i<3dirt

iTrader: (1)

yea some laws are so stupid and there is nothing u can do about it

RussB

iTrader: (2)

take it to the shop of your choice, if it happens to be the insurance companies recommendation as well it makes things easier.

in the future always get a police report. ALWAYS. without one its your word against theirs. with one it's the opinion of a sworn officer.

share the required insurance ONLY with the other party, describe the incident to law enforcement. when insurance asks for a description of the incident, refer them to the police report.

I always go through my own insurance and let them sort it out with the at fault party.

always go to your dr afterward.

< has been in 3 worse accidents than that in the past 12 months.

z0rz

iTrader: (9)

Awesome, thanks for the info! I'll definitely PM you if I need any help soon

Yeah, this is definitely my biggest mistake here. And something I should have known.. heh. I actually DID contact the police after the accident and they asked if anyone was hurt (no) and if both parties exchanged info (yes). The woman says that that was all that was legally required from us, so my nervous brain interpreted that as "cool, I did everything I'm supposed to do! *click*" Bahhhhhh.. oh well.

Thank you all for the advice. I really do appreciate it. I'm completely clueless about this process so this should really help me to avoid any mistakes/regrets.

The other guy's insurance will be sending someone to check out my car on Monday, so we'll see how that goes. They said there was some conflicting information about the guy's address though, which scares me. I'm assuming I should wait on getting my own appraisal until I know for sure that they've gotten ahold of the other guy and accepted responsibility, right? There's always a chance that his information was fraudulent...

i<3dirt

iTrader: (1)

btw if ur car will be in the shop, make sure u ask for a rental.

Pearl07STI

iTrader: (10)

glad to hear you ok... sucks to hear about the car though! hopefully people will learn how to drive better

RussB

iTrader: (2)

also don't forget to file your sr1 form with the DMV. if the other party does, and you dont, expect a strongly words letter from the DMV.

z0rz

iTrader: (9)

I was wondering why the claims process was taking so long -- the other driver is now claiming that I changed lanes into him.

Time to get a lawyer?

thejordan

iTrader: (8)

this is why people ****ing suck. scum. talk to your insurance company first. most will say that by the looks of where the damage is, etc., there's no real possibility of you being at fault. see what your insurance company says, they'll usually fight it for you. otherwise, get a lawyer, and counter-sue the ****er.

i<3dirt

iTrader: (1)

did u get a police report?

z0rz

iTrader: (9)

I once "rear-ended" a woman in my old truck. Long story short, I left about a quarter-size dent in her rear bumper from my license plate frame. Not denying my mistake when I drove my truck, but it was basically the most minor accident humanly possible. She tried to sue me 23 months later for injury (I think statute of limitations is 2 years for this sort of thing, could be wrong though). It obviously didn't go in her favor. I hate people.

I am 100% taking legal action against this guy. I know these "he said, she said" stories are hard to prove, but like you said: the angle and degree of the damage to my car definitely doesn't agree with the his story at all.

Nope, I called the police but the way the operator worded her statement made my nervous brain assume that I didn't NEED one (legally true, but should still have gotten one).

An officer actually drove by us when we pulled over (after I called them) and flashed his lights one time, like he acknowledged we needed help. I assumed he was going to loop around the freeway and come back, but he never did.



If anyone has any expertise in the small claims/auto collision department, please PM me. Any help would be much appreciated! You guys have already been a great asset thus far

STiWRX06

Sh*t, looks like time for "Judge Judy" or "The People's Court" lol!

i<3dirt

iTrader: (1)

at this rate i would get a lawyer. im sorry that u have to go trough this.

DDMan

iTrader: (10)

I had the same thing happen to me. Rear ended a guy in 06, no big deal, but there was definitely some damage. I was served with lawsuit paperwork, 2 years to the DAY later. Insurance went to bat. He was asking for like 100k in medical, lost work, and whatnot. He ended up getting 6k. Lol.

Either way, it's CHP's territory. At least it didn't occur in the city of Sacramento (on city streets). They won't even come out to help with a wreck unless someone needs to be transported to the hospital or the wreck is blocking the road.

soggynoodles

iTrader: (50)

My night is good so far. Got back from the park, drinking a beer or 3. About to put on in time to watch. Hopefully it's not some suck *** movie.