Major bummer Clay but glad you are okay. A second for getting yourself checked out. Many times you don't notice things until later that week. So go see a Chiropractor at the least. Keeping my fingers crossed insurance treats you right. Love to see it get fixed but no small deal there

OUCH!!

I've seen it before, jump out of the car "I'm OK, I'm OK" then 48 hours later "Fuck, I can't move."

Hope yours is a fast recovery.

What a blessing to survive such fools . . .the good news is you just were granted a new lease on Life . . .here's to 20 more great years (and another renewal)!

So glad Clay is okay—and hope he is really okay. A cranioscopic chiropractor is well worth the hourly fee in a case like this, just to get an "eastern medicine" second opinion and to relax muscles that tightened up in dealing with a hit like that.

Looks like this 914 did its most important job well, but it's heartbreaking to see that it had to after all these years (!!!) and miles (!!!) of careful driving and maintenance because a driver just couldn't be bothered with paying attention in the moment. I'm so sorry, Clay and Betty. This was a beautiful example, and I hope it can somehow be saved or live on in one form or another.

Betty and I just got home from taking her car to the body shop. Richard Fisher has the car now. He says it can be fixed, because there is no replacing that car. That is Betty's baby. The body color says it all.... Phoenix Red. He will be at the next Okteenerfest. <determined>

What happened:

I was driving to Lowes to pick up some fungicide for the bushes at the front of the house. I was stopped at a light, first in line in the left lane. There was a pickup in the middle lane next to me. Just idling with my feet on the clutch and brake.

I never saw it coming. The witness who gave me his contact info told me the Honda crested the hill behind him, and he was in the triple digits. He saw the big Chevy pickup in the middle lane, and changed to the left lane to go by him. He hit me at speed, there were no black marks leading up to the point of impact.

Everyone here knows I am short, so I drive with the seat all the way forward. The impact was hard enough that the seat tracks are bent. The seat is still all the way forward, but the back of the headrest was smashed. My legs hit the bottom of the steering wheel bruising my upper thighs. The seatbelt caught me on the rebound, and left bruises on my left shoulder and stomach. I was thrown back hard enough that my head hit the headrest and left a huge lump on my head. The impact was so hard that the radio and the ash tray popped out of the dash. I was pushed forward about 30 feet with the rear wheels locked hard. I left black marks from the point of impact to halfway across the intersection.

The impact also crumpled the rear of the car so much that the engine support bar is now U shaped, and both ears are broken off the transmission. I had to use a sawsall to cut the shift rod to get it out of gear, and it still won't roll. The door gap on the left side at the top went from about 4mm to over 10mm. The EMT on the scene checked me out.

The other driver was a guy in his late 40s. The airbag discharged and knocked him cold. About 4 locals that saw the wreck surrounded his car so he couldn't leave. I called 911, and got the LEO and ambulances coming.

This morning I went to Carenow. The doc there is the one that stitched me up when I cut my finger in the garage. He did the whole check for concussion, and said I was going to hurt for days. Lucky I have a hard head.

I called last night and reported the accident to my insurance. Today I called my agent so he could clairfy how this is going to work. He is not in today, but I will hear from him tomorrow. He is a PCA member with a 2016 911 Turbo.

We then took the car to Van Alstine where Richard's shop is located. It is an hour's drive and 60 miles to there from home. Richard helped us unload the car. It didn't come off easy, they used a forklift to lift the rear and pull it off the trailer, while the front came down the ramps.

Once the insurance estimates are done, the repair work will start.

Richard has already found the rear from a 74 to use as a donor. The front was used to fix another 74 that hit a fire hydrant.

Betty has been inconsolable since she picked me up at the scene.

The bottom line is, that car saved my life yesterday after some asshole tried to kill it and me. That is the same car that I rode in on our first date. It is the first 914 I ever rode in and the first one I ever drove. We drove home from our wedding in that car. Hundreds and hundreds of road trips, weekend drives, the list is too long to complete.

That asshole tried to kill one of my children.

Thanks for everyone's sympathy. We do appreciate it.

Oh and the joke about bringing my own oil dry is funny, so don't feel bad about it Rusty.

And a shoutout to @Spoke . The LED tail lights still work. I pulled the hazard switch and they all started to flash. The right one is pinched inside the crumpled tail light, but it was still flashing.



Clay

That is def a big bummer, and very good news that You are the star here and You walked away ! Do get yourself checked up at your physician's asap. We will all come up with ideas to correct the material thing here , Betty's pride + joy 914

That ruined a good day .. Glad everyone is well

Thanks for your update Clay; we all feel the pain. Looking forward to the rebuild.

Glad to hear the update. Man, you are one lucky guy. I would run to the store and buy $50 worth of lottery tickets. Also looking forward to the Phoenix rising from the accident as it is rebuilt to live on and hit 500K miles.

Its always good when you can walk way from any accident. Glad you're ok Clay. May your love for Betty live on in your next 914.

Glad your okay The car will still live if you swap the parts on to another 914.

You're one lucky guy and your (Betty's) poor little 914 laid down its life for you! Really glad that other than being a bit beat up that you're OK and double cool that you're going to have the 914 fixed. If there are any parts you need during the rebuild process please post and if I have it in my stash it's yours.

I totally agree with John...Please let us help.

I can donate a fully refurbished black rear bumper.

LMK

Oscar

I found myself thinking about whether or not you could fix that car. I'm glad that you are going to save it. There really aren't many 400K mile cars like that car was and with that sort of special history to both you and Betty.

If there is anything I can do along the way to help the cause I'm in.

VERY glad your ok! triple digit speeds? WOW.

Also very glad your fixing the car!

Wow. That you can even think/write with that level of clarity is amazing in itself.

I'm so glad you're okay, Clay. I am so sorry about Betty (and your) baby.

And I'm certain of one thing: Triple digit speeds + no black marks up to the impact = no accident.

Dang Betty and Clay that sucked. I feel fortunate to have been in front of Betty when it hit 400K on the way to Okteenerfest. I’m glad Clay is OK and happy you are having it fixed.

Glad to hear you are ok and that you are fixing the 914.
I can't wait to see pictures of it back together with Betty behind the wheel.

One of the things I fear the most in my 914. Sitting at a red light car in front of me so no where to go. Look in the mirror and the person coming is not looking forward. This sucks I’m so sorry.

Wow that is a massive hit. Glad to hear you're in one piece but wait a day or so before saying you're ok. Too many cars today can easily do 100+ which is about 80MPH faster than some drivers' skill and attention allows.

Sounds like I'll have to make the brake lights a lot brighter. When you get the car back together let me know what is broken and I'll replace them for free.

Sorry to hear about this, but glad you're okay! It's sad your car made it this far only to go out like that. Good luck with whatever you decide to do next!

Good to hear that your injuries seem to be minor. You must have been in physical shock for at least the rest of the day. Good luck on the re-build!

Killing a 914 is a capital offense in Texas isn't it? I really wish they would get autonomous driving working soon to save us from the idiots.

Clay,
I am sorry to see this has happened, but glad you were able to walk away.
I know you have a lot of local resources, but please let me know if I can do anything.

TE

Red trunk lid, rear black bumper (both need a bit of TLC), and a good trans nosecone yours for the asking,

Sad to see the car in this state, but glad to see that you're doing well

So glad you survived this! Triple digits and you both made it. Remarkable.

Happy your ok Buddy. and that your going to bring the 914 back....rest up.

that is a big hit.Good that everybody was OK. Although driver might seem unhurt at first, I bet next day he was not feeling so great after the adrenaline was gone. Hope the other guy has a good insurance to cover for this loss ! Take care !

Wow. That had to hurt physically and emotionally. This was the kick in the ass I needed to finally call Hagarty and update my cars agreed upon value.

What a shame. I know how much that car means to both of you.
Good to hear that the body shop expects they can bring it back.

Damn! Glad you are OK Clay. Give Betty a hug from all of us.

My worst fear with my 914's, probably all of ours.

Sooooooo sorry this happened to you guys I know there's no monetary value you can place on what that car has meant to both you and Betty in your lives

This is terrible. Good luck bringing it back.

Shame, but it's just a car, I'm glad you're OK.
Buy a lotto ticket.

OMG Clay & Betty. So Sorry for the loss but the car is in good hands to be repaired. Amazing how much damage the car takes and you walk away. However, You do need to see a doctor and an attorney asap. Wrecks that bad come back to hurt the body weeks later.

Wow, what a hit! Glad to hear you are OK Clay, at least physically right now. Things like this can come back again and again physically so keep that in mind when dealing with the insurance company.
In 2004 my wife was in our 2000 Saturn station wagon and she was blindsided on the passenger side. She wasn't terribly hurt at the accident scene, but got up the next morning and her shoulder hurt really bad. She signed off on a really cheap amount ( 6K) for pain and suffering from the insurance company. When I found out she did that I was pissed. I told her injuries like that will stay with you for life. Sure enough several times a year her shoulder acts up. No, I don't tell her I told you so.
Since your body man says he can fix it, that is good news and I hope that turns out well.
This brings out something we need to start doing when driving these cars. In motorcycle safety training, we are taught to scan all ways every 2 seconds or less. If you are the only one in a lane at a red light, be ready to move somewhere if you see an accident approaching from the rear. This saved my life several times in California when I rode every day back in the 70's and 80's. People just don't "see" a motorcycle due to the bike not being a threat to them. Same for a tiny 914. You will think this is too time consuming and hard, but after doing it for a time, it becomes second nature and you don't realize you are doing it. You need to be aware of what can threaten your safety at all times on a motorcycle, and now maybe 914's also.
Tom

Very glad to hear you are ok and Betty can restored to her former beautiful self, but what a pain in the meantime

I would recommend getting a big ass strobing third brake light for her as a get well present.

Great advice. We ARE tiny!

So sad to see that happen to a 914 who has been in service so long....

Fuck me running I would have killed somebody over this! Glad you are ok. It this is really sad.

Clay. We need to know how your doing.

And from the side. I once smacked a pole on the passenger side hard enough that the passenger door covered the shifter. Walked away from that with only a sore hip for a couple of days. Wish I could find those pics.

FWIW: that bruised hip cam back to haunt me later in life.

- MR

Not trying to be secretive, but I am very limited on what I post here. I don't want the other party reading this and eventually using it against me in any way.

I am still breathing. I feel like I was that little BB inside an empty spray paint can. I am battered and bruised, and it has gotten worse since the wreck.

Right now, y'all don't know how much this thread means to me. It is going to be a very tough time bringing him back. We will need y'alls emotional support as the car progresses. To do it right, it is going to take time. We will both need support to endure.

Clay

I think that's wise.

Man, I know you've got to be some kind of sore. Hopefully it will start to ebb before too long and then you can focus on car rehab.

Boggles my mind that this kind of thing is necessary. Again, glad you walked away from this one. Take care of yourself and yours.

Man, Clay, that was some hit. The part where you described the other drivers surrounding the perp reminded me of folks with pitch forks and torches. This is Texas, so it was probably shotguns and D-cell MagLites. Glad you are relatively OK. I'm praying for you guys.
Jesse

Like Rob, I also think that's wise.



And you have it. Fixing this 914 makes no financial sense, but it has to be done—as it's more valuable than a 250 GTO for all the right reasons.

Love the idea prompted above, of parts to help with the fix coming from this community, and realize that while I don't have any big body parts, I have some NOS bits for the rear trunk and maybe some other stuff too. Can we as a community start figuring out where to send them? Would be nice if all your body guy has to work on is the body—with packed shelves of bits to work from standing ready when it comes to reassembly. No phone time searching for parts—for any of you—would be a cool goal.

Meantime, take care of what matters most.

My wife is strong willed, She tripped and injuring her wrist, she wore a brace thing
for 2 weeks, I took her to the doctor, Its Broke..1wk with a cast.1 wk later they call her in for a ct scan,2 days later..Uh come see us at the UofU...To be continued...

Stay Strong dont ignore anything,,,We are not spring chickens...

If it’s in my stash of parts - it’s yours. Just let me know what you need...