was coming home after a crappy load of studying (getting my EMT license) ~ and on the road off the schools parking garage, some dog jumps out onto the road, and my immediate response was to turn my wheel very sharply and pull the e-brake; before i had a chance to reach for the e-break my sharp turning swerved the car and it slid hard into a curb/bank (i think the car slid because there was alot of gravel around that area ~ construction wasn't too far away).

needless to say, at the very least i know my alignment is way off; worst case scenario something is horribly bent....

i keep replaying those 4 seconds, and part of me wishes i didn't stop for the dog; part of me keeps replaying those "what if" moments..... anyway yea...great way to end the night...

i think the worst part of this entire situation is the dog was unhurt; and the first thing that popped in my head was - "where the hell am i gonna find 1 18"x8.5" A-spec rim?"

 

good to hear that you are ok and so is the dog. Pulling the E-Brake on our cars won't really stop it you know, its just a small simple hub. I would suggest that you take a peek under your car and inspect the damaged side (which one was that?) Also you can get a new Aspec rim from ebay or here, there are a bunch for sale, or get the old one repaired. I don't think you could have done that much damage, but you never know.

and just to fulfil the preacher postion, cars are things that can be replace, the life of a dog can't. feel happy that you saved a dog's life.

 

yea i took a quick peek after I turned around and took it back to the parking lot to sit. it really looks like just a really scuffed wheel and a terrible misalignment. on the way back my steering wheel was turned 45 degrees for me to drive straight. hopefully nothing is really bent;

and yea, now that i'm more level headed, I'm glad i didn't take that dogs life;

it's the driver side wheel/front that hit the curb;

 

Thank you for sparing Fido's life. I'm sure his family thanks you too.

However, I think you're looking at the situation incorrectly. Instead of looking for a replacement Aspec wheel, you should be selling the other three and purchasing a new set of shoes for your car!

 

Wow! Sorry to hear about your incident......really bites! I think you made the correct decision by not hitting the dog. But there are times when hitting the animal is the best choice for your own safety. Hope your car is not damaged too badly.......good luck.

 

You should track down that dog's owners and get them to pay for the repairs. Get a lawyer if necessary.

 

I know it's tough to break the habit of swerving, but the harsh reality is that you should only swerve to avoid a human. I love dogs and would feel bad if I killed one, but I'm not gonna risk t-boning a tree and ending up in a wheelchair/dead for any animal.

 

+1

if i saw the dog id mash the brakes (if there are no cars behind me) and pray i dont hit it. but if im on a public road and lassie jumps in front of the car, im not going to risk my life to spare the dog (or cat or other small animal). its just not worth it honestly.

 

Ahhh and the truth is spoken. I wouldn't of swerved either not so much to protect myself but a kneejerk reaction like that could of injured someone else other than myself. Its one thing to take yourself out but its completely another to take our someone else. Did they not teach these things in driver's ed?

D

 

Don't know about your neck of the woods, but around here there is an ordinance forbidding any pets from being offleash anywhere in the county. (Apparently including your own property, as my I know a bunch of people that get cat traps from the county to trap cats that wander into their yards, much to the dismay of neighbors that have to pay $60 a pop to retrieve their pet cat from the county after another neighbor has trapped it in their yard)

But anyways I'm not sure if you'll be able to get the guy to pay for anything because you didn't actually hit the dog, so it would become your word against his word....

 

I think the dog was happy you spared its life.

 

I agree. I love dogs, and animals in general, but I decided a LONG time ago that ifi it's a choice between hitting an animal and going off road, hitting the animal is safer. I *will* take evasive action, but only to a limit.

x2 on finding the owner and having them pay.

 

sounds like your toe is way off... and the wheel can be refinished... all in all under $200 for the swerve

 

Damn homey, glad you alright...

I learned after dodging a deer and being in the hospital for 2 days that my life is more important than any animal and Imma hit the gas now if I see any animal coming across my way. (I apologize to any animal lovers, but after nearly dying from missing an animal, I think my life is more important)

 

Of course with some larger sized animals, you may still want to consider swerving.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZK6pIK50yU

 

god my day has been so shitty, hitching rides with friends and stuff....fulani's comment made me laugh so hard, my co workers think i'm off the rocker.

yea i doubt i'll ever see fido ever again, if i do, you bet i'll fucking hunt it back to the owner; but then there is the whole "his word against mine" ordeal...

and yea...i mean i'm not an animal lover, but it was late, i was super tired, had i been fully awake i probably would have just mashed the brakes and hope fido didn't get sent to heaven; but my immediate reaction was omg, moving object; alive (possibly human? lil kid or w/e)

my friend swung by the parking lot today and i looked at it in daylight...the lugs look all bent and crooked so i dont know if all the stuff behind the wheel is alright or not. as far as the rim goes, well surprisingly it doesnt really look bent. but this is all from eye inspection, god knows what's really wrong T.T

and the worst part of it all is i need to take it back to acura to service because no private company will give me a loaner due to my age....

i think my deductible is max $1000 and the insurance will cover the rest; we'll see, dropping it off at the dealership tomorrow

 

I seen almost all the videos, but when traveling at highway speeds (75mph, in an SUV) you might as well just punch.

You have had a real shitty day, hopefully you still make it down... In regards to the loaner situation, depending on your insurance, it may include rental coverage, if the dealership doesnt work with you.

Get this shiat fixed foo!!!!

 

lol I last week a rat cone jumped in the road I slowed down but the fuckin thing had the balls to stop and just look at me i hit the gas and that stupid thing ran lol

 

Try using the pedal second from the right. Most often it's invaluable!

I wonder what the VSA was doing when the brakes were not used. Probably nothing until one of the tires began to slide. The hand brake should be your last resort as it's one of your least effective controls.

I'm not trying to bust your chops but trying to get you to re-think your use of controls. Your follow up posts don't mention any thought of using your brakes.

The Anti-lock brakes and VSA would have assisted you while your reflexes were busy with the steering.

Anyway good luck with your repairs, better luck in the future and thanks for pursuing the EMT career!

 

I think u did a great heroric thing! You saved an animal's life!

 

I have one, PM me if you find yourself in need and we will talk

 

LMAO not to bust your balls but it took me forever to figure out wtf a rat cone was....

 

yea i probably should've trusted my VSA more; no, threads like this need more ppl like you to point out the mistakes, no chops were busted.

 

haah yea i'll let you know if i can make it down to SF this weekend or not; originaly i was thinking well we could just wire everything up to jay's car; then i realized he's an 06....so it wouldn't have worked out anyway....

 

sorry i didnt kno how to spell it and tryes spell checkin it lol

 

Yo hitt me up today and let me know whats up when you take your car in.

 

LOL!!!!!!

that is supposed to be raccoon? right?

funny...

 

I still dont know what he was talkin bout!!!!

 

lol he originally had rat cone instead of raccoon; i think he just edited the post and took out the word.

everybody makes typos