Cobra crash and roll bar head trauma field test

[Buzz]

Hi guys its been a while. Between struggling in a dead economy and working to stay afloat, the last 12 months has been a bit of a challenge. I still enjoyed the heck out of driving the Cobra, but decided about a month ago to put her up for sale, knowing that in the limited market and poor economy it would be a tough sell.

That problem was solved on friday when I was headed down the road and encountered two slow moving cars on a relatively straight road with no oncoming traffic. It had rained a bit earlier and though the road was dry, the dirt and grass on the shoulders was still quite wet. Bear in mind I drive a right hand drive Cobra and we travel on the left side of the road.

The cars were traveling unusually slow for that stretch - and I waited a bit to see if the car immediately in front of me was showing any intention of passing the car ahead. He was tucked in pretty close and gave no indication, so I signaled and pulled out, hesitating a bit before accelerating to overtake both cars. By this time we still had plenty of open road but there was a corner ahead and I didn't want to dawdle in case faster oncoming traffic appeared.

I hit the gas - not too hard - but enough for a rapid pass. As I came level with his rear quarter, the guy in front of me swung out sharply to pass the other car. No time to brake and pull back, I swerved onto the narrow, steep shoulder and barely squeezed between the car and a telephone pole before my rear began sliding sideways to the outside. I counter steered and tried to ease back onto the road. The front tires got back but I was partially sideways about 30 degrees. When the rear tires hit the asphalt, the outside tire seemed to hook on the edge and the car bounced and began to fishtail. It seemed very slippery and loose - I may have picked up some mud on the right side tires - I couldn't correct it and I went into a counter-clockwise spin.


I could clearly see another telephone pole in my path and I tried to steer to avoid it. In the blink of an eye that all this took, I had time to realize I was going off the road backwards into a wide, steep sided ditch and that it was going to hurt. I even thought about my head hitting the roll bar.

The impact was hard and sharp. There was a bright flash, like a camera going off in my face, and then all was still. I was amazed to be still conscious and, knowing I could be in shock, I slowly took stock of my condition.

I felt fine and I ran my right hand over my head and face. No pain but there was a lot of blood on my hand. I realized I couldn't raise my left arm, but my legs and feet seemed ok. I saw that the blood was actually coming from a cut on my right hand, and I gave myself another once over, amazed again that there was no sign of any trauma at all to my head or neck.

Cars pulled up and people came running over. I could hear the speculation about how badly I must be hurt. There was a significant bony lump under the skin on top of my left shoulder and the pain was setting in. I was only wearing the lap belt (!) which I unbuckled and I managed to pull myself up and climb out of the car. Standing, I was ok, no sign of concussion or anything of the sort and the guy who ran me off came over apologizing and trying to help.

I eventually got a wrecker on the scene, took the car home and my wife drove me to the hospital. The X rays showed a dislocated shoulder and they informed me I would have to be put under general anesthetic so they could work it back into place. I was not keen on being put under, nor the prospect of staying overnight (plus it would add at least another $2000 to the bill) so I asked if they would put it in without the anesthesia. They refused saying it was a significant dislocation and I would not be able to bear the pain.

They put the I.V. access into my arm and left me alone for a while. I decided to have a go at working the joint back in myself, so I removed the sling and painfully lowered my arm so I could stoop and grab the underside of the heavy bed. Two excruciating pulls and tugs and I felt a sliding pop and a feeling of relief, even though the pain was still intense. It was immediately apparent that my shoulder area felt more normal and I was even able to work the sling back on. They were not happy when they returned and I told them what I had done. The doctor angrily removed the sling and, still skeptical, began to examine the joint and test for mobility. Surprised, he declared that it indeed appeared to be in place, but they needed to confirm with a second set of X rays.

So I went home all slung up with an appointment to see a specialist on monday. It appears I also suffered a separation of the clavicle, which in extreme cases could require surgery.

All in all, I'm happy and still amazed I wasn't more seriously injured. I have a forward braced roll bar and I think the brace is what bludgeoned my shoulder. I still can't imagine how I avoided smacking my head or at least injuring my neck. The sunglasses I was wearing were found 30 feet behind and to the right of the car.

The left rear of the car took the worst hit. Rear trailing arms sheared off at the axle mount and the wheel pushed forward. The front of the car must've clipped the pole and knocked the headlight out, and there are various cracks in the front and rear of the body. Once it sat back on the ground, the body other than the left rear appears straight with all doors opening and clicking shut like it was new. At least two of the body mounting holes on the left side are cracked and slightly displaced. Engine and trans appear ok - started right up and shifts through all gears. Rear brake line ruptured somewhere underneath. When I feel up to it, I'll jack it up and examine more closely.

Happy to be as well as I am. Pic attached. Merry Christmas everyone