Well, my SSE just got totalled. The car was parked and I was in class at the time, so I'm okay.

More to come, including photos...

http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/totalled

I am glad you are ok. It looks like the Avalanche was the only moving vehicle. How the hell could 1 person cause so much damage. What is that about a 9 - 10 car accident? Hope you can find another Bonneville that clean. It was very nice. Sorry to hear about it.

Well, here'* the gist of the story.

I get out of class and start walking to one of the on-campus dorms to meet with some friends (I live off-campus). It'* a beautiful Friday, the perfect temperature to give my Bonnie a bath. Life is good. As I'm walking along the road, one of my Fraternity brothers, Kyle, pulls up next to me.

"Keacher, you have a red Bonneville, right? Did you park over by Moench hall [on the other side of campus]?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Your car got hit."

"Uh, bad?"

"Yeah, pretty bad. I think it'* totalled, man."

My first thought: "How bad could it be?" After all, I was *parked* on the opposite side of a sidewalk. Kyle gave me a ride over to the scene. By this time, a fire engine, multiple state police cruisers, and various news media (hey, it'* a small town) were on the scene. What a shock to see a Chevy Avalanche stuck to the top of my engine! It gradually became clear that my car was no longer where I had parked it several hours before. In fact, the collision moved my car *three spaces* away. Look closely at http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/totall...r/P4260173.JPG: the tan scrape in the middle of the picture is where my driver'* side front rim bit into the pavement.

I started talking to the other victims, eight of us in all. Fortunately, none of us were near our cars when the accident occured; had somebody been beside their car when the tragedy transpired -- well, it would have been bad.

The kid driving the Avalanche said he was going 25 and blacked out. Riiiight... I'm an engineering major, and there'* no way that much carnage ensured from a 25 mph impact. It'* all a mater of mathematics. Heck, I could write the equations for the crash right now. Let'* see... 4500-lb Avalanche displaces eight 3500-lb cars, totalling at least three of them... According to the newspaper, the Avalanche driver, a sophomore at my college, was travelling between 60 mph and 70 mph when he hit.


Blacked out? Then how do you explain the skid marks?

Several miscellaneous comments: A photo of me and my car made the front page of the local paper. ( http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/media/tribstar.htm ) [That photo was taken after the SUV was towed away, and IMHO, it'* a bad one of me. Ah well.] No, I haven't started looking for a new car yet. I'll keep you all updated as things progress.

-Jeff

_________________

1993 Pontiac Bonneville SSE (R.I.P. 4/26/02)
Founder, http://www.bonnevilleclub.com

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Teuobk on 2002-04-29 21:17 ]</font>

Smaller versions of the photos

Hey Jeff,

Sorry to hear about your accident. My Bonnie has been in at least half a dozen colisions, however all were minor enough to be repaired. It pains me to see a nice SSE like your die such an untimely death, though. Well, hopefully you can find a nice supercharged SSEi to replace it with!

Well, it looks like I'll be getting another Bonneville to replace the fallen one. It'* not certain, so I won't say more for now.

I doubt I will part out the destroyed one. Sorry.

I go to school at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, a respected private engineering/science/math four-year college in Terre Haute, IN. A majority of the students are from out-of-state, and unfortunately, he is one of them.

My new(er) Bonneville is waiting for me in Minnesota: It'* a 1995 SSE, red with black leather. It'* like my car reincarnated .

A 1995 SSE isn't too shabby. 35hp more than our older ones

skza: Indeed, mine will be a Bright Red 1995 SSE with gray leather, a sunroof, and all the goodies. I pick it up on Friday, so you all can expect photos by Sunday

Sarah: Yeah, your car barely escaped injury. Sometimes the line between destruction and salvation is razor-thin. Thanks for the condolences!