01PewterMadre

iTrader: (4)

Hey guys I thought I could share this experience about the accident I was involved in back in November of 2009. On one cold and rainy Saturday morning on my way to my early morning class at the University of Houston, I was involved in a pretty scary hydroplaning accident while trying to merge onto Pasadena freeway 225. The morning seemed like any other morning, but boy did things go wrong fast.

accident: The rain was coming down only as a slight drizzle but it had been raining since the previous night. With that said it was not raining too hard. As I was merging from the feeder lane onto 225 going West towards downtown, my rear end and subsequently my front end lost traction and I started to hydroplane and lost all control of my car. It all happened incredibly fast, and the next thing I know my car started to drift into the lanes on my left, all while traveling at roughly 55mph. So as my car continued to travel in this uncontrollable drift all I could see was the concrete barrier that divides the freeway down the middle coming closer and closer. At this point I am traveling on the freeway perpendicular to traffic getting a nice look at the concrete barrier flying by. In that moment I honestly thought I was going to die because I saw traffic in my driver's side mirror right before I tried to merge. I braced for the inevitable impact. I managed to look out my driver's side window and got a glimpse at her car coming right at me right before my car was struck. The other driver was driving on the fast lane when we collided. Her right (passenger) front end struck my left (driver's) front end. We collided corner to corner. This sent my car into two 360 degree spins while still traveling down the freeway. My car then came to a dead stop across the two left lanes of the freeway. The lady in the other car ended hugging the concrete barrier about 100 yards down the freeway. My car was dead, but thank god no one was seriously hurt.

After the accident: two motorists pulled over to see how were doing and one of them called 911. I give it up for these people because it started to rain harder and a good amount of traffic was zooming by both our cars which was pretty scary. I asked the lady if she was ok and she responded with a smile and said yes. She even kind of laughed when she asked "what happened?" Two police officers responded within minutes and they interviewed everyone involved including myself, the other driver, and the two potential witnesses. No ambulances were called. Eventually the cars were towed away. I will note that the police officer who interviewed me seemed to be very understanding and sympathetic. I did not get a clear understanding of what the witnesses saw ,but from the reaction and demeanor of the police officer I felt relived - as If they agreed that there was nothing that I could have done to avoid it, and that it was just an unfortunate accident.


Legal: I got a ticket for unable to control my speed! Duhh!!! I was hydroplaning with absolutely no control over my vehicle! The whole event was completely out of my control. The country prosecutor told me that I was going too fast and told me that I should have slowed down - all this of course he knows first hand, because he was there ;}. I was going a conservative 55mph and told him that I always drove carefully and slowly in bad weather, but he was condescending and judgmental so it really didn't matter what I said it wasn't going to change his mind.

A bit about me, at least when it comes to driving: outside of my car I am a very cautious, if not overly cautious person. Some people, including my friends and family members, say I am a neurotic mess :]. This of course transfers to my style of driving. I love to drive and I pride myself in doing it properly and safely (partly because I am neurotic). Here are some examples of my style of driving:

When I switch lanes, I check about ten times before I commit, especially on the freeway

I yield to everyone all the time, everywhere, and anywhere. My brother calls me the "yield queen," lol although, I think of myself as a courteous driver.

I put my blinker on whenever I get a chance, even when its comical to do so.

yada yada yada you get the picture. I consider myself a safe driver all around.


From the responses to this particular thread and others on this site, as well as what others say on other websites, I have have discovered that I am not alone in the world of hydroplaning. Many variables play into hydroplaning accidents so please consider them before you make an opinion. Here are just a few: vehicle weight distribution; road conditions including irregularities, deformations, potholes, etc...; road pollutants on road including oils, soils, dirt, sand, etc...; amount of water saturating the road; speed; tire variables such as depth of thread, width, etc...; among others that I cant remember at the moment.


looking back on the accident: My car had hydroplaned before, but it was barely noticeable and was in complete control. Add to that that I was not on the freeway but on a city road travelling 45mph?!?!? I have driven that same stretch of pavement numerous times trying to figure out what went wrong. And from this I noticed something odd. Within the same spot that I lost control there is an irregularity on the feeder road pavement. By that I mean that there is a slight drop from one chunk of pavement to the next (lines that divide the stretches of road). My theory is that rain saturated slightly more on this piece of road right at this point (inconsistency on the concrete), caused my rear wheels to momentarily lose contact with the ground causing them to land and subsequently travel on the saturated water. This caused my cars rear end to hydroplane (glide) over that thin sheet of water. Losing traction of my rear end resulted in loss of traction of the front end.

basic breakdown of what I remember:

1. hit irregularity on road

2. lost rear end traction causing my rear end to drift slightly to my left (about a couple of feet)

3. I still have a bit of front end traction

4. rear end then drifts right (I don't try and over correct, I try to make smooth and deliberate adjustments)

5. I lose front end traction

6. I start drifting into the lanes to my left

7. impact




thanks for reading.

Ls1Rook

iTrader: (1)

Damn that sucks, i'm sure you can clear things out on court day, take a witness if you can.. So what are you going to do with the car? if you part it.. ill take the ls6 intake lmk.

1_slow00z28

That does suck man sorry to hear that. Like he said if you part it out let me know i would take the driver side door panel off your hands

rooster99ss

iTrader: (8)

that sucks man. I'll tell you this, when you're in court, it doesn't matter if you're perfectly in the right or not, you're wrong if you don't have a lawyer. I would hire a traffic attorney to show up with me in court if I were you

$750 L98

iTrader: (7)

This is one of my worst fears. I drive like a grandma in the rain, I'm sure people hate me for it, but you never know if you'll hit a slick patch on a rainy road. (still doesn't always save you as you know unfortunately). You can also always count on most surrounding traffic tonot care, they will just hit you and make a claim.

Just be glad you are ok though, had you been T-boned and hit center mass by the other car you may not have been so lucky, getting clipped like that saved you!

rooster99ss

iTrader: (8)

our cars are the WORST for hydroplaning. i try not to take mine out in the rain at all, and if i have to take it out in the rain, i stick to the feeder roads only. i won't even try to get on the freeway. i wrecked my 94 Z like that and i said no more

1_slow00z28

same here i stay away from the highway in rain i wont even take the chance of it getting loose and hitting something or someone be the way rooster nice car man very nice

SuperSport346

iTrader: (2)

I had this happen to me, but luckily I was going slower and managed to pull the car under control quickly. I was merging right at an overpass, so concrete walls were on each side and I was sure I was going to go into one...

That really sucks that you got hit, but glad you're ok!

rooster99ss

iTrader: (8)

thanks bro!

Shackleford

iTrader: (12)

As far as I can remember - except when my front two tires were low on tread - I haven't had any hydroplaning issues on the expressway when it was raining.

Texas Heat

iTrader: (9)

I hydroplaned in my 99 Z28, man that sucked! I was only going 40mph, but the car pitched sideways and went over a curb and into a tree! Almost rolled when we hit the curb, scared me shitless!

PatriotT/A

Sucks to hear man. Glad you're okay though. I hydroplaned in my old LT1 Trans Am and did 2 complete 360s before I came to a stop in the middle median. Luckily it was a large grass median and didn't have a wall. I buried the car in mud up to the frame. Other than a muddy car, everything was okay. My two buddies who were riding along didn't think it was too fun though.

SuperSport346

iTrader: (2)

I do believe my tires were low when it happened to me...

02CamaroSSLE

iTrader: (5)

man that sucks, you know you would think that the officer would not give you a ticket considering the circumstances, i know most cops wouldnt unless people say you were being a dumbass or it is obvious you were, but you WEREN'T!!! now of course we are only getting your side but if you said there were witness' saying the same then he should have not given you a ticket... im sorry to hear what happened to you, but as rooster said you are wrong no matter what you say if you dont hire an attorny... i personally used this attorny called kubosh law firm or something like that it's in down town, and he has gotten me outta two tickets, and will never again pay for a ticket unless it KNOW i was in the wrong. good luck with everything and hopefully you have not already incriminated yoruself.

01PewterMadre

iTrader: (4)

The police officer who gave me the ticket told me that he had to give someone a ticket and in this case it was going to be me. He mentioned that according to the law in this state someone had to be at fault. I would then have to go to court and make my case. I went to court without a lawyer thinking that since I did not do anything wrong I didnt need a lawyer - because of it not being my fault at all. Big mistake. The prosecutor thought I was just some punk who was going too fast and basically gave me a "deal" which entailed me not having the charge on my record. When the prosecutor and I were talking about the case he was being a tight *** and a-hole . He really didnt care to hear my side of the story and didnt seem to care whatsoever about the case. So I shut my mouth and took the deal.

About the car - I dont have it anymore. It must be sitting in a junkyard somewhere in TX.

Oh and the 2010 Passat that Hit me going 65mph was also totaled. The lady in it was test driving it straight out of the dealership. The thing was brand new and still had the protective plastic film on the hood and fenders. Hope the lady is ok.

Shackleford

iTrader: (12)

That ticks me off. Is he not familiar with the term EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES?

Jake_the_Snake

iTrader: (5)

damn that sucks. the only time ive had anything similar happen was when i gunned it on the on-ramp. i had totally forgotten that it rained the day before, so the roads were still somewhat wet. it was fine until i hit 2nd gear and the car decided to run headfirst toward a guardrail at 60ish mph. luckily i was able to steer it away from the rail, did a 720, but i dont remember the rest(it seemed kind of surreal after it was over with). luckily neither i nor the car had a scratch on us and oncoming traffic was kind enough to stop for me


by the way, what sort of tire is everyone using? ive got the nitto 450s and have decent traction in the rain. ive only hydroplaned twice, both times going around 50 on the freeway but still both very controllable

02Z28LS1

iTrader: (2)

that all depends on the tires you have, and how much tread is left on them.

when my GS-D3's (as well as my previous Cooper Zeon 2XS's) were brand new, i could go almost as fast in a pretty heavy downpour as i could when it's dry.....but once the tires start to wear down toward the 2/3 or 3/4 mark of their life, that's when it really starts getting bad. this is especially true the wider the tires are....and even moreso when the rear tires are the ones that are worn the most. you should ALWAYS put the tires with the most tread in the rear on ANY vehicle, whether it be FWD or RWD.

OP, from the first picture, it looks like your tires were nearing the end of their life, which very well have contributed to the accident. they may not have looked as bad in person, but they kinda look bad in that photo.

this post just helps to demonstrate how important it is to replace your tires before they get too worn-down.....it could really save your life, as well as others.

rooster99ss

iTrader: (8)

that's what I said would happen

you guys keep telling yourselves that.

i've been on here saying it for a long time, and there's always some knucklehead every time i say it that wants to argue with me. then it rains in Dallas and we have 3 or 4 threads pop up about people hydroplaning and totalling out their cars in the rain

You guys are giving me flashbacks to my dad saying "One of these days, you'll look back and go 'damn, he was right!'"

Omega Doom

iTrader: (2)

not true! MUSTANGS are the absolute WORST in the rain!!!!!