Accident!!!!

[midwestrc]

Well, it was bound to happen, but why me? Why now?

I am driving downtown yesterday for work, and as I drive thru an intersection, I sit at another waiting for traffic to move ahead of me. A truck is behind me doing the same when......... WHAM.......... I get it from behind!

Seems a WOMAN was cruising thru the light not realizing there was stopped traffic on the otherside! No cell phone... I checked!

Well after I called to the guy I was meeting with in 10 minutes to say I was going to be late... I got out and riped her a$$ a new one.... WTF were you doing? This is gonna cost someone a bunch of $$! You name it, I lit her up!

Turns out SHE doesnt have insurance, but it didnt bother me that much because the guy she hit, which in turn hit me, DOES have insurance.... so let his carrier figure it out right?!

Now you might be thinking, how much damage could be done if she hit a truck (Pathfinder actually) which in turn hit me? Well if she was going 40MPH... enough! She had to be flying because I didnt hear her first collission then mine... it was all one big WHAM! Scared the hell out of me....

My trunk doesnt close at all, the bumper is trashed, and the trunk lid is crammed up in the air a few inches. I had to open the trunk to get my golf clubs out... and of course check on them........ all good but she owes me a new golf bag!

SO last night I get a call from the guy who hit me that says, the girl who hit him, came to see his car and wants to pay cash for it! WHOA WTF? But his insurance wants me to be in on the deal so they are also out of the loop. I seriously think once this gal sees the dollars she is in for, she wont be paying for anything, but who knows. Maybe Mom and Dad are loaded?! OH, and her sister and her are on the registration..... maybe she is being protected too? Who knows? Hopefully one of them has some insurance or money!

So today I sit waiting for my adjuster to come by and look at it, then off to the dealership for an estimate...... and a DECENT LOANER car! I'll be f*cked if I am driving a NEON while this thing gets fixed!



Funny part to the story, while I am out lighting the little crying girl up... a dude drives by in a blinged out "C" and he yells out the window.... "Not the Chrysler..... OH man...... Not the Chrysler........." I am like Dude..... I KNOW!



Thinking more about it today... I dont want the car back.... they are going to pull, push and try to align the car again, paint the rear end, and who knows how it is going to match up or look. Never be as good as it was from the factory! Somehow I want to try and get a new car out of it.... It has less than 3000 miles on it for christ-sake!

[HEMEEE]

Oh no!! I am so, so, so, so, sooooorry for you, I sure hope it all works out. Have a drink on me and definitely keep us posted.

[rogue]

Man thats a bummer. Sorry to hear about this. On a positive note, don't be surprised if she coughs up the dough. I had a guy back into my 61 Continental while it was parked and he lacked insurance.

$3500 cash he paid up front. Hopefully it all works out..

[cmego]

Drive immediately to the best paint/body shop you know of and get an estimate. Then settle for the estimate + 50%

[Cdnhemi]

Sorry to her about your accident. Is it mandatory to have insurance in your state? It is here in my province and that girl would not be very happy with her stupidity of not having insurance and the subsequent criminal and then civil suit that she would face. I hope everything works out!!!!

[midwestrc]

No, insurance ISNT required here..... and I guess I am naive about how many people drive without it! I guess this is comon place in these parts after talking with people about what happened.

I am waiting for my adjuster to get out here and look at it. Then I am going to get it in and see if the girl comes thru with the cash to fix it, or turn them over to my insurance to go after them....... Oh well........

I already planned on getting a healthy estimate from my dealer to hit her with..... my guess is she (or her parents) doesnt have the cash to pay for both vehicles....... but I could be wrong........

I just want my baby fixed.......... I cant even look out the window at work at it anymore without cringing!

[Cdnhemi]

It's hard to believe that there still places that don't require insurance for cars. Do you have an unsatisfied judgement fund that you can get access too? We used to have that many, many years ago until the government got smart and started making people responsible for their driving. The fine here for no insurance is 3600 bucks plus court costs which takes it over 4 grand, plus it is an arrestable offence and the points are such that you will lose your licence for a period of time, yet we still hear of jerks driving without insurance. Hope it works out for you!!!!

[GreenMachine]

Middie, I'm an insurance agent in Ohio. Different laws, different state. But I don't think you have any recourse with the guy in the Pathfinder. Its not his fault, he just happened to be between you and the offender. My experience with uninsured drivers who want to pay you off is about 1 in a 100 actual come though before you get them in court. I'm hoping for your sake that there is a police report and the girl was cited which establishes fault. And therefore grounds for a winable suit.

I can't believe Wisconsin has no financial responsibility law. In Ohio a first offense of driving without insurance is a two hundred dollar fine plus court costs, a ninety day suspension and you have to establish with the BMV a repayment of damages plan to keep your license. You can pay as little as $20 a month but if you don't make your payment your license will be resuspended until you catch up.

The good news is that they won't be dickin' you with used parts because there aren't any. Your description leads me to believe you've got $5-6,000 in damages. But little in the way of actual mechanical damage. A really good body shop should be able to put you back together, match paint, etc. Five years ago I rolled a Ford Explorer just months after I got it. It was messed up, but unfortunately not bad enough to total it. The shop I worked with did there best and it looked great when it was done but I soon started having various minor mechanical problems with the transmission, engine, etc that I attributed to the crash but were hard to prove. It was under warranty and it got fixed. I lived with it for another year and a half(it was leased) and then I moved on.

Your best bet is to file the claim through your own insurance. You'll have to pay the collision deductible, but if your company is successful in getting blood from your turnip you should get that back, eventually. I feel for you. Goodluck. If you have any questions holler back.

[Fast300C]

Sorry to hear what happened.
If you didn't get a police report, run don't walk to your police dept. and file a front counter report. Don't wait for her to fix your car, that's what you have insurance for.
I spent over 20 years (motor officer) investigating vehicl collisions, 95% of drivers who said they would pay to repair the other vehicle, didn't. You can alway take her to court for the return of your deductible.
Like GreenMachine, if you have any questions feel free to ask.

[HEMEEE]

It's great that we can all share info, ideas and opinions on this forum..
It's great that we can offer moral support and pats on the back as well...
BUT it's the greatest that a fellow member, in real need, could receive the kind of sound advice you were able to offer from your professional experiences - and did so generously! I'm sure the gesture helped his spirit, even if the advice can't help his cause.

Let us know how it's going Midwestrc