Florida man parks Smart car in kitchen

[Sentry18]

Hey, if it works it works.



https://www.fox9.com/news/florida-m...-so-it-wont-blow-away-during-hurricane-dorian

Florida man parks Smart car in kitchen so it won't blow away during Hurricane Dorian
Published 20 hours ago
Hurricane Dorian
Associated Press

article
( Jessica Eldridge )

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - It started as a light-hearted challenge between a Florida couple: can a Smart car fit into their kitchen? The answer: Yes it can.

Patrick Eldridge parked his Smart car in his kitchen to protect it from Hurricane Dorian because he didn't want it to "blow away" -- and to prove that he can park his car there.

Jessica Eldridge said her car was already parked in the garage. To avoid cleaning their garage out, her husband proposed to park it in the house.

"I said there was no way he could. He said he could," Jessica said. "So he opened the double doors and had it in. I was amazed that it could fit. He had it in with no problems."

Dorian was skirting Florida's coast Wednesday, narrowly missing Jacksonville as it heads northward along the Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina coastlines.

The Category 2 storm has devastated the Bahamas, where rescue crews have only begun taking the full measure of the damage.

With the car in the middle of the kitchen, Jessica Eldridge had to move around it to cook and serve dinner.

"I'm hoping he will pull it out pretty soon once the wind dies down," she said. "There is room and it's not in the way but my dogs are confused by it."

 

[Swing]

I've always teased that those could be put in a pocket when you get to your destination. I think I'd leave it in the dining room or living room as the kitchen seems too crowded and gas fumes would be worse there than in rest of the home. I still want to have one for a day to try it out.

 

[Amish Heart]

I'd never drive one of those. Deathtraps. I like my Challenger.

 

[Sentry18]

I'd never drive one of those. Deathtraps. I like my Challenger.

I would not want to drive on at 75mph+ on an interstate, but in town I would not be as concerned. Presuming I could fit in one!

 

[Cnsper]

 

[Caribou]

A Subaru rear ended my Jeep. It totalled the Subaru with little damage to my Jeep. If one of these soup cans got in an altercation with a Subaru I'd rather be in the Subaru.

 

[joel]

I saw one at a used car lot for $20,000.00!
I bought a 2005 truck instead, with luggage rack 4 X 4 bed, seat 5 for $6,000.00.

 

[Meerkat]

I would not want to drive on at 75mph+ on an interstate, but in town I would not be as concerned. Presuming I could fit in one!

I don't like small cars and didn't like them when they were popular, like V Wagon Beetle.
Always liked the Lincolns up to the late 1970s and vans.

 

[Sentry18]

A Subaru rear ended my Jeep. It totalled the Subaru with little damage to my Jeep. If one of these soup cans got in an altercation with a Subaru I'd rather be in the Subaru.

Having taken 100's of accident reports, I have found that it's all about circumstances, angles, and luck. I have seen little cars drive off while big cars were smashed and vice versa. A few months ago we had a smart car t-boned by a Dodge Citadel SUV. Dodge was running about 40-45mph and failed to stop at a red light where the little car was sitting waiting to turn left. The little smart car eventually flipped on it's side and slid quite a ways. The little car was smooshed but the driver and passenger were just fine. The Dodge was banged up but drive-able. The driver of the Dodge however had to be taken to the ER by ambulance.

 

[Bacpacker]

Wife's boss owns a dealership and sells smart cars. Her dad is 6-4 and drives one pretty regular. My wife rode with him in it one day and said they were quite roomy inside. I do know the frame around the passenger compartment is fairly robust. I looked at one briefly since the fuel mileage is so good and I drive 65 miles a day to work and back. The trade off for price vs fuel mileage wasn't good enough for what the cost was at the time.

 

[dademoss]

I drove one for 9 years and 100k miles. I bought it to drive to work, when gas around 5 bucks a gallon in 2009, 10 miles in,10 miles back. In town, avg MPG was 42. Top speed was 90, then the computer declared you insane and wouldn't go faster Good in snow under 6 inches, over 6 it didn't have the horsepower to play plow. Had a 6'6" guy in the passenger seat and he fit. Drove it on some long trips, it sucked in the mountains, and you could only take 2 small suitcases (9 CubicFeet behind the seats) Wind buffeting was bad. It would fit in the back of a big Dodge Dually if you had a platform higher than the wheel wells (Don't ask). It got traded when it needed 3 grand worth of parts and service and was valued at around 1800. I miss it, it had a "quirky personality", my Subaru Impreza just runs flawlessly and is sooo boring.

 

[Weedygarden]

I'd bet there is no ability to tow even the smallest trailer with a smart car. Even one version of Prius has that restriction.

 

[backlash]

In town they would be OK. Around here some farmer driving a tractor wouldn't even notice if he ran you over. The hay bales are bigger and weigh than that thing.
A buddy asked me to come over and help him move his couch.
We put it outside so he could park his new Harley in the living room.
His landlord thought that was OK because of the area he live in wasn't really safe.
His new Harley could be in Mexico in about 5 minutes and he would have never seen it again.

 

[Sentry18]

An accident from last week, full size pick up versus semi. Size disparity is always a factor in MV accidents but so is disparity of speed. In this case a semi slowed down to 10mph preparing to turn and the pick up continued (distracted) at 60mph.

 

[Swing]

I'm trying to figure out which part is which in that photo @Sentry18

 

[Sentry18]

I'm trying to figure out which part is which in that photo @Sentry18

Here's the rest of the cab. That should clear it up for you.

 

[Swing]

What a mess!

 

[backlash]

That is ugly. Must have been a real important call.
I saw a car that had hit a power pole about 15 seconds before I turned the corner. Pole crushed the roof down to the seat between the windshield and the seat back. Guy had been to his bachelor party and his friends took him home and put him into his bed. He decided he needed some tobacco so he tried to drive to the store. Made it about 2 miles before he got airborne at well over 100mph and hit the pole.
I could never be a first responder.

 

[Sentry18]

That is ugly. Must have been a real important call.
I saw a car that had hit a power pole about 15 seconds before I turned the corner. Pole crushed the roof down to the seat between the windshield and the seat back. Guy had been to his bachelor party and his friends took him home and put him into his bed. He decided he needed some tobacco so he tried to drive to the store. Made it about 2 miles before he got airborne at well over 100mph and hit the pole.
I could never be a first responder.

I have seen some things. The worst worst was a car full of people who were all mostly decapitated by an 18 wheeler. It was very unpleasant.

 

[backlash]

My nephew was a Fire Chief. The stuff he saw has taken a toll on him. He suffers from PTSD, mostly because of things involving children.

 

[Caribou]

Some ambulance calls I will never forget. There is a price to be paid for helping people. No good deed ever goes unpunished.

 

[Sentry18]

My nephew was a Fire Chief. The stuff he saw has taken a toll on him. He suffers from PTSD, mostly because of things involving children.

Some ambulance calls I will never forget. There is a price to be paid for helping people. No good deed ever goes unpunished.

I don't know if I have or will develop PTSD or not. But as I see my peers age and become filled with anxiety, anger, apathy, alcoholism, etc. I cling a little bit tighter to my faith.

 

[Caribou]

I don't know if I have or will develop PTSD or not. But as I see my peers age and become filled with anxiety, anger, apathy, alcoholism, etc. I cling a little bit tighter to my faith.

My FIL was a retired cop and died of a heart attack at 59. I believe it was because of the stress of his job.