Well we were driving on I85 in Greensboro and a guy in a pickup had an unsecured load. Wind gust and then next thing you know stuff came flying out and hit the front of the Mariner, and the windshield. Talked to the service guys and it looks like I just lost the AC condenser. But because the system lost pressure they say that it shouldn't be driven because of the AC system for the hybrid system? Thats fine with me, as long as the insurance company agrees.

Now for the funny of the day. What got smashed against the front of my Mariner? A 3ft tall statue of Jesus...


I have already heard all the jokes about it being an act of god...

PS The insurance adjuster called and stated that falling objects are considered to be an "act of god." When I stopped laughing, I told her what hit the car... She said this is a first...

Depending on which end hit the condenser, I might be able to charge admission...

Yep. You need a functioning AC system for the hybrid battery, even if otherwise it is relatively cool outside. Hopefully, the insurance people realize that, and that for a hybrid, the AC system isn't just for passenger comfort.

Best single LD trip: 35.3mpg

Bummer. I took a 3 foot diameter sheet of ice off the top of a motor home in the windshield of my Explorer at 70 miles per hour. Fortunately, it did not come all the way through, but I know how heart stopping those seconds before and after are. Hope it all works out OK for you.

Well thankfully no one got hurt, and we all can laugh about it... If we had been going a bit faster or slower it wouldn't have been the radiator, it could have been the windshield

Thanks for the laugh (sorry about the damage though). Hopefully the person who was loosing all their stuff stopped so maybe their insurance will pay for your damages if your insurance company will not cover acts of God (or his son).

Maybe if you tell them it was a statue of "Hey Zues" instead of Jesus that "jumped" out of the truck trying to commit sue-a-side or was high on crack & thought your logo was a water fall & wanted to cool off, maybe they will cover the damages then?!?

I'm just glad you're all right. My, that's scary.

You know, IL is one of the only states (the only state??) that lets trucks drive around with loads of whatever the heck they want without even so much as putting a tarp over it. The resulting cacophony of gravel and other detritus dribbling off the back of so many of our construction trucks is absolutely terrifying sometimes. How can they possibly afford to do business like that, I wonder? Not to mention the resulting piles of garbage that must be scooped up by snowplows and such every year on our roads- it boggles the mind. Those little rocks can crack windshields, lodge in mirrors or rattle in the undercarriage- it's a miracle it doesn't do more serious damage, too. Though it probably does, sometimes.

A few years ago a friend of a friends car got totaled driving down the highway when a washing machine fell off a truck. They were ok but the car was not.

There are shoes, chairs, matrices, clothes & who knows what all on the sides of the roads & highways from stuff falling off or out of cars & trucks.

Earlier this year driving to work, my F150 I was selling took a nice rock to the windshield. The year prior I replaced that windshield & another one due to rocks on the highway getting kicked up by trucks.

At least in the greater Denver area the only disadvantage I know of not covering your load is they charge you more at the dump Vs a covered load.


When I was telling my wife about your ordeal it reminded us of a insurance commercial where a tree falls on the guy’s car but his policy only covers a small Ficus tree. I really do hope for you things get covered one way or the other.

It is the same way here in PA too.

Dump trucks, fully loaded to their brim with gravel, cruise our highways, "spilling" gravel onto the cars behind them, whenever the truck hits a bump or seam in the road surface. And apparently, they are not responsible for damage caused by the flying gravel because the law considers it to be an expected road hazard (I forget what the exact legal term is).

They had a writeup about it, in our local paper a few years back.

Best single LD trip: 35.3mpg

I don't see how it could be an act of God. It was not a natural act. It was not secured by the owner of the truck. The truck owner is negligent.

Ducit Amour Hybridae
Mark Smith
Master Certifited Technician
Tempus non reparabilis fugit
"It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it."

Best Tank 35.0 MPG

I agree with Mark, even the gravel trucks are culpable if you can prove it came from their truck!

2008 FWD Escape Hybrid