I'm still having a real hard time dealing with this but it's fact.

Last Friday "Friday the 13th" at 3:45 am driving north on the 405 I was nailed by the real left tire from an eighteen wheeler.

Now try and picture this. I'm in the far left lane (fast lane) no other cars with in a mile of me except for two eighteen wheelers 30 to 40 yards in front of me in the far right lane. (slow lane) out of the corner of my eye I see something fly up in the air from the rear of the second truck. A split second later I look up and here comes the massive black thing heading straight for my front windshield. I looked like a big black octopus flying through the air. I hit the brakes as fast as I could and this massive mess hits the front of my hood and front bumper then gets pulled under the right side of my car tossing the right side of the car up in the air. "What a ride" I pulled of the 405 at Rosecrans ave in Manhattan Bch to check the damage. My hood was pushed down more than a foot into the front trunk. Just hanging on by a single hinge. My front bumper is demolished. Just barely held together by the clear bra. Damage to both side fenders. Front right wheel is bent at the outer flange and brake light stays on with the check brake fluid light staying on. The undercarriage has massive cuts and abrasions. That's just the visual assessment. Don't know yet what there going to find as far a structural damage if any. Still waiting to hear back. NOW FOR THE WIERD STUFF.

What are the odds of getting nailed by this tire and wheel assembly on the FRWY with no other cars around for a mile. WHAT ARE THE ODDS?. I pondered this all damn weekend. Today a had lunch with my mother. She blows my mind with this. My mother reminds me that the last three cars I've owned I've either sold or traded then in after a year to the day of buying them. I looked at her and said YA SO. She then asked me, when did you buy your Porsche. I said July 13th 06 (Thursday) She then asked what are the odds of that happening. Should I go out and buy a lotto ticket or just crawl under the covers and stay there.

Wow.

Amazing story . .. . so . . . the clear Bra did not prevent scratches did it?


j/k glad to hear you are safe. Sounds like a movie scene. Were you going to Vegas for Croc fest? If you don't have a new one by then let me know and you can hitch a ride with me.

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2006 Cayman S - Speed Yellow, Black Interior, Yellow Seat Belts
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I'm sorry to hear about your Cayman and I'm glad you're ok.

The same exact thing happened to my parents except they were behind a semi and saw the tire dislodge and come at their car, my dad sverwed but it caught the car on the front right 3\4ths, the hood, front bumper, fender, and light had to be replaced.

- Suneet

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- Suneet

I’m sorry to hear about your loss jcbuschwacker, but I’m truly grateful nothing happened to you. Thank you for sharing your story with us. By chance, did you take a photograph or two for your personal file?

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- Saint Etienne -

Yes, I'm part of the unofficial Welcoming Committee!

re-treading - grrrr.

glad you are ok - and pictures?

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Sorry to hear your story - I had a similar close call myself recently....

A couple of months ago, I'm driving the CS home about 9:30 after a late business dinner. I'm in the left lane on a limited access blvd (Peachtree Industrial just north of 285 for you Atlantans) with 4-5 lanes each direction on this part of the road. Not much traffic. I start to smell something nasty burning, and begin to look around to see where it could be coming from.

Up ahead a few hundred yards, there is a semi with fire coming out from under it - wow..... It doesn't appear he has any idea of what is going on, and I have no idea what's happening, but I figure it's probably better to get in front of it on my terms (like right now) instead of having to dodge the thing blowing up or something unexpectedly.

He must see what is going and starts to slow down and pull over, just as I start accelerating to go past him and watching him like a hawk, it spits out a burning tire and wheel assembly. The entire thing is on fire, and it's starting to bounce down the blvd.

No one is between him and me, but I'm in pretty good shape as I was moving up as I had accelerated (he's maybe maybe 200 yards ahead and almost on the shoulder at this point) and I watch this fireball bound down the road. I am watching it planning my escape if move if necessary as I really nail the gas now to get past it before it has a chance to cross over several lanes.

It really never got that close to me, but it was one of the most surreal driving moments I've gone through. As I go by the truck, he's off on the shoulder, and I'm watching this buring tire "bonfire" and wheel sit in the middle (2nd or 3rd lane) of the blvd behind me. I see headlights dodging it in my rear view mirror. I can't imagine how freaked out those people were.

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In2Esses

2006 CaymanS - Black/Black
2003 BMW 325it
2007 BMW 328i coupe

Let's hope that you get a new CS!!

Close call. Good thing that you are OK.

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LL

Sorry to hear about your experience. The main thing is you're alright. I've heard stories about wheels coming off of trucks before, and people being killed.
Hope your croc makes a full recovery.

Did you get the truck's license plate? His company is most likely liable for your repair bill, as I'm sure your insurance company must be telling you.

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2007 Cayman S, Arctic Silver
PCA San Diego Region

I feel for you I have no idea where the 405 may be but if its an Interstate, I hate to say this but if your 30 yards behind an 18 wheeler, I think the odds are VERY good your going to get hit.

I dunno about you but I see 18 wheeler tire treads littering the interstates. I've traveled xcountry many times and I try to stay far away from 18 wheelers.

Sorry about your car

Im sorry to hear that man.. really sucks.. did you get the license plate of the truck? did you call the cops? maybe then can look at the cams on the highways.. hope insurance covers it...

So sorry to hear about your car. I'm just glad to hear you are okay.

This reminds me of a recent Mythbusters episode where they tested the amount of destruction an 18 wheeler tire causes to a human if the fragment is traveling at 45mph (or something like this). The tread shot through the window and literally decapitated the dummy. I can only imagine what the damage looks like after sustaining freeway speed damage. From your description, I would be in tears.

Hopefully this gets resolved quickly and you are back on the road in no time.

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