Corvette road rage !!!!!!

[Don 42616]

I could not believe the report in the "Daily News" today. Someone cut off a classic car owner outside a cemetery in Hayword Ca.
The corvette's driver chased the culprit into the cemetery, skidded out of control into the "HOLY SEPULCHRE" & was killed. This story was so bizarre it reads like fiction. I certainly feel sorry for the driver & his loved ones.
I never thought any one driving a classic ( nor any other car) would do something as absurd.

[Don 42616]

Clarify The classic was a corvette ! *NM*

[ken magrene @44841]

[Ed D.]

Re: Corvette road rage !!!!!!

1967 Corvette / KSAT TV .com Texas

[Joe L.]

Re: Corvette road rage !!!!!!

Don------

As a matter of fact, I went by and viewed the site of the incident this morning. The crash occured when the driver of the Corvette was driving at "high speeds" on the roads within the cemetery and did not crash on the highway and "careen" into the cemetery. The location of the crash is well within the cemetery and this is a very large cemetery.

Apparently, the Corvette and a Mercedes had some sort of "altercation" on the highway in front of the cemetery (Mission Bl., State Route 238). Then, they proceeded into the cemetery to "talk-it-over" or whatever. Also, from some reports, the fellow driving the Corvette was going to the cemetery to place flowers on the grave of his mother who was interred there last week.

In any event, it just amazes me that a crash could have occured at the location it did. The road surrounding the mausoleum into which the Corvette crashed is a very narrow road. Plus, regardless of which direction he was coming from, there is no real straight-away. The car was, apparently, completely demolished and the driver pronounced dead at the hospital in Castro Valley, where he was transported.

The mausoleum suffered very little damage. The marble end caps for 2 of the crypts were broken and demolished. The structure of the mausoleum was barely damaged, at all----just a few scrapes and small "chunks" broken off. A pillar supporting an overhang was damaged, but with just a minor temporary repair, it's still standing. However, mausoleums like this are VERY stout structures. Their natural "honeycomb" configuration makes them very strong (so, a dead body is very safe in one of them).

All of the details on this are yet to come out. The only witnesses, other than the driver of the Mercedes who left the scene, were a family gathered nearby at a grave-site. As of today, they have not revealed the name of the driver of the Corvette, except to say, variously reported, that he was 51, 52, or 53 years old. The police spokesman in this case, Gary Branson, is a friend of mine so I might give him a call and see what else I can find out.

By the way, I have several friends interred in that very mausoleum. Also, the parents of my friend with the original owner 1969 (which I often use as a reference vehicle for early 1969 features) are interred within an attached mausoleum.

A copy of the article from today's Hayward Daily Review newspaper is attached.

[Joe L.]

Re: Corvette road rage !!!!!!

Here's a photo of the crash which appeared in the newspaper today

[Joe L.]

Re: Corvette road rage !!!!!!

Here's the story attached to the above photo in today's paper.

[Don 42616]

Re: Corvette road rage !!!!!!

Thanks for filling in the blanks Joe. You are so thorough with details you would make a great detective or scientist. Regards, Don Are you enjoying the cool Ca.weather now?

[Ed D.]

Re: Corvette road rage !!!!!!

Is this on Ebay yet ?

[Patrick H.]

Re: Corvette road rage !!!!!!

"You are so thorough with details you would make a great detective or scientist."

He was a scientist for his entire working career.

Patrick

[Don 42616]

I hit it on button. Thanks for confirming. *NM*

[Joe L.]

Latest News Story and More Photos

For those that are still interested, attached is a link to the latest story in today's San Francisco Chronicle. Also, there are several pictures I took at the cemetery to give you a "lay of the land" where the incident occurred. Just by happenstance, I saw the mother's grave which is very near the accident site. A photo is included. Considering the location of the grave with respect to the accient site, IF the flowers on the grave that can be seen in the photo were placed by the driver of the Corvette, then there's no way this accident had anything to do with "road rage" or "two cars racing".

However, the posted speed limit in the cemetery is 10 miles an hour. There's no way that this car was going anywhere near that speed at the moment of impact. No way, at all.




http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrowse.asp?folder_is=1689723

[Duke W.]

Re: Latest News Story and More Photos

This crash probably would have been surviveable in a modern car with a 3-point belt and airbag. The C2 design predates crash testing, but at least seatbelts were standard. I don't think many, if any other cars, in the early to mid-sixties included seat belts as standard equipment, and they were probably not even optional on some models.

The C2 fuel tank is also very vulnerable to rear end crashes. The first-ever million dollar liability judgment against an automotive OEM was GM over a '63 Corvette that caught fire after being rear ended.

A USC professor was hired as a consultant. He bought a '63 Corvette, filled the fuel tank half full of red paint, then hit it from behind with another car under remote control to simulate the accident. The Corvette's interior was splattered with red paint. Decision, plaintiff! A friend of mine's wife was taught this case in law school back in the seventies.

It's a good idea to remember that our beloved vintage Corvettes are very lacking in both passive and active safety design and features compared to modern cars.

Duke

[Don 42616]

Re: Latest News Story and More Photos

Thanks Joe, What a twist. I guess we will never know for sure. Don