My Wife Was Rear Ended By a 1938 Studebaker

Pecos

Pecos

Well-known Member
Location
Washington State
My wife was not injured, but this morning she was rear ended by a driver who was following too close and could not stop when a pickup truck burst into the road and forced my wife to slam on the brakes after just coming through an intersection. Of course the truck driver took off and left my wife and the driver of the Vintage Studebaker holding the bag.

This car was my wife's special birthday gift when she turned 68 and she loved it. It can be repaired, but the front end of the Studebaker was all original and my wife and I feel so sorry for the seriously likeable gentleman who owned it. It was all original including the paint and was in remarkably good shape. I doubt that he can ever find a replacement for the damaged grill. It is conceivable that he might be able to get someone to fabricate a new one. He said that it was found in an old barn where it had been sitting for over 40 years and that there were only three in the country like it that were still running.

He was an honorable fellow and told the investigating officer that he knew that he was following too close. The officer was very pleasant to everyone and his instructions, verbal and paperwork were clear. There was a charming 15 year old Golden Retriever in the back seat, and by the time I arrived on the scene, the dog and my wife were already close buddies.

My wife and I feel so bad for this gentleman and his loss. Hopefully he can have replacement parts made. I once owned a 1949 Studebaker and he took great pride in showing me the engine compartment and describing how he rebuilt the engine. His engine was identical to what I remember of the 1949 that I owned.

Now, of course we are in insurance, repair, and DMV paperwork hell, but I am saddened by what this fellow is going to go through to bring his "baby" back to life.
 

Pecos said:
My wife was not injured, but this morning she was rear ended by a driver who was following too close and could not stop when a pickup truck burst into the road and forced my wife to slam on the brakes after just coming through an intersection. Of course the truck driver took off and left my wife and the driver of the Vintage Studebaker holding the bag.

This car was my wife's special birthday gift when she turned 68 and she loved it. It can be repaired, but the front end of the Studebaker was all original and my wife and I feel so sorry for the seriously likeable gentleman who owned it. It was all original including the paint and was in remarkably good shape. I doubt that he can ever find a replacement for the damaged grill. It is conceivable that he might be able to get someone to fabricate a new one. He said that it was found in an old barn where it had been sitting for over 40 years and that there were only three in the country like it that were still running.

He was an honorable fellow and told the investigating officer that he knew that he was following too close. The officer was very pleasant to everyone and his instructions, verbal and paperwork were clear. There was a charming 15 year old Golden Retriever in the back seat, and by the time I arrived on the scene, the dog and my wife were already close buddies.

My wife and I feel so bad for this gentleman and his loss. Hopefully he can have replacement parts made. I once owned a 1949 Studebaker and he took great pride in showing me the engine compartment and describing how he rebuilt the engine. His engine was identical to what I remember of the 1949 that I owned.

Now, of course we are in insurance, repair, and DMV paperwork hell, but I am saddened by what this fellow is going to go through to bring his "baby" back to life.
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found in a barn? sounds like the one that was in the barn at our farm before the tornado came through. the car was untouched by the tornado. what color was it? We never did find out what happened to that car. I know someone bought it.
 
MarciKS said:
found in a barn? sounds like the one that was in the barn at our farm before the tornado came through. the car was untouched by the tornado. what color was it?
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It was a very dark blue. The paint had a couple of minor chips, but I sure did not see any signs of rust on it anywhere. There cannot be that many of these around so there is at least a reasonable chance that it could be the same one. Even the upholstery was original. I should have taken a picture of it, but hindsight is always accurate and what we do in the present is often lacking, especially when we are a bit stressed.
 

Pecos said:
It was a very dark blue. The paint had a couple of minor chips, but I sure did not see any signs of rust on it anywhere. There cannot be that many of these around so there is at least a reasonable chance that it could be the same one. Even the upholstery was original. I should have taken a picture of it, but hindsight is always accurate and what we do in the present is often lacking, especially when we are a bit stressed.
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no way that could've been from our barn.
 
Pecos, You, your lovely wife, the officer and the gentleman all reacted in the best way possible.
If only all mankind could have the same reactions to adverse circumstances.
To give such little credence to bad happenings shows what wonderful people you all are!
 
MB: I'm so sorry this happened to Mrs. Pecos!! But I'm equally glad that she was not hurt. I'm also glad to read that the man was a gentleman and the interaction between all parties was pleasant. I figured you'd be in insurance/paperwork hell. As for the other driver's car, it sounds awesome and I hope he can find a way to get it repaired. Wishing a much, much better tomorrow for you and your lovely Mrs.
 
Pecos said:
The brakes on some of these old cars from that timeframe never were that good. All of us here today have gotten spoiled by modern disk brakes which are far superior.
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That's right...power brakes were non-existent in cars of that era....and it took a fair amount more force and distance to bring those cars to a halt. It's a shame to see vintage cars damaged or destroyed, after all the work and expense of restoring them,

We have a big "classic car" fair a few miles away, every Fall. It sure brings back a lot of "nostalgia" when we attend.
 
Pecos said:
1949 Studebaker was a very dark blue. The paint had a couple of minor chips, but I sure did not see any signs of rust on it anywhere. There cannot be that many of these around so there is at least a reasonable chance that it could be the same one. Even the upholstery was original. I should have taken a picture of it, but hindsight is always accurate and what we do in the present is often lacking, especially when we are a bit stressed.
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Like this one? https://classiccars.com/listings/vi...-champion-for-sale-in-cadillac-michigan-49601
I'm so sorry to hear the sad news of the accident but at least everyone is okay.
 
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Pecos said:
He said that it was found in an old barn where it had been sitting for over 40 years and that there were only three in the country like it that were still running.
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How distressing, having been asleep for over forty years it must have been some restoration after waking the car up. Research shows that Studebaker never exported to Europe, although I'm sure a few models got shipped here during WW2, (My father owned a WW2 era Hudson that he bought from an American officer that he had befriended.)
Morris 002.JPGMorris 003.JPG
I do feel sad for the Studebaker owner. This Morris had a similar fate when it was involved in a rear end shunt. The owner had spent the best part of four years getting it up to showroom condition. Such is life.
 
@Pecos, I'm so glad to hear your wife wasn't hurt and I feel bad that her car was damaged and I'm sure she was shaken when this all happened. Good that the guy who rear ended her was so nice too, you're both very kind for caring so much about his Studebaker, I know he was kicking himself for following too close. I love that your wife was bonding with the dog, probably comforting him, I love animal lovers. đź’™
 
Pecos said:
No, but I would imagine that he was in too much of a hurry to clear the intersection.
The brakes on some of these old cars from that timeframe never were that good. All of us here today have gotten spoiled by modern disk brakes which are far superior.
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Which means he should have increased his following distance.
 
Hi Pecos,glad to hear your wife,owner of Studebaker are okay
If the idiot truck driver who caused this accident in the first place, is ever arrested,he should be held accountable. He should pay for both the damage done to your wife's car,owner of the Studebaker.This would be true justice in my mind Sue
 
Sometimes I relate stories I read online (conversation is tough with Covid isolation) and my husband usually just pretends to listen. He was wowed by this one!
 
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