Cobra crash and roll bar head trauma field test

[Buzz]

Hi guys its been a while. Between struggling in a dead economy and working to stay afloat, the last 12 months has been a bit of a challenge. I still enjoyed the heck out of driving the Cobra, but decided about a month ago to put her up for sale, knowing that in the limited market and poor economy it would be a tough sell.

That problem was solved on friday when I was headed down the road and encountered two slow moving cars on a relatively straight road with no oncoming traffic. It had rained a bit earlier and though the road was dry, the dirt and grass on the shoulders was still quite wet. Bear in mind I drive a right hand drive Cobra and we travel on the left side of the road.

The cars were traveling unusually slow for that stretch - and I waited a bit to see if the car immediately in front of me was showing any intention of passing the car ahead. He was tucked in pretty close and gave no indication, so I signaled and pulled out, hesitating a bit before accelerating to overtake both cars. By this time we still had plenty of open road but there was a corner ahead and I didn't want to dawdle in case faster oncoming traffic appeared.

I hit the gas - not too hard - but enough for a rapid pass. As I came level with his rear quarter, the guy in front of me swung out sharply to pass the other car. No time to brake and pull back, I swerved onto the narrow, steep shoulder and barely squeezed between the car and a telephone pole before my rear began sliding sideways to the outside. I counter steered and tried to ease back onto the road. The front tires got back but I was partially sideways about 30 degrees. When the rear tires hit the asphalt, the outside tire seemed to hook on the edge and the car bounced and began to fishtail. It seemed very slippery and loose - I may have picked up some mud on the right side tires - I couldn't correct it and I went into a counter-clockwise spin.


I could clearly see another telephone pole in my path and I tried to steer to avoid it. In the blink of an eye that all this took, I had time to realize I was going off the road backwards into a wide, steep sided ditch and that it was going to hurt. I even thought about my head hitting the roll bar.

The impact was hard and sharp. There was a bright flash, like a camera going off in my face, and then all was still. I was amazed to be still conscious and, knowing I could be in shock, I slowly took stock of my condition.

I felt fine and I ran my right hand over my head and face. No pain but there was a lot of blood on my hand. I realized I couldn't raise my left arm, but my legs and feet seemed ok. I saw that the blood was actually coming from a cut on my right hand, and I gave myself another once over, amazed again that there was no sign of any trauma at all to my head or neck.

Cars pulled up and people came running over. I could hear the speculation about how badly I must be hurt. There was a significant bony lump under the skin on top of my left shoulder and the pain was setting in. I was only wearing the lap belt (!) which I unbuckled and I managed to pull myself up and climb out of the car. Standing, I was ok, no sign of concussion or anything of the sort and the guy who ran me off came over apologizing and trying to help.

I eventually got a wrecker on the scene, took the car home and my wife drove me to the hospital. The X rays showed a dislocated shoulder and they informed me I would have to be put under general anesthetic so they could work it back into place. I was not keen on being put under, nor the prospect of staying overnight (plus it would add at least another $2000 to the bill) so I asked if they would put it in without the anesthesia. They refused saying it was a significant dislocation and I would not be able to bear the pain.

They put the I.V. access into my arm and left me alone for a while. I decided to have a go at working the joint back in myself, so I removed the sling and painfully lowered my arm so I could stoop and grab the underside of the heavy bed. Two excruciating pulls and tugs and I felt a sliding pop and a feeling of relief, even though the pain was still intense. It was immediately apparent that my shoulder area felt more normal and I was even able to work the sling back on. They were not happy when they returned and I told them what I had done. The doctor angrily removed the sling and, still skeptical, began to examine the joint and test for mobility. Surprised, he declared that it indeed appeared to be in place, but they needed to confirm with a second set of X rays.

So I went home all slung up with an appointment to see a specialist on monday. It appears I also suffered a separation of the clavicle, which in extreme cases could require surgery.

All in all, I'm happy and still amazed I wasn't more seriously injured. I have a forward braced roll bar and I think the brace is what bludgeoned my shoulder. I still can't imagine how I avoided smacking my head or at least injuring my neck. The sunglasses I was wearing were found 30 feet behind and to the right of the car.

The left rear of the car took the worst hit. Rear trailing arms sheared off at the axle mount and the wheel pushed forward. The front of the car must've clipped the pole and knocked the headlight out, and there are various cracks in the front and rear of the body. Once it sat back on the ground, the body other than the left rear appears straight with all doors opening and clicking shut like it was new. At least two of the body mounting holes on the left side are cracked and slightly displaced. Engine and trans appear ok - started right up and shifts through all gears. Rear brake line ruptured somewhere underneath. When I feel up to it, I'll jack it up and examine more closely.

Happy to be as well as I am. Pic attached. Merry Christmas everyone

[Large Arbor]

Dang dude, good to hear you are relatively ok. The car and you did not fare to badly considering the other outcomes. I had a daughter hit a utility pole some months back in an Accord and she ended up with a broken hip and a few nights stay. Glad to hear you are ok. So when you hear on the clavicle?

Large Arbor

[Tommy]

I'm glad it wasn't worse and happy you'll be around to celebrate the holidays. Sorry about the car, but cars are just cars. Sounds like you see it much the same way.

[DonC]

Buzz:
Sorry to hear about the mishap but really glad you're still more or less in one piece. From your narrative I can't see that there was anything you could have done to avoid the incident. Really sorry about the car. Looks like you have a winter project. Just be really careful about the suspension parts and insure there isn't any hidden damage on the molecular level. Don't know about the expertise of your local fiberglass repair shops but it's amazing what a good glass man can do these days.
At least you won't be spending Christmas in the hospital. As for the shoulder, what do those doctors know. Looks like you saved a bunch of money by not having to go to med. school.
Best of luck for a full and rapid recovery. Both you and the car.
DonC

[Seagull81]

Buzz,
Glad to hear you walked away from this. Take care.

[ACademic]

Wishing you a speedy recovery. No doubt that Guardian Angels were shadowing you.

[Buzz]

Thanks guys.
No med school but a fair layman's working knowledge of anatomy. Took a chance and it payed off. When I see the orthopedic specialist on Monday, I'll know more about the severity of the clavicle separation. I now have to figure out how to get the car into the garage - the wrecker was too long so for now it sits covered in the driveway.

[Racer_X]

Buzz, glad to hear you are relatively alright. Take the good meds and let your body rest. Car doesn't look too bad.
Best wishes
Curtis

[twin turbo]

Glad you're still in one piece, considering how bad it could have been. I'm curious, do you normally use only the lap belt? I've read numerous stories of bad facial impacts from not using the shoulder harness. Best wishes for your quick recovery.

[Buzz]

I almost always use the full harness, but that day I was headed to the tennis club literally a 10 minute drive from home. A classic example of stuff happening precisely when you figure that it won't.
Armchair forensics investigators and beer tasters here speculate that my head missed the roll bar because my upper body was out of position and had I been strapped in place it may have been worse. I think there may be some merit to that. In my normal driving position, my head can easily touch both the roll bar and the forward brace. Either way, it was pure luck and nothing to base harness use on.

[tkb289]

Buzz,

Very sorry to hear about the accident. Glad that you overall you are in good shape and hopefully the follow up medial appointments go well. Relocating your own shoulder … yikes ! As for your Cobra, it sounds like it’s very fixable once you have a chance to take things apart and figure out what needs to be replaced and what just needs to be cleaned up.

Take your time to heal Buzz, I wish you a speedy recovery.

- Tim

[Buzz]

Thanks Tim! It's been a while - hope you and your family have a great holiday season. Your Cobra looks great!

[tkb289]

Thanks Buzz. It has been a while … March of 2011 to be exact, when our cruise ship stopped in St. Lucia and I had the pleasure of meeting you and having a beer with Buzz! Just after that trip my ERA roller was delivered and I had it on the road by the end of the year, it’s a lot of fun.

[PLDRIVE]

You sir, are very lucky!

[Bill D]

Sorry about the accident and your injuries, but also thankful you're ok. Hope you can get your car fixed and back on the road soon

[BOURRET]

Really sorry for your car and for you. Saddening picture.
The best news is that the car could be repaired. This is a sad event just before the new year. Maybe 2014 will see your nice Cobra back to life!

[Rick Parker]

Reading this and seeing the picture reminds me of an incident that a freind experienced while returning from one of the first West Coast Cobra Bashes that were held in Reno. 3 cars were caravaning back to Central Calif coming down Hiway 80. Somewhere around Grass Valley Johns transmission locked up while in 4th gear at about 60-70 mph. I was in the lead and Cindi was at the rear. I went around a large sweeping turn and went to check my mirrors and neither of them were in sight, I slowed down and pulled off the road and soon realized there was aproblem. I got out of the car and walked back about a1/4 mile to find his car backwards and off the road. He had spun while in traffic a complete 360 degree spin on the Hiway and slid backwards at reduced speed off to the right and up a small imbankment. Minor damage to the car, no physical injuries to him. If there had been more traffic or anyone in one of the lanes adjacent to him it could have been real bad.


Glad you are going to be alright...

Quite often you wont get a second chance in one of these cars. Just saying........

[mickmate]

Wow Buzz, glad you're here to tell the story. Have a good Christmas.

[Towmaster]

Buzz,
Glad to hear you are ok mate. I had a similar incident on track a few months ago but thanks to helmet, hans device and harness my injuries were nil. Stay safe, recover soon and get rid of those bloody BF Goodrich tyres (tires).

[rodneym]

Bad luck and great luck just a couple seconds apart.
We're all glad that you're still here with us and in relatively great shape!
Rest up and keep us informed.