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Crazy Car Accident (pg. 3)
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| pkcRAISTLIN |
yeah, but who hasn't done stupid in a car? it only takes a small change in circumstances and i bet some of us wouldnt be here.
if people ARE gonna do stupid in motor vehicles, than i say an airstrip at 3am is a great choice. youre only putting yourself at risk, and that's when i gain more respect/sympathy for people with naughty habits ;) |
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| noikeee |
| quote: | Originally posted by pkcRAISTLIN
yeah, but who hasn't done stupid in a car? it only takes a small change in circumstances and i bet some of us wouldnt be here.
if people ARE gonna do stupid in motor vehicles, than i say an airstrip at 3am is a great choice. youre only putting yourself at risk, and that's when i gain more respect/sympathy for people with naughty habits ;) |
Agreed here. |
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| leph555 |
| still feel worse for the car than anything else :( |
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| Paradox Lost |
| quote: | Originally posted by Moongoose
Not enough information, tell us which BMW it was. The only thing we know now is that it coudnt have been a Z series and that it probably wasnt an X series. Im guessing 3er or a 5er. Poor car, wonder what the driver actually did to crash that car, as it takes real skill to make any 08 BMW slide uncontrollably even if breaking from very high speed. |
It was an M5, belonging to his father. Here is the entire Edmunds article that details his forum activity before the crash:
| quote: | He posted on the BMW M5 forum — www.M5board.com — as "AmericanM5," the proud new owner of a 2008 BMW M5 painted Space Gray.
He had a problem. With "everything set to max" — and he changed gear with the shift paddles mounted on the steering wheel — "and I'm going pedal to the metal pushing 140 and upshifting, there tends to be a thud noise with the gear change." AmericanM5 wanted to know if this was normal.
And he added: "Let me say I am a beginner when it comes to high-performance cars as I am only 18, so take it easy on me."
Reality Check
The forum members told him that yes, the sensation of an abrupt gear engagement is normal with the M5's automated sequential manual transmission, but several also took the opportunity to express their concerns.
Wrote one: "It's just disturbing to know...that an 18-year-old who is asking these questions about a 500-horsepower car is driving the same streets I am. I don't have anything against young guys driving nice cars, but an 18-year-old being [behind] the wheel of an M5 is what accidents are made of."
AmericanM5 responded: "I completely understand where you are coming from, assuming that I am irresponsible...that is definitely understandable. I do sometimes make bad decisions but I am young and I do drive safe and I will not endanger the lives of others."
These posts were dated January 25, 2008.
Space Gray
At 3:30 a.m. on January 26, a 2008 BMW M5 painted Space Gray flew off the raised end of a runway at a private airport just outside Ocala, Florida, sailed 200 feet through the air and stuck a huge tree. The impact with the tree occurred 15 feet off the ground. Five young men, aged 18 to 20, were killed instantly.
Members of the M5Board began to put the pieces together. AmericanM5 said he was 18, had a 2008 M5 in Space Gray, and said he lived in the Ocala area. And he signed one of the posts, "Josh."
The driver of the crashed M5 had been Josh Ammirato.
Experience Counts
Apparently AmericanM5 had not been entirely truthful in his postings. The M5 belonged not to him, but instead to his father.
When members of the M5board forum had made this suggestion online, AmericanM5 bristled: "It's mine, buddy. I just traded in my 335i and paid the difference."
Another member suggested that AmericanM5's lack of knowledge about the BMW M5's transmission could be easily explained: "Maybe your two years' driving experience in your whole life is the problem."
AmericanM5 responded: "That could be a good assumption but the fact I never drive a manual car before may be true, but I've been driving for a lot longer than two years, buddy."
Reports indicate that Ammirato had received four traffic citations in the last two years.
Is This for Real?
The crash occurred at the Greystone Airport, which is bordered on one side by Jumbolair Estates, a fly-in community where actor and pilot John Travolta lives; he filed a suit in 2007 to compel the owners to allow him to land his Boeing 707 on the strip.
The fly-in community was built by the late Arthur Jones, inventor of Nautilus exercise equipment. The airstrip is 7,550 feet (1.5 miles) long and is 210 feet wide. Apparently it can be accessed through an unguarded gate.
The five occupants of the M5 had attended a basketball game, and then a party where they were celebrating the 19th birthday of Dustin "Smiley" Dawe, one of the men killed.
The Florida Highway Patrol reported that there was evidence of skid marks at the end of the runway, indicating the car had turned sideways before crossing a sloped embankment and sailing through the air and into the tree. Alcohol does not appear to have been involved. The accident made headlines in the Ocala Star-Banner.
A Final Word
The final exchange between AmericanM5 and the rest of the forum members came late on January 25.
Some members wondered if the 18-year-old M5 owner was for real, and suggested that he post some photos of his car. Others wondered why a teenager would opt for an expensive sedan instead of more conventional sports car like a Porsche.
A forum member from Queensland, Australia, applauded AmericanM5's decision to get a BMW: "I would much prefer an 18-year-old with brains to have an M5 rather than spend his money on some other piece of junk that could kill him and his mates in an accident," wrote M5DAL, a forum member since 2004. He continued: "If you crash in a big way, expect to be on the news."
"Thanks, guys, don't get me wrong," AmericanM5 wrote, "I never said I didn't respect your wisdom. Thanks for the welcome, and I am looking forward to getting to know you guys better...and I plan to have all the pics up tomorrow. Josh."
That was his last post. |
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/d...rticleId=124526 |
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| jfk-pilot |
| quote: | Originally posted by pkcRAISTLIN
yeah, but who hasn't done stupid in a car? it only takes a small change in circumstances and i bet some of us wouldnt be here.
if people ARE gonna do stupid in motor vehicles, than i say an airstrip at 3am is a great choice. youre only putting yourself at risk, and that's when i gain more respect/sympathy for people with naughty habits ;) |
he killed four other guys, now if he was by himself, more power to him and his stupidity. |
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| The_G0dfather |
| As much as i dislike BMW's, respect for the M series. Whats that, like over 500 bhp? :crazy: |
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| iammesol |
| Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow |
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| The_G0dfather |
Will you guys send my posts to CNN when i die ? All of them plz.
Or better yet, send them to that Australian interviewer chick that got owned. |
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| camsr |
| So that's what a fly-in community is: idiot's graveyard. |
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| echosystm |
| quote: | Originally posted by SkyHigh
I think they were trying to prove an old myth!
If you go fast enough in a car and open the doors it will become airborne.
I think it's doable :( :o :o |
i do it all the time :toocool: |
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| Moongoose |
Well i must applaud the guy he managed to crash an M5 and that car handles so well it doesn't really want to crash. If i understood the article correctly he didnt notice the end of the runway until it was to late and when he tried to brake the car caught on something and got lunched in the air. So much for bad luck, but it just shows that even a good car like that cant save your life if you are an idiot.
He deserved a Prius, poor poor M5. |
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| pkcRAISTLIN |
| quote: | Originally posted by jfk-pilot
he killed four other guys, now if he was by himself, more power to him and his stupidity. |
see, i dont blame the driver more than the passengers, assuming all were willing participants in the activity.
hell, my college was on a mountain and we used to go rallying at lunchtime up through the bush. i would be standing outside the car on the flat tray of the 4WD. now, even though we wouldn't have been pushing much more than 80kmh, if something bad happens and i fly off it and hit one of the numerous trees, am i really gonna turn around and blame the driver?
no.
now, without any evidence to the contrary, it is safe to assume all young men were giddy with sweet joy at their plans for the evening.
so yeah, they're all equally to blame. |
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