I’m locked out of both papers in Minneapolis unless I want to pay, which I won’t, so didn’t see this. The tribune won’t even let me see the home page. I heard there was a fatal accident but no pics or details. Regardless of size though, convertibles are less safe.
The Kia didn’t kill the Chevy driver, the thief did.
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It’s surely a tragedy, but at least it reminds us how unsafe the cars from “The Good Old Days” really were. That Chevy probably would have fared a bit better if it was a sedan, but…
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Well, drivers door was thrown 50’ from car. So hit was hard
Bing, erase cookies. Then strib will let you look at stories. Mostly
Well it looks like it was mainly a side impact or maybe front and side. Of course back then there were no door reinforcements or side air bags, but still a side impact in a modern car is still a bad hit. It’s bad news if you get t boned in any car, new or old. No such thing as a crush zone on the side.
The Chevy in the pic appears to be a '64 Impala. 1964 was the last year for the notorious X-frame (no side rails) on Chevys. If the driver had been piloting a '65 or later Impala, he/she would have had more side-impact protection.
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That would have been a different outcome with a real full ladder chassis/frame vehicle, and maybe worse if the KIA was T-boned instead…
Either way, it is a sad outcome…
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Can’t see what model the Kia is, if it is the large CUV then it is unfair comparison. Also, on a car that age, you wonder how much rust and metal fatigue has set in. If the classic car was brand new it might had faired better.
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Not seeing the news report, it looks like the Kia blew the door off and actually ran over the Chevy driver. A sedan might have provided more protection but it doesn’t look like the frame rails had much to do with it. Launch any car over the driver in a covert and don’t think much. Not sure if this was a pursuit or not.
Looks like a 64 chevy impala, so no seatbelts, airbags, or any other safety features. These cars are not, and probably never were, safe enough to be operated in traffic, at modern speeds.
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+1
Also, their handling was not good, and like most cars of that era, the brakes were lousy. Those factors probably didn’t have anything to do with this crash, but…
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If we’re being honest, i believe we have to agree that the cars of the mid to late 20th century were pretty lousy, and that’s coming from someone who loves those cars.
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Just a few weeks after the annual back to the 50s car show with 10,000 old cars, many of these restored cars have seat belts, disc brakes, and other modern features, just in the skin of an old car. I don’t think a seat belt would have helped but a roof might have. My own t bone experience in 1968, a seat belt would have caused more injury. Still I put them in first thing in my replacement car. I think the story is a stolen car with a feral driver who cares little about anyone else though. I don’t know where it was but just from the road signs close to the freeway in Minneapolis.
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True, the criminal car thief is where to place the blame. But the convertible classic’s protective structure (or lack thereof) didn’t help its driver’s chances. Recent tv interview, tv reporter interviewing nearby county’s DA. County DA: “DA’s role has really no impact on crime”.
What? ???
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