Begin the new year with a CRUNCH!
Thread Starter
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Rest In Peace
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 2,075
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From: anchorage, alaska, usa, north america, earth, solar system, milky way
Begin the new year with a CRUNCH!
Hey fellows, I bet you guys think I am already in Las Vegas right? Well, no. Seems to me that a tradition is brewing here so I thought I take part in it.
Hey BADASSVT, I'll get your Lightning tires if you get me a new radiator, radiator fan, a/c condensor, tranny radiator, upper, lower grills, bumper, hood, left and right fenders, a new windshield, and an antenna. I'll even throw in some genuine moose hair at no extra charge...
Yep thats the long and short of it. We hit a moose. 20-25 miles outside of Tok, Alaska (middle of nowhere) , 50 miles since last sign of traffic, 45 degrees F below zero, at 50 miles per hour. That happened Tuesday (4th) night around midnight. My friend and I are literally lucky to be alive. At that temperature a pot of boiling water will freeze before it hits the ground. We were driving along, icy, looooong straight-a-way so we deicide to go 50. then Mr. Moose decides to cross the highway. Great timing. We swerve to left thinking its gonna cross, it decides to head straight down the highway, then we rear-end it, it crunches the hood and flys up onto the windshield (mooseshield), we spin around, drop it off in snowbank, continue spinning around until we stop. Even though our seatbelts were on, I must say those bucket seats kept us glued. We must have spun 2 or 3 times after the collision. After stopping, I jumped out and immediatly smelled anti-freeze, thats when I sprung into high gear, we jumped back in, and I hauled a$$ to Tok. To make it short, the motel hallway served as our cold fridge, and the rooms were a balmy 50 degrees. Sure beats -45.
I am not sure how many of you all have been up here before, but as beautifull as Alaska is, it damn sure is unforgiving to the unprepared. Sure we had cold weather gear, but it would have taken time to get to it, and it surely was not enough. Yes, we did have a cell phone, we were between towers, and it did not work.
Cal Worthington is gonna do all mechanical repairs, and I am waiting to get to Vegas to do the body. Sorry do not mean to type your eyes out, just happy to be alive. Just made it back to Anchorage today, via Ford complimentary roadside assistance. Thanks Ford. Remember, be safe
Tundra a.k.a. Mr.Moose
[This message has been edited by Tundra (edited 01-08-2000).]
Hey BADASSVT, I'll get your Lightning tires if you get me a new radiator, radiator fan, a/c condensor, tranny radiator, upper, lower grills, bumper, hood, left and right fenders, a new windshield, and an antenna. I'll even throw in some genuine moose hair at no extra charge...
Yep thats the long and short of it. We hit a moose. 20-25 miles outside of Tok, Alaska (middle of nowhere) , 50 miles since last sign of traffic, 45 degrees F below zero, at 50 miles per hour. That happened Tuesday (4th) night around midnight. My friend and I are literally lucky to be alive. At that temperature a pot of boiling water will freeze before it hits the ground. We were driving along, icy, looooong straight-a-way so we deicide to go 50. then Mr. Moose decides to cross the highway. Great timing. We swerve to left thinking its gonna cross, it decides to head straight down the highway, then we rear-end it, it crunches the hood and flys up onto the windshield (mooseshield), we spin around, drop it off in snowbank, continue spinning around until we stop. Even though our seatbelts were on, I must say those bucket seats kept us glued. We must have spun 2 or 3 times after the collision. After stopping, I jumped out and immediatly smelled anti-freeze, thats when I sprung into high gear, we jumped back in, and I hauled a$$ to Tok. To make it short, the motel hallway served as our cold fridge, and the rooms were a balmy 50 degrees. Sure beats -45.
I am not sure how many of you all have been up here before, but as beautifull as Alaska is, it damn sure is unforgiving to the unprepared. Sure we had cold weather gear, but it would have taken time to get to it, and it surely was not enough. Yes, we did have a cell phone, we were between towers, and it did not work.
Cal Worthington is gonna do all mechanical repairs, and I am waiting to get to Vegas to do the body. Sorry do not mean to type your eyes out, just happy to be alive. Just made it back to Anchorage today, via Ford complimentary roadside assistance. Thanks Ford. Remember, be safe
Tundra a.k.a. Mr.Moose
[This message has been edited by Tundra (edited 01-08-2000).]
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 725
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From: Orlando, FL
Wow, Tundra; what an experience! Glad ya'll are okay. I can't imagine what it would feel like to see that big 'ole moose rear end coming at me through the windshield.
You guys are sure lucky your L was able to make it those 20-25 miles to Tok. I've experienced temps of -45 and let me tell you, that's wickedly cold. Like the Boy Scouts say, "Be Prepared".
Mike
You guys are sure lucky your L was able to make it those 20-25 miles to Tok. I've experienced temps of -45 and let me tell you, that's wickedly cold. Like the Boy Scouts say, "Be Prepared".
Mike
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 172
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Actually, I'm curious if the moose was still in good enough shape to get up and leave the scene. Was he? I know it sounds foolish, but I've seen big tough animals like that take a hell of a whack and get up and leave like nothing ever happened.
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Joined: Oct 1999
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From: Lurking in the shadows,checking my 6
Glad you're still w/ us bro. Sorry to hear about the truck,but I'm happy to hear you're ok and in one piece.I'm w/ ya Justen,I heared the same bit of wisdom from my dad when I slide my Wrangler down cliff not from home.Dads know of what they speak.
Via com dios,
Brett
99.5 Lightning(stock...so far
)
Via com dios,
Brett
99.5 Lightning(stock...so far
)
Thread Starter
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Rest In Peace
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 2,075
Likes: 0
From: anchorage, alaska, usa, north america, earth, solar system, milky way
No the airbags did not deploy, thank whoever is in charge wherever, Mr. Luck. We were travelling at a rate of aprox. 50 miles/hour until we saw the moose, then thats when my friend stepped on the brakes, yeah, he was driving. I'd say we were at 45 when we hit. The moose attempted to walk away, but we knew he had no hind legs, if I had a gun I would have shot him, all I had was a measly 4.5 inch diving knife. Now that I think about it, I am sure that it was in great pain, but, at the time I put everything aside, and stepped on it to Tok. When we finally got there, the cell phone would not connect to 911, so he called his mother. She in-turn called the State Troopers, then my mother. The Troopers then dispatched the moose.
Had the airbags deployed, the fuel lines would have cut out, and the engine cease to operate. You know what that means. We were not prepared for a long night out. I'd say we would have made it about 3-4 hours. Thanks for the feedback, and keep the roadside assistance card handy. I do not think I will be owning a sedan of any sort during my lifetime.
[This message has been edited by Tundra (edited 01-09-2000).]
Had the airbags deployed, the fuel lines would have cut out, and the engine cease to operate. You know what that means. We were not prepared for a long night out. I'd say we would have made it about 3-4 hours. Thanks for the feedback, and keep the roadside assistance card handy. I do not think I will be owning a sedan of any sort during my lifetime.
[This message has been edited by Tundra (edited 01-09-2000).]