# totalled, wife driving, two kids in back seats



## RyanA3 (May 11, 2005)

I got the call that no father/husband wants to get.
My wife was driving our SEL Premium to drop off my toddler at school and was traveling through a green light...
when a penske moving truck blew a solid red at 40mph, due to sun-glare.

it was sort of like a game of frogger, as the truck luckily just made it's way through a several-lane intersection, until my wife t-boned the front of the truck.
the truck wasn't stopped, it sort of jogged the front of the atlas to the right a bit. 
then a yukon XL smashed into the penske truck as well. this yukon was side by side with the atlas, so it was pretty a second after our point of impact.

took them a couple weeks to declare a total loss.

all airbags went off, so the interior will never be the same again. but aside from the bags: the interior, and even both exterior front doors are untouched! 

wife has a broken right wrist (airbag? steering wheel? don't know), and a broken right hand. she saw the truck coming for a half second, so she may have put her hand in front of her face - her chin was sore.

there was a 3 month old in driver side, captain's chairs
there was a 3 year old in the pass side, captain's chairs.

Lower Merion PD remarked on how well the car did, how well the base of the the infant carrier was installed in the seating, how well both kids were harnessed into their respective seating. 
DADS/MOMS PLEASE take care of these items, means so much at the time of an accident!

getting the exact same car
we both love the SEL Prem spec, with the 20" and lane assist, sound, adaptive cruise, captain's chairs, front seats (heated/cooled), trailer hitch, etc. LOVE it.

piece of mind y'all, the car did it's job!

lots to complain about. 
but, 
hand, arm, will heal
kids are great

all is well, in the grand scheme of things.
cheers

4 by Ryan Mac, on Flickr

3 by Ryan Mac, on Flickr

2 by Ryan Mac, on Flickr

1 by Ryan Mac, on Flickr


9 by Ryan Mac, on Flickr

7 by Ryan Mac, on Flickr

5 by Ryan Mac, on Flickr


----------



## VitaminVan (Jul 6, 2017)

Glad they are ok, my wife got hit on the left front wheel (like at 10 mph) and the wheel took her wrist with it - 7 fractures. 

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


----------



## Scott Evil (Aug 21, 2002)

Thanks for sharing, glad your family is ok.


----------



## EvoXR1 (Nov 4, 2018)

wow... glad to see that everyone was able to walk away from that...especially the kids.

We currently have a 2.5 year old and a soon to be 7 year old, and we are trading in our ford explorer for a 2019 sel r-line at the end of this month. Seeing this post, gives me a peace of mind with the atlas being my wifes car.


----------



## Phil37 (Jul 5, 2015)

Glad your wife and kids are OK!


----------



## Racensave09 (Jan 19, 2004)

So fantastic to hear they are okay! Hoping your wife heals up soon!

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk


----------



## tbgti (Oct 23, 2017)

So happy to hear that the kiddos are all good and wife will heal. 

Vehicles are replaceable, people aren’t. Glad that the Atlas did it’s job and took one for the team. 

I find it interesting that you have the same thoughts post-accident as I had after a Jeep Grand Cherokee turned left in front of me last winter (in my 2016 GTI). Both vehicles were totaled as I was probably going 50 mph. I walked away with nothing but a stinging face from the airbag and was stiff for a couple of days. Caught a plane 2 hours later. Got the call that they were totaling the GTI and I promptly went shopping for another golf (wanted a golf r, but ended up with another GTI). 

I used to really want a cool old muscle car. After getting in a pretty serious accident and walking away from it, I can only imagine what would’ve happened in an older car. It makes me cringe. It also took away any and all desires to own something without current safety features. 

Again, glad to hear that your family came out with minor injuries. A testament to modern safety and engineering!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## snowfreek (Aug 3, 2012)

A situation like this is exactly why i trust and appreciate Volkswagen vehicles. This is also why i sell them with confidence too... One picture is worth a thousand words. Happy that everybody is Ok.


----------



## BaNeM (Aug 7, 2017)

Yikes! So happy to hear that everyone came out of it alive and well (minus the arm)! Like you said, you can get another Atlas, keeping your family safe is what is important. Nice to know that the Atlas did it's job there!


----------



## atlas7 (May 29, 2017)

Congrats on PICKING the right car for the job and putting your prized possessions in it...I am sure the next one will be just as good and hope all your accidents are now out of the way...too bad there are those nagging "things" to fix, but as I always say, "if there is nothing to fix on a car its probably time to get a new car.


----------



## RyanA3 (May 11, 2005)

sorry I've been away from the forum
thank you all so much for the love
this is a wonderful community indeed.

now have you voted yet!


----------



## AudiVW guy (Feb 7, 2006)

so sorry to hear that your wife was hurt in the accident but the good news the kids are safe and the atlas took the brunt of it.. 
after all it was a moving truck, the atlas looks to be a safe family mover after all..

PLEASE THROW OUT THE CAR SEATS.. THEY ARE ONE TIME USE - my insurance replaced ours after our VW was in an accident ..


----------



## TablaRasa (May 12, 2008)

glad the family is safe! One of the reason's why I wanted to really get the Atlas was for it's safety rating. Again, the hopes is you never had to test/challenge that rating but I am reassured of my choice than when it does, the rating stands! I feel more confident that when my wife and my twins are driving without me, the Atlas will provide that protection in the event of. Again, glad you guys are safe


----------



## Jmbbabson (Oct 18, 2018)

I have kids the same ages, 3 month old boy and 3.5 year old girl. So glad your family is ok and thank you for sharing the peace of mind


----------



## cplus71 (Mar 14, 2018)

Great to see your family is ok. Just wondering if the emergency braking did anything. Does it work only at certain speeds? I was hoping the car would brake to avoid such accidents.


----------



## RCDheliracer (Jan 7, 2012)

cplus71 said:


> Great to see your family is ok. Just wondering if the emergency braking did anything. Does it work only at certain speeds? I was hoping the car would brake to avoid such accidents.


At the speeds described by the OP, the emergency braking wouldn't have done anything but slow down the vehicle a little if the system even realized there was an object suddenly in front of it.


----------



## Daekwan (Nov 5, 2017)

Holy Sh!t. So glad to hear your family are okay. This was our primary reason for wanting a 2018 vehicle with the highest safety ratings all across the board. 

It's great to put down a bunch of numbers on paper and argue why an older, used car makes more financial sense. But things like this do happen and at the end of the day we wanted something new because we wanted the most safety protection possible in a vehicle for our newborn twins. The driver assistance aids were also highly desired as they help to avoid or mitigate the chances of an accident. I too wonder if the advanced driving aids did anything to assist is decreasing either the chances.. or damage in case of accident.


----------



## Black Atlas (Nov 9, 2018)

glad everyone's ok!


----------

