My uncle just bought a VIPER and flipped it! Pics inside!

[spitin venom]

When I worked for Chrysler I saw a scary statistic.

2 out of 5 Vipers sold do not make it from the showroom floor to the new owners driveway. They get totalled on the drive home due to driver error.

I have driven all of Chrysler's SRT lineup. The Viper is a nasty car. In the hands of an unexperienced driver it is an accident waiting to happen.

I am not calling your Uncle a liar. Anything is possible. Maybe the drive shaft broke and launched the car. But after driving several Vipers and seeing how fast you can lose control in one, I am leaning towards driver error.

I hope everyone is okay. Cars can be replaced, not people.

 

[kirks5oh]

that sucks. hope the passenger is ok, sounds like he's pretty messed up.

no offense, but i bet he was going a little too fast. i just can't see how that could happen otherwise

 

[jshen]

The additional picture helps some but I would like to see a photo of the drive way and know the distance between driveway and point of rest. As I see it, the car impacted the driveway at the beginning of a slide. Keep in mind he has just come through water in a small ditch and his tires are a foot wide- easy to slide. It is possible the car became airborn long enough to clear the drive and hit- still spinning in a clockwise motion but again, I need to see driveway. I do know that the gouging of the grass and trenching here is by the car being driver side forward, spinning clockwise withthe ass end being about 15 degrees forward of the front. Impact of pinetree contributed to roll- again this is a roll not quite directly side over side but at about a 15 angle. Damage to drivers side is consistent with that and your passenger probably was ejected at this point putting him close or in the line of the car. Although he could have ejected at the impact with the driveway, I doubt it.

The distance of the slide, trenching, roll and place of rest is not consistent with one hauling ass. All of the surfaces, with the exception of the driveway, were slick and again, excess speed does not appear to be an issue. I would say this- if the pine tree were bigger, I'm afraid your uncle would be a memory now.

My .02 worth

 

[KevanoWS6]

you said it looks like the car ran over the passenger? is that blood on the hood? this is a tough one to figure out, also it doesnt look like he got rear ended. so my guess is maybe he was going faster then what he said, or there is something else that we are missing

 

[kwkshift]

This has all the makings of someone who just bought a viper and has no idea the power they make stock. Although, something could have really broken, it just looks like he simply lost control. Also, road looks like it's a bit damp, which vipers hate.

From what I see here, I gotta believe driver error caused this one. Brand new, unfamiliar car, and what appears damp roads = accident.

True. People don't give the respect these cars deserve, even when they are stock. They are a lot of fun, but they can bite your head off without warning.

I have never heard of a stock Viper driveshaft breaking. I don't even know of an aftermarket unit that's available. Guys making well over 1300 rwhp rwtq on the stock unit with no problems. Hell, the thing is only about 18" long.

If speed wasn't an issue and if something in the steering or driveline broke, then it should have been easy to stop the car without much incident. Not flying off the road and rolling the damn car.

The insurance company will investigate the claim. They will find out if it was driver error or a mechanical malfunction. My $ is on driver error. I have no problem driving my car in the rain on Hoosier road race tires with 600 rwhp/ 615 rwtq N/A where as that car makes much less power and on Pilots, no less.

 

[04blkcobra]

The Viper owner term for this is called "snake bite". Also if you look below a Viper the bottom has body panels covering up most things. Cold tires and ground don't really leave marks.

 

[camunaro]

that didnt happen in calgary did it???, im sure i seen that car at the auto wreck

 

[Snakebite2k3]

holy shit! hope everything works out.

 

[Starfox07]

No traction control.

 

[GTSpartan]

True. People don't give the respect these cars deserve, even when they are stock. They are a lot of fun, but they can bite your head off without warning.

I have never heard of a stock Viper driveshaft breaking. I don't even know of an aftermarket unit that's available. Guys making well over 1300 rwhp rwtq on the stock unit with no problems. Hell, the thing is only about 18" long.

If speed wasn't an issue and if something in the steering or driveline broke, then it should have been easy to stop the car without much incident. Not flying off the road and rolling the damn car.

The insurance company will investigate the claim. They will find out if it was driver error or a mechanical malfunction. My $ is on driver error. I have no problem driving my car in the rain on Hoosier road race tires with 600 rwhp/ 615 rwtq N/A where as that car makes much less power and on Pilots, no less.

As stated below the bottom is covered by a pan and if the ds boke it couldn't do anything.

 

[Snakebite2k3]

damn!, i just saw the blood

 

[jshen]

damn!, i just saw the blood

That fluid appears to have been done after the car was on it's wheels and completely stopped. Fluid is going straight towards front-

 

[01SVTSnake]

I was going to say a tire blew out but thats rare and a obvious sound. im gonna say driver error as of now, but check all the steering components

 

[assasyn]

No gouge in pavement. No broken DS. Hope everyone is okay.

I think he was hauling ass and it got away from him. The only person that could say otherwise got ejected and run over. Was the speedo stuck on any #?

 

[Snorman]

They flip over all the time, but usually end up landing right side up...kinda' like a cat. You mean he didn't find the button under the dash? :nonono:

Sounds to me like there's much more to the story. He was probably driving too fast, lost it, and the driver's side tires bit, flipping the car.
S.

 

[SRT Handz]

i am really sorry this happened

If i was your uncle i would just say "Yeah, I was Getting on it...Damn Torque Beast F'd Me Up!!!"

 

[cj3113]

I think I believe this Uncle. There are no tire marks on the road and I've seen stock Vipers burn rubber doing 65 on the Interstate, if he was really "getting on it" I think there would be proof of it. Also, I don't think driving too fast would have caused him to lose control, it's the acceleration that causes problems, not straight line speed.

Hope everybody is ok.

 

[Quick96Mystic]

There is absoloutely no way he was on it.. because if he was on it.. he would've been on the brakes when he lost it (natural reaction to anyone that's new to a fast car)

There is no tire marks, nothing.. this is vehicle malfunction.. no way it's driver error... the only thing you can declare driver error is that he didnt try to stop it.

Hope your uncle's friend gets well and you guys figure out what happened.

 

[Snakebite2k3]

damn dodge!

 

[ScrewDrvr]

There is absoloutely no way he was on it.. because if he was on it.. he would've been on the brakes when he lost it (natural reaction to anyone that's new to a fast car)

There is no tire marks, nothing.. this is vehicle malfunction.. no way it's driver error... the only thing you can declare driver error is that he didnt try to stop it.
.

tires dont always leave skid marks, depends on the road, tires, sometimes the weather, and how much they did skid.