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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Many of those who wee at the Southern Jamboree in June recall my 2001 Blue Ford Explorer which I drove packed to the limit with guitars and gear. Last evening, my wife Violetta had a major accident while on her way to work at
the hospital where she is an R.N. She was passing a car, another car came around
the curve towards her, and she attempted to turn out of the path of the oncoming
car and lost control. She went airborne through the guardrail off the side of the mountain and hit a series of trees twenty feet up and then proceeded to drop to the ground. Thankkfully, she was wearing her seatbelt which saved her life. She defiantly had angels riding along. The Explorer is a total loss: Violetta has a large hemotoma above her right eye which today is nearly shut; a sprained neck; and a large bruise on her right hip and back. There are no broken
bones but the soft tissue injury is very painful. When I viewed the car this morning,I must admit, I cried. If our daughter had been riding in her usual car seat position
on the right passenger side, she would very likely have been seriously injured or
killed. Violetta was goes back to the Doctor on Monday and we have only my truck to get anywhere now until the Insurance pays the claim. hopefully that will be quickly. We are very thankful that This was not any worse. Remember, everyone: these pictures are evidence that seatbelts do save lives!
 
Jim, now I really do need a larger piece of transprotation!
:rolleyes: |
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Location: Marlton, NJ | Mike - that's horrible! I hope Violetta recovers quickly. Our prayers are with her. You are right about angels.
Mike |
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Location: big island | whew! that explorer went exploring. i have offered up thanks for violetta's safety and pray she recovers well. |
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Posts: 1017
Location: Budd Lake, NJ | Wow...just amazing that the damage wasn't a whole lot worse, given the circumstances.
I am praying for a rapid recovery for Mrs. Mike, and a quick settlement from your insurance company, too.
--Karen |
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Location: South of most, North of few | Mike, those are tough little trucks, but she is blessed to be alive after that one. We will be praying for a quick recovery. |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | I never liked following SUVs because they are tall, heavy, not particularly sporty or fun to drive and manuever, expensive to own, operate and insure, and almost too big for a city dweller like myself. Then I bought one in 2001 and haven't considered driving anything else since. I'm glad she is safe and that her injuries are not significant. We all need an angel once in awhile. |
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Location: Caribou, ME | A prayer of thanks just went up because your wife was spared serious injury.
We have a '94 Explorer and I trust it. My daughter drives a '93 Tempo and she was in a rollover in one just like it a couple years ago. An hour in the emergency room with some stitches was all it took.
There's no substitute for having some real metal around you.
Take care. |
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Location: Tennessee | "Never drive faster than your Angels can fly".
Best wishes for a speedy recovery. |
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Location: East Tennessee | Originally posted by ProfessorBB:
We all need an angel once in awhile. Amen to that. Mike I'm glad the injuries were not more serious. |
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Location: Simpsonville, SC | Mike, Angels were Violetta's passengers indeed. Prayers for her quick and complete recovery.
I knew that you were keepin the ol' Explorer for a purpose and it has served that purpose well, protecting your lovely wife. It can be replaced, Violetta never.
Thoughts are with you all!
Jim |
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Posts: 325
Location: Texas | Mike...........as everyone has said, angels were with Violetta last night. My prayers for her speedy recovery. Cars can be replaced but not a wonderful women like Violetta! Wow that SUV is a mess. Whewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
Call when you are up for it!
Hugs to my brother and sister Violetta! |
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Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Whoa! Whadda trip!
Seat-Belts and Steel save lives!
[I had a Datsun 280ZX, and did that much damage to it by hitting a teeny-little tree...
Little thing was made outta recycled beer-cans]
That is one good thing about a Ford SUV, they are solid.
(And all the people in Portland say "Hssss!")
Sure glad to hear Violetta came through relatively unscathed. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Looks like it's missing a front wheel. Glad everyone's OK.
A guy down here at the Wed s/s night lost his daughter last Saturday night. (She was 30, in a SC car wreck) He showed up and took second with his tune, said he had to get out of the house and back in the world, the longer you wait the harder it is. |
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Location: GA USA | Oh man. That puts everything in perspective. Mike, I'm so glad she's going to be okay. |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Ooof! |
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Location: Orlando, FL | Wow Mike! Thank God Violetta wasn't seriously injured. Hope she makes a speedy recovery!
Close calls like that make you appreciate your loved ones even more. |
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Location: Newport,OR | I am speechless, what a terrible, horrific, thing to go through! I'm one who will be praying for Vioetta's full recovery! |
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| Really glad no one was seriously hurt. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Gives you new appreciation for Ford's truck advertising slogan. |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers. Today is the worst yet for Violetta: she is so sore that she can hardly move; she has moved her DR. Appt. to today at 1pm...I think that is a wise decesion. As for the Explorer, we are waiting to hear from State Farm...I have never been through this process so I am not sure how long it takes...hopefully not too long. It seems strange for it to be Friday and my not
traveling to Salisbury for Seminary...There are things we certainly cannot see coming down the
road...no pun intended here.
Blessings to you all (and I really mean it),
Mike |
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Posts: 13986
Location: Upper Left USA | Close indeed! I hope all goes well with Violetta's recovery and the insurance process.
When the time is right you may want to remind her that it's best to keep Off-Road vehicles ON the road at al times...
Consider the Suburu's for replacemnt vehicles as well. |
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Posts: 12754
Location: Boise, Idaho | Very sorry to hear, Mike. Don't be too quick to replace the Explorer with another. It might have been the reason for the loss of control in the first place. Simple physics dictate that an SUV with a high center of gravity relative to its wheelbase tend to lose control. Remember all the Explorer-Firestone tire rollovers of a few years ago. I don't mean to bash Explorers alone. Most SUVs have the same problem. I don't know how the current models are, but many didn't have the same rollover protection in them that passenger vehicles have. They didn't have to comply with safety requirements of passenger cars, because they were "utility" vehicles. A person is much more likely to die in a rollover of an SUV than in a sedan.
Many newer SUVs have stability management and tire pressure monitoring systems to anticipate these problems. I could go on, but I'll just leave it at bigger is not always safer.
My daughter survived without injury a rollover in a VW Bug convertible. Seatbelts are an absolute necessity. Thank God she and your wife had the good sense to wear one. |
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Location: big island | major soreness 2-3 days after an impact like that is quite the norm. not only from the blunt force but from all the body's voluntary and involuntary muscle contractions that occur as it anticipates impact. |
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Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | A prayer of thanksgiving for you and your wife have been offered. Things are replaceable, wounds will heal, but surviving damage like that required a guardian angel of considerable skill! Violetta's was certainly on the ball that day! Blessings to you both! |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Hello Everyone,
Just a quick update: Violetta has a concussion, neck soft tissue injury (wiplash) and the hematoma over her rt eye also extends backward over her rt ear: she probably hit the rearview mirror...the airbags never deployed! she will be out of work for at least one more week and will take about six weeks to recover fully! The Explorer will never hurt anyone again! But, it did its job! Thank you all for your best wishes, prayer and support! And yes Beal, it is missing a wheel (its in the back of the cargo area...) Finally getting a rental tomorrow! Thanks again all! |
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Location: big island | who needs airbags when you've got angels? |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | ;) True! |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | WOW! I almost didn't read this thread cause I thought it was about a busted gibson guitar.
Mike, my prayers and best wishes. If you hadn't referenced this thread in the PM you sent me, I would have never known. |
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Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | All our prayers Mike.
Remember the words of my ol' grandpappy, "You'll live. You just won't enjoy it for a while."
Be glad your wife will recover. Hug her long but not tightly (for a while). |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Paul, Stephen: ;) |
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Location: Cicero, NY | Just catching up with this myself. Best wishes for all involved, Mike. Hope the recovery is a short one. |
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Posts: 3111
Location: Nashville TN. | Originally posted by MusicMike:
Hello Everyone,
Just a quick update: Violetta has a concussion, neck soft tissue injury (wiplash) and the hematoma over her rt eye also extends backward over her rt ear: she probably hit the rearview mirror...the airbags never deployed! she will be out of work for at least one more week and will take about six weeks to recover fully! The Explorer will never hurt anyone again! But, it did its job! Thank you all for your best wishes, prayer and support! And yes Beal, it is missing a wheel (its in the back of the cargo area...) Finally getting a rental tomorrow! Thanks again all! Glad to hear everything will be OK. |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Got the rental this morning: a Jeep Liberty from Enterprise.
Violetta wanted me to say thanks to all of you for the good wishes, thoughts and prayers issued on her behalf in the past few days. She will be recovering for several weeks and still has quite a bit of pain: but the alternative...well, we won't go there.
Buckle up everyone: the life you save will probably be your own!
Thanks from the bottom of our hearts!
The MusicMike family!
:rolleyes: |
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Location: Minden, Nebraska | Glad to hear she's on the mend and the transportation is provided for. May there be fruit that outweighs the pain at the end of it all. |
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Location: Michigan | Hey Mike Glad to hear everything is going well with Violetta.Sometimes when things like this happen we all sit back and take a look at our lives a little bit differently.It makes you realize that life is so precious and things can change in a matter of one second so give her a hug & a kiss from the OFCers when she isn't to sore to appreiciate it. GWB
PS Mike, I am suprised the airbags didn't deploy .
Has your car ever been involved in a collision before?From the pictures it seems that they should of went off. |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | PS Mike, I am suprised the airbags didn't deploy .
Has your car ever been involved in a collision before?From the pictures it seems that they should of went off. No, it was new/used when we bought it in 2003...just highway miles from a corporate user. I plan to bring that subject to the attention of my Insurance Co. We are truly counting out blessings...and they include the OFC'ers.
:rolleyes: |
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Explorer RIP