Horrible accident, I should be dead. * * * Graphic accident pics * * *

[portaman03]

Let me start off by saying I have owned my 03 RSX-S for less than 3 months, beautiful black on black leather just shy of 60k miles. I had invested about $1k worth of mods, she was my pride and joy. This is especially difficult considering I am a college student and bust my ass 40 hours a week waiting tables at Chili's, to take care of my priorities and spend cash on the things I care about. Okay, so I had just finished an awesome dinner with my girlfriend and parents on a beautiful Saturday night. I had a Mexican special plate, and my girl and I shared a caraff of good ol sangria. Which equates to roughly 2 glasses of wine each. I was by no means intoxicated, considering I had a stomach full of Mexican goodness. We leave the restaurant by about 8:30 pm and arrive in my hometown by about 9:20 pm. I am making my way off the highway, driving normally and having casual conversation with the girlfriend. We turn off of the main Route 1, and onto Short Beach Road, which goes for about a mile until we reach my actual street. Problem is, we didn't make it. We are traveling uphill around a slight right hand curve, about 40-45 mph in a 35 mph zone, HARDLY speeding in a double yellow line road. We were 100 feet from about to turn onto my street, LITERALLY. A raccoon the size of my dog scurries out into the middle of my lane and stops. I didn't want to run the damn coon over, thinking my tire might catch it under my tire and cause the car to go into a slide, considering we were going around a curve. I looked ahead and saw no opposing traffic, so I jerked the wheel (left) into the opposing lane. I quickly attempted to counter steer back into my lane, and that's all I remember. The tires couldn't regain traction, and the front of the car slid nose first over the curb on the other side of the road. When we hit the curb, the car did a 180 and we flew backwards through the air. My girlfriend's door hit the telephone pole. If it weren't for her side airbag, we would both be dead. The smashed windshield near the driver side is from the electrical transformer that fell on my car as the pole snapped at the top. My neighbors rushed to the top of the street, and reportedly watched be trip over the electrical transormer as I exited my car. I was knocked the [freak] out, but wandering around like a zombie. A neighbor saw my girl having convulsions and pulled her from the car, her head was bleeding profusely from hitting the B-Pillar in the car. We were rushed into the trauma center at the hospital, my girl spent about 8 hours there and left with 6 staples in her head and a bottle of percocets. As for myself, I have a cracked vertebrae where my spine meets the back of my ribcage. I am pretty sure it happened as my upper torso was thrown from my seat into either the passenger side or the back seat. It def. would have been worse if we werent wearing our seatbelts, and fatal if it not for the side airbag. I am assuming the car is totaled, the insurance adjuster is coming tomorrow. The yard where my car is being stored is right down the street from my house. The guy said that he tried to start the car, but it would not start. The lights come on, but it won't even crank. Can this be a safety measure set by the ecu, or is it possible that the blow was so hard it [freak]ed everything up?? I ask because I am going to try and purchase the car back, and start a K-series EG hatch build. Consider this as a reminder of how lucky we are to have come so far in automobile safety. I am lucky to be alive, and I feel as if the spirit of my girlfriend's father was embracing us upon impact. God Bless his soul.

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[SkankyEJ7]

LOL at the dude in the background.

[canadianep3]

holy crap nice job lol well now your set fora kswap on a older civic

[teamXXXracing]

wow... amazed your girlfriend survived that. Hope both your recoveries are successful!

[WhiteOnRice]

I hit a deer and stories like this is why I didn't swerve. I hit the deer head on and I walked out with a slight burn on my wrist from the airbag.

[Todd00]

So after this, you're going to be buying a car that is even less safe? Those EG's were a little safer than a tin can, but not by much.

Why not just buy back the car (if offered to you at a good price) and sell the motor to make some money? Then you can pick up something else like another RSX or a new Civic Si or something.

Just a suggestion. The main reason I don't drive an older Honda as a daily beater is because I refuse to put my child in them....especially since we have 4200 lb SUVs roaming the roads with women on cellphones driving them. The physics just isn't in the favor of a 2200lb car.

[4U2NV]

Originally Posted by WhiteOnRice

I hit a deer and stories like this is why I didn't swerve. I hit the deer head on and I walked out with a slight burn on my wrist from the airbag.

Exactly. My life > the life of some random animal. Glad to hear you were both okay.

[canadianep3]

if u think like that u may as well live in a padded cell

[portaman03]

Well it turns out the insurance company is giving me a little more than $14k, I only paid about $12k for the car w00t.

If they let me buy it back for cheap, I may end up parting it out.. anybody interested in anything?

And if I were to get an EG hatch, the first mod would be 4-pt harnesses lol

[Demonis]

I would be interested in some parts. Spoiler, headlights, a dash bezel (if it survived) passenger front wheel well (the part that mounts to the bumper, not fender) and maybe some other stuff.... LMK.

[ep3some]

Glad that both of you are still with us. Hope the recovery isn't too hard. Just the fact that you both are not in multiple pieces is some sort of divine intervention. Guess it's always nice to have that Guarding Angel on your shoulder. Best of luck.

[dan12288]

well am glad you both are still breathing i hope you both get well soon...

[i-VTEC_DOHC]

holy s***

glad you guys are alright.

damn man... of all the crazy pics i've seen of crashed cars, that has to be up there in one of the worst. and being both u guys survived, just tops all of it.

hope your guys' recovery goes well.

[951dc5]

i would just run over animal instead of total my car.

[Todd00]

Originally Posted by portaman03

And if I were to get an EG hatch, the first mod would be 4-pt harnesses lol

Why not put a knife in the center of the steering wheel while you're at it?

Seriously, a 4-point harness without a rollcage is very dangerous. And a rollcage in a street car is even more dangerous (unless you wear a helmet 24/7).

Again. not trying to pick on you, but after an accident like that I'd hope you'd hold safety to a higher regard--especially since your GF was injured.

[VegaS10]

Originally Posted by 951dc5

i would just run over animal instead of total my car.

Amen.

[freak] swerving and small animals.

Cow = swerve

Squirrel = 5 points

[ep3civic2nr]

sry to hear

[portaman03]

Originally Posted by Todd00

Why not put a knife in the center of the steering wheel while you're at it?

Seriously, a 4-point harness without a rollcage is very dangerous. And a rollcage in a street car is even more dangerous (unless you wear a helmet 24/7).

Again. not trying to pick on you, but after an accident like that I'd hope you'd hold safety to a higher regard--especially since your GF was injured.

Wouldnt the 4 pt harness be safer with a harness bar? Def wouldnt strap them to the rear seats like other ricers do lol,, thats asking for more cracked vertebrae.

I am def looking into this k20 eg hatch project though.

[thrty8street]

Originally Posted by VegaS10

Amen.

[freak] swerving and small animals.

Cow = swerve

Squirrel = 5 points

lol

[b18LS]

Next time hit the coon. Your girlfriend will thank you. Glad your okay though man. It shows you how safe these cars are. I'm sure hondas/acuras have saved more than a few lives.

Glad your still with us man.

[Todd00]

Originally Posted by portaman03

Wouldnt the 4 pt harness be safer with a harness bar? Def wouldnt strap them to the rear seats like other ricers do lol,, thats asking for more cracked vertebrae.

I am def looking into this k20 eg hatch project though.

Absolutely not. The stock 3-point harness is designed to let your body move if your roof should become crushed or the door impacted severely.

A 4-point harness locks you in the seat. So if you flip the car and the roof caves in, so does your head.

[KILLAB17VTEC]

thats crazy accident.yall was bless.

[Todd00]

lol at the side advertisement. I think the dude is telling you to not get a tin-can EG.

[portaman03]

Hmmmmm I dunno.

I am at a crossroads.

The insurance company is giving me the opportunity to buy the car back.

I would only be taking the necessary drivetrain components for the swap. (Engine/tranny/ecu/harness/axles/shift assembly)

I would be selling all of the salvageable stuff (wheels/brake conversion for the em2 guys/seats/lip kit/dash/cluster/misc interior pieces and body panels) in hopes of recouping about $1,000 or more..

HOWEVER, the price of the other parts necessary to complete the swap is surely going to offset the cheapness of the drivetrain.

Here is my financial breakdown thus far:

The insurance company totalled the car at $14,500.
I still owe $2,000 to my lender, which lowers the budget to $12,500.
I owe the $500 deductible, budget now at $12,000.
They're gonna tack on 6% sales tax for buying the car, but after I part out the stuff I don't need, I will get that amount (about $900) back hopefully more.

So in all, I have a final budget of $10k.

I still need to buy:
Shell - $1,000
Paint job $500
Suspension $1,000
Decent wheels $500
K-Pro $1,000
Mounts $500
Custom header $400
Exhaust system $200
Make custom axles $200-300
Harness conversion $300 or free if I have the patience
Fuel conversion $300
Clutch line $100
Shifter mount kit $150
Misc radiator items $200
Misc Power steering $200
All necessary Fluids $100
GOTTA HAVE A/C! $400
Random bolts/hoses $200

So far that's a $7,200 project.

I'm not even sure what the K-Pro tuning is going to cost, but I'm sure that tuning plus tools and random parts along the way will soak up most of the budget.

I need some input here. I am sure I can save some money buying used parts, and also finding connections here and there.

My goal is to have a 92-95 Civic Hatchback with the k20a2 swap. I want power steering, air conditioning, new suspension, wheels and paintjob.

So basically a brand new car.

I'd also like to convert to power windows and locks, what panels are interchangeable, only EG? Or can I convert to EK or DC doorpanels?

Owning a swapped EG hatch has been a dream of mine for a while.

My question is, does $8k-10k sound reasonable and realistic for a project car that is going to be essentially 100% up-to-date?

I am trying to do this as cheap as possible, in a perfect world it would be done for $7k. Chances are I will be driving a beater daily driver until it's complete, but even when it's done I'm not sure if I will want to make it my daily driver.

After everything is said and done, how much do you think I would be able to sell it for, assuming everything is in pristine condition and immaculate working order?

I am at a serious crossroads!
I could always buy the wrecked Type-S and possibly part the whole thing out for a profit until I decide what I want to do..

Help! haha


Modified by portaman03 at 5:31 PM 5/31/2008

[Jax99SI]

holly hell

your lucky
but your girl,she must have been doing something right to have survived that.