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I got in a wreck today...

SpeedySwafSpeedySwaf Registered User regular
edited December 2006 in Help / Advice Forum
Long story short, the official reason is "failure to yield from a private estalishment" (ie. I didn't look one way when I pulled out of Wendies and someone hit me). We both hit our breaks, but in the end she got me in the wheel. Damage for her was relatively minimal: scratches and a broken license plate holder, as well as a headlight being shifted slightly upward. Other then that she could turn it on and drive away in it. Me, on the other hand: wheel was busted out of place (passerby said the bolts/rods were broken, not the actual axil) and the impact had made it so I couldn't open the driver door. Didn't try to start it up, however, so I don't know if that's the actual extent. As for me and the other driver, she wasn't complaining about any pain in her neck or what not, and I'm feeling okay too.

Overall, I guess I'm asking how "bad" this is going to be, repair and insurance wise. And if theirs anything else I can do before my court date or afterwards, besides avoiding such a dumbass mistake again.

God, I feel fucking terrible about all of this.

SpeedySwaf on

Posts

  • GigatonGigaton Registered User regular
    edited November 2006
    This might seem like a stupid question, but you didn't really specify. The police were called right?

    Gigaton on
  • SpeedySwafSpeedySwaf Registered User regular
    edited November 2006
    Gigaton wrote:
    This might seem like a stupid question, but you didn't really specify. The police were called right?
    Yes, they were called and they came down. They took note of everything, called some guy over to tow my car, gave me a court date, and essentially sent us on our way. I had to call a family member to come pick me up.

    SpeedySwaf on
  • ThanatosThanatos Registered User regular
    edited November 2006
    Without actually seeing the car, it's hard to tell how bad it's going to be. You want to bring it by a reputable body shop, have them take a look at it. I'm assuming you've already called your insurance company, and let them know what happened?

    Thanatos on
  • SzechuanSzechuan Registered User regular
    edited November 2006
    If you haven't already, do not in any way make admissions regarding your fault in the accident. I'm not saying to lie, cuz' that's just wrong, but these sorts of things will get worked out in due time through insurance reports and assessment. Telling the people involved [or the insurance companies] that it was your fault can lay some nasty financial traps for you in the future.

    [This is what's recommended by the Young Drivers Program, if any of you have heard of it.]

    Szechuan on
  • SpeedySwafSpeedySwaf Registered User regular
    edited November 2006
    Szechuan wrote:
    If you haven't already, do not in any way make admissions regarding your fault in the accident. I'm not saying to lie, cuz' that's just wrong, but these sorts of things will get worked out in due time through insurance reports and assessment. Telling the people involved [or the insurance companies] that it was your fault can lay some nasty financial traps for you in the future.

    [This is what's recommended by the Young Drivers Program, if any of you have heard of it.]
    To be honest, I don't think any of the cops specifically came over to me and told me to recount what happened. The other driver said something to the effect of me pulling out in front of her, but not much more then that and I was never called over to confirm or deny the story. I can only guess we'll go over it on the court date.

    SpeedySwaf on
  • DocDoc Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited November 2006
    Yeah, but did you get out of the car right after the accident and go "oh my god, I'm so sorry, that was totally my fault?"

    Doc on
  • SpeedySwafSpeedySwaf Registered User regular
    edited November 2006
    Doc wrote:
    Yeah, but did you get out of the car right after the accident and go "oh my god, I'm so sorry, that was totally my fault?"
    :( I didn't say "This was my fault" but I did say sorry and asked if she was okay (though the cops weren't around then). I don't remember everything exactly, but I did say "I'm sorry" a lot and might have said I wasn't looking.

    SpeedySwaf on
  • DocDoc Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited November 2006
    SpeedySwaf wrote:
    Doc wrote:
    Yeah, but did you get out of the car right after the accident and go "oh my god, I'm so sorry, that was totally my fault?"
    :( I didn't say "This was my fault" but I did say sorry and asked if she was okay (though the cops weren't around then). I don't remember everything exactly, but I did say "I'm sorry" a lot and might have said I wasn't looking.

    In an accident where there's no way you aren't at fault (like in this case), it's not that big of a deal. It's very (very) bad to do when it's even slightly more ambiguous.

    Doc on
  • blincolnblincoln Registered User regular
    edited November 2006
    When I worked for a student newspaper years ago, we were explicitly told never to use the term "sorry" or "apology" when printing a correction or whatever because it implied that we were recognizing we were at fault. We were supposed to use "we regret the error," as if the mistake had appeared out of nowhere from the fourth dimension. I'm not sure if that applies in the US or not (it was a Canadian school).

    blincoln on
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  • kingmetalkingmetal Registered User regular
    edited December 2006
    barring some kind of weird technicality, it seems like the OP would have to lie to exempt himself from any blame from this, which doesn't seem like a terribly good idea. besides, if he did somehow convince the court (or his insurance company) that he wasn't at fault, wouldn't the other driver's rates go up? I'm not really sure how these things work.

    kingmetal on
  • SatanIsMyMotorSatanIsMyMotor Fuck Warren Ellis Registered User regular
    edited December 2006
    SpeedySwaf wrote:
    Long story short, the official reason is "failure to yield from a private estalishment" (ie. I didn't look one way when I pulled out of Wendies and someone hit me). We both hit our breaks, but in the end she got me in the wheel. Damage for her was relatively minimal: scratches and a broken license plate holder, as well as a headlight being shifted slightly upward. Other then that she could turn it on and drive away in it. Me, on the other hand: wheel was busted out of place (passerby said the bolts/rods were broken, not the actual axil) and the impact had made it so I couldn't open the driver door. Didn't try to start it up, however, so I don't know if that's the actual extent. As for me and the other driver, she wasn't complaining about any pain in her neck or what not, and I'm feeling okay too.

    Overall, I guess I'm asking how "bad" this is going to be, repair and insurance wise. And if theirs anything else I can do before my court date or afterwards, besides avoiding such a dumbass mistake again.

    God, I feel fucking terrible about all of this.

    Accidents are funny things. I was in a bad one around this time last year where a guy ran a stop sign and plowed in to me. At the time I was quite sore but when I went to the doctor I was relatively fine. The guy's insurance company wanted to pay me off but I held off because a lot of people told me back injuries from car accidents sometime don't become prevalent until a few months later. Anyways, I waited a month and still felt ok so I signed a release, got payed 2 grand and let it go.
    Fast forward another month and I'm in excruciating pain. I can hardly move because my back is so screwed. I get checked out at the doctor and she says that it's definitely from the accident but I'm shit out of luck because I signed the release.
    In short, you should hope that the person signs a release and settles with whatever your insurance company wants to give them.

    SatanIsMyMotor on
  • ZeonZeon Registered User regular
    edited December 2006
    Ontario has no fault insurance, so even if you did say "It was my fault", your insurance is going up. The only way to get past "No fault" is if someone is charged with something substantial, such as running a redlight, stop sign, or drunk driving. I dont think failing to yeild while pulling out counts, especially since it would be easy to argue ("She changed lanes just as i pulled out!").

    And for something like this, id imagine youll be paying atleast another 100 dollars a month, especially since rates in ontario are so crappy to begin with, and youre probably young.

    Zeon on
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  • an_altan_alt Registered User regular
    edited December 2006
    Zeon, no fault insurance only applies to the insurance companies, not drivers.

    SpeedySwaf, the insurance companies will take care of the repairs (if you have collision coverage) and you just have to worry about the deductible. Her car will be repaired at your insco's expense.

    When you renew your insurance, you'll have one at-fault accident and one ticket on your record. If you're under 25 and have had a clean record up to this point, your rates will jump substantially. If you don't have a good record, your rates will go from stupid to much stupider. If you're older without accidents, it might not hurt too bad.

    From what you said, there's not much to worry about at this point. You pay your ticket and deductible(s), then remember to bring lube when you renew your insurance. My experience is Canadian, but I write insurance software for a living (including figuring out how much to pay). If you have questions in that vein, feel free to ask.

    an_alt on
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