What is interesting is that the license plate was issued in 2001. (Bicentennial plates were issued 2001-2003, I got a BM-series plate in late 2001) Plates can be transferred to different cars but not to different people, so whoever owned the car was at least in their very late 30s, likely 40s or older. In case anyone was thinking it was a teenage oopsie.
Good job by the first responders of blocking the car up under the rear of the roof, to keep it from tipping.
If you have a big hole to fill, and there is risk of the post getting hit again, build a socket and sink that. Then you can just drop in a new post with no real effort.
Jerry said: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.
I think I would concrete in a hole that fits the post. This way the next time you lose a box, you can just pop the old post out and drop the new one in.
In reply to John Welsh :
Can I just say for a moment that I appreciate the care and though you put into your posts (pun not intended). Always helpful.
In reply to John Welsh :
Good info! Mine is next to the side porch, we have a walking mail carrier. Around here, Code says they have to be on a 4X4 so it drops if a snow plow wings it.
In reply to 914Driver :
Do they fix it up before or after you call the Postal Inspectors?
My mailbox is not at the main road where it gets whacked by snow from the plow. Yes, mine was backed into by a pickup based snow plow but had stood there for ill bet 25 years before getting hit so hardly common for getting hit. If I were in a place more common for being hit, i would have done something like this:
I envision plastic planter with a 4x4 post set into the planter with quickcrete. Generally not really mounted to the ground just a heavy base with an inexpensive box at the top. Get a base that is somewhat rounded and then just set the whole thing back up when it gets knocked down.
In reply to John Welsh :
I bought either a L or XL today at Menard's, I forget and it's still in the Crosstrek because it barely broke 30F today with 25mph winds and snow flurries...
Tomorrow supposed to be a little better. I was thinking of putting it next to the big ditch but now wondering about concrete with the new one in the center. I don't think Ohio is supposed to use concrete anymore. Have to look at it in daylight tomorrow. Wouldn't mind a bag or two of gravel/rocks and the leftover 2625 part.
And there's nothing after the mailbox except the neighbor's Toyota SUV if you follow Mr Civic driver's flightpath. At least both my vehicles were far enough up to have been missed. The guy explaining to the police how the mailbox jumped out in front of him in the first photo is the driver, guessing 45-55.
You will get your deductible back, presuming the guy has valid insurance. No way in hell was he going 25mph if he flipped and ripped that beast out of the ground. Ask his carrier if they did, or will, pull the EDR. It'd be an interesting read.
Did you have to send USAA any pictures or anything before they put money in? Roughly what % of the repair cost did they deposit in 4 hours?
Mount your new mailbox on a leaf from a leaf spring, sunk halfway into dirt. That way if anything hits it, it just gets out of the way.
Racebrick said:Now just hope that mailbox was legal, and that you aren't sued over it.
This!!! Last time I looked The USPS sais no bigger than a 4x4 wood post. They are supposed to break away so, you know, a car does not flip over and trap people in side. This does not expunge the driver for his poor choices that lead to the OPs mail box being hit but the op may want to not post up about how his mailbox was constructed.
So I bought a mailbox, a 4x4 post and even a post hole digger. But I decided to watch Youtube to see if I'm missing anything, apparently I couldn't just shove the post in the ground and call it done. I didn't feel like messing with concrete but saw some other options on Youtube. A trip to Home Depot was a bust, Mendard's at least had this thing. It's not 100% sturdy but I think it will work.
After charging up the drill to make pilot holes in the wooden post, voila! I realized I needed numbers so vinyl cutter to the rescue. Still 32F so I ended up running a hairdryer on a long extension cord and full blast to make the vinyl stick. But for now I have a mailbox.
Next up is renting something to break up that giant ball of concrete and rock into manageable pieces so I can take it somewhere.
Jerry said:Next up is renting something to break up that giant ball of concrete and rock into manageable pieces so I can take it somewhere.
You should get Civic guy's address and drop it off at his place.
... and you just answered my question about what would happen if the monster box was not there.
With the speed and weight of the Civic, if you concrete box wasn't there your neighbor's cars or house could have been clipped.
Jerry said:Next up is renting something to break up that giant ball of concrete and rock into manageable pieces so I can take it somewhere.
Rent some dynamite.
Keep the receipts for all of this, including renting equipment to dispose of the old concrete. You will get reimbursed.
In reply to 914Driver :
Yesterday morning I picked up two very large chunks of debris about 1' from his car. He got lucky.
Got the police report this morning, apparently they did take him to the hospital to get checked out. I lost track of him in the commotion. He did have insurance, I've sent the report and photos to USAA.
His contact info isn't on the police report?
In reply to 914Driver :
It's there. He lives close enough that I've walked my dog past his house. They put an estimated speed of 50mph on the report, also cited him for Failure to Control.
I dug a hole and put a treated 4x4in the ground. I filled mine with pea gravel and tamped it down with a pipe. Last one was fine for 20 years. No concrete used.
IIRC wood will last a lot longer in pea gravel instead of concrete. If I was doing a concrete footer, I'd probably put a socket in it just for long term maintenance reasons. I lost a mailbox at my last place from the kids down the street screwing around in dad's UTV, you never really know :)
It's a Weeble!
In reply to Keith Tanner :
You recalled correctly about the pea gravel says the guy who replaced fence sections when the post snapped in the wind. The pea gravel will keep the moist earth away from the wood and thus help to reduce rot.
so I was looking into jackhammer rental recently for a project and turns out its cheaper to buy.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
I just rebuilt the gate going into my side yard where I park my jetski and S2000 on some beautiful astro turf. When mounting the 4x4s I put pea gravel in the bottom of the concrete form tube for drainage to help those 4x4s last longer. The previous homeowner didn't treat any of the 4x4 fence posts and they are all starting to rot due to that and no drainage mechanism.
USAA homeowners/renters is awesome. When that snow storm hit San Antonio in 2021 and screwed a few things up in the house I was renting, they had a check to me for my valuables and a check to the homeowner to cover the repairs within two days of filing the claim. Their auto insurance is another story.
A friend with abilities to do background checks looked up the driver. At least 4 citations for speeding and DUI going back to 1991, including a license revoke in 2008 for a bit. Really wish they had done a breathalyzer.
Now I have to answer every stupid unlisted call I get in case it's the company USAA uses for subrogation to get my deductible back.
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