Just got into an accident...

[GeorgeChevy]

Album for more pictures: http://imgur.com/a/N6Z7M#aLnVk9X

Was driving to work on the 605 S on the carpool lane when an SUV crossed into my lane out of nowhere and hit me in the right front corner, causing me to spin more than a full rotation inside the carpool lane, hitting another car along the way, and coming to a stop. Not sure why my back wheels ripped out as I didn't hit anything with them, my body shop guy said they appear to be aluminum which is why they sheared instead of bending (with steel). Doesn't seem to be a very safe design as there was no impact involved with the rear. However, I am fine other than a sore neck, and the airbags did not deploy (and OnStar did not activate automatically either).

 

[Chaconzies]

Good to hear you are all right. Looking at the damage and location, things could have gotten bad very quickly. If I were you I would definitely got to a doctor or chiropractor and check for injuries. That's seems strange that the airbags did not deploy at highway speeds, especially if there was enough force to somehow rip off the rear wheels. I am also very concerned that the wheels came off so easily, this could be a serious problem resulting from too much stress on the aluminum during the spin or inadequate build quality. I would definitely recommend bringing it up to GM's safety people, especially since you're an employee so it might go further. I also got in accident, but mine was much more minor and was pleased with how the car held up, but this makes me much more cautious. Anyways, please update us on how this pans out and if the car is repairable, price estimates, etc.

Stay safe!

 

[GeorgeChevy]

Thanks for your concern! I am at the doctor and am getting an xray just to be safe. I did have another accident in the car before this and it appears that the body shell itself is extremely strong but the suspension is not (my front suspension also collapsed in the other incident). Perhaps it's from the excess weight of the battery compared to the gas version?

 

[WattEV]

Wow! That's crazy! Glad you're OK.

I was just checking out the rear suspension last week on my Spark EV when I had the right rear off to remove a nail from the tire (at 550 miles). The trailing arms are cast iron (not aluminum) that are welded to the steel beam axle. What's weird is both trailing arms broke off your car from a spin. That's not right and I hope you can provide us an answer one of these days if GM does an investigation.

Airbags certainly wouldn't deploy in an accident like this since you didn't impact anything above the threshold for deployment. Just glad no one was seriously injured. What was the SUV driver thinking? Geez!

Hoping for a speedy recovery!

 

[nmikmik]

Thanks for your concern! I am at the doctor and am getting an xray just to be safe. I did have another accident in the car before this and it appears that the body shell itself is extremely strong but the suspension is not (my front suspension also collapsed in the other incident). Perhaps it's from the excess weight of the battery compared to the gas version?

Thank you for sharing Jeffrey and hope you are fine from now on. You are also probably the first one to have two accidents in the EV Spark. Could it be the color? Looks like pictures were taken in the early morning? Maybe they just don't see you.... Not that they are really looking
The collapsing suspension "could" be a design flaw or just a design, to absorb the energy, I really don't know, but investigating it should clear some things up.

 

[emv]

Ouch!

It's always smart to seek medical attention after an accident. If you don't and something shows up later the insurance company will come back asking why you didn't seek help and may deny a claim.

Thankfully you weren't hurt, that's the only thing that really matters!!!!!

Except for the trailing arms (what tha?) it looks as if the Spark held up quite well. I wonder if they were to check the other driver's phone what they might find? A sudden lane change into another car sure sounds like it could be texting while driving.

 

[Chocula]

Glad you are mostly OK, hope the sore neck is not serious and heals quickly.

Looks like the Spark EV is not a good choice for "drifting" aside from that fact that it is front wheel drive. Did you come close rolling over or did it stay nice and flat when you were being spun?

Will you be replacing this with another Spark EV, and if so what color?

 

[iletric]

There comes 10 insurance grand your way for that sore neck...

 

[nozferatu]

Thanks for your concern! I am at the doctor and am getting an xray just to be safe. I did have another accident in the car before this and it appears that the body shell itself is extremely strong but the suspension is not (my front suspension also collapsed in the other incident). Perhaps it's from the excess weight of the battery compared to the gas version?

Glad to hear you are OK! Wow....I'm also glad to hear the shell is safe...most important thing really.

I've always maintained the suspension on this car is really really bad...and completely inadequate.

I've the same damned car...same colour.

Will you be getting another one?

 

[GeekEV]

IANAL, but I would be careful not to sign away the right to any future medical claims. If you're sore now, you might have lingering effects years down the road...

 

[buickanddeere]

Good to know that you walked away. The passenger compartment appears intact and the doors probably still operate. Looks like a strong passenger compartment.

 

[GeorgeChevy]

Update: Insurance company called me and the repair estimate is... wait for it... $29,000! Just goes to show how expensive the components are in this car if you were to purchase them individually.

So I am definitely going to be getting a new car. I will wait to hear what the insurance company will offer me as the car is too new and rare for them to give me an answer right away as to what they're going to do.

 

[cwerdna]

Was driving to work on the 605 S on the carpool lane when an SUV crossed into my lane out of nowhere and hit me in the right front corner, causing me to spin more than a full rotation inside the carpool lane, hitting another car along the way, and coming to a stop.

Crazy! I take it that the carpool lane down there has restricted entry/exit points and the SUV might've violated them by disregarding the restrictions?

Glad to hear you're mostly ok.

Not sure why my back wheels ripped out as I didn't hit anything with them, my body shop guy said they appear to be aluminum which is why they sheared instead of bending (with steel). Doesn't seem to be a very safe design as there was no impact involved with the rear.

Perhaps a safety complaint w/NHTSA at safercar.gov is in order, if you feel the shearing off was an issue given the nature of movement in the accident.

AGES ago (way before the GM BK), I'd seen an ep of Behind Closed Doors with Joan Lunden (http://tv.msn.com/tv/series-episodes/behind-closed-doors-with-joan-lunden.1/?sb=1&si=16&ipp=25) where they went behind the scenes at GM. During part of it, they showed some of the testing facilities at GM. I saw some fairly extreme stuff like cars intentionally being spun out or driving up and over curb at speed (that ran parallel to the road). Think driving along at 40+ mph, drifting slightly to the right, having one side end up on the sidewalk, then coming back onto the road. Boom boom! Boom boom!

You'd think that the Spark EV underwent similar testing... And, if it passed but a production car fails, it points to some manufacturing change or defect.

Ages ago, Saturn Vues had suspension collapses during NHTSA tests (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/27/business/suspension-failure-on-saturn-suv-s-in-rollover-tests-prompts-inquiry.html), that later caused a recall (http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2004/08/05/207686.html).

 

[Chaconzies]

I would absolutely agree, loosing all control due to a spin or drift ripping out the tires is totally unacceptable and makes a dangerous situation even worse by preventing any type of steering at all. If this is a defect in some or all cars then it absolutely needs to be fixed.

 

[buickanddeere]

I would absolutely agree, loosing all control due to a spin or drift ripping out the tires is totally unacceptable and makes a dangerous situation even worse by preventing any type of steering at all. If this is a defect in some or all cars then it absolutely needs to be fixed.

Stronger suspension adds weight and reduces range.
How heavy would the suspension be to make all vehicles drivable after a wreck?

 

[Chaconzies]

Stronger suspension adds weight and reduces range.
How heavy would the suspension be to make all vehicles drivable after a wreck?

Are you kidding me?? Adding airbag systems will be heavier and reduce range but it's necessary for safety. There's no reason to have rear suspension that can easily be sheared in a accident and cause the vehicle to be totally un-steerable or controllable!
If you seriously would rather have an extra 5 miles of range than a vehicle that keeps it rear wheels in a minor accident then you have very interesting priorities.

 

[buickanddeere]

Stronger suspension adds weight and reduces range.
How heavy would the suspension be to make all vehicles drivable after a wreck?

Are you kidding me?? Adding airbag systems will be heavier and reduce range but it's necessary for safety. There's no reason to have rear suspension that can easily be sheared in a accident and cause the vehicle to be totally un-steerable or controllable!
If you seriously would rather have an extra 5 miles of range than a vehicle that keeps it rear wheels in a minor accident then you have very interesting priorities.

Nowhere did I agree with or justify the suspension being torn off the vehicle.
I'm saying that manufactures have been forced by the government, EPA, save the earth types, carbon credits and legislation forcing EV's into the market. Manufactures are cutting down to the last ounce rather than the last pound. For an absolute minimum spec vehicle for max distance on a minimum sized battery pack as #1 priority.
In lousy weather I drive a 4x4 3/4 crew cab pickup . The fuel penalty is more than offsets the safety aspect.I'm a retired fire fighter, The father-in law was a fire chief for 27 years and my sister is a paramedic. All three of us have witnessed wrecks where typically the occupants of the large vehicle walk away. The occupants of the small vehicle do not fare as well in the same incident.

 

[Chocula]

Nowhere did I agree with or justify the suspension being torn off the vehicle.
I'm saying that manufactures have been forced by the government, EPA, save the earth types, carbon credits and legislation forcing EV's into the market. Manufactures are cutting down to the last ounce rather than the last pound. For an absolute minimum spec vehicle for max distance on a minimum sized battery pack as #1 priority.

Yea, lousy big government hippies! Nobody wants EV, stop making us take responsibility for our environment, can't even dump your waste oil on the side of the road or down a storm drain anymore.

In lousy weather I drive a 4x4 3/4 crew cab pickup . The fuel penalty is more than offsets the safety aspect.I'm a retired fire fighter, The father-in law was a fire chief for 27 years and my sister is a paramedic. All three of us have witnessed wrecks where typically the occupants of the large vehicle walk away. The occupants of the small vehicle do not fare as well in the same incident.

Large 4x4 vs subcompact, the large 4x4 always causes more damage. Maybe we should all drive tanks, to protect our families from those large 4x4's. I was at the shopping mall the other day and this pedestrian bumped into me, had I been in a large 4x4, I would have flattened that jerk! Stupid mall cops (and liberal hippie big government) not letting me drive a 4x4 to my chosen shopping destination!
/snark off

Maybe the problem is not the subcompact, but rather the large 4x4. As a retired fire fighter, you probably witnessed a number of single vehicle accidents as well. How did the large 4x4's perform then with their greater likelihood of rolling over? Statistically, the SUV (SUV are usually specified, but the reasons are high center of gravity that applies to all large 4x4s) has an increased likelihood of death over a sedan in a single vehicle accident. While any car can kill a pedestrian at 40km/h 4WD's have a habit of killing at much lower speeds. 4WD's and light commercial vehicles accounted for approximately 30% of vehicles on Australian roads in 1998, but accounted for almost two thirds of child pedestrian fatalities (Medical Journal of Australia, Vol. 173, 21 Aug 2000, pp. 192-195).

 

[buickanddeere]

What does pouring used oil have to do with anything? A little oil on the gravel driveway keeps the dust down in dry weather . The oil came out of the ground in the first place. Any idea how much oil and methane seeps to the surface naturally around the world?
As for kids run over by parents
#1 driving head first into a parking spot is not correct . This leaves the driver with less visibility when trying to pull back into traffic. Reverse into parking spots.
#2 it isn't the vehicles fault if the driver doesn't do a walk around and keep track of children.
Winter rollovers have several causes. #3 Is a Bubba out roaring around showing off in a vehicle with summer or Mudder tires. Neither tire has cold weather traction.
#4 more trucks and SUVs are driven in adverse weather than good weather. This tips the statistical balance .
#5 wearing a seat belt or not is the make of break on serious injury. In the south and southwest outside of the rust belt. There is still a significant number of 15+yr old vehicles used as daily drivers. No airbags, no seat belts and vehicles tend to be mechanically worn out.Somebody is going to die.
#6 the stats get skewed again with one truck crash while the young driver is showing off with six kids riding loose in the box.

 

[WetOne]

Back on topic, does anyone knows what will become of this totaled-out Spark EV? Will Chevy crush it? If it is sold as-is, will anyone grab it and take the opportunity to hot-rod this car!