Accident Archives - Page 41 of 44 - C6Performance Journal

February 12, 2014

BREAKING NEWS: A Sinkhole Under the National Corvette Museum Opens and Swallows 8 Corvettes

A sinkhole under the gold rotunda at the National Corvette Museum opened this morning and swallowed at least eight Corvettes according to multiple accounts. The hole is estimated to be around 40 feet wide and 20 feet deep.

The Bowling Green Fire Department was alerted when alarms started going off at 5:38 am this morning.

“It’s about 20 feet deep. As best as I can see it is about as big as the pedestal area where we had the cars displayed,” said NCM Executive Director Wendall Strode.

According to a press release from the Museum, the eight Corvettes swallowed by the sinkhole include the following collector vehicles:

1993 ZR-1 Spyder on loan from General Motors
2009 ZR1 “Blue Devil” on loan from General Motors
1962 Black Corvette
1984 PPG Pace Car
1992 White 1 Millionth Corvette
1993 Ruby Red 40th Anniversary Corvette
2001 Mallett Hammer Z06 Corvette
2009 White 1.5 Millionth Corvette

Two of the Corvettes were on loan from General Motors, the other six were owned by the Corvette Museum. None of the Corvettes on loan by individuals in the Rotunda were affected.

The 1983 Corvette, which is the only one in the world, was saved from the Rotunda after the fire department allowed staff to move it from the area.

Strode told the Bowling Green Daily News that structural experts are expected to review the situation. “We also have called some karst people from Western Kentucky University to come out and see what is going on,” he said.

BREAKING NEWS: A Sinkhole Under the National Corvette Museum Opens and Swallows 8 Corvettes

According to Strode, this is the first incidence of a sinkhole on the property. Bowling Green is surrounded by natural caves and one of the largest known cave networks in the country is Mammoth Cave National Park which is just north of Bowling Green in Cave City, KY.

While the Skydome area is closed, the remainder of the Museum is still open to visitors.

UPDATE:

Pictures and video of the actual sinkhole have now been added.

A sinkhole has developed at the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green. 8 cars so far in it pic.twitter.com/3NpFNii13f

— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) February 12, 2014

We just got some good news from NCM. They were able to remove all the other Corvettes from the SkyDome:

A Sinkhole Under the National Corvette Museum Opens and Swallows 8 Corvettes

Video from the NCM shows the sinkhole and the Corvettes inside:

Here is security camera footage showing the moment the floors open up:

Source:
National Corvette Museum and Bowling Green Daily News

January 30, 2014

[SAVE THE STINGRAYS] Wrecked 2014 Corvette Stingray on Ebay

Remember the character Harvey Dent in the 2008 movie The Dark Knight? He’s the guy who had half of his face was mangled after The Joker blew up the building in which Dent was being held captive. From one side his injuries were not noticeable, but the other side of his face told a different story. This damaged 2014 Corvette Stingray reminded us of The Dark Knight when we stumbled across it on eBay. The passenger side looks fine, but the driver’s side shows some battle scars.

The Laguna Blue Stingray on eBay is VIN 3,460 and sports the gray interior. It’s travelled just 2,552 miles since new. Options on this Stingray include automatic transmission, heated/cooled seats, HUD, and chrome wheels among others.

The seller states that they acquired the car from the original owner. They also say that the car does come with a clean title since insurance never got involved after the â€œincidentâ€.

When viewed from the passenger’s side, the Stingray appears to be a normal, low-mile C7. Swing around to the driver’s side and that’s where things go downhill. This Corvette has sustained a punch in the left side of its nose taking out the left front fender, fascia, and numerous other bits.

The auction listing points out that the frame shows no indication of damage and that the cooling system is still in good shape. They also mention that the car will need a left headlight, left front wheel, driver, passenger and seat airbags as well as a host of miscellaneous small parts. We’ve certainly seen Stingrays in worse condition.

So if you’re looking for a good winter project this may be a good option for you. The noted damage doesn’t appear to be too bad and the car does still have a clean title. As we write this, the car already has 23 bids and is up over $41,000. If you must have it immediately there’s a $48,900 Buy-it-now option.

Source:
eBay

January 29, 2014

[ACCIDENT] C3 Corvette Gets Clipped By Drunk Driver in Arizona

A white C3 Corvette still proudly wears its Corvette tag on the front of the vehicle.

But unfortunately for the owner, the rest of the sports carâ€™s front end is now a pretty ugly mess after a pickup truck crashed into it in Tempe, Arizona early Monday morning.

The driver of the pickup left the scene on foot but was quickly apprehended and arrested by the Tempe Police Department.

Here, you can see a set of nine photos from the accident, showing the gruesome damage, including a wheel that appears to be dangling sideways, to what appears to have formerly been a nice classic Corvette.

Youâ€™ll also see photos of the pickup driver, Jose Arturo Soria-Gonzales, 38, who was charged with DUI and leaving the scene of an injury collision.

The two passengers in the Corvette suffered minor injuries in the accident, which happened just after midnight at the intersection of University Drive and Evergreen Road.

Source:
AZfamily.com

January 23, 2014

[PIC] Wrecked C7 Corvette Stingray

Time for another SAVE THE STINGRAY’s post.

No, I don’t think this will buff out.

Found this image on Facebook. No context about the accident and none is needed. What’s really sad is that I am becoming desensitized to the wanton destruction of the Stingray.

Click here to see a larger version of this Wrecked C7 Corvette Stingray.

Source:
SouthernFresh on Facebook

January 2, 2014

[PIC] Red 2014 Corvette Stingray Crashes in the Snow

[PIC] Red Corvette Stingray Crashes in the Snow

This Torch Red Corvette Stingray Z51 Coupe has seen better days.

Spotted at a car dealership in Milwaukee, the crashed Stingray shows extensive damage to the front end of the car.

Check out that snow that’s packed in under the hood and passenger front wheel-well. It looks like this Corvette hit a bunch of the white stuff right in the nose, which also caused the airbags to deploy.

While some will argue that the Corvette Stingray is an car than can be driven in all types of road and weather conditions, we’d like to offer up this pic as a reason why somedays, you just need to keep it parked in the garage.

[PIC] Red 2014 Corvette Stingray Crashes in the Snow

If anyone has any details on the cause of this Stingray’s demise, please let us know.

Source:
Wrecked Exotics via GT Spirit

December 31, 2013

Corvette Stingray Premiere Edition that Crashed Through Dealers Window Offered at a Discount

Some dealers are offering $2,000 discounts on non-Z51 Stingrays.

But we haven’t heard of any discounts on Z51s â€“ until now.

Of course, as usual, there is a catch.

You may have seen the 2014 Stingray Premiere Edition Coupe that was recently driven through the window of a dealer’s showroom.

Well, here’s your chance to own it at a significantly reduced price, if a pending deal hasn’t already been consummated.

74 Auto in Cape Girardeau, Missouri â€“ which bills itself as “one of the largest repairable vehicle dealers in the United States” – is offering the fully loaded Stingray for just $67,900 â€“ down some $8,100 from the MSRP of $76,000.

But you will have to pay to have the Stingray’s damaged front end and windshield repaired. You would think that wouldn’t cost $8,100, though.

So if you don’t mind having a Stingray that’s already been partially repainted, this might be the car for you â€“ especially since it has just 167 miles clicked on the odometer.

One Internet site we saw predicted that the Premiere Edition could possibly turn into a highly collectible car in the future, so this could be a way to increase your potential payoff in years to come.



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Only 500 of the Laguna Blue Premiere Editions are being built. ll will feature the Z51 Performance Package and Magnetic Selective Ride Control, the variable tuned Performance Exhaust system and the visibile carbon fiber roof. Other accessories include the Black “Stinger” hood graphic, 19/20â€³ Chrome Wheels, Stingray interior sill plates and wheel caps and of course the five-piece custom Corvette-branded luggage.

Source:
CarBuzz.com

December 16, 2013

[VIDEO] C6 Corvette Driver Shot and Killed after Leading LA Police in Hour Long Chase

Police have identified the driver of a C6 Corvette involved in an hour-long high-speed chase in Los Angeles Friday night as 51-year-old Brian Newt Beaird of Oceanside, Calif.

Beaird was behind the wheel of the silver Corvette in Cudahy in east LA about 9:30 p.m. Friday when L.A. County sheriffâ€™s deputies tried to stop him because he was driving recklessly.

After leading lawmen on a high-speed and dangerous pursuit through the Huntington Park and USC area, Beaird, who was targeted by police for suspected drunk driving, finally crashed his Corvette into another vehicle at the intersection of Olympic Boulevard and Los Angeles Street in downtown Los Angeles. He climbed out of the Corvette and was shot multiple times by police as he apparently attempted to flee.

As the shooting unfolded, TV news choppers hovering above the scene captured the action live as Beaird maneuvered the Corvette down the street with police in hot pursuit, sometimes driving without his lights on and often â€œjust driving in circles,â€ according to Sky9 reporter Meghan Reyes.

Even a spike strip thrown on the road by police at one point didnâ€™t seem to affect the Corvette, which more than likely still had run-flat tires that are designed to be useable for several miles after a blowout.

The chase finally came to an end when the Corvette rammed violently into the back of another vehicle trying to pass through an intersection from the other side and the Corvette spun around, winding up against a utility pole nearby. With smoke or steam pouring from under the hood of his badly damaged car, Beaird at first tried to pull forward, then went backward before climbing out of the car and being shot by police as he attempted to flee the scene on foot.

The Corvette, by the way, had a handicapped license plate on the back.

Melanie Woodrow, reporting for CBS2, said at the scene paramedics could be seen doing â€œvigorousâ€ chest compressions on the suspect, but Beaird was pronounced dead at California Hospital Medical Center at about 11:13 p.m. Friday, according to Los Angeles coronerâ€™s Capt. John Kades.

LAPD Officer Gregory Baek said the apparent shooting is being investigated.

Media reports have not identified the two occupants of the other vehicle involved in the collision, nor his condition.

Here is unedited video from the chase which shows the crash and then the suspect is shot by police. The crash happens around 20:35.

Here is a recap from KABC-TV in LA:

Thanks for the tip Todd!

Sources:
KABC.com
LA Times
losangeles.cbslocal.com

December 10, 2013

[ACCIDENT] C4 Corvette Crashes into a House in Odessa, Texas

[ACCIDENT] C5 Corvette Crashes into a House in Odessa, Texas

This yellow C4 Corvette crashed Sunday evening into the middle of a home at Richmond Street and Ridgedale Avenue on the north side of Odessa, Texas.

According to police, the driver was cited for failure to control speed after driving through a stop sign at a T-intersection and into the living room of the home, narrowly missing the garage.

Fortunately no one was injured in the wreck, and we couldnâ€™t tell how much damage the C5 suffered, though it is probably significant to the front end based on the hole it opened up in the house.

Source:
permianbasin360.com

November 25, 2013

California Appeals Court Overturns â€˜Inconsistentâ€™ $3.5 Million Verdict in Corvette Fire Case

California appeals court overturns â€˜inconsistent' $3.5 million verdict in Corvette fire case

Calling a decision by a San Diego County Superior Court jury “inconsistent,” a state appeals court in California has overturned a $3.5 million verdict for a couple who blamed a “defective” 2005 Corvette for causing a fire that destroyed their home in 2010 and then sued General Motors.

The original jury had returned a special verdict, saying that the Corvette had performed as safely as could be expected and GM was not strictly liable, but then turned around and held GM liable for negligence, awarding Herbert and Patti Boekamp $3.5 million in compensatory damages.

The original judge had instructed the jury to examine the case under res ipsa loquitur, which states that negligence can sometimes be inferred from the circumstances of an accident or other outcome.

The appeals court, however, said that res ipsa loquitur doesn’t apply to this case because the defendant must have exclusive control over an “agency or instrumentality.” In this case, however, the Corvette had been out of GM’s possession for four years, serviced regularly, and taken in for inspection and repair of electrical components in the dash several times.

A jury therefore cannot find negligence without a defect, according to the appeals court.

“The jury here, however, did just that: It found GM was negligent even though it also found the Corvette was not defective under the consumer expectation test, the only strict products liability test on which the Boekamps requested the jury be instructed,” the panel said, noting that such a judgment must be overturned.

The original settlement had come as part of a lawsuit against GM over what they claimed was a defective telescoping steering column in a 2005 Corvette belonging to Patti Boekamp.

“Two hours after my wife came home and parked the car in the garage, the car caught fire and took the 5,300-square-foot house with it,” her husband, Herbert Boekamp, said.

Also lost in the January 16, 2010 fire was a 1962 Corvette.

Fortunately, the family escaped unharmed, despite the fact that several hard-wired smoke alarms didn’t work because the fire burned the circuits. Herbert Boekamp was awakened by the smell of smoke.

Once they had exited the burning house, Mr. Boekamp noticed a trail of gasoline that leaked out of the garage.

“When the car melted down, the gas rolled out of the garage and caught the outside of the home on fire; that was the first clue that it was the car,” he said earlier.

Source:
thomsonreuters.com

November 15, 2013

[ACCIDENT] C6 Corvette Gets Under a Sedan on the D.C. Beltway

A picture from Danielle Muirragui shows the aftermath of a Thursday morning crash involving a yellow C6 Corvette Coupe and a silver 4-door sedan on Interstate 395 in Washington D.C.

According WTOP’s Jack Taylor, the crash happened on Northbound I-395 before Seminary Road around 9:00 am yesterday morning. Police cleared the accident in about 40 minutes and the road was fully open to traffic by 10am.

VA – 395 NB before Seminary Rd — Not Good photo cred Danielle Muirragui pic.twitter.com/3aJZZY9DGc #vatraffic #dctraffic

— Jack Taylor (@WTOPJack) November 14, 2013

This accident reminds of one that got a lot of notice back in 2008 when a Mercedes came to rest on top of a Le Mans Blue C6 Corvette.

Source:
WTOP
Photo Credit: Danielle Muirragui