What happened was basically morning rush hour traffic in Baltimore. I was on my way down I-83 to work (I was actually scheduled to work in Kearneysville, WV, which normally would've taken me across 30 in PA and down 15 to Frederick, where traffic wouldn't have been an issue, however I got a call late last night from a co-worker asking me to do him a favor and check out a couple jobs on my way to WV which required that I drive through Baltimore on my way to WV).
Anyway, I'm driving down I-83 in the left hand lane. All of a sudden traffic came to a screetching halt, people were slamming on their brakes. I did the same, but I could see I wasnt going to get stopped in time so I attempted to swerve in behind an 18 wheeler in the right lane, but I couldnt get slowed down enough and I ended up hitting the rear wheel on the trailer of the 18 wheeler, which caused my Wrangler to do a couple 360's in the middle of the interstate, during which time I apparently made light contact with a Subaru station wagon with my rear drivers side fender flare (very, very little damage on the wrangler from that impact - barely a scuff).
I came to a stop facing the correct direction in the left hand lane. I tried to fire the Wrangler up to drive her off the road, but she wouldn't start. I asked a couple of people who had stopped to help me, and we pushed her to the shoulder. When the cops showed up, I tried to start it again and it started right up and I was able to drive her home. I *think* everything's OK mechanically, although I'm sort of puzzled as to why it wouldnt initially start (any ideas?). So far, it looks like the list of what will need to be replaced includes:
Front bumper
Passenger side bumper end cap
Fog lights
Grill
Passenger side fender/turn signal lenses
There are a couple decent scratches on the edges of the hood, so I dont know yet if it'll be replaced or repainted (the passenger side hood latch broke off in the wreck and the hood was flopping a little bit on the drive home - I drove slow and I dont think it bent any, but I'll let the insurance decide.
So, in the end I wasn't cited for anything by the police, but I was determined to be at fault. The insurance is paying for everything (I just have to pay the deductible) and the Wrangler will go into the shop Monday. Oh yeah, I wasn't hurt and neither was anyone else. I also am not sure how I managed to do 2 consecutive 360s in the Wrangler without rolling it.
Damage to others include:
- Flat tire on the trailer of the 18 wheeler.
- Subaru had a small scuff/dent on the rear passenger corner (not bad)
- Retard in an '03 Accord claimed that when my wrangler was spinning I kicked up some gravel or debris and put a chip in his paint
So, to summarize...it could be worse, and my Wrangler should be ready to hit the trail again in a couple weeks. And as an added bonus, I was able to use the situation to get the company to finally give me a company van, so the Jeep won't be put in danger as often
.