Well, I don't mean to turn this into a game of "can you top this?", but ...

I too had a daughter get hit from behind. On her first driving lesson.

- it took her quite a while to get back behind the wheel
- it nearly made the driving instructor quit his driving lesson business

Some doofus not paying attention (what else?) rammed her as she slowed down for a car turning right.

You win Chuck, can't top that one! Hope she was ok physically. A rearender can really mess up your neck.

I had to confess to my wife after she told me about her bumper bender, that if our car was going to be in an accident, I hoped it would result in the car being "totaled" so we could move up to an 06. But I suppose that requires someone to get hurt pretty bad. Don't want that.

Kansas, not as flat as you think...

When the insurance rep I spoke with old me it was an "act of god", I was tempted to say "which one? Odin? Zeus?", but I wisely bit my tongue. Maybe they need to change the phrase to an "act of intelligent design", or an "act of a very cruel and vengeful god". ok, i'll stop.

Even though I was upset about the car (it can be fixed), I was actually more upset about killing the deer (it can't be).

When I was first driving, I hydroplaned off of I-95 in very light rain. i had the car going very slowly by the time it came to a rest, unfortunately, it found the only retention pond for miles to rest in. not a dent on the car anywhere, no injuries whatsoever (15mph impact) but it was totalled due to water damage. I didn't drive in the rain again for three years, and still find a place to stop and eat during our florida afternoon thunderstorms

Wow Karen! I might have to take a vacation down in Florida. I might get to move up to an 06 yet.

Kansas, not as flat as you think...

I'm in the same boat... I've been looking for an excuse to pick up an '06. Be careful what you wish for, right?

I got rear-ended this past Thursday. I was stopped, waiting for a light, and the next thing I knew, I was wondering why I was hitting the car in front of me. I don't think the guy who hit me even slowed down!

I'm ok... just incredibly sore and bruised. My poor, sweet HCH is trashed, though. Both ends smashed in. I feel kind of cheated because the air bags didn't go off... but I've been told that I didn't miss much.
I guess the lesson here is crumple zones are our friends!

First accident in my Hybrid (bought end of 03) was just a couple of months ago. I was driving on the freeway and there was WHEEL bouncing down the road (not just tire, the entire wheel, with hubcap and everything!) I couldn't avoid it! It hit my right front bumper and tore a small hole in it. Shook me up pretty good, but luckily did no more than that. I never saw a car missing a wheel or anything that it could have come from. It went on to cause a more serious accident behind me (I heard the reports and saw the CHP).

It cost about $700 to fix; insurance covered everything above my deductable ($500) and said it was not my fault because the thing was moving. If it had not been moving, I would have been at fault. I did get it fixed, and everything looks great again. The repair shop even glued my HOV sticker back on so I didn't have to order a replacement sticker.

I still get scared thinking about what that thing could have done to my car and to me! Everything from smashing the headlight to smashing through my windshield! Not that I was a bad driver before , but I am much more cautious now when people in front of me slow for no apparent reason.

--A

This happened to me, too! I was in my first Honda Civic... Generation 1 !!! (1976). I was headed down the 57 freeway (So Cal) just after sunset with a big van about 3 car lengths ahead of me and one lane over to the right. Next thing I know, I see a shower of bright sparks and a disk growing from the center of the sparks. Seems the van wheel fell off, the sparks were from the brake drum and the disk was the wheel getting closer and closer to me! The wheel bounced just in front of my car, then it skipped completely over and bounced behind me.

It never touched me, but I often wonder what would have happened if I had been 1/4 second ahead or behind my actual position. Scary stuff, and it stays with you for years (at least 25; this happened in 1981!).

I was stopped at a stop light in my '04 HCH when a Ford F-250 rear ended me. Car got pretty messed up (I never even had an ache, thank you crumple zone) but was only $7,000 so they did not total it...darn hybrids hold their value.

Since it was not my fault I fought for diminished value and was able to buy an '06 without raising my payment and without extending my loan (traded mine in and the ins $ went to down payment).

I also got to cancel my extended warranty that I paid $1,600 for that did not even cover my hybrid batteries (lying finance guy at the dealer) and got a pro-rated refund that will more than cover my new HondaCare warranty (almost $300 over the new warranty).

I guess I really made out and should call the guy and thank him for not paying attention.

Wow, same thing happened to me! (I avoided the rim though) It was dusk and I was living in Guam when a truck in front of the truck in front of me lost a rim. I saw teh low rider truck in front of me bounce over the rim and then swerve into the jungle then the taillights dissapeared into the brush. I swerved around the rim then pulled over to see if everyone one was OK. They just hopped out of the truck and made their way out of the jungle and said they were OK. I then asked if they needed help like getting towed out (I had a 4WD Suzuki Sidekick). They said, "No" in such a calm manner it made us think that sort of thing happened everyday.

'00 Insight "Wazabi" -75,000+ miles
'03 Toyota Matrix - 81,000+ miles
'03 HCH-CVT-OSBM-41,000+ miles (retired 04-10-06)
"I'm very secure with my little Insight, no Prius envy here."