1,300HP Mercury Comet crashes due to owner stupidity

[KZP]

EDIT: I should add his advice on harnesses needs a caveat. The fact they were only wearing lap belts may have saved their life. Unless the harness has special stitching to release energy on crash, most likely outcome is a broken neck. Harnesses need a helmet with neck restraint hooked on to work properly. Otherwise your head flies forward while your body stays locked. Bodies need to have that energy released more gradually if you don't have neck restraints.

 

[kriller134]

Jesus that was a gnarly. I hope no kids were in that minivan. Feel bad for everyone involved.

 

[W54/XM-388]

EDIT: I should add his advice on harnesses needs a caveat. The fact they were only wearing lap belts may have saved their life. Unless the harness has special stitching to release energy on crash, most likely outcome is a broken neck. Harnesses need a helmet with neck restraint hooked on to work properly. Otherwise your head flies forward while your body stays locked. Bodies need to have that energy released more gradually if you don't have neck restraints.

Maybe he said it other places, but I was particularly displeased with his apparent lack of concern in the video for the party they hit.
The person who was just going about their day and got seriously crashed into, at pretty high speed by a large vehicle, had to have been pretty bashed up.
It really rubbed me the wrong way that they didn't mention them at all or say anything about their recovery or if they were doing okay, it was all just about them.

No matter how good your car is at having crumple zones, someone recklessly plowing a big heavy vehicle into the back of you at 45 to 50 miles per hour while you are at a stoplight is going to leave you with a lot of pain and suffering at best, if not a lot of life changing injuries, or injuries that will remind you of pain for the rest of your life.

Those big old muscle cars are cool as everything but when it comes to safety, a modern higher end vehicle will do a whole lot better in making sure you come out as best you can in the event of an accident.

As an add on to your point about the the head movement, they weren't wearing helmets, but wearing a helmet inside a vehicle is a bit of a two way thing. If you wear something too heavy, it can actually increase your injuries significantly in a frontal crash by giving your head more mass and make you more likely to break your neck., That's pretty much why most all the motor sports types for cars have gone to mandating Head and neck restraint devices.

 

[GreenGO Juan]

No emergency brake?

The added weight of the helmet is part of where the need for the neck restraint comes from. At the speed they were going, I would have preferred a harness over smashing the dash. Through I 100% hear you on the neck issue.

 

[kriller134]

Maybe he said it other places, but I was particularly displeased with his apparent lack of concern in the video for the party they hit.
The person who was just going about their day and got seriously crashed into, at pretty high speed by a large vehicle, had to have been pretty bashed up.
It really rubbed me the wrong way that they didn't mention them at all or say anything about their recovery or if they were doing okay, it was all just about them.

No matter how good your car is at having crumple zones, someone recklessly plowing a big heavy vehicle into the back of you at 45 to 50 miles per hour while you are at a stoplight is going to leave you with a lot of pain and suffering at best, if not a lot of life changing injuries, or injuries that will remind you of pain for the rest of your life.

Those big old muscle cars are cool as everything but when it comes to safety, a modern higher end vehicle will do a whole lot better in making sure you come out as best you can in the event of an accident.

As an add on to your point about the the head movement, they weren't wearing helmets, but wearing a helmet inside a vehicle is a bit of a two way thing. If you wear something too heavy, it can actually increase your injuries significantly in a frontal crash by giving your head more mass and make you more likely to break your neck., That's pretty much why most all the motor sports types for cars have gone to mandating Head and neck restraint devices.

Yeah I thought it was weird he didn’t mention the other parties, but I’d imagine there’s probably litigation involved.

 

[KZP]

No emergency brake?

The added weight of the helmet is part of where the need for the neck restraint comes from. At the speed they were going, I would have preferred a harness over smashing the dash. Through I 100% hear you on the neck issue.

"OH no, brakes are out!! .....That's okay, we can drive around using the emergency brake...OH NO!! Emergency brake is out!!! *smash*"

Probably how it would have went down.

 

[Sean the Nailer]

"OH no, brakes are out!! .....That's okay, we can drive around using the emergency brake...OH NO!! Emergency brake is out!!! *smash*"

Probably how it would have went down.

either that or, "it's all still in the box, in the trunk".

 

[Tempest 455]

I've worn a harness in a street/strip car for many years with a roll cage. You also don't want the possibility of smacking your melon on the cage either. Also need padding on cage on the main hoop and halo area where your head may contact.

Lot's wrong in that video.

 

[Bradu]

He should have addressed the sticking throttle mentioned and he needed a different torque converter so the car isn't running 45 without even touching the skinny pedal. Nothing good comes from riding brakes to the point where you can smell them.

 

[SouthFLShootin]

Driving a car where you have to ride the brakes is a recipe for disaster. Even if they are great brakes. Then mentioning on camera your accelerator is having issues sticking... sounds a little bit like negligence to me.

I used to be in the racing industry and riding in a caged car on the street without a helmet is actually one of the more dangerous things you can do. Lots of metal bars around your head. Without a helmet and neck restraint, the cage ends up being the thing that can actually hurt you.

 

[RonA]

Not feeling much sympathy for the owner. I'm about 1/4 of that dough spent on a '63 Ranchero project and brakes were at the top of the list when we started. Throttle sticking, having to ride the brakes, sounds like he should have completed and tested the project before showing it off.

 

[vinniedelpino]

Not feeling much sympathy for the owner. I'm about 1/4 of that dough spent on a '63 Ranchero project and brakes were at the top of the list when we started. Throttle sticking, having to ride the brakes, sounds like he should have completed and tested the project before showing it off.

This was bad, but I've seen worse.

When a dude rolls up to the local race spot with stock drums and blower sticking out of the hood you know you're in for a show.

Lots of slow folks like fast cars.

 

[babyguppy]

and on top off all the other fk ups;
driver could have ditched to the FAR right and avoided rear ending someone. Nope. Driver didn't even try to sideswipe someone to avoid a rear end, NOPE. Driver hits the SUV and pushes it out into the intersection. Thank God another vehicle didn't come along and TBone the SUV. Driver is a complete ASSHOLE.

 

[TexPatriot]

There is a multiple page thread on another gun forum about this. Everyone including myself, hope the people in the van, which there was zero mention of, sue the dogshit out of those two morons, especially that baboon armed owner. Typical California idiot.

He was stupid enough to post a video admitting the brakes were obsolete and undersize for that car then proceeds to get on a public street knowing the throttle sticks and rides the brakes to failure. He's going to wish he had that $200k he dumped into that heap when he's living under a bridge.

 

[vinniedelpino]

and on top off all the other fk ups;
driver could have ditched to the FAR right and avoided rear ending someone. Nope. Driver didn't even try to sideswipe someone to avoid a rear end, NOPE. Driver hits the SUV and pushes it out into the intersection. Thank God another vehicle didn't come along and TBone the SUV. Driver is a complete ASSHOLE.

That's some serious Monday morning quarterbacking.

The whole thing happened in a few seconds as panic rapidly set in.

He's an asshole, but I can't fault him for not ditching right in this situation.

 

[RedBaron]

EDIT: I should add his advice on harnesses needs a caveat. The fact they were only wearing lap belts may have saved their life. Unless the harness has special stitching to release energy on crash, most likely outcome is a broken neck. Harnesses need a helmet with neck restraint hooked on to work properly. Otherwise your head flies forward while your body stays locked. Bodies need to have that energy released more gradually if you don't have neck restraints.

I completely disagree with your comment about the shoulder harnesses. Even without a neck brace or hans device they would have faired much better had they been wearing the shoulder harnesses.

 

[Tempest 455]

Was years ago but remember like yesterday. I had throttle stick once making a pass 1/4 mile through the traps. Was covering ground pretty fast but I remember my thought process was pretty methodical and seemed in slow motion.

Granted I had brakes. Hit brakes, killed motor, then fuel pump. Was pretty calm at the time but when I got back to pits was a little shaken.

Made me ponder, with a blower motor, if he would have killed motor it may have scrubbed off some speed.

 

[kriller134]

There is a multiple page thread on another gun forum about this. Everyone including myself, hope the people in the van, which there was zero mention of, sue the dogshit out of those two morons, especially that baboon armed owner. Typical California idiot.

He was stupid enough to post a video admitting the brakes were obsolete and undersize for that car then proceeds to get on a public street knowing the throttle sticks and rides the brakes to failure. He's going to wish he had that $200k he dumped into that heap when he's living under a bridge.

I believe the video was made as an “informational” video disguised as a throw the owner of the car under the bus to shift liability. Notice towards the end he talks about the car rebuild is on pause cause of personal reason? I think the owner is getting the shit sued out of him and rightfully so.

 

[EddieNFL]

Yeah I thought it was weird he didn’t mention the other parties, but I’d imagine there’s probably litigation involved.

I hope so.

 

[KZP]

I completely disagree with your comment about the shoulder harnesses. Even without a neck brace or hans device they would have faired much better had they been wearing the shoulder harnesses.

Here's a time stamp of a crash test without HANS device using a harness, granted dummy has a helmet. Are you thinking without added helmet weight they wouldn't experience this?

 

[W54/XM-388]

I believe the video was made as an “informational” video disguised as a throw the owner of the car under the bus to shift liability. Notice towards the end he talks about the car rebuild is on pause cause of personal reason? I think the owner is getting the shit sued out of him and rightfully so.

That may be their attempt, but I'll bet any decent lawyer will be able to make a very good case that the company that was making the video and profiting off the views and continuing to profit off the follow up videos, was responsible in part for enticing / motivating the owner to take the car on the road even after it was clear there were problems with the brakes and the throttle.

It could easily be argued that without the presence of the company, none of this would have happened.

My guess is they or their company insurance is going to have to pay out as well.

 

[W54/XM-388]

Here's a time stamp of a crash test without HANS device using a harness, granted dummy has a helmet. Are you thinking without added helmet weight they wouldn't experience this?

One important point he makes that many might overlook is the proper placement of the lap belt.
Even if you are wearing a normal 3 point seatbelt in a car, that is great advice to keep in mind.

The force applied to your neck and skull is directly proportional to the speed you were traveling at, the deceleration speed and the weight your neck is supporting.
for a given crash speed above a baseline level, if your head is not restrained, a 1 or 2 pound bump helmet means less stress on your neck than a 5 to 6 pound helmet.

At high enough speeds, just the weight of your head is enough to cause serious or fatal injuries if not restrained, however adding 5 or 6 pounds to your head will lower the speed / impact threshold for causing your serious or fatal injuries.

However an unrestrained helmet would still provide a good level of protection from serious / fatal injuries from side impact events which are also very common in racing. So it comes down to the only safe way to go is to wear a helmet that is restrained.

No helmet = great danger of serious injury / death in any type of impact event
Helmet but no restraint = significant risk of serious injury / death in a front impact event at high speed
Restrained helmet = lower risk of serious injury / death in all types of impact events as compared to the above two.

In a normal vehicle the airbags are what provides a stopping force against your body moving too much and while they can also cause their own set of injuries or deaths, generally they help to increase the speed / impact threshold for where you can survive the crash without serious or fatal injuries.

 

[TexPatriot]

I believe the video was made as an “informational” video disguised as a throw the owner of the car under the bus to shift liability. Notice towards the end he talks about the car rebuild is on pause cause of personal reason? I think the owner is getting the shit sued out of him and rightfully so.

Watch @4:15 where the passenger mentions he smells brakes and the owner saying he had to ride them.




This element is coming to Texas in droves and people wonder why the drivers have become so insane.

 

[RedBaron]

Here's a time stamp of a crash test without HANS device using a harness, granted dummy has a helmet. Are you thinking without added helmet weight they wouldn't experience this?

I think not having the additional helmet weight would help. In my experiece most people wearing harnesses on the street don't tighten them down very tight allowing a lot of wiggle room. They also don't use the crotch or ASM belt which would probably allow them to slide down a bit. In this specific crash I still think they would have been better off wearing the harness.

 

[Maggot]

EDIT: I should add his advice on harnesses needs a caveat. The fact they were only wearing lap belts may have saved their life. Unless the harness has special stitching to release energy on crash, most likely outcome is a broken neck. Harnesses need a helmet with neck restraint hooked on to work properly. Otherwise your head flies forward while your body stays locked. Bodies need to have that energy released more gradually if you don't have neck restraints.

Thats what got Dale Earnhardt wasnt it?

 

[KZP]

Thats what got Dale Earnhardt wasnt it?

That's what was reported in 2001:

"Basal skull fractures have killed four race drivers -- Earnhardt, Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin and Tony Roper -- in the past year and at least 12 of the 15 drivers killed in auto racing since 1991. They are caused by violent head movement in which large blood vessels at the skull's base tear, creating immediate and severe blood loss.

Essentially, it is violent whiplash. With the body held immobile by over-the-shoulder seat belts, only the head can move. Once blood vessels tear, the driver can die in seconds."

SKULL INJURY KILLED EARNHARDT, AUTOPSY CONFIRMS

DAYTONA BEACH — Dale Earnhardt died from a severe fracture to the base of his skull that caused bruising and bleeding to the soft tissue in his brain. When his race car smashed into a concret…

www.orlandosentinel.com

 

[RedBaron]

I should have also said that I think the biggest thing that saved them was running into the back of the minivan and not a wall or tree. Although I think they should have...

 

[TexPatriot]

Thats what got Dale Earnhardt wasnt it?

I saw him interviewed right before the race and then the crash Live.

Again, I would be more inclined to believe the passengers of the van that were rear ended and knocked through the intersection with no time to brace or react would receive the most grievous, cervical injuries.

 

[BullGear]

I can see this being a LOT more fatal. Seatbelts or harnesses? Seatbelts. Brakes? He should have not been out on the road without updating the brakes, 17 years is a long time for a Ford Maverick, much less a car with that much power. Shutting off the ignition would have helped a lot.

That car will not be rebuilt until all of the lawsuits are settled.

I'm glad the guys are okay. I'm not sure they spoke about the folks in the minivan. Hopefully they are okay too.

 

[Jrb572]

Might have tried turning the key off. Would have still crashed. But would have slowed the acceleration of the car.

 

[TurboTrout]

Lots of things should have scrubbed that drive.

Agree the lack of fucks given about those they hit was bothersome.

Having a damn racing harness and only securing the lap belts was silly

Also reminds me of the heat Danica got for bracing, she knew she was going to eat the wall, letting go and going into a quasi brace position was smart.

 

[Bradu]

Might have tried turning the key off. Would have still crashed. But would have slowed the acceleration of the car.

How is shutting off the ignition going to help slow down any more than him attempting to put the car in park? As long as it was out of drive, the result is basically the same.

 

[Jrb572]

How is shutting off the ignition going to help slow down any more than him attempting to put the car in park? As long as it was out of drive, the result is basically the same.

I missed him shifting it then. Sorry

 

[BullGear]

How is shutting off the ignition going to help slow down any more than him attempting to put the car in park? As long as it was out of drive, the result is basically the same.

Taking it out of gear doesn't slow it down that much, downshifting is what was needed along with killing the ignitioin.

 

[TurboTrout]

I takes away the fuel from feeding the engine, thus shutting off the ignition and using the shifter to downshift will slow down the car by a lot.

Being a B&M couldn’t he have downshifted? I had a shifter like they back in the day, as I recall it was good at “sport mode” type shifting.

Or maybe just put in into the grassy hill to the right?

Or just don’t take a 1300hp car with a sticky throttle and shit brakes out on a public street

 

[Sean the Nailer]

While turning off the key 'may' have slowed the car some, same/same for downshifting even moreso...... Not one person has stated this obvious point yet:

LAY ON THE DAMNED HORN to at least attempt go give others the semblance of warning that something is coming at them quickly.

 

[KZP]

Being a B&M couldn’t he have downshifted? I had a shifter like they back in the day, as I recall it was good at “sport mode” type shifting.

Or maybe just put in into the grassy hill to the right?

Or just don’t take a 1300hp car with a sticky throttle and shit brakes out on a public street

From the driver:


"Why didn’t I downshift? Car had a B&M ratchet shifter, once I shifted up thru the gears you can’t downshift till you put it in park. So much going on in those last few seconds, forgot to downshift it after putting it in park, but it was probably too late to have had a big reduction in speed."

 

[Bradu]

Taking it out of gear doesn't slow it down that much, downshifting is what was needed along with killing the ignitioin.

No shit it doesn't and neither would what you're suggesting. People panic and never do the right thing in these situations. Best thing would have been to steer to the right but it's always easy to be a backseat driver when watching a video after the fact. This is proof that people will argue everything on the internet lol

 

[TexPatriot]

That's what was reported in 2001:

"Basal skull fractures have killed four race drivers -- Earnhardt, Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin and Tony Roper -- in the past year and at least 12 of the 15 drivers killed in auto racing since 1991. They are caused by violent head movement in which large blood vessels at the skull's base tear, creating immediate and severe blood loss.

Essentially, it is violent whiplash. With the body held immobile by over-the-shoulder seat belts, only the head can move. Once blood vessels tear, the driver can die in seconds."

SKULL INJURY KILLED EARNHARDT, AUTOPSY CONFIRMS

DAYTONA BEACH — Dale Earnhardt died from a severe fracture to the base of his skull that caused bruising and bleeding to the soft tissue in his brain. When his race car smashed into a concret…

www.orlandosentinel.com

There's also a condition when the whiplash is so violent it can cause what is referred to as an internal decapitation where the spinal cord is broken.

Again, a victim sitting in the van would be a susceptible to that then the two 'tards in the car.

This might be a stupid question but wasn't that car equipped with an emergency brake? I know the brake system themselves were already boiled from riding them but the EB would be separate.

 

[KZP]

There's also a condition when the whiplash is so violent it can cause what is referred to as an internal decapitation where the spinal cord is broken.

Again, a victim sitting in the van would be a susceptible to that then the two 'tards in the car.

This might be a stupid question but wasn't that car equipped with an emergency brake? I know the brake system themselves were already boiled from riding them but the EB would be separate.

From driver:

"In a normal car, I could have pulled emergency brake, I even got a quote at Good Guy’s Del Mar for an electronic e-brake & bigger brakes. Hindsight’s 20-20, I was just gonna trailer it to a few shows & not drive it much till I could do that."

 

[TexPatriot]

From driver:

"In a normal car, I could have pulled emergency brake, I even got a quote at Good Guy’s Del Mar for an electronic e-brake & bigger brakes. Hindsight’s 20-20, I was just gonna trailer it to a few shows & not drive it much till I could do that."

Does this guy have a lawyer? If not, someone needs to advise him to STFU.

 

[Tempest 455]

I've had multiple cars with both B&M and Hurst shifters on auto and manual valve body transmissions over the years. I may be wrong but don't remember ANY that has to be put in P before a gear change.

Maybe he's miss remembering...

 

[W54/XM-388]

From driver:

"In a normal car, I could have pulled emergency brake, I even got a quote at Good Guy’s Del Mar for an electronic e-brake & bigger brakes. Hindsight’s 20-20, I was just gonna trailer it to a few shows & not drive it much till I could do that."

And that's where it's going to come down to quite possibly the only reason it was on the road at that time was because the channel wanted to film it.
(But didn't want to pay for taking it to a track and track time)

 

[Sean the Nailer]

From driver:

"In a normal car, I could have pulled emergency brake, I even got a quote at Good Guy’s Del Mar for an electronic e-brake & bigger brakes. Hindsight’s 20-20, I was just gonna trailer it to a few shows & not drive it much till I could do that."

So he knowingly went and did this. That is going to make the litigation that much more severe'er!

I've had multiple cars with both B&M and Hurst shifters on auto and manual valve body transmissions over the years. I may be wrong but don't remember ANY that has to be put in P before a gear change.

Maybe he's miss remembering...

If I remember correctly,,,, something like the "Muncie Straight-Gate" (???) or something like this:

Ultra Pro Super N24 Heavy Duty Ultra Case Muncie 4-Speed. Gasser Drag Race with Long V-Gate Shifter. Limited Quantity!! FALL SALE!!! - Muncie 4 Speed Transmissions And Rebuild Kits

ALL NEW ULTRA PRO SUPER N24 HEAVY DUTY MUNCIE 4-SPEED. GASSER DRAG RACE UNIT WITH NEW LONG V-GATE SHIFTER. Lead time 4-6 weeks. 20% Cancellation Fee on special order. LONG SHIFTER LIMITED QUANTITY

midwestmuncie.com

 

[TurboTrout]

I've had multiple cars with both B&M and Hurst shifters on auto and manual valve body transmissions over the years. I may be wrong but don't remember ANY that has to be put in P before a gear change.

Maybe he's miss remembering...

This

 

[Tempest 455]

So he knowingly went and did this. That is going to make the litigation that much more severe'er!


If I remember correctly,,,, something like the "Muncie Straight-Gate" (???) or something like this:

Ultra Pro Super N24 Heavy Duty Ultra Case Muncie 4-Speed. Gasser Drag Race with Long V-Gate Shifter. Limited Quantity!! FALL SALE!!! - Muncie 4 Speed Transmissions And Rebuild Kits

ALL NEW ULTRA PRO SUPER N24 HEAVY DUTY MUNCIE 4-SPEED. GASSER DRAG RACE UNIT WITH NEW LONG V-GATE SHIFTER. Lead time 4-6 weeks. 20% Cancellation Fee on special order. LONG SHIFTER LIMITED QUANTITY

midwestmuncie.com

It was an automatic trans unless I'm completely mistaken, in which case, he would have pushed in the clutch...

 

[n2ishun]

It's been a long ass time since I've seen one of those shifters, but..
I remember you had to pull it all the way down to 1st to engage the ratchet shifting function (where you just slam it forward to upshift 1 gear at a time). But otherwise you only had to pull upwards on the "trigger" to unlock it and move as you wanted.

My old boss Louie Unser got a broken neck at Pikes Peak way back in the day from a shitty race harness.
There's all kinds of stories out there of how he had MS, but it was the broken neck that put him in a wheelchair for life.
Best engine man that ever lived IMHO....hell, he built Al and Bobby's Indy engines, that there is a helluva resume.

 

[BullGear]

While turning off the key 'may' have slowed the car some, same/same for downshifting even moreso...... Not one person has stated this obvious point yet:

LAY ON THE DAMNED HORN to at least attempt go give others the semblance of warning that something is coming at them quickly.

A car like this probably doesn't have a horn. I doubt if he didn't have brakes, he boought a horn kit for the steering wheel. Just a guess on my part.

 

[BullGear]

No shit it doesn't and neither would what you're suggesting. People panic and never do the right thing in these situations. Best thing would have been to steer to the right but it's always easy to be a backseat driver when watching a video after the fact. This is proof that people will argue everything on the internet lol

You do know this is a discussion forum?

 

[BullGear]

I've had multiple cars with both B&M and Hurst shifters on auto and manual valve body transmissions over the years. I may be wrong but don't remember ANY that has to be put in P before a gear change.

Maybe he's miss remembering...

Agreed. If that was the case, how would you downshift from 3rd gear to race on the street. never heard of a shifter like this.