This happened a few months back, but I have been to depressed and busy post this. This is the first time in months that I have even been on here, and it just brings back memories of my poor car. Sorry, it is kind of a long read.
Long story stort, where I live, North Manchester, is in the middle of nowhere, with just about all the roads I drive being country roads. I had spent a Sunday out at a friends house airsofting all day, and was on my way home with my brother in the passenger seat and my best friend sitting in the seat behind him. I didn't often go to this friends house, so I had only driven the roads a few times. I was also taking a different rout back into town that I don't normally take. It was very dark out, and being a mostly stock Grand Prix, the headlights on my car sucked. The road, unbeknownst to me, made a ninety degree hairpin left turn, and the curve was totally unmarked, and the house that sat there on the corner was abandoned, leaving the corner unlighted and very dark. Well I was doing about roughly 45~50 when I suddenly saw the turn. I slammed on the brakes and began to turn the wheel, when I felt the abs kick in on the asphalt....which I found very peculiar. I am not totally sure what then happened, maybe the abs failed, or maybe the brakes failed, im not sure, but I lost my brakes entirely. I felt this and then pulled the wheel back and aimed for the driveway, figuring that I could just overshoot the corner into the gravel drive. Well as soon as I hit that gravel, I lost almost all traction and the car began to slide and fishtail. I corrected the wheel to the right, just narrowly missing a concrete pad, and the corrected the wheel to the left as the car swung back around. I thought I had it as I was mostly straightened out and in the middle of the lane, when something, and I still have no idea what, suddenly jerked the car to the left. I then saw the tree coming and just braced myself and yelled a slur of curse words. The car hit a small stack of railroad ties used for landscaping, when airborne by about three to three and a half feet, and slammed that tree on the right front side, then dropped back down to the ground. Later on when I was inspecting the car, I noticed that on impact, the needle of the speedometer made a mark where it had been, and that mark is right on the 45, meaning that the car never slowed down at all. Well the airbad slammed me in the chest and my brother in the face. My friend had grabbed hold of the passenger seat in a weird manor and slammed into it hard and later said that his thumb hurt. He called me eighteen hours later from the emergence room saying that he was about to have reconstructive surgery on his hand because had broken the joint on his thumb and torn every single legiment and tendon as well. I felt completely numb as my parents then drove me home.
The curve and driveway
The railroad ties and tree
Well, once we got the car to the dealership I was finally able to inspect the damage. The brake pads were indeed bad, but still should not have totally failed as they did. I was able to thankfully salvage my $600 stereo system as the braces I built for it did their job and took the damage. The right front rim was bent and broken beyond repair. The right front fender was badly damaged, and the hood, although looked ok, was acutally shifted a full inch and a half to the left. Remarkably, the Engine and other parts were virtually untouched, as the wheel well took the brunt of the impact. And then of course the airbag deployment, cracked windshield, broken right side of the bumper, and now torn leather dash upholstry. However, the very bad part was the right front of the frame, which was bend and mangled. This, as well as the airbag deployment, caused insurance to total the car. I wanted to keep my grand prix and over time rebuild it or possibly part it out, but my parents had other ideas, and of course since I was only 17 at the time, they had final say.
I am certain that the brake problem, whatever it was, is what ultimately caused me to hit the tree. If it had not happened, I probably could have made the turn, and if not, at least would have stopped before hitting the tree. I had trusted the dealership to check my brakes and abs during the last check, but apparently they didn't, and I found that out afterwards. Please don't flame me for this. I have learned my lesson, and learned it the hard way. From now on, I, and I alone, will do the work on any of my vehicles to ensure that it is done, and done right. I will not put it in the hands of another.
So my hood ornament now hangs in my school locker and my key and key fob are still on my key chain where they will always stay. And after insurance prices and medical bills, I now sit here typing this, no longer the proud owner of a Grand Prix. I will get another though. It is now a love affair with me you could say. So hopefully sometime in the near future, I can happily make another post, showing off my new Grand Prix. And if anyone knows of where this car is or has seen it, please let me know. I am very interested to see where it has or where it will end up.
