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Vampire
Free Worlds League
Lieutenant Colonel
Joined: 05-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 917
Location: Spain
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 Posted: 08-Jul-2002 14:10 Post subject: My brush with death (OOC) |
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When driving to the coast on vacation, alone, last friday, at 15:25 hours I had a car accident.
I was driving on a stretch of highway, straight as an arrow, flat as Cadet's encephalogram  (just kidding) and deserted as a public library when a sudden gust of lateral wind (I had just came down from the mountain pass) made me lose control of the car, I described "S" turns for 200 meters struggling to keep it under control until another gust of wind made me swerve to the right and slam at a right angle into the right side barrier at 160 km/h (100 miles per hour). I smashed to bits the concrete foundation and five sections of railing (not to mention my right front wheel) and literally flew through the air, the car spinning wildy , I went at least through two full turns in the air, before landing again, when the axis broke and I lost another two wheels, spinning on the ground three more times before coming to a rest in the middle of the two ways, blocking one lane. I left bits of the wreckage of the car spilled all over 100 meters.
Fortunately enough, there were no other cars passing at that right moment.
To the astonishment of the people that rushed into my aid and the passersby and everybody that afterwards saw the wreckage of the car, I scaped without a scratch!  I even had the presence of mind of turning out the ignition and bailing out of the car in case it would catch fire, and removing the pieces of wreckage that posed a hazard on the road.
Honestly, since I walked out of it unhurt, I thought it hadn't been so bad, when I was flying through the air I remember thinking something along the lines of "I wish the world would stop moving"
And my first thought after getting out of the car was "shit, there goes my new car"
It was only after I saw the faces of the people and took a good look at the damage that I began to realize how bad it was.
It was a freak accident, really bad luck, or so I thought, I was later told by the insurance company that several other accidents have happened in that stretch due to the strong winds, with three deaths to date.
Since I got out of it unharmed, the reaction is to downplay it, beginning with me "it cannot having been so bad if there are no injuries". But after being told by the police, witnesses and friends how amazed they are that I hadn't plowed into the roadside, crushing the car, or rolled over after either of the hits wich would have been certain death, I have realized what an incredible luck, I have had, if not a outright miracle. I have been very, very close to death. Surviving an accident at that speed is almost unheard of, or so I'm told.
As for the damage, it seems that the wheels absorbed most of the energy of the crash, the engine block and the crew space are unharmed, hell, the windows are intact. But I'm afraid the car is totalled, fortunately, it's insured, but it was new, it had less than 8.000 km
One very odd thing is that the airbag did NOT fire
I'm enjoying now my holidays and the new lease on life I've been given 
See you
_________________
Memento audare semper
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Talen
Capellan Confederation
Sang-shao
Joined: 05-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 1269
Location: United States
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| Posted: 08-Jul-2002 14:33 Post subject: My brush with death (OOC) |
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Wow...thats closer than mine a few weeks ago. Glad you are still alive... er...Undead...um . Glad you are still Vampire!
BTW...what kind of car?
_________________
"Historians exercise great power and some of them know it. They recreate the past, changing it to fit their own interpretations. Thus, they change the future as well." - Leto II
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chihawk
Clan Blood Spirit
Master Bartender
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 8081
Location: United States
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| Posted: 08-Jul-2002 15:59 Post subject: My brush with death (OOC) |
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I think you can have a drink on the house after that.
Glad to hear you're OK.
_________________
www.210sportsblog.com
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Ronin
ComStar
Colonel
Joined: 05-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 908
Location: United States
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| Posted: 08-Jul-2002 16:41 Post subject: My brush with death (OOC) |
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Only a Vampire could go through something like that without a scratch.
Wow.
Now if this stretch of road had been in the U.S., you know there would have been lawsuits by now against anyone even remotely involved: the car company, the tire company, the company that makes the airbag system, whoever made the road, whoever designed the road, whoever puts up the traffic signs...
Of course, for Vampire to do that, he'd have to push his luck
Ronin
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Gangrene
Federated Suns
Leftenant General
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 939
Location: United States
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| Posted: 08-Jul-2002 16:43 Post subject: My brush with death (OOC) |
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Nice to hear you didn't get staked
You might want to ease up on the gas pedal.
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Gangrene
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Karagin
Imperial Karagin Army
Imperial General
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 4120
Location: United States
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| Posted: 08-Jul-2002 16:52 Post subject: My brush with death (OOC) |
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Wow! You must have some one watching out for you...
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Karagin
Only the dead have seen the end of war. - Plato
"Wasted trip Man. Nobody said nuthin' about lockin' horns with no tigers." Oddball
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Cadet
ComStar
Lieutenant, SG
Joined: 17-Mar-2002 00:00
Posts: 495
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| Posted: 08-Jul-2002 17:11 Post subject: My brush with death (OOC) |
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Bah! It would have been a good story IF it had burst into a magnificant fireball and you had been blown at least 100 meters from the car...
...then I'd have been impressed.
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I'm not family friendly. That's why I don't post here.
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Nightmare
Lyran Alliance
Kommandant-General
Joined: 03-May-2002 00:00
Posts: 2214
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| Posted: 08-Jul-2002 17:21 Post subject: My brush with death (OOC) |
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Congratulations on having some excellent luck there! Although I wonder why the hell you needed to be going 160 km/h?
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A tree fall in the forest, and no one is around, and it hits a mime. Does anyone care?
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chihawk
Clan Blood Spirit
Master Bartender
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 8081
Location: United States
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| Posted: 08-Jul-2002 17:34 Post subject: My brush with death (OOC) |
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OOOOOO!!!! I can answer that!!!
Because he can. 
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www.210sportsblog.com
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Ruger
Lyran Alliance
Hauptmann General
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 2104
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| Posted: 08-Jul-2002 17:51 Post subject: My brush with death (OOC) |
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Quote:
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On 2002-07-08 17:34, chihawk wrote:
OOOOOO!!!! I can answer that!!!
Because he can.
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Is there a more important reason than that? 
Glad to hear you survived, Vamp...
Ruger
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Vagabond
Mercenary
Mr. Referee
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 5792
Location: United States
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| Posted: 08-Jul-2002 22:27 Post subject: My brush with death (OOC) |
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Quote:
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On 2002-07-08 17:11, Cadet wrote:
Bah! It would have been a good story IF it had burst into a magnificant fireball and you had been blown at least 100 meters from the car...
...then I'd have been impressed.
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i'm highly offended........
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one must work hard to cultivate the mind and body. and one must always cultivate the mind.
//^(^_^)^\\
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jymset
Scavenger
in pursuit of LosTech
Joined: 05-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 956
Location: Germany
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| Posted: 09-Jul-2002 06:00 Post subject: My brush with death (OOC) |
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Man, I'm glad you came out of that one alive.... At 100 mp/h on an Autobahn, not a chance. Actually, at 100 mp/h anywhere....amazing.....
BTW, let's set this straight, for the Amercians..... I don't know about Spain, but the speed limits in Germany are: City - 50 km/h (1 mile = 1.609 km); country - 100 km/h; Autobahn (= freeway) - no speed limit.
There is a recommended top speed of 130, but that is only used for legal questions after accidents....and so far Vampire is the only one I know of to have survived one at speeds better than that.
Last note: Not all Europeans are crazy. These are the limits for Germany, I don't know about Spain, the only other place I know for sure is France, and they're all snails over there (50/90/100 being the respective speeds).
_________________
"Rear armour is defeatist!" - unknown Kuritan Mechwarrior
The AC5 is a great gun!
On heat, 3025 style:
A Rifleman knows no heat.
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MEX
Clan Blood Spirit
Star Colonel
Joined: 21-Mar-2002 00:00
Posts: 440
Location: Austria
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| Posted: 09-Jul-2002 06:03 Post subject: My brush with death (OOC) |
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Quote:
| On 2002-07-08 17:21, Nightmare wrote:
Although I wonder why the hell you needed to be going 160 km/h? |
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Isn't Vampire from Spain, Europe ?
Here in Europe we usuall drive our cars faster than walking speed
In Austria, 130 km/h are allowed ( often they catch drivers with much more than 200 km/h at our highways ).
In Germany they dont even have a absolute speed limit. If you car is fast enough, and the circumstances allow it, you can even drive 300 km/h or faster.
European Speed Limits
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MEX
Clan Blood Spirit
Star Colonel
Joined: 21-Mar-2002 00:00
Posts: 440
Location: Austria
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| Posted: 09-Jul-2002 06:10 Post subject: My brush with death (OOC) |
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Quote:
| On 2002-07-08 14:10, Vampire wrote:
... and slam at a right angle into the right side barrier at 160 km/h....
I'm afraid the car is totalled, fortunately, it's insured, but it was new, it had less than 8.000 km
One very odd thing is that the airbag did NOT fire |
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What type of car was it ?
And did you know why the airbag didn't fire ?
MfG, MEX
P.S.: Congratulations to your 2nd Birthday
Now you can celebrate birthday two times per year.
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Vagabond
Mercenary
Mr. Referee
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 5792
Location: United States
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| Posted: 09-Jul-2002 06:32 Post subject: My brush with death (OOC) |
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Quote:
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On 2002-07-09 06:00, jymset wrote:
and so far Vampire is the only one I know of to have survived one at speeds better than that.
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well i guess i count...... head on impact by another vehicle, combined speed of 108mph. both vehicles being 1ton trucks.
it hurts, and no the car catching on fire is not a cool thing.
_________________
one must work hard to cultivate the mind and body. and one must always cultivate the mind.
//^(^_^)^\\
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