S3 Series

Talk about a thrill ride. I got up this morning to go do some work for one of my customers and my truck doors were frozen shut. Being in a hurry I opted to take the jeep. I headed down the Hwy and was shifting from 4th to 5th gear when I hit a patch of black ice. The rear end came around from the right and I was going down the Hwy sideways (passenger side first), cutting the wheel right I attempted to get the front end forward before I hit the dry pavement. Also I was thinking, I wish I had left it in 4 wheel high, as I had just disengaged it before getting on the Hwy. Anyway, the front was just starting to move around when I hit dry pavement flipping me up on the two passenger side wheels as the front was still coming around. so I am on two wheels (just like the circus) thinking to myself, I wish I had fastened my seat belt (lesson learned). As I still have my wheel turned hard right, the drivers side slammed down and then I was up on the driver side wheels only. At this time I was wondering how many flips I was going to do before it was all over for me (stupid thing to think, I know). However, this was only for a split second, as the jeep slapped hard driver side down, I hit another patch of ice that prevented me from rolling. I slid off the hwy down thru the median, over the service road, into another ditch and smashed into a heavy industrial fence. I stood up on the drivers side door and climbed out of the passenger side, and I was thinking " I'm going to be late", I you would expect several spectators were pulling over running to my aide. So, I'm standing on the passenger side of my jeep, as them minions were gathering around and I said, "I suppose you folks are wondering why I called you here today, well, we're going to try to push this Jeep over on its wheels." And so they did. Once the jeep was on its wheels, I thanked them for their help, started it up and went to work. I was only 10 minutes late. Damage to the jeep: drivers side door crushed from the inside (that must be why my shoulder hurts). Drivers side door will not open. Drivers side rubber fender wells sheared off, drivers side mirror gone. Overhead storage rack, crushed. Drivers side fog light, crushed. The good news is, I am only bruised and sore and was able to put in a days work. The jeep is a tank and other than the superficial damage runs as well as it ever did. Oddly enough no windows were broken. I do feel blessed. The point of this message is, "wear your seat belt". <S>

Incredible and frightening! Glad you are ok Kelly

Wow, hair raising experience Kelly. Had similar incident on an icy Dallas overpass a few years back. Good you walked away w/o injury.

Oskar

your LUCKY day; glad you are ok. Rock.

I was telling Kelly I had something similar happen in my twenties and was laughing the entire time - stupid kid! Too old for that now and someone was watching over Kelly this time!

Wow! Glad to hear you're OK.

Go out NOW and buy a Lottery ticket!

Glad you are OK Kelly.... Even though I didn't experience the ride, your story puts a visual on it.

wow! glad you OK

Thought lesson was "jeeps are fun".
I still miss my old CJ-5, still recognized in my family as the most fun vehicle we ever owned. In Uinta mountains Utah we literally went where no one else dared to go.
When snowed at work I always had parking. I would drive it up the side of a plowed snow bank, set the brake and walk away. One day after work I thought dang I cant get it off the bank, must be stuck for first time ever. To my shagrin I had left the parking brake on. Problem solved.
I left it on my uncles farm in upper Wisconsin when I went to Germany. Two cousins learned to drive in the fields. They towed hay wagons and grain boxes with it during harvest and went fishing at one of those inaccessible lakes up there. One day I got two letters in Germany. One from my mom on from my uncle. The uncles was all apologetic about how he had run it out of gas way in the corner of the farm and he hoped my mother (his older sister) wasn't too upset about it all. The second letter was from my mom. She was estatic about the drive, and how it seemed to go everywhere through the stream and over the hills and rocks. She explained everything about it in detail how beautiful and thrilling the drive was, and how the cows all came around to look when Roy was walking back for some gas.
Wow.. I miss that jeep. Life is just too mundane now days with out it.
Sure hope the Italians don't ruin it. The Germans almost did when they owned the company.
cheers.