Distracted driver destroys family's treasured 1931 Ford Model A - Sensationalist Headlines

Distracted Driver in a Toyota Corolla Destroys Family's Treasure.. https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/774/a87b3b06-38b7-4a52-99d0-0da5dd902afe/33030545_1741557272588884_3605552017663066112_n.jpg Imagine owning something like a 1931 Ford Model A that's been in your family for generations, whose pristine condition is the result of a painstaking, years-long restoration undertaken with your aging father. Now imagine that car has been destroyed thanks to the disregard of a distracted driver in a Toyota Corolla. That's exactly the nightmare situation that William Smith finds himself in after a hit-and-run crash claimed the pre-war car that's been in his family for over 45 years last week. Smith had street parked the Model A in Orange, California on Friday as he went to work nearby; a while later, the telltale sounds of a terrible car crash reached his ears. Sensing something was wrong, he walked over and came upon a devastating scene. "I think they call it a panic attack, because I was crying and my hands were shaking uncontrollably," Smith told The Drive. A woman in a Toyota Corollahad drifted out of her lane, smashed into the rear corner of the Model A, and shoved it up onto the sidewalk. The impact bent the frame and the driveshaft, split the engine block, snapped all four wire wheels, broke the differential, and sent the hood flying ten feet into the grass. Aside from the obvious body damage, the car's entire structure is buckled and tweaked. It's totaled. But Smith didn't have much time to take it all in. As he approached, the woman hopped back into the Corolla and attempted to escape. "She got back into her car and tried reversing, so I got behind it [to block her], but she wasn't going to be able to get out anyway because her car was stuck in the spokes of my car's wheel," he said. "So she took off on foot, but the cops caught her about 20 mins later in a [nearby] neighborhood." It was at that point that she allegedly confessed to being on her phone at the time of the accident. Eighty-seven years of automotive history, 45 years of a family's stories, all ruined by the scourge of distracted driving. Smith's father got the 1931 Ford Model A as 16th a birthday present in 1973, and it's been a part of his life ever since. "He drove it to high school and college, and he gave it to me for my 18th birthday, and I've driven the car as my daily driver to college and work," he told The Drive. "My dad spent a countless amount of time, money, and effort on this car." It was torn down in the early 1990s for a full restoration, but it sat in pieces until a couple of years ago when father and son hauled it out of storage to finish what they started. The build had only been completed in the last six months. Smith is going to try and save what he can on the car, and he's looking into buying a new frame as a base for the rebuild, but the crash is a terrible body blow to him and his father. The Corolla driver took something important from them, there's no question. But she also presented them with a sliver of a silver lining. "My dad is not in any way happy about what happened, but he's put a positive thought in my head that at least we'll get the opportunity to rebuild the car again together," he said. "Because when we built that car, it was some of the best time we've ever spent together. Crashing the car is one thing, attempting to flee by any means necessary is on a whole other level of cunt.

A model T with a history as long as the brand itself, and it's destroyed because someone couldn't be bothered to pay attention. This is heartbreaking, the amount of times it was a birthday present makes me sad knowing what's ultimately happened to it.

Trying to hit n' run on a piece of history. Theirs a level of being a cunt, and this takes it up a few notches.

"How to get completely fuckin' railed reputation wise and financially speaking in 3 easy steps" 1.) Be a classic a-2-b tard and text and drive. 2.) Nail and otherwise obliterate a mint condition father son historical project. 3.) Try to run (and fail).

What's an "a-2-b tard", out of curiosity?

Did she not realize that (assuming the car is hers) that the plates would literally tell police everything they need to know to find her? Like you just went from misdemeanor improper driving to hit-and-run real fast.

She was also under the influence on top of all of that. https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/774/b7d9496b-43f8-487b-b1eb-c41c092d0da5/0b2326fa94e3a128a7ce69e9c005ecc4.png

Presumably someone who isn't enthusiastic about cars and only wants one to get around. It infuriates me how often insurance companies get away with just saying "Yeah not paying for it, deal with it"

I'm guessing someone who drives to and from places without giving much thought as to who else is on the road

there's no book value on the car. at least she had insurance. if you're going to daily drive (or often drive i guess) something like this you either pay out the wazu for vintage vehicle insurance from like hagerty or hope this doesn't happen I guess. the really really dumb thing is she pushed a car out of the lane and off the road without seemingly braking at any point, this was a fairly slow speed crash, the thing would have survived had she not driven right over it.

Not sure why not being enthusiastic about something makes someone qualify as a "tard".... I mean, unless they're doing what The_J_Hat said, or doing what the fucking idiot in the article did.

Honestly, it's an object, one which only has value due to repairing it as a family. They get to repair it again. Also they get the insurance money to do so.

It's just a car. Maybe be happy everyone survived?

I suspect it's gonna take a bit more than $5,000 in both time and money.

Insurance companies are fucking parasites looking for any excuse to weasel out of their responsibilities, just like this stupid cunt who ruined a priceless vehicle and tried to make a run for it. I really hope this guy can restore it somehow.

"My dad is not in any way happy about what happened, but he's put a positive thought in my head that at least we'll get the opportunity to rebuild the car again together," he said. "Because when we built that car, it was some of the best time we've ever spent together. Silver lining.

Oh, my bad. It definitely will. It's still just an object though, one which has value from being a project- It's only going to become more valuable to the family, and they're probably going to cherish the time they spend working on it together.

Sorry but that car has more character, charm, and intellect than the woman that destroyed it.

It has value as a piece of living history. Does that not mean anything to you?

Because those people, quite frankly, do not respect how much damage a car can do and treat it like it's no big deal. Driving while under the influence or while staring at your phone are treated as perfectly fine and normal things to do, when they're about as dangerous as taking a rifle and firing it around randomly without looking.

It's honestly incredible how stupid and irresponsible even sober people can be on the road. Hell, I've had a dipshit back into me at a stop-light in broad daylight because he decided he had pulled out too far I guess. Dumb-ass never bothered to check his mirrors, but I guess it was also partly my fault because I thought "surely he's paying attention to his mirrors..." and didn't honk at him. But the fact that this fucking idiot not only crashes into a car because they were distracted by something, but that they try to run away on foot is a shining example of why some people are just a danger to others.

Let me flee on foot and leave behind my registered vehicle, because that's going to work.

Well yeah, I get that, that's what I meant in the latter half of my post. But you don't need to be a car enthusiast to respect and understand all of those things. That's just called not being mind-bendingly fucking stupid. You know. That thing about having any semblance of common sense. Saying that all A to B drivers are equally disrespectful and ignorant to these facts is not a very nice generalization, especially when someone categorizes them as "tards."

What does that have to do with what I said at all It's been rebuilt once. It will be rebuilt again. This event is part of that living history. Are you implying that all valuable objects should enter a permanent state of suspension once they reach a certain age?

Every time it has to be rebuilt because some moron comes along and runs over it, parts of the original item are lost forever. The idea is to preserve as much originality as possible while retaining function so that it can be shown and enjoyed.

And then reality hits and you realize you can't immortalize every little thing you want to. It's your choice to enjoy Theseus car or not for what it is rather than what you want it to be.

This would be a good project for Jay Leno to pick up. He has the money and manpower behind him. Plus, it'd be some good PR for him.

That has absolutely nothing to do with not being enthusiastic about cars.

TBH giving the family the resources and tools would probably make for a nice little wholesome miniseries.

So this genius decided that they would try and run away on foot, leaving their car behind? Like, as though they might get away with it? As though nobody's going to be able to figure out who you are when you left behind your car? Did she run off with the license plates and everything in the glovebox too?