hello all,

don't know if anybody has seen this. Begining of this week ther was a news story here in portland,or about someone losing control and going off one of our bridges. The story is that a woman was going across one of our steel grated bridges that was wet from a recent rain storm. She started to slip and over corrected which caused her to get traction. unfortnatuly(SP?) straight at the guardrail, which she went through and fell 45 feet to the river, then 50 feet to the bottom of the river. She luckly got loose from her sealtbelt and was able to float to the surface. She escaped with only a few bumps and bruises, not major injuries. The vehicle she was driving... a 2001 rodeo sport. here is one of the news stations website to show what it looks like after they pulled it back up.
http://www.katu.com/stories/76173.html
http://www.katu.com/news/images/story2005/050401salvage.jpg

Hey, look at that... A cheap parts car! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

-Chris

with optional flood and mold/mildew package! sweet!
-J <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

Yep -- I'm with Chris. Cheap parts!

That drivetrain is nearly new! Lots of good parts there -- right door, probably the whole left side, and a nice little fence for the side of your driveway! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

Glad to hear the driver is OK, tho!

Randii

It hurts to see another '01 Rodeo Sport wrecked like that. The Amigo/RS has a very short wheel base and can oversteer. I've adjusted my driving to a shorter wheelbase. Apparently she didn't.
Pete

One plus to a soft top (or even a camper top, though not as much) instead of a one-piece, sealed-window hard shell is since the lady probably had her windows up, odds are she would not be able to get out of the car until pressure equalized, at which point it's a long swim up.

With the soft top, water rushed in fast and equalized pressure, letting her open the door and keep her life.

Another reason why I like the option to "go topless." At 37 and a [*ahem*] little excess weight, my neighbors may disagree.

(Newer vehicles with electric windows are *supposed* to somehow let you open the window under water for 30 seconds, but would you trust an electric motor under water? After your car crashed a guard rail and maybe messed up the battery/electrical connections? Odds are, you have to go out through the door.)

I wonder if vent windows would be pressure-locked or -assisted, once unlatched?

Under the not-gonna-have-the-presence-of-mind-to-do-this category, flipping the HVAC over to vent instead of recirculate should help, or better yet, unlatching the sunroof before the top goes under.

Most vehicles will float for just a bit before nosing under, so these options might just allow an exit...

Randii

While I agree completely.... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> (sorry! I've had to shut up for 5 days while I was gone!)

I wonder if vent windows would be pressure-locked or -assisted, once unlatched?
Kown: Water pushing in is stronger than the air pushing out. But these swivel on horizontal center, not an "equal area on both sides" center.
Pure speculation: They swivel in the middle, but I still bet trying to move them would be hard, especially since you have very little leverage/torque on them.

In addition, air compresses as you descend, water doesn't (compress) but the weight builds up. This would help with a soft top, as it would implode in (rip out of the track) and fill up the Amigo/Sport almost instantly after about 5 feet of descent. Even if you don't go out the door, you now have an open back end to swim out of.

Under the not-gonna-have-the-presence-of-mind-to-do-this category, flipping the HVAC over to vent instead of recirculate should help, or better yet, unlatching the sunroof before the top goes under.
True...but again, a window would fill it faster. Plus, I think part of the idea is you--well, most peop....umm, some people can push out of driver side window, a la Dukes of Hazzard, without waiting for pressure to fully equalize.

Most vehicles will float for just a bit before nosing under, so these options might just allow an exit...
They float due to trapped/displaced air; it does look easy to open the doors, but I'll bet it's hard as you still have several feet of water pushing against the bottom. Think about that 1.5 foot stream that pushes non-lifted cars down the river bed. And now you know why Navy ships don't have a door below the waterline.

You are right, "floating time" is your best bet to get out, especially since your windows are above water and hopefully the motor is still dry in the "sealed on the outside" door. Undamaged batteries do work underwater, for a while. Roll the windows down and hope you're skinny enough to get out the window. I'll bet there's a boomer or two who's regretting that "cocooning" effect in their latest car purchase--windows get smaller, backsides get bigger, and they get stuck!

Here's what triggered my memory:
http://www.cartalk.com/content/columns/Archive/2004/December/08.html

You can buy an Amphibicar and not worry about it:
http://www.amphicar.net/minnow/faq_OF.htm

I want one of those Scubaru's <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

I think i saw this on the news or maybe it was another isuzu but the one I saw, the lady was talking on her cell fone and started to drift to oncomming traffic and then overcorrected right off the bridge. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />