Car experts: Sister got into a car wreck.

[boomerang]

A lot of steering shafts have one universal joint in them, some have two. You can see them between the steering shaft where it comes out of the firewall and the steering rack.

Some are enclosed in a boot of sorts and some are open. It's possible that a foreign object (a stone perhaps) could have been kicked up and lodged in the universal joint. It then could have been jarred out in the ensuing excitement.

This most certainly could have caused the steering to lock up. If it can or could happen, most manufacturers will enclose them.

I'm betting on the cell phone though. Seriously.

 

[Mark R]

Update

See OP.

 

[James Bond]

Originally posted by: halik
Either a mechanical failure, which should be easy to find... or a BS story, because she was actually on her cell phone and wasn't paying attention.

Update: After a bit of digging, it seems we may have got to the bottom of this conundrum.

Apparently, she was chatting on her cell phone, lost concentration and drifted into the path of an oncoming truck.

She swerved but lost control and drove into a ditch.

Winner!

 

[JS80]

Originally posted by: Mark R
She's fine, just a bit shaken up.

She was driving along a relatively straight road - 2 way traffic, no median, doing about 50.

Suddenly notices the car (Vauxhall corsa) pulling towards the other lane (pulling to the right, but we drive on the left here). It's only a slight deviation.

However, car starts to get to the lines in the middle of the road - she tries to steer left towards the side of the road, but can't turn the steering - it's jammed. Large semi coming the other way. She slams the brakes on, skids, clips the semi and spins off into a ditch.

Semi drives off. She's fine, but car is pretty screwed.

All tires fine, and fully inflated afterwards - no strange sounds, bangs, vibration. Steering just seemed to jam.

Any idea what could happen to make a car suddenly pull to one side and steering stop responding? - my first thoughts were a blow out, or even aquaplaning - but tires were all fine, and the road was only slightly damp - no surface water. No braking at the time the car started pulling.

Update: After a bit of digging, it seems we may have got to the bottom of this conundrum.

Apparently, she was chatting on her cell phone, lost concentration and drifted into the path of an oncoming truck.

She swerved but lost control and drove into a ditch.

lawl @ update vs her first excuse

 

[SlowSpyder]

Liar liar pants on fire!

 

[Jahee]

Originally posted by: JS80

Originally posted by: Mark R
She's fine, just a bit shaken up.

She was driving along a relatively straight road - 2 way traffic, no median, doing about 50.

Suddenly notices the car (Vauxhall corsa) pulling towards the other lane (pulling to the right, but we drive on the left here). It's only a slight deviation.

However, car starts to get to the lines in the middle of the road - she tries to steer left towards the side of the road, but can't turn the steering - it's jammed. Large semi coming the other way. She slams the brakes on, skids, clips the semi and spins off into a ditch.

Semi drives off. She's fine, but car is pretty screwed.

All tires fine, and fully inflated afterwards - no strange sounds, bangs, vibration. Steering just seemed to jam.

Any idea what could happen to make a car suddenly pull to one side and steering stop responding? - my first thoughts were a blow out, or even aquaplaning - but tires were all fine, and the road was only slightly damp - no surface water. No braking at the time the car started pulling.

Update: After a bit of digging, it seems we may have got to the bottom of this conundrum.

Apparently, she was chatting on her cell phone, lost concentration and drifted into the path of an oncoming truck.

She swerved but lost control and drove into a ditch.

lawl @ update vs her first excuse

And they say women can multitask :roll:

 

[Steve]

How did you find this out?

 

[OutHouse]

Originally posted by: halik
Either a mechanical failure, which should be easy to find... or a BS story, because she was actually on her cell phone and wasn't paying attention.

lol damn.....

 

[FoBoT]

no way, the cell phone usage was to blame? shocking

 

[Balt]

Wow. Pretty bad that she would tell a lie of that magnitude.

 

[mugs]

Wow... hope your sister quits talking on the phone while driving before she kills herself (or someone else) :Q

 

[halik]

Update: After a bit of digging, it seems we may have got to the bottom of this conundrum.

Apparently, she was chatting on her cell phone, lost concentration and drifted into the path of an oncoming truck.

She swerved but lost control and drove into a ditch.

HAHA I totally called it. Check my post ... second reply in the thread.

Edit: I work on cars on a regular basis and unless you actually run over something (branch etc.) the odds of mechanically jamming a rack and pinion steering are minimal. I've also got rear ended by dumb broads on phones before... in broad daylight, 5pm traffic sitting by a red light / 2 lane road in a group of at least 15 cars.

 

[randomint]

Update: After a bit of digging, it seems we may have got to the bottom of this conundrum.

Apparently, she was chatting on her cell phone, lost concentration and drifted into the path of an oncoming truck.

She swerved but lost control and drove into a ditch.

ha ha ha no ****** sherlock!

women drivers!

 

[2Xtreme21]

Wow. That's pretty pathetic.

 

[Sukhoi]

LOL at the update!

 

[Steve]

I was once riding with my sister who was driving our dad's Blazer, yakking away with one hand on a cell phone. She began drifting into the right turn lane, and I knew there was a car in our blind spot. I yelled at her, grabbed the wheel and straightened our path, also scared her straight.

That's why I never let her drive unless I'm drunk, I figure it's the lesser of two evils.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

so she's a goddamn liar?

 

[James Bond]

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats
so she's a goddamn liar?

it seems so.

 

[yowolabi]

Originally posted by: halik
Either a mechanical failure, which should be easy to find... or a BS story, because she was actually on her cell phone and wasn't paying attention.

Originally posted by: slikmunks
she was on the phone and decided to take the key out while driving, therefore locking the steering wheel!

Originally posted by: SSSnail
Even if the power steering gave, it wouldn't be that hard to steer a car when it's MOVING. SHENS.

Originally posted by: CKent
I'm guessing driver error... no offense, but it's because she's female.

Originally posted by: Vincent
Maybe she just panicked.

Originally posted by: wetcat007
If she claims it wouldn't move, that'd be pretty damn rare. Check if the steering wheel is still jammed, if it isn't I'd say she's probably not being entirely truthful.

Originally posted by: jtvang125
Either its a mechanical failure (pretty slim) or she's lying. Way too many people start making up stories to shift the blame way from them.

Originally posted by: SlowSpyder
For some reason did she take the key out? Ignitions will lock the steering wheel if you turn it with the key out. That, or B.S.

Originally posted by: Quintox
No offense but I think she's lying

Originally posted by: zerocool84
I would call shens like others, she just probably wasnt paying attention while driving and you can tell if she was driving fast based on the extent of damage to the car.

Originally posted by: Xyclone
PEBWAS

Originally posted by: boomerang
I'm betting on the cell phone though. Seriously.

This is my first time seeing this thread, and i'm seriously amazed that all you people called it, even down to the cell phone.

I'm curious if it was your knowledge of cars that caused you to see her story was BS or your inherent distrust of women drivers.

 

[randomint]

Originally posted by: yowolabi
I'm curious if it was your knowledge of cars that caused you to see her story was BS or your inherent distrust of women drivers.

no question about it. i don't think they have a very good grasp of technology in general. i'm not making a blanket statement .. i mean if a woman tries to be good at something, she can do it but it's just that their brains are wired differently in that they respond to technology different than men.

men on the other hand are able to get the "feel" of a machine/piece of technology faster and with greater ease.

the above is of course all my opinion

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: yowolabi
I'm curious if it was your knowledge of cars that caused you to see her story was BS or your inherent distrust of women drivers.

Understanding of how power steering works. The chances of the steering legitimately failing in that manner are very, very slim.

ZV

 

[Mursilis]

Originally posted by: randomint

Update: After a bit of digging, it seems we may have got to the bottom of this conundrum.

Apparently, she was chatting on her cell phone, lost concentration and drifted into the path of an oncoming truck.

She swerved but lost control and drove into a ditch.

ha ha ha no ****** sherlock!

women drivers!

Men are just as bad. Some MALE idiot almost ran me off the road today trying to merge while chatting on his cell phone. I'm beginning to think people who chat on the cell while 'driving' should be shot.

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: yowolabi
I'm curious if it was your knowledge of cars that caused you to see her story was BS or your inherent distrust of women drivers.

Understanding of how power steering works. The chances of the steering legitimately failing in that manner are very, very slim.

ZV

Bingo,
the fact that she claim the wheel wouldn't move at all was a BS flag, especially if the car was to pull one way or another. Plus women are notoriously bad when combined with cellphones....stereotypes all come from somewhere.

 

[Kelemvor]

Originally posted by: sm8000
I was once riding with my sister who was driving our dad's Blazer, yakking away with one hand on a cell phone. She began drifting into the right turn lane, and I knew there was a car in our blind spot. I yelled at her, grabbed the wheel and straightened our path, also scared her straight.

That's why I never let her drive unless I'm drunk, I figure it's the lesser of two evils.

I would have followed that up by taking her cell phone and launching it out the window.

 

[nutxo]

gremlins