quote:
but think of the money! 
I've been in loads of crashes (few were my fault) best to just forget about it and get on with things.
[Edited on 13/12/07 by Mr Whippy]
davidosullivan - 13/12/07 at 03:57 PM
Jeeeeees....
Glad your both alright, hope your back to full health soon.
Same thing happened to me about 2 years ago.
"Lorry turning in the road ahead, so I slow down, he takes his own sweet time so I come to a full stop (I even put my handbrake on!) Anyway a
good 3/4 seconds later I hear 'SCREATCH/BANG' and my little micra gets shovelled a good way down the road by a 4x4. Once I've worked
out whats happened I get out. The lorry driver has gone. The woman in the 4x4 gets out with her kids and says 'I'm sorry I just didn't
see you(r bright cherry red micra at 3.30pm on a well lit afternoon) Its totally my fault'. I reckon she was doing 40 in the 30 on the way back
from school. I was fine, car was a bit mashed (nothing like yours). Police couldnt give a turkeys giblets. Despite the fact we where about 10ft
infront of a zebra crossing. Guess it was a good job no kids had been crossing.
Sorry did I go off on a rant? Hope you get the car sorted soon, not the best Christmas pressie!
onzarob - 13/12/07 at 03:59 PM
Ouch, hope the neck clears up quickly, i had a rear end in my midget and the guy suggested my lights weren't bright enough!!!!
The police don't get invovled unless
a) someone is seriously hurt or properrty (not the cars) is damaged.
b) someone has been drinking!!!!
The seat going back like that can be right
[Edited on 13-12-2007 by onzarob]
BenB - 13/12/07 at 04:00 PM
But- on the other hand- a lot of the injury of whiplash results from hyperflexion (after all, your body is restrained by the seat belt and the head
rest should prevent excessive extension) ... And if your body isn't going forwards or your head isn't going backwards you're not
extending your neck 
The hyperflexion usually occurs during the deceleration phase immediately proceeding the impact. So the seat going backwards
would have actually have taken up some of the shunt (in that the backwards movement would have negated some of the forwards acceleration from the
rear-impact) therein reducing hyperflexion... Admittedly I'm not sure that's an Alfa design feature!!!
A bit of T-cut and it'll be good as new!!!!
nib1980 - 13/12/07 at 04:07 PM
quote:
Originally posted by BenB
But- on the other hand- a lot of the injury of whiplash results from hyperflexion (after all, your body is restrained by the seat belt and the head
rest should prevent excessive extension) ... And if your body isn't going forwards or your head isn't going backwards you're not
extending your neck The hyperflexion usually occurs during the deceleration phase immediately proceeding the impact. So the seat going backwards
would have actually have taken up some of the shunt (in that the backwards movement would have negated some of the forwards acceleration from the
rear-impact) therein reducing hyperflexion... Admittedly I'm not sure that's an Alfa design feature!!!
A bit of T-cut and it'll be good as new!!!!
very true, ironically the Alfa has a very good Active headrest, and is used as a model by a number of OEMs. I still maintain alfas, seat should not
have collapsed, most OEMs test for rear impact as a matter of course and seat collapse is not acceptable
02GF74 - 13/12/07 at 04:19 PM
good job you're all ok; tis the time of year when people leave brain at home before going out to drive; if you cannot see where you are going,
then perhaps you should not be driving? stoopid woman.
wait until it is a bit frosty and we see thos tw**ts who make a 10 p sized cricle in the ice covering the side windows and windscreen and hack on at
40 mph!
any pics of the X5?
PS first dibs on the engine.
Guinness - 13/12/07 at 04:20 PM
Hi Mark, sorry to hear about your accident.
Hope you get it sorted / feel better for Christmas.
Cheers
Mike
westcost1 - 13/12/07 at 04:29 PM
Ouch I love the gts look so nice. The seat thing is a bit of a concern! Shorley that cant help back – neck injuries! Hope you got a witness or 2 as
she is bound to say it was your fault at a later date. That’s what happened to me and I still don’t have my excess back 3 months later. My witness
has got so pissed off with all the letters calls to her ect she has backing down. if only some people looked in the right direction (forwards) when
driving and pulling out of a junction!!! 
[Edited on 13/12/07 by westcost1]
mookaloid - 13/12/07 at 04:43 PM
Thanks for all the sympathy guys 
Photo of the BMW
Description
Can't see a lot of damage but the radiator and power steering were bust at least.
Cheers
Mark
onzarob - 13/12/07 at 05:05 PM
The Angle of the sun can be clearly worked out from your photos, bet she was looking at the kids in the back
indykid - 13/12/07 at 05:17 PM
quote:
Originally posted by onzarob
The Angle of the sun can be clearly worked out from your photos, bet she was looking at the kids in the back
the long shadows cast into the picture of the photographer suggest the sun is low, and behind........so i guess sun in her eyes is reasonably
plausible, but not excusable.
sorry to hear it anyway mr mook.
tom
nick205 - 13/12/07 at 05:18 PM
Sorry to hear about that Mark, but glad you're both OK.
The rear end damage to your car looks pretty severe for a 30mph incident - even taking into account the size/weight of an X5. Did she even get on the
brakes?
Paul (Notts) - 13/12/07 at 05:19 PM
The seat failure is very concerning. In the event of a rear impact the seat is meant to ensure you move ( along with your head ) forward at the same
rate as the car. As your seat failed in what was only a low speed impact IT HAS TO BE FAULTY OR POOR DESIGN AND UNFIT FOR THE JOB. With the back of
the seat failing you will have suffered neck/head and back injuries that would not have occurred if it had done its job.
Get in touch with Alfa and send them an email with pics straight away – They should certainly want to see why the seat failed. Also If your sure the
seat failed get in touch with Watchdog or Topgear, and inform Alfa that you have done this.
Most important – If the headaches continue or you feel nauseous then go back to the docs because you will probably have concussion – possibly because
the seat failed.
Paul
Hellfire - 13/12/07 at 05:29 PM
Hi Mark - good to see you are fine (even though that gorgeous car isn't). FTR - Whiplash is a generic term used for RTA's. It's
definition means absolutely nothing.
Must agree with commentators regarding the andgle of the sun and it's problems. But it begs the question if she couldn't see why didn't
she slow down - stupid bitch run around in the dark does she??? With kids in the back she ought to know better.
One of the traits of a 4x4 i guess - higher vehicle, more weight, wide tyres in the wet/damp = less chance of stopping in time. Glad you're ok -
but I hope they hang her out to dry - lay it on REALLY thick and maybe this time next year you will have a decent insurance payout. Looks like a
couple of grand there minimum (just for you) then there's the missus (4-5K total). Stop it out of her personal allowance - it looks like she can
afford it!
Now get round the back and connect those disconnected brake lights back up!!!
Steve
ruskino80 - 13/12/07 at 05:56 PM
i drove up there this morning into killinghall and the sun there is indeed a devil.glad your ok.
rusty nuts - 13/12/07 at 06:35 PM
quote:
Originally posted by indykid
quote:
Originally posted by onzarob
The Angle of the sun can be clearly worked out from your photos, bet she was looking at the kids in the back
the long shadows cast into the picture of the photographer suggest the sun is low, and behind........so i guess sun in her eyes is reasonably
plausible, but not excusable.
sorry to hear it anyway mr mook.
tom
Not if you look at the shadow, possibly of the photographer? the sun is behind him.
Hope you recover soon, as for the seats collapsing that would be the case hardened spaghetti.
smart51 - 13/12/07 at 06:39 PM
I had a volvo estate pull out on me from a side street when I was cycling one time. I yelled "oi" so loud I startled myself and slapped the
side of his car as hard as I could. He stopped pretty quickly and said "sorry, I didn't see you" as if that was quite acceptable.
Some people eh?
Johnmor - 13/12/07 at 07:12 PM
Glad to hear everyones ok, an X5 is a serious piece of kit to get hit in the arse with.
On a very minor, and probably irritating point RTAs are now called RTCs,
The insuance industy dont like the term accident, Its always someones fault.!
mookaloid - 13/12/07 at 07:25 PM
The sun was a real problem that morning - it's true and a regular thing at time of year. It's also true that there is usually a queue of
traffic at that spot.
However I and many other motorists were able to safely negotiate the hazard
This driver - clearly unfamiliar (as she lives about 2 miles away) with the road just drove straight into us and has been said didn't even see us
before hitting. so no skidding as no brakes were applied.
In my book that's careless driving but it's obviously not up to me
Cheers
Mark
mookaloid - 13/12/07 at 07:31 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Johnmor
Glad to hear everyones ok, an X5 is a serious piece of kit to get hit in the arse with.
On a very minor, and probably irritating point RTAs are now called RTCs,
The insuance industy dont like the term accident, Its always someones fault.!
RTC - Collision?
Peteff - 13/12/07 at 08:05 PM
Tim round at the shop got a phone call from his friend who has bought a Mitsubishi Evo FQ 360. He was up Matlock today and pulled up in traffic when a
Skoda slid sideways into the back of him. It doesn't sound good for the car..
Mr Clive - 13/12/07 at 08:44 PM
To be fair its not just the insurance industry. Everyone involved in road safety calls them RTCs now.
Its not because someone is always at fault, but because calling it an accident implys that no one is. Apparently.
As for the alfa, I would certainly be having serious words with alfa uk about the seats
turbodisplay - 13/12/07 at 09:20 PM
I`m still suffering from back problems due to an accident months ago.
9 am travelling from epping to m11 j7.
Traffic is baked up going into epping, following a mondeo at safe distance considering it is wet. Ka behnd me.
Expecting the unexpected, Looking well ahead of the car in front, i`m aware of the posibility of something stupid:
Woman on other side gets board of waiting, does a U turn without checking the road is clear.
@r$£ Goes through my mind, apply brakes for a gentle controlled stop, car in front skids, oscillates and ends up going into ditch. I brake harder in
case he hits someone, then gets T boned by me.
Perfectly gentle (ish) stop.
Stop 20m before the car went off the road.
Perfect - I`m so good! -
2 seconds later BanG!
(shouldn`t have been so cocky - the only time i don`t folllow protocol of bracing for impact whilst checking mirrors).
Get out and bloke behind goes what did you stop for. "Where do I start, the upside down car or the woman attempting a three point turn"
At least he had to explain to his sister why her car which was comming back form a service is now back in being repaired.
Ironic the only car with abs (mine) didnt get used. Both infront and behind would have saved then from an accident.
Darren
RK - 13/12/07 at 11:39 PM
The doctor is WRONG!
Please get a second opinion. Unfortunately, the emergency (I thiink it's A and E for you) doctors you may have seen shortly after the incident
have a lot of impact on the insurance people. Whiplash doesn't show up right away. You will need CT scans and all that for any soft tissue damage
to be recorded.
[Edited on 13/12/07 by RK]
