GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Sorry for this long winded post but I took it straight from my journal, pics to follow...I was on my way to my friend’s house after school. I turned on to the main street heading towards the overpass to I-8. I noticed that there were several cars slowing on SR-85 and I was at the base of the overpass when I noticed a Semi-truck heading in the same direction. I assumed that I could go past it thinking that most Semi-truck’s go up the incline slower than most cars. I noticed the truck was crossing into my lane and the reaction time was too fast for me to slow down properly. I slammed on the brakes in panic, and the wheels locked up, and I made a split-second decision, to try to veer off the road to avoid the truck. The reaction time was too fast for me to completely avoid anything and I collided with the Overpass guardrail on my left fender. My choices were few and risky, it was either hit the truck causing much more damage, go off the road which I had intended to do and slide into the dirt but I realized the road dropped off so I hesitated and hit the guardrail which was the best thing I could have done in my given situation. Before I realized what had happened, I had already hit the steering wheel on the nose and my head into the windshield at least that’s how I remember it. I honked my horn thinking that maybe the Semi-truck would stop to check on me, which it did not. The Semi-driver continued on the overpass leaving the scene. Immediately a gentleman in a truck who saw the whole incident occur, stopped to check if I was okay. I told him yes and I unbuckled my seatbelt to reach for my phone to call my mom. I was going to get out of the car but he told me just to stay in the car and medics would be coming soon. Two of my classmates from school pulled over and checked everything asked if I was okay and everything and helped with the traffic flow to avoid any other potential hazards or goose necking. Later I was told that the man in the truck had called D.P.S. (Department of Public Safety) and they had found the truck and driver. Another gentleman and a woman came up to me and asked if I was okay and I told them yes. She told me that she saw everything, and that he pulled in front of them also, causing them to slam on their brakes. The man she was with gave me his card and told me in case I needed a witness. One of my best friends along with her mom had heard about the accident, and came to my side for emotional support. They gave me a cool wet rag to place on my forehead or face or whatnot. The ambulance came and proceeded with follow up questions . I told them that I was fine just a little shaken-up. They put a neck brace on me and on a back-board thing and put me in the ambulance. The police officer took my wallet out of my pocket for my license and whatnot. The paramedics told me that it’s recommended that I go to the hospital for a check up. I arrived at the West Valley Emergency center and I was checked on by the doctor. Everything checked out fine and I was later told by my mom that the witness had told her I had hit the guardrail at maybe 10-15 miles per hour. I couldn’t recall if I was wearing my seatbelt or how fast I was driving. I asked Liz later if she remembered me putting it on at the post office and she said she thought that I did and recalled me reaching for it. Me and mom couldn’t figure out why I had hit the windshield instead of it catching me. I told her that I remembered that I hadn’t exactly slammed on the brakes, so maybe that could have been the possible reason the seatbelt didn’t catch properly. The airbag did not inflate either and the witness told us that it should have. He told us he was from an insurance company. By the way I’m just writing this from the top of my head in the most sensible manner that I can. I realized how lucky I was surviving something that could have been way more serious.

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From what I can tell, the airbag should not have deployed. You hit the rail in a side-swipe motion. The airbag sensors are designed to deploy in the event of a head-on collision, or at least one more in line with the front of the car.It's a tough call, not knowing how the car actually made it's initial impact.Most importantly, though, you're ok, and your car (hopefully) can be saved.When I crashed my sunfire, the guy at the body shop that towed it said if the airbags go off, most insurance companies automatically total it out. Airbags are so expensive to replace, they are often the deciding factor in whether or not a car is salvaged or totaled.Since yours did not go off, hopefully you can be salvaged!

Hey raging....Did your Sunfire do pretty well in the wreck? I've heard they don't, I have one and I get kind of nervous driving it in case of an accident.

Car saved my life. Front end of it was gone. Minimal intrusion (if any) into the passenger cabin. Both airbags went off...but I never even made contact with it, because I sit far back from the wheel...I walked away...the car, unfortunately, was put to rest...

Well, thank heavens you're OK. That's the most important part.

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Who cares about the long post... just glad you are ok. That's what matters!

Welcome to the Vibe Accident club. It's not much fun. It's going to take about three weeks for them to put it back together again. Make sure they have the official "factory" color... that's my advice.

First off nice to hear you are ok.... I can give you two possible (most probable) reasons your head hit the windshield. If I could view the seat belt and "D" ring I might be able to give you a better answer as to seatbelt usage. As for the Airbag there are too many variables to give a good explaination of why it did not go off... But that is not unusual given the damge profile I see in the picture and the speeds you were estimated at. If you want I can give you some reason it probalby did not go off but they would take a long time to write in here. (bunch of technical stuff on how airbags and the sensors compute crash data)1. You were not wearing your seat belt.2. You were not wearing your seat belt properly.All seatbelts are designed to restrain the ocupant even in low speed impacts. They will lock up with even moderately hard breaking. If the seat belt is being worn properly it will keep you from striking the windshield/steering wheel/dash. (unless you are extremely tall or it is an extremely violent crash). If the seat belt is not being worn properly or is poorly adjusted it can allow enough movement in your body to allow you to strike the steering wheel and/or windshield. A seatbelt must be worn properly to provide it intended level of restraint. A large number of people do not wear seatbelt properly or securely fastened.Rob QuilleyCollision Analyst

quote: I couldn’t recall if I was wearing my seatbelt All I can say is you should NEVER even have to think about it. If the car is moving then YOU ARE BUCKLED! no question about it!

Glad to see that you are ok. Scary moment though.

quote:Who cares about the long post... just glad you are ok. That's what matters!Ditto....glad to see your ok!

Well, glad to know you're ok. Going buy the pics you posted:1. there's no reason why the airbags should have gone off.2. there is no way you could have been wearing your seatbelt.Many people here have complained about the seatbelts being too-sensitive and locking too easily under moderate braking. You got lucky. Be safe.

My mom called one of the witnesses, he told her there were five people in his car, they all saw what happened, that I was going the indicated speed. They all saw the truck driver look right at me traveling in that direction. He told my mom that If I had not pulled over and I had hit the truck I would have been killed. I was wearing my seatbelt because my messenger bag was in the back seat and I could not reach it with my seatbelt on, which was after the accident. I ALWAYS wear my seatbelt. We found that we have gap insurance so if the car is totaled it gets paid off. The DR Report isn't completed yet but my mom talked to the Sheriff's it was stated that I was not wearing my seatbelt. Since nobody got the license plate, when they pulled the driver over he denied the WHOLE thing, so they did not cite him. The Sheriff told us that they have no way of knowing where the trucks are at every given time. That's untrue, then what do they have trucking dispatchers for they have to have a disignated route which is ridiculous. They still have his contact info. license etc. Mom is going to contact the CRT trucking company. Me and mom are hesitant about rebuilding my car, we both love it but, we are wondering if it's even going to be the same. I may not be a vibe owner for much longer. Let you all know how it goes.