Well I just got the call last night from the body shop. It is now off to that big highway in the sky. Maybe her demise could help rescue another Z from life support out there somewhere (I actually imagine she will be fixed back up and sold in another state in reality, but I'm a romantic
).
Was on my way to work at 4 am in the morning on the 21st during an ice storm that had begun the day before and hadn't totally abated yet. Was driving cautiously but not overly so. The roads were fairly clear and empty at that infernal hour of the morning. The overpasses were still sloppy but I would stay off the brakes and gas and coast across them without issue . . until . .
Came up behind a sand/salt truck on the highway. He was in the right most lane and I didn't want to get too close to him and his spray of payload on the road. So I moved over to the left most lane on the 3 lane road. Unfortunately that particular overpass had not been cleared yet and the left most lane had the least amount of traffic to clear ice build up. I hit the overpass at about 45 and slushy icy buildup of what appeared to be 2-3 inches of ice. The car started drifting sideways. I thought that once I cleared the overpass and got to the road on the other side it would straighten out again, so I didn't panic and gently counter steered. Apparently the ice buildup actually caused the front end to hydroplane (iceplane?) and there was no getting back control. Went off the highway on the right side, hit a light pole and then the end of the overpass on the way down the enbankment.
Cover your eyes, its not pretty . .