Bad day for this Cuda driver.

[southernfriedcj]

RIP

Pics in the link.

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20111106/NEWS/111060340/Man-65-dies-after-his-car-slams-into-pole-Glasgow

A 65-year-old man was killed Saturday afternoon when he lost control of his 1970 Plymouth Barracuda on Del. 896 (Summit Bridge Road) in Glasgow and slammed into a pole, police said.

The victim's name was not released.

The crash was reported at 4:39 p.m. on Summit Bridge Road, 400 feet north of Sweethollow Drive, said state police Sgt. Paul Shavack.

The driver was heading north at a high rate of speed on Summit Bridge Road when he lost control of his car, Shavack said.

The vehicle rotated 90 degrees clockwise, veered off the right side of the road and slammed into a utility pole, Shavack said.

The victim was thrown from the car, and the vehicle split into three sections, with the engine block traveling 100 feet from the point of impact, he said.

The utility pole was sheared in half.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Prior to the incident, the car ran out of gas on the right shoulder of Summit Bridge Road, south of Howell School Road, and family members brought the victim gasoline.

After he was gassed up, the driver took off at a high rate of speed and crashed, Shavack said.

The northbound roadway was closed at Howell School Road for three hours while the crash was investigated and the wreckage was cleared.

[DroptopJ]

That's crazy!

[Mr. Anderson]

Good god!!! How fast could have been going? Must have been north of highway speeds....I feel sorry for his family and friends.

[ALLstrokedOUT]

Wow...that is insaine..i feel horrible for the families loss. The shear force to rip that much steel into those many pieces is unbelievable...Any car, new or old, at that speed would almost undoubtably have ended with the same tragic result.

[socalfandabodys]

Wow! Witnessed a similiar accident this past summer on my last night living in North Carolina. Guy passed me going 100 mph+. Next thing I know Im in a cloud of dirt and smoke. I slow down as much as I can and next thing I know theres a Chrysler crossfire in my lane facing me. Two fatalities in that one and an eye opener for sure. I drove very safe all the way to California the next day. Rest in peace. Seems the roll cage and modern seats did not help in this case.

[thedodgeboys]

Wow

At least he didn't take anyone else out doing this. :(

[68Formula]

This part seems odd:

"Prior to the incident, the car ran out of gas on the right shoulder of Summit Bridge Road, south of Howell School Road, and family members brought the victim gasoline.
After he was gassed up, the driver took off at a high rate of speed and crashed, Shavack said."

I wonder if his throttle stuck. From the description of where he gassed up to the crash scene, he probably only travelled 1/4 to 1/3 of a mile.

With Mopar prices as insane as they are, if it's a BB or Hemi, the "car" will probably go for $4k on eBay.

[vanzuuk1]

Might of been annoyed about running out of gas, or running late because of it. Either way its sad.

[DHarrison]

That accident happened only 10 minutes from my house. The speed limit there is only 55.

That is a sad day.

[BonzoHansen]

RIP Thomas Douglas

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20111107/NEWS/111107012

Wow

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

[andrewb70]

The impact broke the utility pole. Wow...RIP.

Andrew

[solarguy09]

Had my Car for 28 years......At 23, this story meant nothing, I was invincible...

At 51, I don't feel so invisible....Sad for this Guy and his Family..

[ryeguy2006a]

That is amazing how the car was torn apart like that.

[Daves69Coupe]

i read this story on Autoholics the other day, totally crazy. It really sucks if this is an instance of the throttle being stuck wide open.

RIP

[solarguy09]

I do run Dual Springs on my Holley. Just in Case one Breaks..A little stiffer throttle pedal, but to me Safer....

Who knows what really happened...A lot of power can twist our cars sideways in 3rd or 4th Gear, at enough speed to kill us....

Sad , all the way around.

[newsshooter23]

This is very sad, and I feel for this guy's family.

I was a volunteer Fire-fighter for 13 years and I have been working as a news camera man for nearly 20. This is one of the worst "street" wrecks I have ever seen. Scroll through the gallery in the link that Bonzo posted...I'll give you 3 guesses as to what is under those yellow tarps.

[SparkyRnD]

if throttle sticks, couldn't he have shut it off? Glad that no one else was hurt though. Feel bad for his family

[1969Crossram]

That accident happened out in front of my development. There have been a lot of accidents over the years for some reason in the same area. It is a straight stretch of highway with a couple lights here and there. The odd thing is, they seem to happen on that side of the highway a lot. We have lost power from accidents in the past when the poles are hit. The sign in the background of the picture is a church. My daughter has girl scout meetings there all the time. I happened to be out of town when this one happened. Rest in Peace.

[southernfriedcj]

if throttle sticks, couldn't he have shut it off?

You could, but it may be too late. Get it up to 100, let off, the throttle sticks, cut the car off/push in the clutch/put it in neutral, up pops a utility pole.

A guy died in a Cobra a couple years ago when his throttle stuck at a track event.
Sticking when you are already at speed and have no time to slow down is the problem.

[SparkyRnD]

If it happened on a race track, I would be more sympathetic as it would have been an accident. If he did it on a street in a town where other cars and people were around, he did get what he deserved and I'm thankful that he didn't take out anyone else. Racing should be on the track only (at least, that is my opinion). My guess, and it's only a guess, is that he was hot rodding and showing off in a place he never should have been, and got exactly what was coming to him. What stinks is that his family now doesn't get to have him around anymore, so they are the ones that really lose out.

[dadto2jays]

Thats horrible!!!!

[gsxrken]

It's always the family that is left behind that bears the brunt of these "sudden" type things. Illness is quite different. My grandfather died playing billiards, which he loved to do. My wife's grandfather died on the golf course, which was his favorite past-time. This gentleman was 65 which isn't too old these days, but he probably had the car for decades... I hope in time the family can draw at least some comfort in the fact that he passed on without suffering and doing what he enjoyed most.