smartypants71
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,816 
Location: Houston, TX
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Post by smartypants71 on Aug 11, 2015 17:35:01 GMT
Some lady just crashed into the eyelash studio across the street from my office because she accidentally had the car in D instead of R. How does that even happen? She had to go through part of a brick wall plus all the glass and her car is halfway in the business. She also hit the receptionist, but from what I understand, she is going to be ok. Pay attention people!
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scorpeao
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,521
Location: NorCal USA
Jun 25, 2014 21:04:54 GMT
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Post by scorpeao on Aug 11, 2015 17:37:04 GMT
While I've never hit anything because I don't floor it, I have had the car in D when I wanted R or vice versa.
ETA: the one I've never done (yet) is hit the gas when I thought I was hitting the brakes.
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AnotherPea
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,969
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Post by AnotherPea on Aug 11, 2015 17:38:08 GMT
I can understand going in the wrong direction because I have the car in the wrong gear.
But, what I can't understand is this particular mistake. You have to be going really fast, really quickly, to do that much damage and not be able to self-correct. Which means she thought she was going that fast, that quickly, when she was backing up? No one should be backing up that fast, ever.
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smartypants71
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,816
Location: Houston, TX
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Post by smartypants71 on Aug 11, 2015 17:39:18 GMT
While I've never hit anything because I don't floor it, I have had the car in D when I wanted R or vice versa. I think I may have done that once, but like you said, just don't floor it. I don't get it. And it always seems to be a woman. Come on, ladies! Let's not contribute to the stereotype  |
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scrappert
Prolific Pea
RefuPea #2956
Posts: 7,960
Location: Milwaukee, WI area
Jul 11, 2014 21:20:09 GMT
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Post by scrappert on Aug 11, 2015 17:44:55 GMT
I was witness to someone going the wrong way. I watched her backup just a little, she was on the end parking spot, so she was just backing up a little to get around the car in front of her. Well, apparently, she did not put it in drive. She hit the gas and went flying backwards into a railing and almost into the building. The railing stopped her.
I think she was very disorientated. Once she hit the gas, she wasn't really understanding what was going on? Didn't know what to do, maybe?
I had JUST drove behind her. I saw all of it. Scary!
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sharlag
Drama Llama
I like my artsy with a little bit of fartsy.
Posts: 6,580
Location: Kansas
Jun 26, 2014 12:57:48 GMT
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Post by sharlag on Aug 11, 2015 17:57:23 GMT
Maybe she had low blood sugar or some other ailment that messed with her perception.
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Post by papersilly on Aug 11, 2015 18:23:06 GMT
believe me, it happens. a few years ago, an older lady was trying to back out of her parking space but instead of reverse, she put it into drive and pressed down on the gas. her car jumped over the cement block stopper, drove through a walkway and straight into the front of my parked car which was parked across from her. there was enough force to push my car out of it's parking stall. some men who were standing by jumped into her car, put it in park and took out the key. thank goodness I was inside the store and not still in the car. the police had to call her son to pick her up. crazy.
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Sarah*H
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,015
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Post by Sarah*H on Aug 11, 2015 18:33:24 GMT
Because she made the initial mistake and panicked? It's not that uncommon of a scenario. My sister's car was totaled in a parking lot by someone who made the same mistake and then continued through the front doors of the grocery store.
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Post by moveablefeast on Aug 11, 2015 18:34:31 GMT
This has happened at my office twice - people have run through the iron rail and into the brick wall. The way they get enough force to break a wall or window is that they reflexively go to hit the brake when they realize they are in the wrong gear but hit the gas instead. They panic and make a mistake.
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Post by teri on Aug 11, 2015 18:36:44 GMT
saw this at HEB a few weeks ago  |
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Post by bluepoprocks on Aug 11, 2015 18:42:12 GMT
I agree with the people who said that when they realize their mistake they panic and push the gas instead of the brake. I haven't run into anything but I've done this myself and you definitely panic. You know the car isn't doing what you wanted and you do all kinds of stupid things. It usually happens to me if someone is taking to me or another driver did something that distracted me.
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oldcrow
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,828
Location: Ontario,Canada
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Post by oldcrow on Aug 11, 2015 18:43:16 GMT
I think part of the problem is that they are looking behind either over their shoulder or in the rearview mirror and expect to see movement in that direction. When they do not see that movement they push harder on the gas pedal to make it happen. Not realizing that they are moving but in a forward manner. And by the time the brain processes everything it is too late and they have now come to a stop because of the building or whatever that will not move out of the way.
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perumbula
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,439
Location: Idaho
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Post by perumbula on Aug 11, 2015 18:43:42 GMT
It does seem to be a common mistake. I think the issue, as has been said, is not so much about the first mistake, but that the first mistake makes them panic. They hit the gas instead of the break or their brain blanks and they can't correct the initial problem.
My husband works in a brick building that has a covered walkway with big brick arches to the roof in front of the sidewalk. Recently a lady did the drive instead of reverse and hit the brick so hard she took a full section down. It was a corner section so she would have had to have been going extra fast.
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Post by jeremysgirl on Aug 11, 2015 18:52:51 GMT
I had a Dodge Omni, stick shift, when I was a teenager. You used to have to press down hard and up to put it in reverse. Once I thought I was in reverse, but I was really in first gear and I hit my parents garage door.
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Post by bianca42 on Aug 11, 2015 18:55:49 GMT
A few years ago, there was a rash of people ramming buildings accidentally. Then a guy decided that he was going to commit suicide by ramming his car into the fire station. If I recall correctly, he did more than half a million dollars in damage...and he didn't succeed. I believe that he's technically on the hook for that money (although the town is never going to see it).
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Post by lbp on Aug 11, 2015 19:15:33 GMT
My friends elderly aunt has driven through the doors of the same Chinese restaurant twice! Same scenario both times, she thought she was in reverse, she was looking over her shoulder, and it the gas, when in fact the car was in drive.
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Post by theroadlesstraveledp on Aug 11, 2015 19:32:46 GMT
It happened in my city twice. To two different Denny's restaurants. Both of them have been remodeled because of it. The first one was down the street from us and it looked like it was an older man who had driven himself home from the hospital because he still had the bracelet on. Made me sad. The second time it happened downtown. Thankfully both times no one was seriously hurt.
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Post by theroadlesstraveledp on Aug 11, 2015 19:35:53 GMT
I had a Dodge Omni, stick shift, when I was a teenager. You used to have to press down hard and up to put it in reverse. Once I thought I was in reverse, but I was really in first gear and I hit my parents garage door. One of my friends did something similar in high school except she went through the garage! Ooops! Her parents got a house remodel out of it. She wasn't injured in the accident. |
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Post by padresfan619 on Aug 11, 2015 19:37:45 GMT
I crashed into a cement retaining wall last year. It happened so quickly and I was so embarrassed I couldn't remember what had happened. I think I just mistook the gas for the brake and ended up in the wall. I was in a new place and it was early in the morning, so I guess I was a little distracted. I always laughed at news stories about this kind of stuff before it happened to me and now I am extra careful every time I park my car.
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Post by LilyRose on Aug 11, 2015 19:42:02 GMT
My friends elderly aunt has driven through the doors of the same Chinese restaurant twice! Same scenario both times, she thought she was in reverse, she was looking over her shoulder, and it the gas, when in fact the car was in drive. I suggest delivery next time....  I live in the Chicago area, and I swear it's a weekly occurrence around here. Not just parking-type incidents, but cars crashing into businesses, residences, everywhere. I understand that some may be due to medical issues, but it's crazy the number that happen around here. |
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Dalai Mama
Drama Llama
La Pea Boheme
Posts: 6,985
Jun 26, 2014 0:31:31 GMT
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Post by Dalai Mama on Aug 11, 2015 19:42:53 GMT
Because she made the initial mistake and panicked? It's not that uncommon of a scenario. My sister's car was totaled in a parking lot by someone who made the same mistake and then continued through the front doors of the grocery store. Agreed - an initial mistake followed by a panicked stomping on the gas instead of the brake. |
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Post by karinms on Aug 11, 2015 21:53:30 GMT
My car is currently being repaired... after my boyfriend's dad, backed into it and did $2000 damage!
How did he do it? He was supposed to be backing straight down the driveway and turned his wheel the wrong way and smacked into the side of my car, which was parked on the other side of the two and half car widths wide driveway, half on the grass.
You can imagine how thrilled I was, especially considering I am trading it in really soon! Great, big, sigh.
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Post by anxiousmom on Aug 11, 2015 22:19:37 GMT
My mom has a fancy shamncy car that starts with a button (okay, this is in comparison to my 15 year old truck...lol) but it is SO quiet that you hardly even notice that the engine is running. Just this past weekend she pulled into a spot in front of a house and we had to sit there for a minute. She then got out of the car and realized in that nano second that she had forgotten to put the car in park and it start rolling forward. She jumped back into the front seat and was so flustered that instead of hitting the brake, she hit the gas. Fortunately, there was nothing in front of her and she was able to hit the brake before anything happened.
It happens, mistakes are compounded by panic.
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Post by femalebusiness on Aug 11, 2015 22:40:13 GMT
My friends elderly aunt has driven through the doors of the same Chinese restaurant twice! Same scenario both times, she thought she was in reverse, she was looking over her shoulder, and it the gas, when in fact the car was in drive. I shouldn't laugh but this made me hoot out loud. |
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Post by brynn on Aug 11, 2015 23:22:41 GMT
One winter, we had a epidemic of elderly drivers crashing into buildings. It was scary.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Aug 12, 2015 4:41:06 GMT
I had an elderly woman drive through a brick retaining wall in front of my business once. I was just thankful that she had really good insurance that paid to get the wall fixed!
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