Boxster Tragedy

[Saffs]

On a personal and Porsche note, one of my best friends here in the US died last night when his Boxster S left the road and hit a tree. It was 12:30 am and it seems he was driving in a spirited (read, very fast) way, but missed a bend and it a tree and ended up in the woods - he was a good driver too, traveling a road he'd ben down many times. Another friend of mine was the passenger. He has servere broken bones but no head or spinal injuries. My friend driving died at the scene, in the car. It could have been a deer or raccoon out in the road, who knows, I don't know at the moment. (This is on dark country roads on Martha's Vineyard.)
After going to the hospital, I stopped at the scene. The car had gone by then and no one was there. There was the smell of freshly cut wood (the firemen must have need to cut it trees out of the way) and plastic. Pieces of the car (lights, bumpers, etc.) were all over. It was littered with broken CDs, and I noticed his PCA paper work pressed in the mud....
This makes me see "spirited" driving in a whole new light....

[Leland Pate]

I'm very very sorry to hear that Saffs.

Very sorry indeed.

Would it be seen as tasteless if the board members maybe sent some sort of card?


My thoughts are with the family and friends.

[Superman]

I am very sorry for your loss. I appreciate the wake-up call.

[Early_S_Man]

Sorry about the loss of your friend, Anthony!

Yes, it can all come to an end in a fraction of a second ... whether a mistake or an external influence takes control ... as many since James Dean have found out! So, let's all be careful out there ... all of the time!

[pwd72s]

"Though the mills of God grind slowly,
yet they grind exceedingly small;
Though with patience he stands waiting, with
exactness grinds he all."
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Anthony, I'm sorry to read of the loss of your friend.

[Jack Olsen]

Wow. Sorry to hear that, Saffs.

[gixer02]

Very, very sorry to hear that Saffs. I give my regards.

Pat

[nostatic]

Sorry to hear that Saffs. My best friend died in a car wreck when I was 20 (some 20 years ago...rollover in his 4X4 truck being towed home). Luckily the pain subsides but the good memories stay.

As Sergeant Esterhaus used to say, "let's be careful out there."

[Randy W]

Sorry to hear about your friends, Saffs.

[John Brandt]

That is immensely sad news Anthony. I know how difficult it is to cope with such things and very sorry to hear it.
Take care of yourselves, all of you

JB

[JEB]

I'm very sorry to hear of your loss. That sort of thing really shakes one up.

I think the old saying "There but for the grace of god goes I". We all, I'm sure, have been guilty of pushing the envelope at one time or another.

A guy I know in the town where I live got a new Boxster. Right after the delivery truck dropped it off, he took a friend of his (and an aquaintance of mine) for a ride. He lost it in a corner and plowed into the front porch of a house. The driver was fine, but the passenger in now a quadrapalegic. The thought of this slows me down everytime I get behind the wheel now.

You have all my sympathy.

Jeb
79 930

[spyderman]

It was a year ago last week that I was driving my corvette a little too fast, and lost it in a corner. Took out a ten foot brick wall. I am very sorry for your loss, and I am very thankful that you didn't lose two close friends. My thoughts are with you.

[PorscheG96]

My condolences.

[Kurt B]

That's awful, and I am very sorry. When I lost my buddy years and years ago, I remember someone waking me up and just saying "Kurt, Jeff is dead."
I said "Oh," but for the life of me I couldn't figure out who Jeff was. I kept thinking it was this kid I knew in grammar school, and I was trying to figure out how that person even knew him. It didn't occur to me for several minutes that it was my close friend Jeff I had just spent the evening with playing games.

It is good for you to post it though for the rest of us, really.

Not long ago they had links to the Ferrari accident in Brazil or wherever it was and everybody got all bent out of shape about the picts, the the thread was closed.
Not only should that thread never have been closed, but there should be a hot link to those pictures on the front page of every forum here.

I can't find the picts anymore myself. I want to put those picts or something just as heinous on my dashboard.

I need to see them. A lot of us do. Everytime you push it too far and escape, you say, you'll never do it again because you know it's probably not what you'll do wrong, but it's the inexpected that'll get you.

But when caught up in the moment, you start out just scooting, and your adrenalin pumps, and you push it, and more pumps and you push it, and the off switch suddenly becomes really hard to find.

Stories like this make it easier. Picts of the Ferrari thing plastered on the dashboard, I think, would do all of us a lot of good. Too bad though.

[speeder]

I am also extremely sorry to hear this, Saffs. It sounds like this person was probably enjoying his life prior to this with a new Porsche, the Vineyard in early summer, etc. I am recuperating from an accident in Europe last week that could have been a lot worse; I am constantly replaying it in my head, it could have been avoided. Most are like this, but it is always to late. There is often a fine line between really enjoying life and taking some risks, as in the sportscar racing that so many of us love, but on the street we really need to hold back- the stakes are too high. Once again, so very sorry.

[Sarah]

Saffs,

How very sad all of their friends and family must be right now. Hang in there and try to let the happy memories of your friend help you through the sadness and missing him. I'm sure everyone on this board appreciates you sharing this very sad and difficult experience with us. It is a wake-up call and also a reminder that you never know what each day will bring. I'll say a prayer for all of them!! Take care, Sarah

[ErVikingo]

Please accept my deepest condolences.

I have lost to very close persons in traffic accidents. My uncle in his tricked out 300ZX TT and a great friend in his Ruf CTR2.

Like your friend, both passed away doing what they enjoyed. My friend used to tell me, enjoy everyday, live to the fullest and be good to everyone. He had a "ritual" of giving thanks for everyday that went by and he never left a track event without thanking all involved.

I know it is hard but we must take the opportunity to think about life, be thankful and remind ourselves how fragile life really is.

Stay safe, Juan

[cegerer]

That's terrible news Saffs. So sorry to hear it. -- Curt

[rickeolis]

Sorry to hear about this Saffs-

Obviously we are all performance minded people, that is why we like Porsche cars.

I'm sure there is not one of us who couldn't say there hasn't been a time in which we pushed a bit too hard, or had our minds on something else for a half second, and came too close to having a tragic disaster. Sometimes one wonders why the telephone pole, or tree, or other car wasn't there when it happened.

About 10 years ago, I was driving home at night on a 55 mph rural road in my CRX. (True- I was doing around 65 or so-) I noticed a large pickup with 3 HUGE guys in it crossing the road RIGHT in front of me heading towards the Liquor Bar on the other (right) side. If I had done nothing, I would have hit them, if I had turned left we would have met head-on. So I turned right and skidded uncontrolled through the bar's parking lot into a dirt field. (I got out to confront them, then they got out to meet me, I quickly decided against it at that point) Anyway, I could easily have hit any number of things (including people) as I was sliding sideways through that parking lot. I know how much I had to thank God that no one got hurt that night.

Siuations such as that have slowed my driving style and made me more cautious, but I do know in some situations, there is no way out.

[boyo]

Wow, yikes. Hits close to home - I've got a Boxster with an "MV" sticker in the rear window. I know those roads, and I know that car. Life always seems to keep you humble, doesn't it? Wish a speedy recovery to the passenger.

-Boyo