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Upside down prius

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by mrpickles, Nov 23, 2007.

  1. mrpickles

    mrpickles New Member

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    [attachmentid=12581] Ok, so my mom loved my 2007 prius. She went and got the almost exact car. She loved all the features, etc etc. Then as she was only a couple of blocks from home cruising about 15 mph a car ran a stop sign, hit her in the right rear, it slid a little then flipped all the way over!!!! Luckily my mom was not hurt, just bruised a little. She was very mentally shook up though. After I new she was ok I asked if the air bags must have gone off. They did not, seems kinda weird that she was upside down and no air bag deployment? I'm just happy shes is doing fine now.
     

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    #1 mrpickles, Nov 23, 2007
  2. mingoglia

    mingoglia Member

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    I don't believe airbag deployment happens when the vehicle leaves the ground in the Prius. I believe some vehicles activate the side airbags though. Glad she's OK, do you have any larger pics you could post? I know about the mental shock. My wife was in a vehicle that got t-boned (a '99 Expedition) and rolled it on it's side. The vehicle that hit her (according to witnesses) was doing around 60mph.
     
    #2 mingoglia, Nov 23, 2007
  3. mrpickles

    mrpickles New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mingoglia @ Nov 23 2007, 01:24 PM) [snapback]543263[/snapback]</div>

    Yes , with a side impact I would hope the side airbags would have gone off? No larger pics> My dad took a few as he was able to get there right away, being so close to home. Poor little prius was totaled.
     
    #3 mrpickles, Nov 23, 2007
  4. Earthling

    Earthling New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mrpickles @ Nov 23 2007, 02:21 PM) [snapback]543260[/snapback]</div>
    Airbags go off when airbag sensors tell them to. In a frontal-impact collision, the sudden hard decceleration of the vehicle causes the airbag sensor to physically detect a collision and deploy the airbag. It's based on Newton' law about objects in motion.

    I would imagine side impact airbags have similar sensors.

    It's possible to have a collision where decelleration isn't hard enough to trip the airbags.

    Harry
     
    #4 Earthling, Nov 23, 2007
  5. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mrpickles @ Nov 23 2007, 10:21 AM) [snapback]543260[/snapback]</div>
    That's why the airbags didn't go off. It's out of the sensor's range.

    Glad your mum is ok. The car must've been going quite fast to flip the Prius over. But if you noticed, the curved roof of the Prius is pretty darn strong even though it feels flimsy (as some of you may have found out after leaving a dent on the roof).
     
    #5 Tideland Prius, Nov 23, 2007
  6. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    If your mom was not hurt, then the airbags performed properly in not deploying. The purpose of the air bag is to prevent the occupant from being too suddenly decelerated by impact with the inside of the car. You do not want the air bag to deploy if the deceleration of the occupant is not radically different from the deceleration of the vehicle.

    We keep seeing posts where someone says "... accident ... nobody hurt ... air bags should have deployed..." The air bags should not deploy in an accident where nobody is hurt, as the airbags themselves can cause injury. You only want them to deploy when any injury they may cause is less than the injury that would result from their not deploying.

    It's not whether the car is right side up or upside down. It's the deceleration forces.

    I am very glad your mom was not hurt. The Prius is a very good car in this respect. It does quite well in a crash.
     
    #6 daniel, Nov 23, 2007
  7. Vincent

    Vincent Don't Wait Until Tomorrow

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    [attachmentid=12581]

    Lucky Mom. Not happy to see a damaged Prius, but happy to see it performed well in an accident for her.
     
    #7 Vincent, Nov 24, 2007
  8. Michgal007

    Michgal007 Senior Member

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    Wow, that must have been scary. Glad your mother is ok.
     
    #8 Michgal007, Nov 24, 2007
  9. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    Glad mum is still good.
    If there were no serious injuries the airbags weren't needed so for the reduced cost of repair or salvage value it's a good thing the airbags weren't wasted.
     
    #9 patsparks, Nov 24, 2007
  10. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    Mrpickles best wishes to Mom, and please post again on whether the vehicle is repaired or salvaged. We do not see many of these. Fortunately!

    It slid sideways and then flipped? Would you suspect that the wheels hit a curb?
     
    #10 tochatihu, Nov 24, 2007
  11. mrpickles

    mrpickles New Member

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    It was totaled. My Mom got a check from the insurance. I don't know if car was fixed or salvaged after that. It was towed to a tow yard nearby, but thats the last we heard. There was a lot of damage but mostly cosmetic. They caused almost as much damage when they turned it right side up to tow it.
     
    #11 mrpickles, Nov 25, 2007
  12. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Wow, that was a fast settlement...how you didn't get ripped.
     
    #12 efusco, Nov 25, 2007
  13. mrpickles

    mrpickles New Member

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    This all happened a couple of months ago.
     
    #13 mrpickles, Nov 25, 2007
  14. oly_57mpg

    oly_57mpg New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mrpickles @ Nov 26 2007, 12:00 AM) [snapback]544102[/snapback]</div>
    I was about to say: someone please turn that turtle over, it looks helpless upside down!

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Nov 23 2007, 03:28 PM) [snapback]543298[/snapback]</div>
    Yep! Just image a shotgun going off in your face... I'd rather they didn't go off unless, as daniel said, they would cause lesser damage than with out them.
     
    #14 oly_57mpg, Nov 26, 2007
  15. naterprius

    naterprius Senior Member

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    #15 naterprius, Nov 26, 2007
  16. Miss_Taz

    Miss_Taz New Member

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    Glad she is OK. But the obvious question that you didn't answer was...

    DID SHE GO BUY ANOTHER ONE??? :-D
     
    #16 Miss_Taz, Nov 26, 2007
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