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Prius Occupants Survive Horrific Crash

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by DaveinOlyWA, May 31, 2005.

  1. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    Today a horrible accident involving 6 vehicles killed 3 people. A truck towing a 30 ft camping trailer was southbound in I-5 in Marysville, WA and lost control, hit the medium, flipped on its side and into the north-bound lanes.

    the first vehicle hit was a Silver Prius with 3 occupants. although all three had serious injuries, they have survived. the 2nd vehicle hit was a Ford Taurus with 3 passengers. the two in the front seat died instantly, the passenger in the back seat died later at the hospital.

    although we never want to see such a severe test, i think this accident could turn out to be a huge testament to the safety of driving a Prius.

    there is still not anything that would explain how the truck-trailer lost control, but this maybe a great arguement for having barriers separating the lanes. the area where the accident happened has a medium strip that is only about 30 feet wide i believe. unfortunately, this stretch of roadway is one of the few places an accident like this could have happened.

    edit
    an update, the occupants of the Prius all suffered minor injuries according to the latest word on the news. apparently the Prius rolled a few times from the impact. i will say that if i wasnt very familiar with the Prius, im not sure i would have recognized what kind of car it was as it was the car is now nearly unrecognizeable when viewing the drivers side.
     
  2. Godiva

    Godiva AmeriKan Citizen

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    I'm not sure a barrier would have helped. Big enough truck going fast enough it would just jump it. And I find where they build freeways with barriers the lanes are right next to each other with the barrier in between....not 30 feet apart. Unfortanately for a situation like this even if you can see it coming there isn't much you can do about it.

    I'm glad the Prius occupants survived. And I'm glad I have the side curtain airbags. I'm sure they were a factor. I don't know anything about the Ford Taurus. This may have been a matter of how the cars were hit.

    Here's what I found. One or both cars may have rolled.

    Seattle Times

    SeattlePI
     
  3. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    it's a median, not medium. Thanks for the story.
     
  4. priusham

    priusham New Member

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    I would not gleen too much from this story.

    The Prius could have been hit in the rear corner and flipped over while the Ford may have been hit head on. We can only speculate.

    The photos that were posted on PriusChat last week, of that destroyed Prius that the driver walked away from, are a pretty good testiment to the Prius safety.

    <chuckles to Dr. F... "medium" heh heh WooOOOooo ooOOOooOoo... spooky!>
     
  5. oly_57mpg

    oly_57mpg New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusham\";p=\"94221)</div>
    I do not know... Take a look at this... To me, it seems as though the Prius took the hit head on, at least on the drivers side. The trailer that was in tow looks like it traveled over the top of the Taurus. More of a roll cage type of question...

    Credit: Michael V. Martina / The Herald
     
  6. Devil's Advocate

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    Holy Crap!

    You can see the door reinforcing on the Prius as the skin pealed back. I think the roof seperation at the front A pillar is from the first responders cutting out the ocupants.
     
  7. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    yeah, the prius looks like it rolled. eek.

    here's hoping we never need any of those safety features toyota put in our cars. but it's nice to know they're there. especially since once we start a family, the prius is going to be the family car....
     
  8. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    the trailer was flipped on its side and the Prius hit it broadside as the driver turned to get out of its way. as it hit the trailer it flipped (estimated 3 times) the Tarus which hit the trailer next hit in similiar fashion except that when it hit the trailer, the roof of the car was sheared off making the resulting flip certain death for the occupants. the A support was cut by rescue personnel. on the news they had a different view of the car, from the passenger side it didnt appear to have much damage. but i was amazed at the damage the roof sustained especially in the rear but still minimal signs of colapse

    after seeing the aftermath of this accident, i will NEVER EVER complain about thick A supports again.

    notice the speed limit sign in the background...
     
  9. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    oh man. that is a horrible situation. i feel bad for everyone involved. but i breathe a sigh of relief knowing my car will hold up to that kind of assault.
     
  10. DieselConvert

    DieselConvert Member

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    We can assume that no emergency personnel were electrocuted in effecting the rescue, since that would have been reported, I'm sure.
     
  11. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DieselConvert\";p=\"94263)</div>
    yes we can assume that urban legends do not apply to real life
     
  12. Godiva

    Godiva AmeriKan Citizen

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    Call me paranoid, but just another reason I won't cut a hole in my roof and put in a sunroof.

    I am very happy I have the additional side curtain airbags and hope to never need them.
     
  13. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    http://www.kirotv.com/news/4547536/detail.html
    (strict copyright statement, thought I'd be on the safe side here)

    The video link on this page shows the other side of that Prius if anyone's interested in the total impact that accident had on the car. Man, it was pretty messed up. It looks like the car is bent.
     
  14. TCD

    TCD Junior Member

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    Howdy,

    I believe that the truck involved was way over its' GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight) based on the trailer shown... It looks like a 1/2 ton truck with a three-axle trailer!

    This is getting so bad that last year Montana was stopping recreational trucks with trailers and checking the GVW. In many cases they impounded on the trailer at the roadside not allowing the truck to continue towing!

    Just because a truck has a trailer hitch, doesn't mean it safe to tow anything...
     
  15. Godiva

    Godiva AmeriKan Citizen

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    Not to mention how many times do they drive over the speed limit? Just because you *can* doesn't make it safe.
     
  16. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    actually i know how people drive around here and the scenario most likely went like this...

    its a two lanes in one direction, very heavy holiday traffic, people merging onto freeway, truck-trailer moving slowly (most likely 60 mph) impatient SUV cuts him off causing him to lose control resulting in the crash.

    the State Patrol is asking anyone who saw the accident to come forward with any information they might have, so sounds to me that that is what the driver of the truck is saying...of course considering 3 people died and he might be charged with involuntary manslaughter, he might just being trying to CYA
     
  17. Beacher

    Beacher Member

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    That's painting with a pretty broad brush!

    Of course, my broad brush would include tricked out little Honda's with 18 yo drivers who seem to think they are playing a video game - getting within 3 feet before changing lanes to pass. God that pisses me off, especially when the passing lane is open for about a half a mile back.
     
  18. Vernon

    Vernon New Member

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    I read in an article (I forget which) that part of the Prius frame is made of something called ultra high strength steel, which may have kept the passenger compartment intact through the roll. It's supposedly the first use of this substance in an automobile.
     
  19. bethmaup

    bethmaup New Member

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    Does anyone have any current news as to the condition of the survivors?
     
  20. Ian MacDonald

    Ian MacDonald Junior Member

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    Here's the World Auto Steel article

    Here is the article I think you were referring to:
    Toyota Prius Uses High Strength Steel for Safety-Critical Structure

    I just got my new Prius after driving a no-air-bag Toyota truck for 13 years. A friend of mine at work recently hit a tractor trailer head on and walked away from the accident because of the safety features in his modern car.

    That was my wake up call to start driving something safer. I used to think that I'd keep my truck forever since it runs great, is paid for, is cheap to insure and register but my perspective has now changed after hearing of folks "walk away" from horrific crashes. I've always been what I think is a safe driver, but you can never know when something out of your control is going to happen.

    Regards,

    -- Ian