Good to hear everyones okay. Lucky you went down the slope where you did, the slope to the right looking at the pic is steeper and possibly could have made matters worse (rollover?)? Good luck with the new truck.

 

I was in my first accident when I was 17, while driving my dad's '91 Audi V8 Quattro. Girl slid 60 feet at an steep upward slope on dry pavement in a 35mph zone, and still managed to do 5 grand worth of damage to my dad's car, while totaling her '82 Civic. When I called my dad from a payphone up the street, I was so afraid to tell him his car had been damaged, but he just kept asking if I was ok, and to forget about the car. By the time I'd walked back to the accident, the girl's dad had arrived and was talking to the cop about the whole thing. As I got within earshot, I heard him say "yeah, I got her this beater so when she eventually crashed it, I wouldn't be out much money." I went from being pissed as hell at that girl for trashing my dad's pride and joy to pitying her more than I have anyone in my entire life, for having a father who's priorities were that f*cked up, and thanking god for a dad who's thankfully weren't.

When my kids reach driving age, I'll be putting them in the biggest piece of steel on wheels I can afford. It might not be the prettiest thing on the block, or the most fuel efficient, but they will damn sure walk away from anything less than a head-on with a semi if they ever find themselves as unsuccessful as their old man was at avoiding accidents the first year of driving.

 

I know your heart is in the right place, however the biggest, heaviest thing on the street is usually the farthest from the safest. Find a vehicle your child is comfortable driving with good saftey ratings rather than buying a tank.

Newer cars are designed to crumple in specific ways in order to absorb the energy and protect the occupants, yeah it may look ugly, but it works, trust me. Older heavier cars transmit that energy into the occupants, causing further trauma. So they do not look as damaged, and arent, however their occupants are.

Working Fire/EMS as a firefighter and flight paramedic in both populated urban areas and rural places for 13 years I have seen a car wreck or two.