Car Demolished by Unmanned Vehicle

Car Demolished by Unmanned Vehicle
December 8, 1983

From my Christmas newsletter in 1984.

A beige 1977 Subaru station wagon, owned by Susan Anthony, was repeatedly bashed and knocked 45' across a median by an unmanned Eagle in the back parking lot of Chinook Elementary School. The Eagle, owned by a PTA Executive Board member, had been parked across from Anthony's car and left idling in neutral. An 11-year-old girl waiting in the car presumably knocked the car into reverse. It took off at a high speed in a tight circle, crashing into the Subaru's door, then circling around and around, hitting it again and again. The Subaru bounced against another car and caused $1500 damage to it.

The child had jumped out of the car and run to get help. The owner of the runaway vehicle panicked when she saw the situation and ran to try to stop her car. It was going too fast for her to get in the open door. She was knocked down and her legs were run over. Not seriously hurt, she got up to try again. Finally, after several attempts, she wedged her foot under the tire and brought the car to a stop.

Although the Subaru still ran, body damage was estimated at $3000.

The Eagle sustained slight damage to the rear bumper and a broken tail light.

One onlooker commented, "I guess it really is true that American cars are superior."

Another, musing, suggested that the Eagle may have mistaken Anthony's car for a Rabbit.

Freak Accident Just the Beginning. . .

December 9 -- Body damage to the Subaru was estimated at $3000.
December 14 -- Insurance company refused to pay more than $1950 for totaled car.
December 16 -- Replacement vehicle bought for $1995, a blue 1977 Subaru station wagon with 50,000 miles.
January 3 -- New hood ordered for blue car for $180. (Old hood was buckled.)
February 16 -- Fuse for headlights burned out. Car was unusable on the morning of an important inservice presentation to teachers.
March 6 -- Accelerator stuck and blue car took off. The road was black ice, with cars and a stop sign ahead. The car crashed into a large snowbank, turned on its side, and then righted itself, perched atop 5' of snow and ice.
March 7 -- Mechanics said that blue car had no compression in one cylinder and needed a valve job.
April 5 -- Insurance company finally released a check for $1950. A windshield wiper fell off during a heavy rain.
May -- The blue car went to a mechanic friend who agreed to replace the engine for $700. The newly installed engine had no power and backfired. The mechanic spent another 3 1/2 months trying to fix it, taking the engine out and replacing it five times, having it computer analyzed and checked by other mechanics. No luck.
June 20 -- Gear shift lever on beige car pulled out by the roots on the evening before a planned trip to Fairbanks. The mechanic fixed it at no charge, apologizing for the delay on the other car.
September 7 -- Blue car was returned, complete with a new engine and a new hood.
September 8 -- The hood latch came loose at 45 mph. The new hood flew up and buckled over the top of the car, blinding the driver. To top it off, the car got a flat tire.
September 9 -- The beige car was parked in a residential neighborhood on a Saturday. Workmen arrived and unhitched a trailer before blocking the tires. It rolled into the beige car and smashed the windshield. Because the car was already totaled, the liable party refused to pay for the damage.
September 19 -- Brand new, 1984 Subaru 4 wheel drive station wagon purchased, covered by a 5-year warranty and comprehensive insurance.

Hopefully NOT to be continued....

P.S. I haven't had a problem since, except for two accidents on New Years Day, 1986.