RIP Adira Tal: My F-150 Lightning Saved Me

[MaintGrl]

Short post as I’m recovering but holy heck am I lucky to be alive.

I hit some ice underneath fresh snowpack on a gravel road yesterday at 20 mph going down a hill. The truck couldn’t stop and while I was able to move it slightly toward the direction I wanted to go in, the truck said no.

I hit a guy line for a power pole that then filleted the passenger side. It then pulled the line on top of the truck, which smashed the roof and rear window while falling to the ground.

I survived… somehow. I have a bad back and stuff muscles and although no airbags went off, I may have broken a bone in my hand (pending orthopedic ref).

The truck is written off. Even with good winter tires the ice was too much.

Now I need to find a replacement.

Oh and always wear a seatbelt!

OUCH! Vehicles now days do a much better job at protecting us from damage. I was in a collision just before Thanksgiving 2023, My 06 Taco was totaled, and I Jammed my right hand/thumb. Not enough to go for medical care, but still have a weaker hand now. Hope you heal quickly. BTW, my Taco Paid for part of my Lightning,

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[MaintGrl]

Very sorry to hear about your accident, I hope your wrist is ok. I saw your video last night after coming home from Mount Hood after skiing. I'd grown a little over confident in my driving in winter conditions and got put in my place after almost sliding into a barrier on a curve while I thought I had great traction. Lesson learned the easy way in my case...

JPro, you said . . ."I saw your video last night" Which video might that be, do you have a link?

 

[roddiaz1]

Nikki,
Love your videos.
So relieved that you were not injured.
Keep on truckin'!

 

[TaxmanHog]

JPro, you said . . ."I saw your video last night" Which video might that be, do you have a link?

Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@transportevolved

Shorts
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[JPro]

JPro, you said . . ."I saw your video last night" Which video might that be, do you have a link?

 

[Truaz]

Glad your okay. Sorry about your truck and yes the F150 is an awesome truck that's why all of us here own one. Too bad you cant get the same color for your next one...Just a thought....F150 Lightning Flash?? Cant wait to see your next truck.

 

[Aminorjourney]

There is an update here:

Thank you to everyone who had such kind words. As soon as the insurance is dealt with, we'll order a replacement F150 Lightning.

 

[Tom Jensen]

Short post as I’m recovering but holy heck am I lucky to be alive.

I hit some ice underneath fresh snowpack on a gravel road yesterday at 20 mph going down a hill. The truck couldn’t stop and while I was able to move it slightly toward the direction I wanted to go in, the truck said no.

I hit a guy line for a power pole that then filleted the passenger side. It then pulled the line on top of the truck, which smashed the roof and rear window while falling to the ground.

I survived… somehow. I have a bad back and stuff muscles and although no airbags went off, I may have broken a bone in my hand (pending orthopedic ref).

The truck is written off. Even with good winter tires the ice was too much.

Now I need to find a replacement.

Oh and always wear a seatbelt!

Yikes. It’s cold comfort to know it could have been worse, but it sure could have been. Hoping for a speedy and complete recovery.

 

[loveurdj]

Sorry for the loss to the vehicle, the good news is you are ok, you can get a great deal on a Lightning now.

 

[Buzz_Lightning]

Short post as I’m recovering but holy heck am I lucky to be alive.

I hit some ice underneath fresh snowpack on a gravel road yesterday at 20 mph going down a hill. The truck couldn’t stop and while I was able to move it slightly toward the direction I wanted to go in, the truck said no.

I hit a guy line for a power pole that then filleted the passenger side. It then pulled the line on top of the truck, which smashed the roof and rear window while falling to the ground.

I survived… somehow. I have a bad back and stuff muscles and although no airbags went off, I may have broken a bone in my hand (pending orthopedic ref).

The truck is written off. Even with good winter tires the ice was too much.

Now I need to find a replacement.

Oh and always wear a seatbelt!

I'm glad you managed to walk away from this one. I have a rather opportunistic question to ask. It appears that both of your taillights survived. If that is true, would you sell them? I happen to need both.

 

[Aminorjourney]

Adira is now at IAA

Link here:

 

[TaxmanHog]

Adira is now at IAA

Link here:

https://www.iaai.com/VehicleDetail/39377122~US

 

[rdr854]

https://www.iaai.com/VehicleDetail/39377122~US

These pictures demonstrate two things that were hidden by the tarp: (a) How fortunate Nikki is and (b) how crash worthy our Lightnings are (not that ever want to find out first hand).

Wishing Nikki a speedy recovery.

 

[Aminorjourney]

I know it's probably a distant thought right now, but if the insurance company is totaling it, it's worth determining if the battery pack is intact. Maybe you want to buy it back and convert the battery into a powerwall? From what I've seen, y'all have the aptitude (and contacts) to make it happen. A permanent 130KWh powerwall would be great for keeping that server closet up and running.

When my '05 F350 was stolen a few years ago, it was recovered 2 weeks later. The actual damage was fairly minor, but it was going to need to be painted, and some minor body work to make me whole. This was during Covid, and it was near impossible to get a call back from an adjuster. Because of its age, the InsCo ultimately totaled it, and offered me $15k for it. Of course that wouldn't be enough to begin to replace it, and because I have a 40ft toy hauler, I must have a Super-Duty truck to tow it (at least for now). And I really didn't want to buy anything else. Hopefully we will see some heavy duty EV haulers come along before too long, but this was in 2020, so it was still a long way out in any event.

I asked about keeping the remains of it, and they said it's scrap value was $1k. The motor alone was worth more than that, so I was definitely getting it back. They wrote me a check for $14k, and I got my perfectly well running (but now ugly) truck back. And since I have a client that owns a body shop, I knew he would take good care of me, get it looking as good as new. And that's exactly what happened. I got a high quality fresh paint job, all the dents out, etc. The truck still runs like a champ for the handful of times per year that I use it. In the end, I came out net positive on the insurance settlement. Prior to my Lightning purchase, this F350 was the only new vehicle I had ever purchased. And I suspect I will be handing it down to my kids in the will.

I would LOVE to buy back bits of Adira, but I'm honestly not sure what the retail value would be.

 

[HaroldCal]

I would LOVE to buy back bits of Adira, but I'm honestly not sure what the retail value would be.

Since I originally posted that, I've seen your livestream wherein you addressed this. I totally understand your reasoning. At the time I wrote it, I knew you were still a bit shaken, so I wanted to at least put the thought on your radar. It's always at least worth asking the question of the Insurance Co (how much to buy it back as salvage). Because if they say a really low number (like mine did), it might be a no brainer. Think of it like this: If they say, hypothetically, $1000... Being that you are well connected in the F150 Lightning world, you know that you could strip off just a few items to cover that. Seats, mirrors, taillight and headlight modules, etc. Once you cover that dollar figure, the rest is yours to either continue parting out for a profit, or of course the battery project. Heck, that battery is still under warranty for like 6 more years, sortamaybe.

In my case, it was a no-brainer. No idea if it would be for yours. Of course, if they come back with a number like $20k, then it's obviously a no. But worth knowing.

Glad you're safe.

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