in my head (tinnittis sp), it has been loud and constant since and has caused unbelievable stress to my well being. Since I have researched and found that severe whiplash has been noted to cause varying levels off Tinnittis in some cases...please make the insurance company aware that this could be a Future problem perhaps... all the Best to You Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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