Goodbye Old Friend....

[76eldo]

Luckily that side impact was where it was.  T-bone at the door would have been much worse to you as far as injury.  That front side area has a lot of mass...

Brian

[Caddyjack]

You are so right, Brian. I also thought the same thing. I'm still waiting for the insurance folks to come take a look at it. Everyday they drag their heels, it's $45 at the lot where it's being stored. I believe the mess with hurricane Sandy has probably slowed the whole process down. I'll keep y'all posted, and will post some details and pictures of my soon to be in possession "replacement" Eldo.

I was lucky to walk away from this, even though originally they strapped me to a board before loading me in an ambulance 9so the walking away didn't happen for about 5 hours). It took me 6 days to get back to work, and another week to finally get to see the car. When I saw it, I choked up pretty good knowing that this was one severe crash. There must have been an angel or two looking out for me.

Jack L.
Devon, PA

[Gene Beaird]

Make sure the insurance company compensates you for the time you spent waiting for them. 

I was in a head-on in a Trans Am.  It was in a neighborhood, so the speeds weren't that great.  Still, I got stretched pretty well.  My head hit the rear view mirror, in spite of me being strapped in the seat tightly with a 3" lap belt.  By the next day, I was moving around kind of slow for a college kid.  :-)

Although nowhere near as bad as your car, they did total it, but I kept the car and rebuilt it.  Luckily, the frame or body weren't bent too badly.  I later sold the car to a collector who still has it, and the funds allowed me to put a down payment on a house.   

[TJ Hopland]

In an earlier part of your account you mentioned something about the steering wheel?   What was that about?

Also curious did you get out of the car yourself and were 'up walking around' when the emergency folks came and strapped you down or did they have to get you out?     

I suppose even though nothing hit that side of the car it looks like the whole car could have got tweaked enough for the door to not open easily.  With my deer hit on my 80 a couple weeks ago the fender got pushed back about 1/4 inch and that was enough that the door wont easily open.... and that was just a couple hundred pound deer not a dump truck.   

[N Kahn]

sad loss, I'm sorry

[Guidematic]

I can relate to this incident on 2 counts.

Back in July '96 I was t-boned while driving ly '70 Fleetwood. A idiot ran a red light and clocked me at about 50 MPH on the left front fender. I had my 2 young daughters in the car with me. The car was a mess, but the worse injury was a concussion by me when my head hit the side glass. My 2 girls were shook up and upset, but otherwise fine.

The car that hit me, a Mazda 929, was completely destroyed. I remember getting out of the car and chasing the driver of the Mazda threatening him life and limb. It was a blurr, but had I caught him, I'm sure he would have been hospitalised.

I fought with the insurance company for a good month. Finally I got my settlement, which was satisfactory, and had the car repaired. I entertained purchasing a number of late 60's ealy 70's Cadillacs, but I just couldn't give up the Fleetwood. I'm still enjoying that car today.

At the time I also had a 1986 Celebrity. Had I been driving that car that day, I doubt I would be here typing this. Those big old Cadillacs have a lot of metal in them, and they are incredible in that circumstance. As much as we don't ever want to be there.

A few years later, my mom was driving her 1977 Fleetwood when an elderly man driving a new Focus ran a red light and t-boned the car in the right rear door. It spun the car around and put it into a chain link fence in a playground. The Focus actually split in two. My mom was fine, if a bit shook up. The door on the Fleetwood still opened and closed as if it was never hit. The Fleetwood was written off, and they purchsed a beautiful solid 1982 Fleetwood which is still in the family.

For some time before that, she was talking about getting a smaller car. Well after that there was no more talk of that. Hence the purchase of another Fleetwood.

So, hang in there. The best memory of that car will be the one of how it saved your bacon. Nothing will ever replace it, but I'm sure you'll have a re-enforced feeling of safety while driving your new Eldorado. You just can't change the laws of physics. Big is always better in a collision. No matter what they say.

Mike

[R Schroeder]

Its odd that someone is selling a car that looks almost like yours.

http://forums.cadillaclasalleclub.org/index.php?topic=121663.0