So, I got into a car accident today. I want to preface this by saying that I'm fine, Charley wasn't with me when the accident happened, so there's no need for concern. I really contemplated whether or not I wanted to blog about this, because I really don't want to come off as complaining. But I decided to write about it, because this particular accident brings up some issues that I never really thought I would have to deal with, in terms of the laws and insurance related issues that come along with driving. Buckle up for this one!
Let me set the stage a little bit. I was stopped in the left turn lane at a stoplight, when a vehicle slammed into the back right side of my car at around 35 mph, and continued driving until she had effectively taken out my back wheel, the passenger side of my car, and my mirror. She slowed down. Stopped. And then drove off. Fortunately for me, there were dozens of other cars in the intersection, and I noticed some following her. She must have recognized this, because she finally stopped, turned around, and came back to the scene. As I made my first 911 call EVER, I was surprised to hear from the dispatcher that the incident had already been called in. That means one of the witnesses must've called, too, and I am very grateful for that. Minnesota drivers looking out for each other... I like that.
Anyway, the woman did turn around, get out of her car, and apologize. I didn't have anything nice to say, so I decided it was better for me not to say anything. That is, until the cops showed up. Did I yell and scream about being side swiped while I was STOPPED? Ha! No. That's not me. I'm not a yeller and a screamer. Instead, I burst into tears. Not because I was hurt. Just because I was shaken up, and he was so nice to me. I probably sounded like a blubbering idiot, but I had absolutely no control over it. I am ALWAYS in control of my emotions, and I really didn't enjoy crying uncontrollably. However, once I'd given him all of my information, I had time to calm down, text my family and friends, and let them know what had happened.
This is where it gets complicated. I saw the officer going back and forth between the other driver's vehicle, and his car. Several other officers showed up. Crap, I thought. I bet she's not insured. Well, according to the woman, the car belonged to her son, and he had the insurance information. I heard one of the officers asking her about the car's registration. It seems that the car she was driving had expired tabs from a different state, and it was, in fact registered to her son. The officer gathered the rest of her contact information, let her go (her car was drivable), and sat with me to wait for the tow truck to show up. "You, know," he said, "To be honest with you, I think the idea that she has insurance is pretty slim." Of course that had crossed my mind. Why else would her initial reaction have been to drive off? Ugh. Then the officer said, "People say things happen for a reason. But I can't really see a reason for this, on your part. I mean...It's a beautiful day, the road isn't slippery, there's no traffic... There's really absolutely no reason this should've happened, except that another person totally wasn't paying attention!" I appreciated him trying to make me feel better. "Maybe she needed a wake-up call of some sort, and I just happened to be the victim of that wake-up call," I replied.
As the day went on, I ran into a couple of other issues. The All Star Baseball games have been going on all week, and there are NO rental cars available in the Twin Cities or surrounding areas. Literally...none. So, I'm stranded at home until sometime tomorrow when I get a call from Enterprise saying they have a car available, and I can sucker someone into coming to pick Charley and me up so we can go get the car. Ha! I guess that means if you want to see me, you'll have to come visit! The other problem was that I got pretty sore, and decided to go to urgent care to get checked out. They admitted me into the ER, ran a whole plethora of tests, had an IV (the nurse told me the doctor ordered it, because I looked like I needed it....was that his way of telling the nurse I looked like crap?) found some internal bruising, but as I suspected... I'm totally fine. A little sore. But fine. Thank goodness for that. The ER visit was more of an annoyance than anything else, but I'm glad I went.
Ok, so the situation is complicated. But now, I find myself wondering...What if she really isn't insured? What does that mean for me? Well, that really depends on the damage to my vehicle. It was fairly substantial, but I don't really know anything about car parts and labor costs, so I don't know if it's totaled or just damaged. If it IS totaled, then I could be in quite a predicament. First of all, the claim would go against me, because my insurance would have to pay for it, and my rate could increase. Second of all, I drive a leased car. This means that the insurance company would pay the leasing agency, and (God forbid) if the value of the car is less than what is owed on it, I could end up financially responsible for the remainder of the lease. This basically means, I would have no money coming from the insurance company for a replacement. And no car. What would I do? It's the kind of situation that had never crossed my mind before today. It seems totally unfair. I mean...I was stopped. I didn't do anything wrong. Somebody else did. Doesn't that seem like a flaw in the system? I don't know, it just doesn't seem right.
Meanwhile, what would the consequences be for the other driver? Well, if she doesn't have insurance, she could lose her license. I could sue her for the money to pay for the deductible. But if she has no money, that won't do any good. Plus, I just can't picture myself taking part in a lawsuit. It's very unlike me. So what is the next step for her? Will there be other repercussions? Or does the fact that she's uninsured get her into trouble with the law, but get her off the hook financially? I'm not sure I understand that. If anybody knows, please, enlighten me!
Now, in the BEST case scenario (and what I'm hoping for), the woman comes forward with her insurance, and her insurance company takes care of everything. My car turns out to be damaged, but not beyond repair, and I get it back in a couple of weeks. This is what I'm hoping for.
At the end of the day, I'm grateful for one thing. I am so thankful that Charley was not in the car. I had to go the ER to get checked out, and if she had experienced that impact, she could've been seriously hurt. Someone was looking down on me, in that aspect.
This week can only improve from here, and I know it will. Goodnight!
No comments:
Post a Comment