Freak road event: Stick speared my bumper

[artsci]

Was driving north on the new Jersey Turnpike on Friday about 50 yards behind and to the right of a truck carrying a load of white baseboard wood trim. The driver had foolishly leaned the trim over the back top of the cab, where it was sticking up and subject to severe wind forces. I tried to stay a safe distance behind but suddenly a piece broke off, became airborne, and hit the road surface in front of me. I thought I had safely run over it but a few miles up the road a car passed me on the left, slowed down, let me pass (I thought to check out the car), and passed me again. Then the passenger began frantically waving and pointing to the front of my car. When I pulled over a minute later this is what I found:

The piece had speared my bumper with a force large enough to make this hole:

I thought that perhaps I was lucky that it didn't hit the windshield or spear a tire, which could have been a disaster at the speed I was going (about 75 mph). The spear effect was not noticeable when it happened and my dash cam recorded nothing.

I'm assuming a hole like this can be repaired without having to replace the bumper but I'll take it to a shop tomorrow to find out.

 

[Mokuzai]

Holy crap, glad you're ok!

 

[Doug_G]

Hope you got the license number of that truck. He's responsible for the cost of repairs.

 

[NOLA_Mike]

Ouch. Just Ouch.

Unsecured (or improperly secured) loads - just no excuse for that, IMO. People are severely or worse fatally injured when stuff like that goes through windshields.

 

[David29]

You are lucky it did not damage anything else. Good luck. and I hope you did get the company name.

 

[artsci]

Hope you got the license number of that truck. He's responsible for the cost of repairs.

Regrettably I didn't. I pulled into a service center to charge and by the time I realized what damage had been done the dash cam overwrote the video that I would have needed.

Ouch. Just Ouch.

Unsecured (or improperly secured) loads - just no excuse for that, IMO. People are severely or worse fatally injured when stuff like that goes through windshields.

I see improperly secured loads all the time. When I do I try to get around them ASAP. In this case I realized the risk and just didn't get by the guy quick enough. I probably should have recorded his plate numbers and reported him.

 

[Saghost]

Wow! That's scary.

Hope you got the license number of that truck. He's responsible for the cost of repairs.

According to the narrative, it hit the road surface before hitting his car. From what I've read, if it hits the road first they aren't liable. They probably should be, but I've read that hitting the road matters, for some reason.

 

[Doug_G]

According to the narrative, it hit the road surface before hitting his car. From what I've read, if it hits the road first they aren't liable. They probably should be, but I've read that hitting the road matters, for some reason.

Don't think so. If it was something on the road surface kicked up by the wheels, that's not their fault. But if it fell off the vehicle then they're responsible. People have been charged here for killing people with loose wheels, even though they definitely bounced.

 

[whitex]

Regrettably I didn't. I pulled into a service center to charge and by the time I realized what damage had been done the dash cam overwrote the video that I would have needed.

Ouch! I guess the lesson is when investing in a dashcam, invest in a good size memory card too. Our dashcams (Blackvue 650 and 750) provide 8-16hrs of recordings on 128GB cards. When my wife got hit by a DUI driver earlier this month, it took me a couple of hours before I made it to the tow yard to retrieve the video, which was crucial in proving fault btw (the other driver ran away, so without the video it would have been a likely collision claim - our car was totaled btw).

 

[Saghost]

Don't think so. If it was something on the road surface kicked up by the wheels, that's not their fault. But if it fell off the vehicle then they're responsible. People have been charged here for killing people with loose wheels, even though they definitely bounced.

Hmm. From the top of my Google hits:

This article matches what you're saying:

Debris Liability on the Road

This one contains the same "if it's still in the air" language I remember reading, though it doesn't specifically mention the bouncing back up as I'd read before:

Is Hitting a Flying Object a Comp or Collision Claim?

 

[David.85D]

Is it too soon to make unicorn jokes?

 

[Russell]

In California there are only 2 things that are legally allowed to fall off a vehicle... water and chicken feathers.

 

[Doug_G]

@Saghost it may of course depend on your jurisdiction.

 

[P-town_P85]

Have to rename your car “narwhal”.

 

[Solarman004]

As bad as the bumper damage is, had it come through the windshield, it could have been a whole lot worse. Glad you are OK.

 

[buttershrimp]

Ouch. Just Ouch.

Unsecured (or improperly secured) loads - just no excuse for that, IMO. People are severely or worse fatally injured when stuff like that goes through windshields.

Can anyone explain to me how freaking mentally impaired do you have to be to put loose wood, sofas, and mattresses in the back of your car? It is my biggest pet peeve on the road and seeing this wood spear in the face of a Tesla just sent me into the rage. Testosterone pellets be damned!

 

[buttershrimp]

Can anyone else share the worst thing they've seen fly off the back of a truck or car?

 

[whitex]

Can anyone else share the worst thing they've seen fly off the back of a truck or car?

In 2016 I heard of two women transporting a mattress on top of a van, with one of them attempting to hold it on the roof with her body weight. Once they got onto the highway, mattress slipped off, woman died.

Never underestimate people's inability to predict even the most obvious consequences.

 

[buttershrimp]

In 2016 I heard of two women transporting a mattress on top of a van, with one of them attempting to hold it on the roof with her body weight. Once they got onto the highway, mattress slipped off, woman died.

Never underestimate people's inability to predict even the most obvious consequences.

Wow, that got dark fast. I was hoping for crazy kitchen furniture but a flying serta followed by a lady, well, I guess I asked for it. Anyone else got any doozies? So far, the stick in the face of the ultimate soundproofed Tesla is the worst I've seen.... Seems like it would have broken the windshield but not penetrated yes?

 

[Sawyer8888]

From what I've read, if it hits the road first they aren't liable.

Whoa. Sorry to see that damage @artsci. Fortunately your forehead was spared.

What @Saghost says about hitting the road first - that is actually the question Geico asked me when I relayed my story about a construction worker throwing guardrail bolts onto the highway. My bumper caught one, but not until after it hit the road first. How the insurance company responds will depend on whether the object hit the road first, or if it hit you first. It's better if it hits you on the fly, otherwise it's basically more your fault for hitting the object.

Hopefully your local Tesla-authorized body shop gives you a better quote than the $4K quote I was given by mine. Better yet, maybe your service center will make the repair free of charge. It's worth asking. Good luck.

One last thing. Don't follow trucks - especially 18-wheelers. Their tires fall apart all the time.