Morris Minor Owners Club

I was driving back to my college yesterday- i was in the left lane doing 65 mph in my 4age powered Morris Minor. A truck in front of me dropped a very large steel beam right into my lane. I knew that if i hit it it would have flipped my car. I quickly swerved to the right into the other lane just in time to miss the beam but lost control and fishtailed into the center divide at about 50 mph. I braced my self for impact but the steering wheel bent straight into the dash. With only a lap belt on, my face hit the center of the steering wheel but somehow i didn't get knocked out. Next thing i know i was spinning out of control. Once the car stopped i made sure my neck and back wasn't broken. It was weird but i had no serious pain. Blood was pouring out of my mouth nose and knee, but knew i was basically okay.A guy came over to help. I couldn't talk but dialed my dad's phone number and mumbled to the guy to tell him i was alright. He gave my phone back and I texted my girlfriend telling her i was okay and that i loved her. I texted my sister to let her know exactly what happened and that i was fine and not seriously hurt. The ambulance came and got me, the paramedic was really surprised i wasn't knocked out. He asked how much pain i was in and i said almost none (most likely due to adrenaline), and i was just really upset about my car. 4 years of work completely destroyed in a split second. I bought the car at 15 years old and now it's gone.

They rushed me to the hospital with a suction tube down my throat so i wouldn't choke. We got to the hospital where they were really able to assess the damage. My upper and lower jaw ( the parts that hold the teeth) were completely broken off and folded back into my mouth. 5 of my teeth were broken and pointing towards the back of my throat. I suffered a 2 inch gash through my bottom lip. I also suffered a two inch gash in my left knee to the bone. My left cheek bone is also broken. To make a long story short they stitched my knee up and then took me to oral surgery. In surgery they pushed my jaws back into position with steel plates and wires. They also stitched up the gash in my bottom lip. Ill need new front teeth but the doctor is confident that the roots will grow back so that new teeth can be screwed into them. I can't walk on my leg and probably won't be able for a few weeks. I cant eat solid food for 3.5 weeks. The worst part is that finals are coming up so it's going to be really hard to make up for lost time at school.

It's no surprise that the car is completely totaled. I've never been so depressed in my life, I'm just thankful that I'm alive and that no one else was hurt as a result of the truck drivers utter stupidity and recklessness. I also am left with no money for the car (truck driver took off and i only had 'crash and cry' insurance)

great news that you managed to come out of this alive, it could have been so much worst.

Really sorry that the car is written off especially after all your hard work.

Hi downsey

What a dreadful misfortune. I feel for you.

But despite the tragedy of what has happened, you are right to focus on the positive aspects. You are alive, you will probably make a full recovery from your injuries and no-one else was hurt or killed.

I'm just thankful that I'm alive and that no one else was hurt

It seems to me that with this positive attitude, it won't be long before you see this as a very temporary setback.

I wish you lots of good luck, good health and more Morrises in future.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery
Don

BTW I have worked in the area of road safety for the last 30 years or so.

Thanks for the kind words guys. It may have been my first Morris, but definitely not my last.

All this happened just yesterday! Best Wishes from me and my family for a full and speedy recovery. A car is just material, it can be replaced, lets hope the truck driver is traced and gets the book thrown at him.

All the best

Dean.

May I add my wishes for your good recovery and say well done on focusing on the positives.

It would be easy to focus on the lorry driver driving off or the loss of the car.

But the car can be replaced and the lorry driver geting caught may still happen and if it doesn't it won't change your life.

Bad accidents in old cars are something we take the risk of every time we drive them whether we realise it or not.

I hope you get through the painfull bit quickly and wish you all the best.

Very sorry to hear about your accident, and wish you a speedy recovery.

Just a thought about the lorry driving off - were there any cctv cameras in the vicinity? They could be used to trace the vehicle.

It has made me rethink about fitting seat belts to my Series II.

Regards Ian

Yes Ian46

You are staying on that naughty step until you get them (seatbelts) fitted.

downsey had a lap belt, but he might have avoided the facial injuries if he had lap/sash belts (sorry to raise this downsey, but it is a good opportunity to help others avoid injury).

Cheers
Don

Thank the Gods you're alive. At the end of the day a car is only a metal box. Another can be built given time. You are all that matters. Get better soon

Firstly, sorry to hear of your accident and I wish you a very speedy recovery. Cars can be fixed/replaced but people can't.

Is there anything thats savable at all? Chances are the lorry driver didn't even realise and just carried on - I believe his will be obliged to report the loss of load...

Unless you can get him to admit fault anyway the insurance company would likely say that you weren't maintaining a safe follwing distance anyway

Sounds terrible - well done avoiding that beam. The steering wheel is designed to go forwards - and if you had been wearing a shoulder belt you would probably have escaped most of what sounds like horrific personal damage. If the wheel had come back -as it does on many old cars - it would have crushed your chest - so be glad of Mr Issigonis' design ! A tip for the future (but hopefully never needed) is that if you stamp really hard on the brake once the car gets away from you and lock all the wheels it will basically just slide in a straight line - without all that spinning and without launching itself sideways etc. Very best wishes for a speedy and full recovery.

What a terrible thing to happen - I too wish you a very speedy recovery. You deserve to end up with a Moggie that's even better than you one you've lost

And may I add my best wishes and prayers for your speedy and full recovery from what could have been a much worse outcome, I am sure that your family are as releaved as you that you came out alive.
As you have said, and we all agree with, your car, despite being a much loved vehicle, is only a lump of steel at the end of the day which can be replaced, your life can't so well done in staying positive.

Good luck with your recovery, and I hope and pray for some leniency towards your finals. When I had a bad bike crash towards the end of my HNC's I was allowed extra time to sit the exams.

sorry to hear
i hope they catch the person driving the truck. you never know your moggy may live to fight another day.
wish you the best......

Hey all, thanks again for the kind words.

I've gone through the accident over and over in my mind- it just happened so fast that i don't know what else i could have done. My girlfriend's father is a firefighter and he said that missing the beam was important because he has seen a lot of cars flipped/impaled from debris in the road.

As far as seat belts. I encourage everyone to put AT LEAST lap belts in their cars. Without my belt i would have been dead. Shoulder belts would be even better. With shoulder belts my face may have been alright. As they say, hindsight is 20/20. My next car will definitely have them, maybe even full harnesses.

That truck driver must have known he dropped something, even if it was when he got out of the truck at his destination. Instead of calling the police to report it, he wanted to save his own butt at the risk of the lives of others. Thank god a motorcyclist didn't come along...

The car is messed up and unrepairable. I was bracing myself for impact so hard that that the banjo steering wheel bent completely into the dash. My elbow hit the grating and completely smashed it. The front suspension is destroyed. The car is quite a bit shorter. The hood and fenders are completely smashed, the structure throughout the entire car is destroyed. They busted the doors off to get me out. The radiator and fan smashed into the engine, the engine moved back about 6 inches bending the motor mounts and transmission crossmember. The battery got flown out of the car over 100 feet. The corbeau seats are still good along with the mgb front brakes and mgb rear end.

Thank you again for everyone giving me their best wishes.

i wish you a speedy recovery,and i hope they catch the truck driver.you can get another car,we cant get another you.stay positive,best wishes for the future .

Hope you have a speedy recovery.

It may be unsensitive to ask, but any chance of some pictures of the car? I work in vehicle safety and would be very interested to see how the Minor reacts in impacts. It may be that a few simple modifications could make Minors quite a bit safer in crashes.

It sounds like the steering wheel did a good job of absorbing your energy. It distorting is a good thing.

A shoulder belt is a very good idea and a 4 point harness much better.

Glad to hear your ok & have a speedy recovery.
I hope they find the other driver.

Don't worry innovator, its not insensitive at all. My knee is pretty swollen so it's hard to get around but when i can i will definitely post some pictures. The Morris stood up well considering the circumstances. The wide head of the 4age helped to contain the engine in the compartment.

Wow! Glad your going to be ok, I think that could be described as a lucky escape. Keep your chin up - and look out for another Morris!