Old lady accelerates into my car.

[mnbv]

So I got in an accident at 12pm today. The street lights were out, all flashing red. This was a really busy intersection also, right next to a freeway. Cars were honking and people were having problems turning and what have you. I am trying to return a video due in like 10 min (noon).



I just pulled up to the stop light to take a left. I was thinking, "what the hell is going on here". I was just watching the traffic for 10 seconds, figuring out when I should make a u turn just to get the hell out of there(just sitting there, not rolling). a second later, this old lady in a brown American car is taking a left turn to go on the opposite direction from where I would go if I were trying to go straight. Hard to explain, but she was right in front of me when she was turning. She was turning like she had a green light. The problem with this is that there were cars going straight on my left, so she slamed into a red crown vic, making a huge dent in his door. I look close at the driver of this brown car, it is an old lady, flailing her arms (not even on the wheel) and screaming it looked like in her car. She then seems to accidently hit the gas after bouncing off of the crown vic (her tires were squealing after hitting the vic) and then slaming into me, nearly head on, a little more on the drivers side.



I slide 45* to the right, touching this new, nice looking black car on my right, the brown car also touches it. The black car`s door is also dented in hardcore like the vic`s. The was also a green van involved which was behind me, I slid lightly into it, you can see the scrape on the right rear bumper, nothing light about the damage there though.



The cops came 10 min. later, and they are calling it a state-something accident, he explained that doing it this way would cause less hassle. The cops then took down everyones information so they could make a report. They said that this report would be mailed to me in 7-10 days, but he said I may be able to pick it up sooner. (2-3 days) I have a # to call to check if it is done. What that will tell me is the old lady`s insurance phone # so I can get a check from her insurance company. The whole front bumper was torn up and bent up, it fell off after the lady backed up and the black car moved, we (the cops and I) just put it in the trunk.



Right now, the car was towed to a body shop called LeMettys or some thing like that. I went there to get some of the stuff I forgot, garage door opener, CD`s etc. The place seemed really clean and tiety, there was a newer BMW and an audi along with a few newer trucks that were smashed up. The AAA tow guy recommended it. I am hoping that because it was 100% the old lady`s fault, that her insurance will cover mine and everyone elses damages. In reality though, I would think that the defective lights are to blame, they are the true cause of the collusion. All I really care about though it that my car looks the exact same or better when this is all over. Also that the alignment is not off at all, the metal thing behind the bumper was bent in, that may cause problems that I hope will be fixed. Nothing was leaking. Here are a few pics of before.



http://www.autopia.org/gallery/data/500/17286right_side_with_tree-med.jpg



http://www.autopia.org/gallery/data/500/17286engine_shot_backed_up_a_bit-med.jpg





One of the cops took 18 after pictures, but I don`t have those yet, I will probably get them sometime. Basically, the bumper is missing and the headlights are cracked and the drivers side fender is screwed also.



I want to make something more clear, I only have liabilty coverage from Farmers, but one of the cops said that I shouldent report it if I don`t need to. He said to call the lady`s insurance and basically ask them for a check that the repairs cost. Should I get a check for the estimite or of the final repair price? Is this how everything will go?



This has now motivated me to do my "Issue`s" paper in english on why old people (65+) should be required to take a driving test every year. I`ll see if they will let me get those after pics they took when I get a copy of the police report. After the accident, she asked me, "What happened?" I said, "The lights are out". She was really confused.... :nixweiss



I went to http://www.pearsonautobody.com Hopefully I can have AAA tow me to there. The costs will be free, I just hope that the old lady`s insurance doesnt make a limit to how much I can spend or make me go to a certain body shop. Anyone have any experiance with my situation? I really want it to end up flawless, this accident was 100% not my fault, I just sat there and got slamed.





:(

[boeman]

I hope everything works out for you... with the amount of people involved, there should be enough witnesses to prove it was her fault!

[Peter Crowl]

Three weeks ago I was going east on a boulevard street near my home. As I approached a major interesection, a car was coming west and moved into the left turn lane.



I had a solid green and so was proceeding toward the intersection at the speed limit.



The oncoming car got into his left turn lane and proceeded to turn left right into my lane(s) as if I weren`t there..or he had a green turn arrow.



There were no cars around me in my lanes and I was able to slam on the brakes (first time I every experienced the joys of ABS) and dive to the right. He ended up with his bumper about an inch from my rear quarter and his window across from mine. Both our windows were open. I was freaked. He was still talking on his cell phone.. He looked over at me and said "Sorry dude...my bad" and then he backed up and went around me like nothing happened.



Now...nothing had..we did not collide...but only because I was on it.



He must have been about 20.



The moral of the story is...idiots come in all flavors. Here in Denver more people over 65 have been killed by teen drivers than the other way around...just this year.





Glad you didn`t get hurt...hope your car comes out OK!





Peter..in Denver

[carcrazy22]

good luck !



Here`s my best friend story and this is give you an idea and save money too.. His car ( civic ) got hit by some buick model (driven by some lady with kids ) in rear fender. Woman`s fault, she gave her insurance info but no police called.



He called her insurance company first and they asked him to get repair price from any dealer/bodyshop. He went to Honda dealer and got price for repair - $600. Through yellow pages , he found a good bodyshop and they gave him quote for $450. So to insurance, he reported $600 from Honda dealer and he got $600 check and he went to bodyshop and got job done in $450 and $150 in his pocket ;)

[mnbv]

I just can`t wait to get it looking and driving new again. I`ll have fresh paint on the rear bumper (new bumper), new front bumper, new hood, both front fenders, bumper supports and whatever frame damage fixed. They are professionals where I am getting it done. http://www.pearsonautobody.com/ The blue book for my car is about 4k, I don`t think it will cost more then that to fix it.



I also finished my essay if you want me to post it. ;)

[imported_bckpack]

I would recommend reporting the accident to your insurance company immediately. Make it clear to them that you don`t want to file a claim right now. For your protection, they definately need to know about it. Her insurance company could string you along for a while and if you call your ins. months later needing their help you could be asking for trouble. It seems cut and dry but its better to be safe than sorry.



Also, worst case scenario, if the repair isn`t up to snuff your insurance company can step in for you...but only if you let them know what`s going on.

[scottlee]

pearsons will do a good job for you i lived in that area for a long time and my dad ( who still lives in the area has had work done at pearsons, deff call your insurance the insurance companies have attorneys that will help you fight if you need ti, but they have to know right away

good luck bud, sorry about your car

[MongooseGA]

I agree with you on the "old people should have to retake the driving test annually" thing. I had that idea myself years ago. Keep in mind I`m only 14 now. That`s how obvious it is that certain people need special requisits for driving. Though it may make my future driving test(s) harder, I think the current ones should be way more strict. I have formulated a genius idea to help get rid of some traffic on high ways. It would take so much funding however, and new laws etc, that it`d take forever to work out.

[Scottwax]

Originally posted by carcrazy22

good luck !



Here`s my best friend story and this is give you an idea and save money too.. His car ( civic ) got hit by some buick model (driven by some lady with kids ) in rear fender. Woman`s fault, she gave her insurance info but no police called.



He called her insurance company first and they asked him to get repair price from any dealer/bodyshop. He went to Honda dealer and got price for repair - $600. Through yellow pages , he found a good bodyshop and they gave him quote for $450. So to insurance, he reported $600 from Honda dealer and he got $600 check and he went to bodyshop and got job done in $450 and $150 in his pocket ;)



Chosing a body shop by price can be a very, very, very bad idea. My brother`s 3 month old truck was damaged in a hail storm. State Farm gave him $6000 to have it fixed. He found a body shop that would do the work for $3000. I`d have to type for an hour to list everything wrong with his truck now, and he has taken it back 3 times now. Massive overspray in the door jams, interior door panels, on his weather stripping and 20" wheels, runs, sags, fisheyes, horrible orange peel, the color does not match, visible sanding marks in the roof, etc. The cheapest estimate to fix his truck right is $12,000 and all three shops he has taken it to need 4-6 weeks minumum to competely strip the cab, including door jams, etc and reshoot it. The wheels have to be stripped and recoated, all the trim and weather stripping has to be replaced. Ugh.

[mnbv]

The cop even told me I shouldent tell my insurance about it! I agree because I think it is unfair to have my insurance raised a penny because of an accident that was 100% not my fault. I don`t know what it would help also because I only have liability. The cop`s advice was to wait for the police report to be done (2-3 days) and then call the lady`s insurance company to figure everything out, but mostly just to get a check from them for the cost of pearson`s auto body repairs. I don`t think I will need an lawyer, there were about 10 witnesses that all have the same story, everyone knows it was the old lady.

[svanderbilt]

Call your local Bimmer/Audi/Benz/Acura/Infiniti/Bentley/Porsche dealer and have them each recommend a body shop. If a name starts coming up more often than once, have your work done there.

[hirosh]

damn, i hope the police report states what you saw. and i don`t know, is it possible for your insurance rate to go up even if you don`t make a claim with them? i thought that would be one reason for them to raise your rates. and if anything, check out different shops. see what kind of cars they do, see if you can see any finished cars, see what the shop looks like, if the frame is bent how do they fix it (robot alignment machine or something?).



good luck. i hope everything works out.

[imported_bckpack]

If she caused damage to multiple vehicles her insurance company might not be in a huge hurry to cut everyone a check.



I was involved in an accident that was not my fault. Everyone at the scene agreed it was the other parties fault (including the cop). About a year and a half later I got a call from an attorney. Long story short, the woman who was involved tried to sue me for damages and claimed an injury. My insurance company provided a great attorney and took care of everything. I did have to go to court for a week but the jury ruled in my favor. I never filed a claim for the damage but I did let them know about the accident. Imagine calling your insurance company and telling them you are being sued (and therefore need their liability protection) for an accident that happened over a year ago. They`re not going to be too happy.



Interestingly, after this episode, and after my ins. company spent many thousands of dollars on attorney`s fees, my rates went down:nixweiss .

[mnbv]

I just want this over with in a month from now, I`ll call the other person`s ins. company before mine, then I will call mine if needed.

[pocon1]

Call your insurance company. They are there to protect you. The way our insurance company works, you file with them, then they collect the money from the other insurance, saving you the hassle of trying to collect it. Besides, with no collision insurance, they cannot raise your rates. Only if you cause an accident. Since you were stopped, you obviously didn`t cause the accident. Also, doublecheck that shop`s reputation. Some unscrupulous tow drivers feed business to shops they get a kickback from. This may not be your case, but it is good to check. Plus, if her company screws around with payment, it might be months before they fix your car. Also, get reimbursement for your tow fees and a rental car. One more point. If your insurance works with you and helps you figure out the true cost of repairs, it might protect you. Don`t let her insurance evaluate it and just cut you a check. They need to repair the vehicle to original condition, not pay an estimate of what they think it will cost to fix it. For instance, if they give you a check, and your body shop finds more damage underneath, then it will be like pulling teeth to get more money for the repair. Every change in the estimate will have to be approved by their company.