I own a 67 Beetle that I like to putt around in. I have really met a lot of nice people. The VW community is great. Last week, a friend was in a very serious accident. Broke both ankles, tibia, 7 ribs, nose and both eye sockets. Had he been in a modern car, he would have simply gone home with a small airbag burn. When people tell me they don't build cars like they used too, I always reply "thank god!". His car was a 58. Drum brakes. No seat belts. No safety features. My 67 was the first year for seat belts from the factory! I thought I would share this as I personally find the evolution of the automobile interesting. Keep my friend in your thoughts. Right now he needs a lot of support.
Yes, there have been a few advances in Safety and Vehicle Crumble Zone design over the last 55 years. Sorry to hear about your friend. As a daily driver, a very old car is risky.
I'm hoping for a speedy recovery! Those old VWs can be terrible in an accident. Unfortunately it took until the early 80s for VW and other manufacturers to put in the standard safety features that companies like MB were putting in their cars in the early 60s.
I'm very sorry to hear about your friend. I hope he gets better soon. I was always a bit concerned driving my Xebra (but I wanted to drive electric). In Mexico an old Beetle is sometimes referred to as an "ataud andando," very roughly translated: a rolling coffin. They are common there, or were when I lived there from about 1995 to about 1999.
I try to be very careful when driving my 67 Beetle. Always giving alot of room. The drum brakes just don't stop you very well. Unfortunately, other drivers treat the Beetle similar to the Prius. They see you and automatically assume you are going slow. Go around you, cut you off, and hit their brakes because there is a car in front of you. I was driving the Beetle to work on Fridays (about 80 miles round trip), but have since stopped doint that. He is still in the hospital. I will be going to see him today. I talked to him over the weekend, and he actually sounded great. He is still in alot of pain, and has a long way to go, but he sounded much better. He had been really depressed. Thanks for all the well wishes. Bret
My god thats awful. Both ankles broken too? That usually means pins too. I've owned a couple of beetles back in the day. You cannot kill them. But your face is right there at the window with no airbag. Deathtrap. Your friend will be in the hospital and in really bad pain for months. When he gets out try to help him get around when you can.
I went to see him in the hospital today. He has been in for 12 days now. He looked really good, and sounded great. He was smiling and laughing. The insurance company made him an offer on his car today, and it was actually a very generous offer. He was very pleased with how they have treated him. I believe he has Met Life. Tomorrow may be the day he gets to go home. They have him set up with all the stuff he will need to function. I am concerned though that they are letting him go home when he still cannot go number 1 or number 2 on his own. Does anyone have any experience with this? Do they let you go home when you cannot go to the bathroom?
Bret, Kaiser is probably different but every surgery I have had where it required more than a day or two in the hospital required that I am able to go to the bathroom on my own (#1 and #2) before I was released. I've had 4 major surgeries now. Each one required 5-7 days of recovery in the hospital.
Yes what F8L said. No hospital will let you go home if you cannot easily pee. And the #2 after surgery is just really the most painful thing ever. He must be married or have full time home care as how would he get around with 2 broken ankles? They won't let you go home without either of those 2 also. Or they ship you to a re-hab. Glad he's laughing though with that much injury. Hope thats not the morphine pump laughing because when he goes home he won't have anything close to that.
Well, he is going home today. He still cannot go pee, sending him home with a catheter. Still cannot poo, will have to have enemas. I don't get it. I have never heard of a hospital sending someone home who cannot even go to the bathroom. They should have told him that he was not going home until he went on his own. I guarantee you he would have figured out a way to go. His wife is off work helping him recover and he has a teenage daughter to help. Unfortunately, they live on the second floor. They are going to move into a first floor apartment next month. I told them not to worry about the move. I will figure out a way to get it done. Atleast then he can get out of the house and make use of the wheel chair.
Wow have never heard of sending home with a catheter. He must have real shitty insurance. And that first #2 he will never forget. It will hurt worse then the accident. He's got to get that going asap. Longer he waits the worse it will get. When you have anesthesia is dries you out to the bone and sucks all the moisture out of the intestines. Nothing moves. Glycerine suppositories work pretty good. He's got a long road ahead. He will need your help for sure. Good Luck.
Having just one surgery 3 weeks ago, all I can say is Ooowwww! Hopefully they gave him a Drug Droid to control the pain. It is amazing how far autos have come along. Hopefully he comes out of the hospital healthy and whole! Good Luck to him!
He must be doing better. I saw a pic of him riding a scooter around WalMart. lol I just hope a pic of him with his catheter and pee bag don't end up on one of those "People of Walmart" emails.
