Dashcam owner captures a distracted driver running a red light at full speed and getting sideswiped. Ends up with collateral damage despite being fairly far away from the crash.
Kansan and Redditor /u/Grouchy-Lifeguard277 shared shocking dashcam footage from Olathe from earlier in 2022 (June 24, 2022) showing a distracted driver blowing a red light at full speed, resulting in them getting side-swiped, totaling two cars, almost flipping one, and sending collateral damage /u/Grouchy-Lifeguard277’s way.
Check out his dashcam footage below.
I had this vehicle for like 2 months from new. [oc]
byu/Grouchy-Lifeguard277 inIdiotsInCars
The incident happened at 151st St. and S Mur-Len Rd intersection in Olathe (Exact location on Google Maps linked here.)
As OP’s dashcam footage shows, he approaches the aforementioned intersection.
It’s worth noting, the speed limit in the area is 45 MPH.
At that point, traffic going the opposite way had a red light for over 17 seconds.
Suddenly, a driver in a Lexus RX runs the red light at around the speed limit and gets side-swiped by a driver in what looks like a mid-’00s Dodge sedan.
The force of this hit is so large that the Lexus pirouettes onto two wheels, almost flips, two wheels on the other set of wheels on the other side, and lands after turning over 360 degrees in the lanes of traffic headed the other direction.
The Lexus eventually comes to a stop, hitting OP’s front bumper causing thousands in damage.
The other car’s front end gets demolished, the driver spinning 180 degrees before rolling backward to a complete stop.
The distracted driver in the Lexus can be seen opening her driver’s door in a daze as she regains her bearings and composure.
According to OP, the driver in the white car was, “shaken up, but fine.”
Despite the red light runner remaining tight-lipped, OP maintains he thinks she was on her phone.
“She refused to say anything and was a little shaken up…I think she wasn’t paying attention and was on her phone.”
Both vehicles are likely totaled.
As for OP’s car,
“I’m a lawyer and sued her in limited action court…They (the Lexus’s insurance) covered repairs. I sued for lost value in addition ($5,000.)”
“It always sucks most when you’re just minding your own business and get caught up in someone else’s,” /u/ancientmaverick commented.
“You can see the driver of the white car get out of their car and run to the passenger side, they slipped and get back up and check on their passenger. Damn, I feel so sorry for the white car, just got obliterated even when they had the green light. Smh,” /u/AppropriateScholar55 added.
“One of the best demonstrations I’ve ever seen of how quickly something can go wrong. 5 seconds before that accident there literally isn’t a car even remotely near you,” /u/Beartato4772 commented.
When you’re behind the wheel, driving is your number one priority.
That means paying attention at all times, especially when it’s easy to become complacent.
The next time you’re stopped at a light, notice how many people are looking down on their phones.
In my experience, it’s too many.
That anecdote and accidents like this are why it’s more important than ever to keep your guard up and to drive defensively.
