Destroyed 1Up Rack

[ORMojo]

Ever wonder how your hitch rack would fare in a rear-end collision? Mine was destroyed.

On a local mountain 2-lane highway, I was legally stopped to make a left-hand turn, but a car behind me didn't stop soon enough. I drive such roads a lot, and always keep an eye on the rearview mirror in those circumstances, but the oncoming traffic was just clearing, so I was preparing to proceed with my turn. It jolted me pretty hard - fortunately the other car was attempting to stop, just not soon enough, a full-speed collision on the 55 MPH road would have been devastating.

I am most thankful that my children had exited the car a bit earlier. What actually concerned me the most almost immediately was the sincerely apologetic, almost distraught, young husband driving the car behind me - he was taking his in labor wife to the hospital, along with what looked to be their 2- or 3-year-old daughter in the back seat. Last I knew, they were all OK. Almost an understandable distraction for him . . . but not.

The EMTs were concerned about me - I had almost immediate stiffness and soreness in the neck and back, very slight tingling in my left extremities, and they found soft-tissue swelling around C7. So I spent the next several hours in a cervical collar and strapped to a back board, awaiting the ambulance, during the 30-minute ride back into town, and while waiting for a CT scan.

The scan cleared me, the doctor said I had some "pretty severe soft-tissue damage in response to the whiplash effect" and discharged me. I am much more sore this morning, including my left shoulder, which I had not noticed at all at first, and I can only think it is sore because of the shoulder harness restraining me there.

Anyway, after retrieving my car from the tow yard, in addition to illustrating the damage to the rack, I'm posting this in part as explanation and apology for going dark for the past 24 hours, while 32 PMs have piled up in response to my wheel and handlebar classified listings. I'm going to start responding to those right now. And file the accident report, and file the insurance claim, and visit the body shop, and order a new rack, and . . . What a hassle!

http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv48/ORMojo1/DSCN4856_zpsieip2rlz.jpg (http://s668.photobucket.com/user/ORMojo1/media/DSCN4856_zpsieip2rlz.jpg.html)
http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv48/ORMojo1/DSCN4857_zpse5y1hag8.jpg (http://s668.photobucket.com/user/ORMojo1/media/DSCN4857_zpse5y1hag8.jpg.html)
http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv48/ORMojo1/DSCN4855_zpseykmn4jc.jpg (http://s668.photobucket.com/user/ORMojo1/media/DSCN4855_zpseykmn4jc.jpg.html)

[Ralph]

Glad you are OK. Maybe the hitch and rack absorbed some of the blow. It can be replaced. I love my 1UP bike rack for 2 or 3.

[gasman]

Wow, that could have been really ba
Glad to hear you are relatively okay. Keep a close eye on yourself for any worsening of symptoms, but you know that already.
Were you on hwy 126 or 58 ? Best of luck on your recovery.

[AngryScientist]

wow that's crazy. driving your wife in labor to the hospital with a kid in the car, talk about stress! glad to hear things are relatively OK, i agree the rack probably did soften the blow a little. is that a Volvo?

[ORMojo]

Glad you are OK. Maybe the hitch and rack absorbed some of the blow. It can be replaced. I love my 1UP bike rack for 2 or 3.

wow that's crazy. driving your wife in labor to the hospital with a kid in the car, talk about stress! glad to hear things are relatively OK, i agree the rack probably did soften the blow a little. is that a Volvo?

I've been thinking about that - the effect of the rack on the impact I felt. I'm wondering if it didn't actually increase the impact that reached me. Since the rack was rigid, and firmly attached to the hitch, which is bolted to the car frame, perhaps that transferred more energy through to me than if the bumper had somewhat cushioned the impact as it is designed to do?

1-year-old Subaru Forester XT. Love the car - it is almost always dusty/dirty, as in the photo, because I'm off-road several times a week heading to riding trails, hiking, hot springs, whatever!

[Vinci]

The most impressive thing to me is that the center channel of the rack actually bent. That thing is VERY stout.

I would have expected the hitch tongue to have bent/broken before that channel bent, instead of both happening.

[Ralph]

You will want to check to see if the unit body of the Subaru is bent or warped where hitch attaches.

[kramnnim]

You will want to check to see if the unit body of the Subaru is bent or warped where hitch attaches.

This was my first thought when I saw the pictures...

[SoCalSteve]

You will want to check to see if the unit body of the Subaru is bent or warped where hitch attaches.

There was a thread on one of the Porsche Forums where a guy was rear ended very slowly, took his car to the body thinking it was very minor damage ( aesthetic only )... Turned out it was over $10k worth of damage as it bent the frame. Motor had to be removed, etc...

Probably a very good idea to have a very competent body shop put it on a rack to really see the extent of the damage.

Glad you are ok!

[oldfatslow]

Glad you are okay and hope you heal completely and quickly.

[aosty]

Glad you are ok.

A good portion of your rack looks salvageable. Call them up - my 1up rack somehow :rolleyes: smacked a mailbox attached to a tree stump and I was able to replace the damaged parts.

[cmbicycles]

Good that you, & everyone else, are ok.

The rack looks salvageable, just bent and broken a couple spots... just might need a few new parts. If you don't care to bother, I'll take it. I always need some more projects. ;)

Sent from my SCH-S738C using Tapatalk