Sobering Reality Check

Jon B

You can get hurt in a Hudson as well as in a modern car. It's a dangerous world out there, as witnessed in this "Nash - Hudson merger" (please pardon the grim pun). An antique car will crumple just as a modern one will. So please.....drive safely.



(Thanks to Doug Wildrick for sending me this, for Bob Palma for sending it to him, and for a fellow named "Lenny" in the Studebaker club, who passed it to Bob.)

Park_W

Yikes! I wonder how many walked away from that one, being pre seat belts and all.

37 CTS

Very interesting how these 'pre" crumple zone cars performed as if they were engineered to do just that.

The Nash seems to have better passenger compartment integrity with no deformation.

I would really like to see where the engines and tramsmissions came to rest, as well as steering columne.

Back in the "day" we always felt safer in a Hudson without seat belts. I am glad that has changed.

A good spring project is to install seat belts if you do not have them.

Uncle Josh

Walked away from this one in '55 with a bumped nose and a scratched knee. Glad no one was with me tho.

Clutchguy

I think this was out in the country-don't know for sure,but the real odd thing is that both cars are damaged on the right fenders?.This brings up the question of what side of the road they were both traveling on?.

Uncle Josh

The drivers probably were'nt sure

Aaron D. IL

Uncle Josh wrote:

Walked away from this one in '55 with a bumped nose and a scratched knee. Glad no one was with me tho.

Yeah I can attest to the integrity of Hudson's Monocoque Chassis. Two friends and I walked away from this '50 Pacemaker Brougham (no seat belts) about 7 years ago with nothing but a small cut on my knee and bruised upper lip after tangling with a big Ford F-350 and its' drunk driver.

[Deleted User]

Those first two cars were probably down under, thusly the right fenders being involved. I'm putting seat belts in the Hash so the grand kids can ride with me but when I see the injuries lap belts cause in relatively minor accidents. I think though that I'm not capable of doing a flaw free job of installing three points so lap belts it will be. When I was about 10 we took a full hit in the drivers side by a new chevy that was totalled and we drove away in my dads Hudson, 5 kids, two adults and no seat belts and just bumps and bruises.



Harry

hudsontech

I remember seeing a story in the WTN way back about a young fellow, around 16 or 17, who had a buddy over to his house for a sleep over. The next morning Dad let the boy take his buddy home in the 1954 Hudson (think that's right) he had. The kids were stopped at a traffic light and got run over by an 18 wheeler. The cab of the truck was up around the back seat somewhere. I don't remember the extent of the injuries, but both boys weren't hurt seriously.

A trooper that investigated the scene had apparently been around for a few years (I'm thinking this accident took place in the 70's) made the statement both boys would have been killed had they been in any car other than the Hudson.



Hudsonly,

Alex Burr

HudsonTech

Memphis, TN

NEChudsontech09@yahoo.com (drop the NEC)

Clutchguy

I remember Aaron's car before this accident,and then I remember seeing the pix afterwards.I could not believe that he and his friend walked away-totally impressive!!! I think Aaron learned alot about Hudsons with his incident.

Aaron D. IL

Indeed I did learn a lot! I learned that Hudson is still America's safest car, I learned a lot about Hudson's after dismanteling every good piece off my wreck, and I learned that my guardian angel must be 20 feet tall and pure muscle. hehe That car was peeled open like a sardine can.

One other man I met at a cruise night once said he owed his life to a Hudson too. He was hit sideways by a Mack Dump truck from a side street and the impact made the Hudson roll over 3 times and he cracked a few bones but he survived!

Unknown

Guess that's what you'd call a short wheelbase Nash!

[Deleted User]

Both of the cars in the top picture have the steering wheels on the LEFT side, so they were not in Oz or NZ. Look at the ad sign in the background and the clothes of the people - definitely US Midwest somewhere, maybe Canada.



Looks like a crossover accident; they hit, one spun around 180 degrees and both stopped. Looks painful.



Actually, when you look at the picture carefully, notice the oil and water spills of both cars go the SAME direction - they both may have hit a third vehicle, spun around, and came to rest. They definitely got spun backwards before they stopped completely. And look at the Nash fender - it's ripped completely off from the top of the wheelhouse forward.

Clutchguy

66patrick66 wrote:

Both of the cars in the top picture have the steering wheels on the LEFT side, so they were not in Oz or NZ. Look at the ad sign in the background and the clothes of the people - definitely US Midwest somewhere, maybe Canada.



Looks like a crossover accident; they hit, one spun around 180 degrees and both stopped. Looks painful.



Actually, when you look at the picture carefully, notice the oil and water spills of both cars go the SAME direction - they both may have hit a third vehicle, spun around, and came to rest. They definitely got spun backwards before they stopped completely. And look at the Nash fender - it's ripped completely off from the top of the wheelhouse forward.

66,your right. You know the more I look at this,I wonder if maybe the Hudson didn't pull out in front of the Nash? The Nash is smashed flat and the Hudson took a hard right front hit-either way-this accident would make you smile crooked??.:eek: