Accident last night - my S is crumbled!!
12-27-2003 | 02:28 PM
#61
Racer
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 302
Likes: 0
From: South Pasadena, CA
How terrible! I'm glad to hear you're both ok, but, like everyone else says, get checked out by a doctor. Even if it's just really sore muscles, physical therapy might help you get back to normal sooner.
On the who's at fault issue, I have found out the hard way that what really happend has very little to do with the final decision of fault. And suing may not get you anywhere, even if you have a good case. In my accident, I was making a left turn off a rural two lane road on a rainy night (more of a "Y" than a cross street). I waited for one car to pass, saw two more cars off in the distance, started to make my turn, hadn't even got half way across the other lane when a Dodge Ram hit the front corner of my 924S. He was running without lights, I never saw him until an instant before he hit me. Guess what - his light were on by the time the cops got there, so I'm at fault. The insurance company didn't even want to talk to my witness, in the car behind me. He's my husband, so he's not credible, even under oath, according to them.
I've talked to a lawyer, here's how it turned out. I have an excellent case, no problem there. His best guess, based on the loss of my car, my medical expenses, etc., would be around$30K. Now, for the fun part. He also estimated that it would cost at least $40K to go to trial. Ummm, something here doesn't compute . . . since my insurance covered my medical bills, my real loss is the value of of my car, gee, I get to spend heavens knows how long dealing with this, and I even up at best where I am now, at worse even further in the hole. And, even if I win big, it's civil court and wouldn't clear my driving record. The decision was easy, but it's one more reason why I'm losing respect for the judical system in this country. Truth and justice don't have a lot to do with the outcome any more. Sound a little bitter? Yeah.
Pat
On the who's at fault issue, I have found out the hard way that what really happend has very little to do with the final decision of fault. And suing may not get you anywhere, even if you have a good case. In my accident, I was making a left turn off a rural two lane road on a rainy night (more of a "Y" than a cross street). I waited for one car to pass, saw two more cars off in the distance, started to make my turn, hadn't even got half way across the other lane when a Dodge Ram hit the front corner of my 924S. He was running without lights, I never saw him until an instant before he hit me. Guess what - his light were on by the time the cops got there, so I'm at fault. The insurance company didn't even want to talk to my witness, in the car behind me. He's my husband, so he's not credible, even under oath, according to them.
I've talked to a lawyer, here's how it turned out. I have an excellent case, no problem there. His best guess, based on the loss of my car, my medical expenses, etc., would be around$30K. Now, for the fun part. He also estimated that it would cost at least $40K to go to trial. Ummm, something here doesn't compute . . . since my insurance covered my medical bills, my real loss is the value of of my car, gee, I get to spend heavens knows how long dealing with this, and I even up at best where I am now, at worse even further in the hole. And, even if I win big, it's civil court and wouldn't clear my driving record. The decision was easy, but it's one more reason why I'm losing respect for the judical system in this country. Truth and justice don't have a lot to do with the outcome any more. Sound a little bitter? Yeah.
Pat
12-27-2003 | 07:52 PM
#62
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 14,075
Likes: 3
From: Santa Barbara, CA
Let's take a look at this from a few steps back in the 'big picture' of things... What if we were to ban SUVs, would that have allowed Jeff to see that there was a car behind it? And the car behind would've been able to see the 944S ???
12-28-2003 | 10:55 AM
#63
Racer
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 469
Likes: 0
From: NE Ohio
It seems the other driver would have to change lanes well before the intersection in order to be moving fast enough to cause the impact described. In any case, look at it from the other driver's perspective and I think you'll agree that you're the only one at fault ("I'm driving along minding my own business and this guy turns in front of me across my lane").
Be thankful that you survived, forget about the car, and prepare yourself to accept responsibility for this one. Glad you and your GF are OK (maybe that was a Christmas gift after all?)
Good luck
Ron
Be thankful that you survived, forget about the car, and prepare yourself to accept responsibility for this one. Glad you and your GF are OK (maybe that was a Christmas gift after all?)
Good luck
Ron