On June 11, 1997, Josh had an accident on the highway and took these final shots of his 1997 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4. His story follows the pictures...
The story as told by Josh himself...
"Yesterday I had my first accident ever. It was a doozy. My VR4 was destroyed,
completely. Totalled is too weak a phrase. Two wheels tore off, another
shattered, the chassis seems to have separated from the body, it looks like
its been through one of those car crushers. I was moving with traffic on i95 S
(Bruckner Expressway) heading for the Triboro Bridge. As I attempted to change
lanes and accelerate to pass another car, I found myself directed at the
divider instead. I hit the divider at about a 45 degree angle. I assumed I
would bounce off and have a chance at recovering. When I hit there was an
explosion in my face and I blacked out for a second. The last thing I remember
thinking was "that's awfully loud and painful for just smacking the divider."
I came to and the car was doing a spin heading for the same divider still at
speed. I braced myself for the impact. When I hit I thought I was going to
die. The impact was sideways against the driver's door. Feeling oneself come
to a sudden stop inside 3800lbs of steel from highway speeds is not somethning
I recommend. I noticed smoke coming from the front of the car. I tried the
door (actually I tried my arm first, then the door). I peeked behind the car
and saw traffic had stopped, so I unbuckled my seatbelt and tumbled out. While
wating for an ambulance someone who saw the accident told me that I had
ricoched accross the highway against the guard rail, and then shot back
accross into the divider again. I do not recall that, or much of what happened
immediately before the accident. The ambulance driver told me that I had been
hit by a truck, the ER physician said I had been rear ended. There was a
tractor-trailer driver that pulled over to assist me, but left before the
police arived. I was in a fog. I don't have the police report yet. I suspect
they spoke to other witnesses, so I may learn more about what caused the
accident. Injuries were minor compared to what one would expect looking at the
wreck. Severe whiplash (sprained neck and back), bruised everything,
particularly nose, head and ribs, and a shoulder injury at the point that the
shoulder harness restrained me (that joint looks shot and I am guessing will
need surgery, I'll know tomorrow). Not too bad, considering. The passenger
compartment was fully intact. The motor stayed in its compartment. The
windshield glass shattered but held together. Basically, the car absorbed the
worst of the impact, yet retained its integrity where it counted. The seatbelt
was the key, without it I would have left the vehicle face first. The airbag
deployed after the first and least violent impact. Had it not done so, I might
have had a chance to steer the car to safety. At the minimum, I would have
remained conscious. The bag had already deflated when the most severe impact
occurred. I am convinced that the airbag is a penalty for people who regualrly
use their seatbelts, which is required because 1/3 of all drivers still do not
buckle up. In a well designed car of adequate weight one is safer with only a
seat/shoulder belt. We should be allowed to disable them so long as the belt
is fastened. I do not plan to buy another VR4. My family went through a trauma as a result
of this accident and frankly so did I. I have lost my taste for speed, for the
moment. Fortunately I was never able to sell my 750iL, so I'll keep it (snow
be damned). Unfortunately that means I will not be participating in a club. I
hope those who are interested pursue it. I am providing some of the contacts I
made and some of the information that was forwarded to me by others in the
hope that it is of use."