Stupidity + Driving = Bad

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Below is the random thought titled "Stupidity + Driving = Bad". Be aware that these thoughts may be based on opinion, and my opinion might not agree with yours. Also, the thought below may be based on mood, time of day, or any number of other factors. Please keep this in mind.

This Saturday, there was an RX-7 meet in London. I of course attended, though in my Honda Insight. The day ended for Terrh (an RX-7 forum member in Windsor) and I on a slightly darker note then it did for others. At around 2AM, we left another local owner's place downtown and headed over to my house so Terrh could pick up an inner tie rod end (his had a 10 degree bend in it!). Leaving my house, we headed accross town to where his 1988 10th Anniversary Edition RX-7 was stashed at the mall (he rode to downtown with someone else). After a minor delay due to a low coolant buzzer, we headed downtown so Terrh could get some sleep for the autocross on Sunday.

Heading south down Richmond, we had just passed the intersection of Huron St. (near the university) when a silver Chrysler Cirrus crossed two lanes heading north, nearly clipping Terrh. Moments later, a convertible V8 Firebird followed on hot pursuit. I don't know of the exact speeds, but the Cirrus must have been travelling at greater then 120KM/H. The problem began because it seems that the driver of the Cirrus lost his rear end as he went over a hump in the road. Shortly before the lights, he slammed on the brakes, skidded through the intersection and up over the curb. At roughly 60-80 KM/H, the Cirrus took out a streetlight and clipped the base of a tree. This caused the car to rotate such that it was on two wheels as it flew past, between the tree and the house it belonged to. The trip ended when the front of the car slammed into the side of another house at roughly 60-70KM/H. The white Firebird continued on.

Terrh and I both saw this happen in our rear-view mirrors, and quickly turned around to offer assistance. Terrh pulled doughnut and arrived about 6 seconds faster then I could have in my Insight and was already hunting for a cell phone from the numerous bystanders to contact the police. The passenger of the Cirrus managed to get out of what was left of the car, and was freaking. I followed to try to keep him calm and check for serious damage as he was quite covered in blood. The driver was still in the car, but moving. I don't remember how the driver got out, but it seems that he was basically uninjured. A minute later, the police arrived and started to take control.

At this point, the white Firebird was spotted heading south back past the same intersection. A red light stopped them, and it looked like the occupants of the car were getting out to offer help. However, as soon as they saw the police, they re-entered the car and appeared as though they were going to take off. Several of us, as well as a police officer surrounded the car and prevented their escape. The Firebird had no plates. It was detained while more important things were taken care of. I do not know the fate of the Firebird nor it's occupants as while the police were taking our statements it seems they were dealt with. The Firebird was at the side of the road when we left, but it's passengers were nowhere to be seen (presumably arrested). During my talk with the police, it seems that all drivers were given breathalizer tests as they were suspected impaired. Test results were not yet available.

The ambulance arrived and took away the driver and passenger of the Cirrus. Both looked pretty bad due to the blood, but (based on my observations) not seriously injured.

The Cirrus was of course totalled, and we noted that the airbags had not deployed. In fact, very little of the interior was left as the firewall had moved in about 3 to 3.5 feet, almost pinning the driver with the steering wheel. Damage to the house was limited to about a 5x5 foot area. The brick wall had acquired a large hole, but that's about it. If the impact had been a few more feed to the left, the chimney would have collapsed.

Shortly after 4:30AM, we left the scene as we were both very tired.

It goes without saying that this could have been a LOT worse. The Cirrus could have clipped Terrh or I, or killed one of the numerious pedestrians in the general area. I am quite surprised that as it is, the occupants of that car were not killed. I can't say for sure that the two cars were racing, but that is definitly the impression that I get.

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