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T-boned by a runaway truck in San Francisco. It came barreling down a rather steep hill and smacked right into us. I was sitting in the back seat on the side that was hit and wound up facing the rear of the car. Inside door handle flew off and hit me in the eye. The swelling was so bad and immediate, I was convinced my eye was gone and a policeman responding to the scene had to do some intense talking to convince me otherwise (he was very very nice, though). Wound up sitting for hours in the ER at SF General, had the good fortune to have an ophthalmology intern stitch me up...no scars! Still have back pain to this day. By the time we got home, the phone was ringing...attorneys wanting to represent me in a lawsuit (this was before the days of HIPAA and I then fully understood the term 'ambulance chasers'). Declined their offers.
Other than that, nothing but minor fender benders (knock on wood).
My father was a limo driver and used to say every accident the driver is at fault. You need to be aware of surroundings and if someone hits you it is also your fault.
He drove around 60,000 to 70,000 miles a year in the New York City area for 25 years and never had an Accident or a ticket. Not even a parking ticket.
My father was a limo driver and used to say every accident the driver is at fault. You need to be aware of surroundings and if someone hits you it is also your fault.
Auto insurance companies would tend to agree. After all, you could be sitting there in your car, minding your own business and suddenly get sideswiped or rear-ended but you are considered partially at fault for being out on the road. I can't say I completely agree with than line of thinking. There's no way we could have foreseen a runaway truck or even been aware of it fast enough to react and get out of the intersection safely to avoid being hit. That also reminds me of a fellow I knew who was fired for "not being aware of his surroundings" when a heavy bolt being tightened on the roof of a factory slipped from the wrench of the fellow working on it, fell through the roof and struck him on the head. I don't know of too many who would walk through a crowded factory with their eyes on the roof.
One accident when a lady ran the red light. Fortunately, there was a young man sitting in the next lane and I asked him to stay and give a statement to the police and he did. The policeman came and immediately hugged the lady and asked her by name what had happened. To her credit, she said, I guess I ran a red light. Then when the young man was describing to the officer what happened he kept asking if I was speeding, did I stop fast enough, etc. trying to put some fault on me but he held tough even with the officer trying to pin some blame on me.
Have you ever been involved in a car accident?
I have yet to be in one. I've been driving for a pretty long time.
Have any of you? Any stories? Let's start a thread where you can share your experiences and hopefully teach others.
I got re ended 3 times in 4 month at a bus stop as people enter and leaving the bus.
First one was a hit run and then 5 hours later I got hit again this time it was a drunk driver.
Than 5 month later got hit again at a bus stop.
In my mid-20s, I was driving down a four-lane divided highway with a speed limit of 50 (I think, might have been 45). I was in the left lane, there were cars in front of me and to the right of me. As I approached an intersection with a green traffic light to drive straight through it (it had been green, not just turned green), a car from the opposite direction all of a sudden began to turn left directly in front of me. There was no place for me to go - the median was small on my left, there was a car on my right. I slammed on the brakes and t-boned the woman, going probably about 30-ish mph. She was in an 80s Envoy - built like a tank. I was in a mid-90s low-model Subaru. My car was totalled, fortunately I had only the breath knocked out of me (which was pretty scary), some bruising from the seat belt, and sprained knee and ankle from where my leg smacked into the driver console.
The old lady (in her 80s) swore up and down she had a green left turn light. It wasn't - several people stopped and bore witness for me. Turned out that she had been sitting at a red left turn light, looked up, saw the green for the straight traffic, and thought her left arrow was green. Her insurance company had to pay up.
First, I was coming around a corner and someone was pulling out of a parallel parking spot at the same time. He hit the passenger side of my car and tore a chunk of metal out of. Police cited him. His insurance company totaled the car and gave me a check for a whopping $1800, which I thought was too much. Car was still perfectly driveable, and the insurance company never took the car or title. I kept driving it.
Second, I was driving up in the mountains on a windy road in February. Hit a patch of ice around a corner and my beater's bald tires couldn't handle it (I was stupid and driving too fast). Rolled the car once. Something in the car sliced the side of my head. I lost the tip of my left ear and have a scar underneath the hair just above my ear.
I walked up to the side of the road where a nice couple who saw it let me sit in their car while the ambulance came. A cop came out and took my statement. He later met me and my parents at the hospital, gave me a small lecture about how lucky I was and to slow down and he was very much correct. He did not give me a ticket. I was very lucky.
The company that recovered the car didn't charge me since it was worth about as much in scrap as the cost of the recovery. Again, very lucky since the car was downhill from the road about 50 feet.
Haven't had any since I slowed from that period of my life.
I crashed into McDonald a couple of years ago but the building was fine. The front bumper on my truck did get ruined though. I don't know if that counts or not.
"I was driving along and this McDonald's just jumped out in front of me"?
Quote:
Originally Posted by SandyJet
My father was a limo driver and used to say every accident the driver is at fault. You need to be aware of surroundings and if someone hits you it is also your fault.
He drove around 60,000 to 70,000 miles a year in the New York City area for 25 years and never had an Accident or a ticket. Not even a parking ticket.
There's a logic to that. But, there's the unavoidable as well. You're sitting at a red light with traffic going across and see an idiot texting and not slowing down in your rear view... Can't go left, can't go right, can't go straight.
Then there's the ones where you're attentive, slowing to avoid an accident in front of you, and you get popped from the back.
I tend to be hyper-aware when i'm driving.. It's kept me out of alot of bad situations.
Only one, and it was a minor collission, thankfully no one got hurt and the damage to either car was minor. It was all my fault and pretty stupid. I accidentally drifted to the other lane by a bit and a truck behind me honked and I got spooked and merged to the right lane, but like an idiot, I didn't even check my mirrors and I hit a white car by the side. Luckily the owner of the car was
A. very nice
B. in a rush to get to work
C. probably felt sorry for me and assumed I was a high schooler. (I was 20, but I look young, and I was driving my mom's car, which has a "My son is a blah blah student" sticker for my brother, who actually is in high school)
Didn't have to get the cops or insurance involved. I learnt my lesson and have been more attentive and cautious.
Has anyone ever noticed that when it comes to the internet and car accidents very few people will admit they were at fault?
I had a minor fender bender back in the day. It was my fault. I ended up paying the other driver $1600. My parents would not have it any other way.
The damage was one dented fender and a some slight mental bruising. I screwed up.
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Still have back pain to this day. By the time we got home, the phone was ringing...attorneys wanting to represent me in a lawsuit (this was before the days of HIPAA and I then fully understood the term 'ambulance chasers'). Declined their offers.
I don't know of too many who would walk through a crowded factory with their eyes on the roof.
