Concrete mailbox vs Honda Civic

"We'll call it a draw."

Says he stopped for the stop sign just before my house, 25mph speed limit. Cops say he admitted to sharing one beer with friends, had a six pack in the car with one missing bottle.

Yet people blow that sign all the time, and much more than 25mph. I heard the noise and thought someone hit something or another tree fell. Looked outside and could see his flashing lights but just looked like he hit and stopped (no street lights)

Sounded like he was trying to start and leave so I called 911 and stayed inside in case he was on something. As I was giving information someone drove by and I could see he was upside down, so I went out to help. Two neighbors came over but couldn't get doors open.

About then everyone showed up and they cut a door open. He was coherent and walking around, said he was sorry but very vague on what happened. Even tried to move some debris but said his ribs hurt and stopped.

Firefighters and a cop moved the debris so I could get out in the morning, and SWMBO could let Chewie out at lunch.

I have a card from the police, filled out a statement. They said call my home insurance in the morning, he would call his, and they would Duke it out. Neighbor says she works with State Farm and can help with information if needed.

I guess for now I will buy a cheap post mailbox and stick it in the yard. At least warm weather is coming for rebuilding and it wasn't 3am. Also last night I didn't get home until 1040pm and would have wondered where my berkeleying mailbox was. (Also SWMBO wasn't here or her car would be toast.)

Gee

Guy next door to me is on the outer side of a curve.  He's on his 3rd brick mailbox in 23 years. 

Leave the car and mess right there as a Please Slow Down warning!

Now just hope that mailbox was legal, and that you aren't sued over it. 

I hope no one was hurt in this mishap.

And Jerry, well your first picture is now a meme.

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/meme-thread-no-politics/155316/page1206/#post3681291

Datsun310Guy said:

Guy next door to me is on the outer side of a curve.  He's on his 3rd brick mailbox in 23 years. 

I'm debating even replacing it.  I assumed the previous owner got tired of getting hit in the snow and made that monstrosity to be invincible.  But if a Civic at 30-40mph can take it out, what's the point?  A generic post mailbox is easier to deal with when a drunk knocks it down.

Ask him how much he wants for the wheels.

Jerry said:

Datsun310Guy said:

Guy next door to me is on the outer side of a curve.  He's on his 3rd brick mailbox in 23 years. 

I'm debating even replacing it.  I assumed the previous owner got tired of getting hit in the snow and made that monstrosity to be invincible.  But if a Civic at 30-40mph can take it out, what's the point?  A generic post mailbox is easier to deal with when a drunk knocks it down.

If a drunk driver can take it out, but it also takes out the drunk driver's car, feels like a win?

Mr_Asa said:

Jerry said:

Datsun310Guy said:

Guy next door to me is on the outer side of a curve.  He's on his 3rd brick mailbox in 23 years. 

I'm debating even replacing it.  I assumed the previous owner got tired of getting hit in the snow and made that monstrosity to be invincible.  But if a Civic at 30-40mph can take it out, what's the point?  A generic post mailbox is easier to deal with when a drunk knocks it down.

If a drunk driver can take it out, but it also takes out the drunk driver's car, feels like a win?

Definite win. 

Woody (Forum Supportum) said:

Ask him how much he wants for the wheels.

Thanks for my first LOL of the day. I haven't even brewed my coffee yet. 

I've replaced my mailbox post at least once a year. It's gotten to the point where I've decided to keep a spare in the shed.

I was debating doing something more robust. This thread has convinced me to keep using 4x4s.

That the car flipped for this just causes my brain to hurt. Amazing. 
 

Reminds me of the childhood shenanigan of making a snowman over the fire hydrant, hoping some freshly minted miscreant driver would try to take a swipe at it.  

Indeed, wtf.

If the speeders are coming from one direction put a ramp on that side of the mailbox.

I don't think the bunker mailboxes are allowed here anymore for this reason. Also, street signs are on breakaway bases as well.

There's a new roundabout near us, and the city decided to put up some landscaping. They put some nice big red rock boulders in the triangles between the on/off roads, it looked cool. About a week later, they disappeared with rumors they had been told not to put big rocks in runoff areas. A week after that, there was a car beached in one of those triangles after taking out a sign. Okay, point taken, that would have been a bad place for a big rock :)

In reply to Keith Tanner :

No, it's a fine place for a rock, it's a bad place for a car

I filed a claim with USAA to get something on record while I wait to see what comes of the police report.

Over the course of 4 hours, I got emails and texts that said it's been submitted, it's in process, it's been approved, here's some cash deposited electronically.

I missed a voice mail that said she saw what type of mailbox I had, guessing Google Street view or Zillow, and here's your settlement including for sod work minus deductible.

Keith Tanner said:

I don't think the bunker mailboxes are allowed here anymore for this reason.

I used to live on a main avenue, that the county took over, making it a County Highway that was their responsibility for maintainence, like snow plowing. Those shiny happy people routinely knocked my mailbox out, along with several others up and down the road, because they came down the (35mph) road at 87mph.

I called to complain, and would get the same, "Your mailbox is probably too close to the road," to which I'd reply, "The USPS won't deliver if it's set back any further." 

"Well, I'm sorry sir, we really can't do anything about it."

"OK, then, I guess I'll sink an 8' I-beam in the ground, to set my mailbox on."

"Oh, no, sir. You can't do that. That would break our plows."

"THEN QUIT HITTING MY BERKING MAILBOX, SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE!!"

There was a new mailbox on a new post that afternoon, when I got home from work. It was NEVER hit again.

Keith Tanner said:

I don't think the bunker mailboxes are allowed here anymore for this reason. 

My city made the same changes.  If you have one originally and it gets knocked down you can replace it but I never had one so I can't build one.  Not a big deal to me.  

I was looking up information and didn't see anything saying I couldn't have a reinforced mailbox, but found an Ohio story of someone that reinforced with concrete and iron pipe, guy hit it and flipped, got paralyzed.  Went to court and he was not held liable.

But I don't think I want the hassle of finding someone to rebuild this in any case, so today I hit Home Depot or Menards and find a decent post mailbox for $50-100 and call it done.  My next question is what to fill in the giant hole with, that thing was sunk in pretty deep.

All things considered, you got pretty lucky.  Civic dude pulled the foundation and all out of the ground, so no jackhammer required.  Just rent a bobcat to pick up the thousand pound chunk...

In the last photo, what's behind where you are standing?  Did your monster box just save a homeowner from a Civic coffee table?

In reply to Jerry :

Throw some of the rubble back in then top a bag of mulch then top soil?

In reply to Jerry :

Re: mailbox shopping...

Last winter, my plastic mailbox got tapped by the neighbors landscaper and broke my 4x4 post.  That box came with the house and was never our favorite (but functional.)  

I replaced it with a XL sized mailbox that I paid $72 for on Amazon:

The mail has changed.  We get more boxes than we do envelopes.  This box holds an entire large shoe box and more!  For me, that means fewer times where the mailman has to walk to my porch to leave a package.  If I was working from home, the mailman approching the door results in a barking dog.  If the mailman can just leave the package in the box, things stay quiet in my house.  Your needs might not be the same but I wanted to point out that there are such thing as XL mailboxes. 

Mailboxes are an interesting industry.  The designs and functions have to be approved by the Postmaster General.  There are even rules about how mailbox height.  Be versed in these when setting your post height.  https://www.usps.com/manage/mailboxes.htm