On December 25, traveling up I-95 just north of Baltimore, I saw that a van in front of me had stopped cold in the passing lane. I applied my brakes very quickly, as you can imagine, and managed to stop before hitting the vehicle. Unfortunately, a Chevy S-10 behind me couldn't stop that quickly and slammed into the back of my (3-month old, 1,600 mile) RX-8 at a high rate of speed.

Unbelievably, none of the 6 people in the three vehicles was hurt.

The force of the impact sent the RX-8 into the van in front of me. The back of 8 collapsed like an accordion, the bumper and trunk completely flattened against the backseats. I think there must have been some pretty heavy damage to the frame when the car was sandwiched between the two vehicles because, although I didn't hit the steering wheel, it was knocked off angle.

A few days past this harrowing event I have several reactions.

Obviously the first is thankfulness and amazement that no-one was hurt in this three-vehicle high-speed crash.

Second, the Mazda did a terrific job of protecting us. I was able to stop before hitting the car in front of me and the skid control did its job, keeping us going absolutely straight--which I think was very important since the car was facing square when hit from behind. And it was an S-10 that ploughed into us.

Third, the brakes were incredible.

Fourth, many other cars don't have such powerful brakes. So remember to keep safe distances while on the highway.

And yes, for those of who are wondering, I'm planning to replace the car with another 8.

Sorry to hear about your unfortunate accident. I hope you and any passengers you had are alright.

I was wondering how the air bag deployment worked out?

Ouch!!! Good to hear you were unhurt, and nice to know the car does have some good protection.

Thanks for the good wishes. It is pretty amazing that we all walked away from the crash.

Strangely enough, the airbags didn't deploy. We were sore for several days so the impact was pretty bad. I think the reason the airbags didn't go off was that the car absorbed a lot of the impact (by being crushed!) when the car was hit. All things considered, I'm glad they didn't since it appears they weren't necessary and airbags aren't a lot of fun.

We were wearing seatbelts. A very good thing.

So glad to hear no one was hurt in this terrible accident.

Gotta give it to the 8

Glad to hear all turned out ok. Minus the car of course. :-(

The main thing is that no one was hurt .
Hopefully your next RX8 will bring more luck with it.

michael

Originally posted by selmeralto
Strangely enough, the airbags didn't deploy.

that's kind of odd...i thought airbags go off when the sensors on the bumpers are hit at a certain velocity...something like 35MPH? i didn't know you had to completely crush the car in order for them to go off, at which point it would be right in your face...kinda of concerning...

anyhow, glad to hear your safe...i think a guardian angel was watching over all of you that day

Actually, I've been wondering about that myself. I think I'll start a new thread to ask about this. Thanks for the question.

Front air bags generaly do not go off during rear enders (apparently you didn't hit the van in front of you hard enough to set them off), it's all explained in the owners manual.

Thanks, Zoom2X. I confess to not having read that part of the manual. And now I don't have a manual. Does it say anything about sensor location and impact force, etc.?

I agree with Zoom-the frontal impact was very likely quite under 35MPH, the rear having absorbed the greatest amount of impact. I'd read before the cars came out that the rear end was designed to take rear-offset hit at 50MPH and protect even the rear passengers. This is as close to proof as I want to hear about.
Assuming it has been totaled by your ins. company, any idea if one (say, me) could grab a wheel or two from your formerly glorious RX-8? [I'm about 40 miles west of Baltimore during the day]

rx8daniel, I'm not sure what the final insurance situation is right now. I'll send you a PM.

Here's the owners manual as a PDF:
http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/pdf/manuals/RX8_2004_owners.pdf

The section on the Suplimental Restraint System (SRS) starts on page 2-27

Your accident poses the downside to great stopping power. The safety that being able to stop in 111 feet brings is reduced by the SUV behing you that takes 140. Glad you were not hurt seriously.
Will you be getting another RX-8?

Thanks, Zoom2X.

Yes, I'll be getting another 8--assuming that the insurance settlement is reasonable. The main problem is that there are no data in the usual references for 3-month old RX-8s. In fact, there is almost no information on going prices for used RX-8s of any age.

Glad to hear everyone is OK... Thanks for sharing that story. I wondered how safe the car is. It looked pretty safe (as far as cabin integrity during a collision) in the crash test videos that were floating around... Now I feel even better.

then u should get back sumwat close to the msrp .. and u juz borke in the car with an extra 100 miles to played.. thank god u and ur pessenger okay.. gl findin ur next 8 maybe u cold wait for the H2 RX8 (power by hydro renesis) (http://www.supercars.net/cars/2004@$Mazda@$RX-8%20Hydrogen%20Conceptg.html)

I want the engine!!!! and the seats, and the wheels....

Seriously, I'm glad you're ok. Any pics of the car?

The car is sitting in a wrecker's lot right now. I'm not sure how the wreck will be handled. I'll know more when I hear from the insurance adjuster. Has anyone had experience dealing with a wrecked car after the car is declared totaled by the insurance company?

I may go back down. If I do I'll bring a camera. It won't be a pretty picture.

Thank GOD you and your family are fine. I have my 3.5 yr old son that rides in the back. The safty features were a great great plus, and also being a rotary fan was the reason for getting it. Had a 1984 RX7 for 9.5 yrs till it was totalled on Dulles toll road due to ice. Wasn't speeding, 25-28 tops, car got sideways and grabed the guardrial.

The reason the side airbags didn't deploy was due to not being hit from the side. The sensors are on the frame for side impact. I am baffled as to why the front bags didn't go.

I travel 95 in Northern VA every day to and from work. I've watched 2 people die in front of me. I was first on scene trying to help.

I' ve been very lucky for the past 11 years and wonder when it will be my turn.

Again I'm very glad every one is fine. You should be able to get another new 8. The trucks insurance company will cover that on his, if not then play hard ball.

I'm sorry for the car, but it did its job in pertecting you. Just get another.

Take pictures if you can for us all.

Take care and good luck.

Originally posted by selmeralto
Has anyone had experience dealing with a wrecked car after the car is declared totaled by the insurance company?

Glad you are alright. Why was the truck stopped in front of you?

Anyway, I had an 87 Range Rover totaled by the bed of a flatbed towtruck that backed into the street as I was driving by... a small car would have been cut in two. Had I a passenger there would have been injuries but I was alone and unhurt. The towtruck company's insurance paid for a rental for me, while adjusting was underway. They ultimately were very fair and I received a check.

As I recall, I had the option of keeping the wreck (there might have been a deduction of the salvage value). I considered doing that and parting it out to all of the Rover owners, but I decided that I didn't want to go into the car parts business. Think about it... e-mail: "dude, I'll buy your engine". OK, now I have to pull my engine, crate it, ship it, and then the tranny and the seats and the windshield and the tailgate... you get the idea. So, I took my check and the insurance company got to keep my wreck. Bye, ol' friend... :(

Thanks, Icanrel-8. (Apt name!)

I believe that the driver of the van was side-swiped by another driver (who drove off!) and the van driver decided to stop the van (in the passing lane!!) and get out to check the damage. I think he must have thought that he was in a breakdown lane. Or maybe he was disoriented.

selmeralto:

I'm sorry to hear about the crash, but glad you came out of it ok physically.

As far the downside of good brakes; at least you know you and the car did the best you could to try to prevent the crash, I guess we just have to hope The Other Guy tries to do his best.

Better luck with ver. 2.0!

Glad you're OK. See what the insurance settlement is; I'll bet your original dealer will give you more of a deal on a replacement 8 to keep your business. Remember, even if they make almost no money on a sale, it counts toward their quota, and they already have made some money from you on your first 8. Good luck!

Glad to here how wonderful the RX8 faired in a crash and that your family is OK.

Is the S-10 driver's insurance covering all involved in the accidents?

I appreciate all the support, folks.

Yes, my understanding is that the expenses will be charged to the S-10 driver's insurance and that I will not be held responsible. So far the insurance people have been very good.

Do you know if the seatbelt tensioners fired?

I am soooooo sorry to here this news. Glad to hear your OK. I know that section of 95 very well, I traveled it frequently- there are many points of mass confusion with cars going every which way. And it certainly doesn't help when someone decided to stop in the left lane.

I never totaled a new car, I did total a 1 year old nissan and made out Ok with the insurance value. Good Luck.

Did you have passengers in the back seats? This has been a concern with me since I have kids and am always worried that a crash may box them in.

Glad to hear everyone is ok. I rolled my Blazer years ago and can testify that being in a serious wreck is scary as hell....it seems like that 10 seconds went in slow motion.

Thank God you and everyone else were alright. Cars can be replaced.

Originally posted by selmeralto
The back of 8 collapsed like an accordion, the bumper and trunk completely flattened against the backseats. And the main reason the back seats do not fold down. There’s a lot of cross bracing there for protection and rigidity.

Like everyone else on the forum, I am glad to hear that you came out of this OK.

Oddly enough I was listening to an interview on NPR the other day. The discussion was of American's incorrect idea of automotive safety. The popular belief that big SUV type vehicles are safer than other vehicles is actually incorrect. Analysis shows that maneuverable, quick stopping vehicles are demonstrably safer, something I think you have personally experienced.

However, in terms of protecting you from "the other guy", we should be thankful to the engineers at Mazda who provided you (and all the rest of us) with such well designed crumple-zones.

Sferrett, I don't know whether the seatbelt tensioners fired. All I know is that the seatbelts held. Is there something I could try to remember that'd give me a sign?

A few of you have asked about the back seat. I have to say that I can't say exactly how people in the back seats might have fared. We were in the front two seats. My (driver) seat stayed upright; the (front) passenger seat inclined back somewhat as a result of the crash (probably because my wife was thrown backward pretty forcefully; also, I suspect the front passenger seat is built differently from the driver's seat; also, for what it's worth, I was holding tight to the steering wheel, my wife wasn't holding on to anything).

As to the back compartment, I honestly don't remember too much. I do remember that all four doors opened normally, to my huge surprise given the amount of flattening of the back end of the car. I also remember retrieving gifts that I had been carrying on the back seats. They were intact. But I can't really say what might have happened to back seat passengers.

I do remember when I bought the car being disappointed to discover that, instead of fold-down back seats, there were rigid structural members. I have gotten over my disappointment.

Glad as well that you and your wife are alright. It looks like the RX-8 would do well due to it's shape/design.

The belt tensioners go off like airbags (except no bag) to remove any slack out of the seatbelt to inhibit forward movement. Since you were hit from behind it makes sense that they probably didn't go off. I haven't seen one go off but I would imagine it would be like someone tugging hard on your belt to tighten it at the moment of impact.

Sounds like you both escaped pretty lightly - very excellent news indeed.

Cheers,
Simon.

Hi Simon,

Thanks for the good wishes.

I think you're probably right on the tensioners. I took a look at a manual and it's likely the tensioners wouldn't deploy from a rear end collision, which is where most of the force came from. I gather that if I had hit the van in front of me hard enough both the front airbags and the tensioners would have gone off.

I am glad to hear that you and your wife are fine.

I know that this has already been said but you should get full value on your car. Go for purchase price and be strong. Some insurance companies won't argue with you but others will try to skimp out if they can. Again be strong don't let them push you around and if it looks like they won't budge have your insurance get you an attorney or do it on your own but don't let them sell you short. On a new car first year and all they have to go by market value and since there are no used RX-8s for sale that means that new is all there is. With the savings you should be getting on the 2nd purchase I recommend getting gap insurance.

Again I am glad you are both ok.

Do you have any pics of your wrecked 8?

Thanks to all. I still don't have any pictures. Still haven't heard from the insurance adjuster. If I do return, I'll take pictures and post them. Grisly but interesting.