My car tried to eat me :(

[GSK130i]

Hi Everyone hope you are well!

Let me tell you all a story about habit and complacency that ended in tears and pain.

In the mornings before i leave to go where ever i am heading off to i like to have a smoke before i jump in my car and head off (i don't smoke in the car).

My habit is i lean into my car with my left leg depress the clutch, stick the fob in and start the car and let it run for a couple of minutes while i finish my smoke.

I know you are all thinking that is a totally unnecessary thing to do with the modern cars we drive and i am completely aware of this and as mentioned earlier it's a habit.

I also never leave my car in gear, never, well last friday morning before i left for work i did what i always do however for some strange reason, that is still don't know why, i left my car in reverse the night before.

Can you guess what happened!!

In what seemed was a split second my open door has struck me, knocked me to the ground, dragged me a couple of metres up the drive way, then continued on it way into my fence.

The bottom of the door has dragged across the top of my body, i have a massive bruise on my stomach and bruised ribs and ego.

I know smoking can kill you but this is not what i expected. It could have been worse thank go i didn't go under the car.

Damage to the car includes a little bit of rear bumper damage but the door has been rippler where it was bent back on my body.

I got a quote from BMW in Port Melbourne around $6k to repair, so now i am trying to get it fixed via insurance.

So there you go it's a bit of a long story but thought i would share it with you guys.

PS anyone know of a good repairer that is AAMI approved in Melbourne?

[JB4-335]

Sorry to hear of your misfortune but this is bloody hilarious.

[alik01]

That's really unlucky mate! Glad you're relatively okay. Have to agree that it's a little funny though!

Any closer to quitting smoking???

[sparoz]

Glad you are "okay"...

[GSK130i]

Yes i know it is one of those things that is pretty stupid and funny after the event but not at the time
The quiting has crossed my mind.

[WOPALX]

Lucky your okay.

I did a similar thing leaving a Dyno day after I first got my car, was about $7K to fix.

I was wedged between the door frame and the inside of the door, the outside of the door hit the concrete wall as the car was rolling out of the workshop.

[Stuart@BMRAutowerkes]

damn sorry to hear...

... but LOL

anyway, wouldn't it have stalled if you released the clutch rather quickly?

[JB4-335]

Originally Posted by WOPALX

Lucky your okay.

I did a similar thing leaving a Dyno day after I first got my car, was about $7K to fix.

I was wedged between the door frame and the inside of the door, the outside of the door hit the concrete wall as the car was rolling out of the workshop.

That's terrible mate. $7k for the repair.

[GSK130i]

Well I would have thought it would have stalled as well I took my foot straight off the clutch no hesitation, I am assuming because it initially idles higher on first start that it was enough for it to get cracking and off she went. The damage is no were near as bad as yours Wopa but I guess it doesn't really matter door has to be replaced regardless

[dr.bmw]

no handbrake? man thats unfortunate, I'm glad you're ok... reminds me of the time I forgot to retract sidestand on my motorbike... you can guess what happened in the first left hand turn..

[Rikx1M]

another argument for DCT ;-)

Technology has change things as now my 2011 won't move if the door is open...even a crack.

The bottom line, you are alive and in one piece...glad you are ok

[Jeef Beef]

Originally Posted by Rikx135

another argument for DCT ;-)

Technology has change things as now my 2011 won't move if the door is open...even a crack.

The bottom line, you are alive and in one piece...glad you are ok

Not really, considering the handbrake should've been on and the car would've stalled straight away.

OP how come your handbrake was disengaged? Glad you got out of that with not much more than a bruised ego.

[gazz]

I'm glad you're okay but I would love to have been a fly on the wall. Lucky it didn't turn towards you and run you over. Police report - "Driver appears to have run over himself"

[JB4-335]

Originally Posted by gazz

I'm glad you're okay but I would love to have been a fly on the wall. Lucky it didn't turn towards you and run you over. Police report - "Driver appears to have run over himself"

lol:

[pinmagic]

My story was a bit more traumatic. Keep in mind that, unlike the OP's story, this is in the US, with left-hand drive.

My mom came to pick me up in her Honda Accord w/automatic transmission. She pulled up to the left curb (1 way street), and slid to the passenger seat, so I could get in and drive. But the driver's door wouldn't open fully, cause of an obstacle on the sidewalk. So, with the driver's door cracked slightly, she announced she'd move the car back a bit FROM THE PASSENGER SEAT. Before I knew it, she'd stretched her left foot over and FLOORED THE GAS, thinking she was on the brake. I heard the engine roar, and thought "surely she won't shift into reverse, hearing the engine like that." But no, that's exactly what she did. The car flew backwards. Fortunately, I'd stepped back, or I would have been dragged under by the door. But the car flew into a MAJOR pedestrian intersection in downtown DC at lunch hour. She hit 2 pedestrians, and plowed into the side of a truck waiting to turn left. Because she was in shock, and thought one of the pedestrians was pinned against the truck (not sure if that's true - it happened so quickly), she shifted it to Drive - foot still firmly planted on the gas - and shot forward, plowing into a parked car.

There she sat - car crushed on both ends, 2 people sprawled on the ground. I was, needless to say, in shock myself.

In the end, one person went to the hospital, and needed some rehab therapy. I think the other was pretty much ok. It was a miracle people didn't die.

Holy cow - that was 20 years ago, and I just re-lived it.

[woosh]

Originally Posted by gazz

Police report - "Driver appears to have run over himself"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIIOpi202Ms

There's another video where the BMW 3 series actually gets the front wheel stuck on the drivers body as jumps out to perform a 'stunt' whilst the car is in gear... need a strong stomach to watch that video though.

OP - glad you're ok man. Live and learn eh.

[GSK130i]

Live and learn alright. JB the handbrake wasn't on because it is parked in my drive way which slopes downward with a gutter/ridge at the bottom, so the car was resting against that. No way it was going anywhere which is all the more reason why it was so unusual for me to leave the car in reverse gear.

Pin that sounds like a real horry story, my incident is nothing compared to the one.

Thanks for the well wishes and the giggles

[Jeef Beef]

Originally Posted by GSK130i

Live and learn alright. JB the handbrake wasn't on because it is parked in my drive way which slopes downward with a gutter/ridge at the bottom, so the car was resting against that. No way it was going anywhere which is all the more reason why it was so unusual for me to leave the car in reverse gear.

Pin that sounds like a real horry story, my incident is nothing compared to the one.

Thanks for the well wishes and the giggles

I thought pulling up the handbrake regardless of where the car's parked was an instinctive reaction for most people. I also leave my car in gear when the car is on some sort of slope, so now I have the habit of checking the car's in neutral before starting.

Best case for quitting smoking...and using the handbrake like it was designed

[woosh]

Originally Posted by Jeef Beef

I thought pulling up the handbrake regardless of where the car's parked was an instinctive reaction for most people. I also leave my car in gear when the car is on some sort of slope, so now I have the habit of checking the car's in neutral before starting.

Best case for quitting smoking...and using the handbrake like it was designed

Yeah, I thought this too until I noticed that one of our employees never pulls up the handbrakes on the work vehicles... he just leaves it in gear. As I'm pretty pedantic about it I now always check that they're engaged before leaving at the end of the day. The vehicles are all parked on a slope usually with a tonne or two of items in the back, which is why I'm so paranoid. lol

[GSK130i]

Yes it is a good incentive to quit smoking. I always use my handbrake and leave the car out of gear, the only place i don't use it, is when i park at home as the slope of my drive and the way the car rest against a raised ridge at the end means that it is not going any where.

[banglemangle]

Seems Charles Darwin was right!

[pinmagic]

The handbrake is a tricky thing. If you don't pull it hard enough, it won't stop the car (tho it will slow it), but some shops yank that thing so tight that they actually damaged the one in my MR2 Turbo. Always pisses me off when I see them pull on that thing like they're trying to lift the car with it.