Is my stuff ok?

[Dougiefresh]

Last monday some asswipe felt that he did not have to stop at a red light and smashed my outback. The crapy part is that I was coming back from marymoor and had all my climbing gear in the back of my wagon. When the window blew out 2 ropes, 10 draws and a handful of runners were covered in glass. So, should I trust that equipment again or do i need to replace $400 worth of gear. Any advice would be great, thanks.

[EWolfe]

Safety glass, like in cars, should not damage your gear, but check for sheath damage on the rope and slices in webbing of draws just to be sure.

 

More importantly, hope YOU are o.k.!

[Off_White]

...and be careful cleaning 'em off, don't use an ungloved hand. Just because it's tempered and the glass goes into a million puzzle shaped pieces doesn't mean it won't cut the shit out of you if you run your hand over it.

[ScottP]

Let me be the first to spew the tired cliche'...

"That gear is now worthless. Send it to me and I'll dispose of it..."

Nyuk Yuk Yuk.

 

Sorry to hear about the vehicular assault.

I agree with the safety glass notion. Maybe a serious bout of vacuuming would be in order.

[Dave_Schuldt]

That sucks, more and more people are running red lights in this town. It's crazy.

[catbirdseat]

When you are sure you have the ropes cleaned up, go over them inch by inch and with a magnifying glass if you have to, to make sure not a single shard of glass is embedded in the sheath. Then I'd recommend wearing gloves for the first few times you use them to belay, just to be sure.

[Collin]

I don't know a whole lot about insurance but if the accident was the other drivers fault, shouldn't his insurance pay for all the damages including your "$1500" in gear?

[Alex]

insurance fraud is lame.

[chirp]

But when opportunity knocks...

[mec]

break the law and screw over the rest of us as our insurance premiums rise to cover your lying ass.

[slothrop]

I'm sure your stuff is just fine. Save yourself some trouble and pay CBS in beer to go over your rope with his magnifying glass.

[Matt_Anderson]

FYI - ins. fraud is a felony, regardless of amount. . .

[archenemy]

Dougie should be reimbursed for the cost of replacing his gear. Insurance is there to cover the cost of returning you and your belongings to the state they were in before the accident (more or less). You do not know exactly what results the impact had on your gear--don't chance it. You are not ripping anyone off by requesting your gear be replaced.

[Dechristo]

shouldn't his insurance pay for all the damages including your "$1500" in gear?

But when opportunity knocks...

 

Isn't this club having a convention in New Orleans?

[tread_tramp]

I agree with arch on this one. If you are worried enough about hidden shards of glass that you would climb with gloves your taking too big a risk. Even tiny bits of grit that might get into your rope will chafe against the fibers and I wouldn't want to be climbing with a rope that has tiny shard of glass embedded and making little cut each time you move the rope.

[EWolfe]

I'm sure your stuff is just fine. Save yourself some trouble and pay CBS in beer to go over your rope with his magnifying glass.

 

 

[Dougiefresh]

I wouldn't want to be climbing with a rope that has tiny shard of glass embedded and making little cut each time you move the rope.

That is exactly what I was thinking but i can just hear his insureance company telling me to prove that the accident rendered my equipment worthless. Unless I can find some rope maker that says retire your rope if covered in glass? or the line that goes something about if you suspect that the rope is damaged in any way retire it. thanks for all your help so far

[Geek_the_Greek]

Whatever, man. Your ropes, which you hang your life on repeatedly, and frequently handle bare-handed, went flying through a glass window and are now covered in glass shards. Every manufacturer suggests disposing of carabiners when they take a hard hit from hitting the ground. You should have no trouble at all getting that stuff covered, and it certainly isn't fraud. Fraud is when you take an additional 2 ropes you had at home and cover them in bits of glass, and try to get them replaced too.

[ketch]

Dougie I don't know that it would be that hard to get them to go for it. That sand and grit gets into the fibres during use and degrades the rope over time is a well known item. That is why climbers wash there rope periodically. It is not hard to say that glass fragments are more damagaing than sand. Than again they may just say it's time to wash your rope

[olyclimber]

What thine needs to do, Dougie, is assemble thine Get Fresh Crew, and truly inspect with high detail said gear. If tha Get Fresh Crew pronouces said gear to be Fresh, then consider thine gear to be Fresh. If tha Get Fresh Crew says tha Gear Stanks, then rid thine self of tha gear. Chuck it in a chuck hole, or similiar.

[Dechristo]

You have just received a Fahtwa to form a Get Fresh Crew.

 

You have a civic duty to form a Get Fresh Posse.

 

You have a constitutional right to form a Get Fresh Militia.

 

...best get busy.

[archenemy]

Insurance companies are usually rather reasonable (even though they have evil reputations). Present your case logically and with the assumption that they will be replacing what was ruined in the accident. If you are sure of yourself and sure of what you are rightfully, legally entitled to, then you will make sense to them and not sound like a wheedling, cheating, snafflesniffer. It will all work out fine.

[mattp]

Insurance companies are usually rather reasonable (even though they have evil reputations).

 

I would agree as to relatively small personal property claims like that we are discussing. However, when it comes to payment of larger sums - like properly fixing your car or paying for ongoing rehab or time lost from work or whatever, I'd say they generally deserve that evil reputations.

[Alex]

Sorry I was not trying to suggest that you dont take care of business, I think everyone would agree that if you have doubts about your rope, you shouldnt even think twice about replacing it. My comment was aimed specifically at claiming 1500$ worth of loss for ~400$ worth of equipment (nothing personal Collin).

 

This past Christmas we wrecked our car and the back window went out all over the interior of the car, stacked with our road trip ice climbing gear. But the gear was inside a TNF duffel, so it wasnt affected. We swept the car out and continued the trip. After the trip I vacuumed the car out. Now, 9 months later I am STILL finding glass shards in the back of the car, despite numerous vacuumings. The safety glass is for the most part not sharp and the shards not small enough to work themselves into the sheath of a rope, but thats "for the most part". There were def small slivers that could have gotten in and done some serious damage to hand or rope.