Scary thing that happened

K

KeikiHula

New member

• Oct 12, 2005

• #1

I was driving home from a friend's tonight in my Durango on a dirt road (most of the roads around here are not paved) going the speed limit (usually between 35-45) and came to a corner, so I started to slow down. The whole road was pot holes and my car started to jump to the side, and since my foot was already on the brake, the bouncing made my hit the brakes harder than I wanted to. That made the brakes almost lock up, and mixed with my car already jumping through the corner, I ended up sideways and sliding. I was able to steer out of it and only fish tailed a little, but since it was so bouncey, I slammed my shoulder into the pillar behind the seat, and my seatbelt locked up so now I have a big bruise across my chest from being thrown into the seatbelt. As sore as I am from this, I am TERRIFIED to get into an accident (I've never been in one). It also is making me really rethink having Morgan in a booster. I am a pretty big girl weight wise, but I'm only 5'3" and seatbelts never fit me right. I feel like the seatbelt didn't hold me nearly as well as it should have. It makes me really wonder how safe all these kids are who are in boosters b/c they fit it weight wise, but maybe not size wise.

 

J

joyride

Member

• Oct 12, 2005

• #2

You should let check your cars dumper (shock absorber, don´t really know how it´s called). That doesn´t sound normal to me!
Joy

 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

• Oct 12, 2005

• #3

Yikes, Holly! That sounds about as bad (worse, since you are bruised!) as a 45mph side impact crash I was in (I wasn't injured *at all*, but my car was about 5 dollars from being 'totalled')...
Isn't Morgan in a BG? Parkway? she's way better protected than YOU were! Still, I know the feeling... that's why I have my kids in Huskies.

Yup, get your car checked out.. either something WAS wrong, or it could BE wrong, after that kind of stress...better to be safe than sorry, either way.

(((HUGS)))

 

scatterbunny

New member

• Oct 12, 2005

• #4

((hugs)) How scary! I'm glad you are safe, and that it wasn't worse.

 

K

KeikiHula

New member

• Oct 12, 2005

• #5

We decided when we bought it that it needed new tires and shocks. The shocks are pretty worn out and the tires are soft street tires. Fine if you live right in town, but most of our driving is almost 4 wheel drive. lol Gotta love Northern Idaho roads We have been waiting for the begining of Oct when you can put your winter tires on so we didn't have to buy 2 new sets of tires within a month. So now I can take it in and get the new tires and shocks (also had to wait til we had the money). I'm also going to have them check the antilocks, b/c I think they locked up. I've been having problems with them grabbing when I am going really slow, like going into a parking space, where you're putting on the brakes really lightly.

I figure Morgan is safer than me in his BG, but it still freaks me out and makes me want to put him in a Husky. My friend was in a an accident under similar conditions, except he was being stupid and going WAY too fast. He flipped his car end over end 5 times and ended up upside down against a tree. The lucky idiot was totally fine, and the only injuries he got were from unbuckling his seatbelt upside down and smacking his head/shoulder on the roof of the car. I think that's what upsets me the most. If I had been going faster or not paying attention, I could have easily flipped my car.

 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

• Oct 12, 2005

• #6

<blush> I should have remembered Morgan's a boy <blush>

 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member

• Oct 12, 2005

• #7

Wow - I'm so glad you're both OK ... I have been in 2 accidents where the vehicles were totalled (1 the day I got my lisence & the other when I fainted at the wheel because of some medication that the pharmacist didn't explain *SIGH*) so I'm an absolute mess in hazardous conditions ... this is why I'm anal about carseats, LOL - anyway, excellent you're not hurt!!

 

J

j4m4d8

New member

• Oct 12, 2005

• #8

Oooh, that kind of thing is so scary! Definitely get the ABS checked out--we had trouble with ours last spring--the mechanic had us pull the fuse for the ABS while they ordered the part so it wouldn't suddenly start braking again.

Anyway, glad it wasn't worse and that you're OK.

((hugs))

Julie

 

S

Smiles365

Senior Community Member

• Oct 12, 2005

• #9

Ouch! Glad you are okay and getting it all checked out! Let us know what they say about the brakes and all. (((HUGS)))
~Sarah~

 

SafeDad

CPSDarren - Admin

Staff member

• Oct 12, 2005

• #10

Wow. Glad all turned out OK- hope they can resolve the issue.

 

K

KeikiHula

New member

• Oct 13, 2005

• #11

joolsplus2 said:

<blush> I should have remembered Morgan's a boy <blush>

Click to expand...

heehee that's ok, I know of girl Cody's too. I never knew of a girl Morgan (except Morgan Fairchild) until after we named him that, and then everyone we run into tells us "I have a neice/grandaughter/(girl)friend named Morgan" and one little girl in a play group FREAKED when she found out he was a ~gasp~ BOY Morgan, b/c she was a GIRL Morgan. LOL Cracks me up! There was also a little girl in his preschool last year that informed me "Morgan is a GIRL'S name, not a BOY'S ". Oh well, it was the only name that neither dh or I hated.... and we named him that after watching Wyatt Earp too many times while I was on bedrest.

 

K

KeikiHula

New member

• Oct 14, 2005

• #12

Update

I took my car in today and got the new shocks. It drives a little stiffer and bumpier, and I swear it also sits higher! LOL I haven't taken it back on a bad dirt road yet (I probably will have to tomorrow though), so I don't know if it's really handling any better.
I also took it in to the dealership to get a recall fixed and also had them check out the brakes. The service guy was kind of a jerk (I got the typical woman who obviously doesn't know what she's taking about attitude ), and when I went to pick it up, he told me the brakes looked fine and there was still plenty of wear left. I don't see how they can check to see if there's something wrong with the ABS by looking at the brake pads...sigh.... and his explanation for why they locked up was that I was on a dirt road and slid on gravel, and since it has AWD, when I started sliding, the AWD caused the brakes to lock....whatever....So I'm not real sure what to do now. I think tomorrow I will try and find a brake place in town and see what they say.
So that's my update. I've got the new shocks and got a couple quotes for new tires. $600 later....sigh....

 

SafeDad

CPSDarren - Admin

Staff member

• Oct 14, 2005

• #13

There are surfaces, such as loose pea gravel, where ABS will actually result in longer stopping distances. It doesn't really sound like the issue with your car, though.

 

K

KeikiHula

New member

• Oct 14, 2005

• #14

I'm not crazy about ABS to begin with. I've always had older cars without it and yeah, if you slam on the brakes they lock up, but both cars I've had *with* ABS have had problems with the brakes locking at REALLY bad times. I've had them both lock up on me while going really slow through a parking lot, and now this. I know ABS is supposed to prevent the brakes from locking if you slam on them, and in theory it's a good idea, but so far I've never had them work right!