[zhigadum]

Just got a teaching job and was going out driving to celebrate with my cousin.

Drove for an hour way up into the mountains, stopped at an overlook, got back in, buckled up, and headed down.

I was going around a very moderate curve at about 40 - I was being safe which is why this is so frustrating - when suddenly my tires started squealing and the car started flipping. It ended up on its passenger side with the boot up on the bank of the OPPOSITE side of the road that I was driving on and the bonnet on the ground on the white line. Officers believe that we rolled several times since both doors, mirrors, etc. showed damage. The antennae also broke completely off so we definitely rolled all the way over. The MINI saved us no doubt - we both walked away with bruises and cuts and headaches but that was all, and praise God that no one was in the other lane and that we didn't tumble off the mountain on the other side. The windshield was shattered and the roll bar there was slightly bent but it certainly took the force of the crash rolls instead of our heads!!!!

Pavement actually got welded to the hubcaps - scary. Also as the car stopped the engine was running and music was still playing which was eerie but again reassuring about MINIs. The engine still starts but body damage is severe - the bonnet, doors, rear panels, windshield, etc. would all need replaced if she's not totaled.

Anyway - I wanted to share this story since the MINI sacrificed itself to save our lives. Also - does anyone have any idea why this happened? It troubles me since I was driving rather safely. Those at the scene afterwords think that since the road is uneven and potholed and higher than the shoulder that I might have got my wheel off a bit and over corrected; I just remember suddenly losing control.

I'm sore and shaken but grateful.

Any ideas on what happened?

Be careful out there

[ButtonIt]

OMG

Glad you're not hurt, but the poor mini shows just how strong these little cars are though, one consolation at least.

[mini vanilli]

i really want to believe you. seriously. it sounds like you are telling the truth. but come on. anybody here that drives a mini knows it would almost IMPOSSIBLE to roll a mini at 40 mph through a moderate curve. something does not sound right. especially if you have DSC.

at any rate, glad you are ok.

[matt21]

Quote: Originally Posted by mini vanilli

i really want to believe you. seriously. it sounds like you are telling the truth. but come on. anybody here that drives a mini knows it would almost IMPOSSIBLE to roll a mini at 40 mph through a moderate curve. something does not sound right. especially if you have DSC.

at any rate, glad you are ok.

when something like that has happened exact detail may not be correct. they may have hit a kerb or something which flipped then.

very sorry to hear this and glad all ok with you at least you walked away. a car can be replaced but you cant

[Paul]

You might have hit a monster pothole or some oil that slid you onto the kerb or pothole, if you return to the scene you might see what happened better.

Glad you're OK, just a real shame about the MINI.

[Speedd]

Do you have pictures of the road? what did the police say?

the main thing is you and your cousin are ok.

keep us posted on what the insurance say about the MINI

regards

[MiniMelSF]

What a scary story...often tmes things happen so fast that our brains just can't process the details fast enough. I had a similar experience years ago (sans the roll & flip part) where my 82 Honda Accord spun out as I was turning a corner down a hill. In retrospect, I was probably going a bit faster than I should have been around the turn, but I certainly wasn't driving like Danica Patrick. One of the police said that it looked like oil was on the surface of the road in the area (who knows from what) and that that had contributed to my slide.

Glad you and cousin are OK, and sorry to hear about poor little Gio, sacrificing his life to keep you that way! Will there be a Gio ll?

Good luck and keep us posted.

[zhigadum]

Actually I was going 40, maybe 45, but honestly I wasn't flying or anything. The road was potholed, uneven, with a shoulder much lower than the road, with loose gravel. The officer didn't charge me with wreckless or anything after examining the scene and blamed it on a very difficult and ill kept road. Said that perhaps I hit a pothole or gravel or the shoulder and overcorrected but I have no memory of anything except suddenly losing control.

Went back to the scene to take a closer look and there really wasn't much of a curve at all. What there WAS : several spots along the surrounding few miles of the road with dented guardrails, slides, hubcaps and parts etc. from other wrecks; easily 5-6; I had trouble finding my spot initially but then saw my antennae on the ground.

I actually don't have DSC... and my flat tire monitor had been malfunctioning. I hadn't had a chance to get it checked yet and wonder if tire pressure or something could have factored? Unlikely but so was the wreck.

Insurance is evaluating the car on Tuesday or so. I would love to fix or replace her but then again in a way I'm scared to drive one again - but then again I would be scared to drive anything else after seeing how stout she was in that wreck; I was amazed that she held up as she did and protected us so with the top down no less.

Took pics of the scene and the car after it was towed; will post them when they come back (we just had a film camera with us).

[zhigadum]

Oh yes - one more thing - I take her on the mountain roads all the time and have never had trouble on even the sharpest curves so yes, it suprises me as much as all of you and I understand your disbelief; I was shocked. Honestly, still confused about why as well.

[meinamini]

Oh zhigadum

I am so sorry to hear of the accident but most importantly you and your cousin are OK.
It will take time to mend your confidence, so take your time

[gaminicool]

Zhigadum - glad you and your cousin are okay. It must be frustrating not knowing what happened - It could have been a number of factors. It sounds like something in that area has caused other accidents too...

When I bought my Mini - Safety was a factor - It rode higher and looked safer than a Miata.

Are you going to get another Mini Cabrio?

Mike

[zhigadum]

Thanks for all of the condolences...

I'd LOVE to get another cabrio - but if it is totaled I'm assuming that I'd get less than I paid for it (2 months ago ) and I won't be able to afford the difference right now... so maybe a hard top? A hard switch after topless driving but still a MINI.

What do you think the chance is of her being totaled? Damage is as follows:

Misaligned front left tire
Damaged alignment and broken handles on both doors
Side mirrors shattered and hanging
Antennae snapped off
Pitted rock damage and scrapes to paint on sides, doors, and bonnet (all of the car but its boot!)
Large dent on left side
Loose bumper
Shattered windshield
Bent windshield frame
Damage to all four tire rims
Interior missing pieces such as protectors (flew out during the wreck...)

What a sad list I miss my beloved MINI so much!

The engine starts and the top still comes up - though sluggishly - but obviously it doesn't rest correctly anymore as the frame is contorted.

[Mini-Trainer]

Quote: Originally Posted by zhigadum

Actually I was going 40, maybe 45, but honestly I wasn't flying or anything. The road was potholed, uneven, with a shoulder much lower than the road, with loose gravel. The officer didn't charge me with wreckless or anything after examining the scene and blamed it on a very difficult and ill kept road. Said that perhaps I hit a pothole or gravel or the shoulder and overcorrected but I have no memory of anything except suddenly losing control.

Went back to the scene to take a closer look and there really wasn't much of a curve at all. What there WAS : several spots along the surrounding few miles of the road with dented guardrails, slides, hubcaps and parts etc. from other wrecks; easily 5-6; I had trouble finding my spot initially but then saw my antennae on the ground.

I actually don't have DSC... and my flat tire monitor had been malfunctioning. I hadn't had a chance to get it checked yet and wonder if tire pressure or something could have factored? Unlikely but so was the wreck.

Insurance is evaluating the car on Tuesday or so. I would love to fix or replace her but then again in a way I'm scared to drive one again - but then again I would be scared to drive anything else after seeing how stout she was in that wreck; I was amazed that she held up as she did and protected us so with the top down no less.

Took pics of the scene and the car after it was towed; will post them when they come back (we just had a film camera with us).

I know the terror of flipping a car, I flipped this 14 hr old beauty when a reckless driver pulled in front of my vehicle.
Because of the inpending impact it sent my Mini hurtling towards a 6 inch curb, as I turned the car back onto the road it went onto 2 wheels flipping the vehicle over 3 times.

I wondered why the car should flip so easily, on further investigation to enable weight and validity to my claim I found that because the car is almost as high as it's wide it's like throwing a brick against a curb (Rolling intertia effect)

I also asked Russ Swift a world record breaking precision driver, famed for his two wheels antics, why a car would go onto two wheels? And what kind of speed you'd have to be going to flip a vehicle over?

His response was that to send a car onto two wheels a pivot is needed, to lift to wheels from the road.

Such as my case momentum was built via speed and a collision.
With your case it was possible that the Gradient+Speed+Pivot= on which you where travelling provided enough momentum to flip you motor. A Pivot such as a pot hole.

As speed goes Russ Swift told me a car travelling at 10 mph could have a posibility of managing two wheels providing a pivot was in the way.

On doing my homework on this very subject doesn't make me an expert, but knowing what I know makes me that little bit wiser.

Rams

[zhigadum]

Rams - OUCH those pictures are painful! 14 hours old - that must have hurt!

Thanks so much for the info.. definitely interesting. I will share it with my cousin who is also curious about why we suddenly lost control.

My family is quite impressed with how my car held up - and grateful.

Were you hurt in your wreck? I hope that the MINI protected you well; it certainly took a beating.

[Mini-Trainer]

Quote: Originally Posted by zhigadum

Rams - OUCH those pictures are painful! 14 hours old - that must have hurt!

Thanks so much for the info.. definitely interesting. I will share it with my cousin who is also curious about why we suddenly lost control.

My family is quite impressed with how my car held up - and grateful.

Were you hurt in your wreck? I hope that the MINI protected you well; it certainly took a beating.

The car does take a beating that is very true, the glass on every side panel smashed giving me quite bad cts if you notice on the interior pic the claret started to flow onto the roof, oh yeah I had to climb out when it was upside down

[Cherry2005]

zhigadum - I'm so glad you weren't badly hurt or worse!

Sounds like your baby took real good care of you and, since reading of your horrible ordeal, I love mine even more (if that's possible). I'd not heard any stories of a flipped Cabrio until yours.

Just curious, was the top up or down when it happened?

[MiniMelSF]

Interesting that the left front tire is misaligned...that would make me think that perhaps it landed in a pothole, which I suppose if you were traveling at just the right angle, grade, speed, etc, could have caused the car to pivot and thus result in the flip. Were there any potholes in that area of road that a left front tire might hit?

I know it's scary to get back in ANY car after such an incident. Give yourself a bit of time, but do get "back in the saddle" again soon enough that you don't end up phobic about driving...

Considering that the top was down (I didn't realize that with your initial post ) I think you were superbly protected, and I can't imagine every convertible would have done that job so well. Surely, if you had had a Miata or something like that it would have been a different story altogether.

[snowmouse]

Glad to hear that you walked out! That's more important than any damage to the car.

This is exactly what scares me about convertibles - although after looking at those pics, I don't imagine that the hard top actually provides any practical additional protection; looks like it probably crushes pretty easily except where it is reinforced. Anyone have thoughts?

[phil.tun]

Sorry to hear about the likely death of your Mini, but who would believe two people could walk away unharmed! Well done all the same! I have wondered how well the car would do in a rollover and crash test dummies just don't give me the same confidence as what happens in real accidents. I reckon you should write and send your pictures to BMW / Mini in Oxford UK. You might get a replacement as you have done some serious testing for them! What have you got to loose?

Phil

[Mini-Speedster]

Just to be curious! Did you pay the extra money for the BMW asset protection?

They ended up talking me into it and charging me another £600 notes but then if something like this happeneds in the first three years then they just give you a cheque for the full amount at the time off purchase!