Unbelievable (OT)

For the third time in five years my car has been wrecked. Each time by somebody else doing something stupid.

1 - turning left right in front of me.
2 - running a stop sign and hitting me.
3- pulling out from a stop sign right in front of me.
This last time also messed up my shoulder so I won't be getting any hay baled for several weeks.
The insuarnce companies have been so much fun to deal with. The latest car wasn't much to look at but it got 28 mpg and was paid for. Since it's a 1992 they will want to total it and I'll have to find another car to drive. I had just gotten all the problems under control with this one.

Sorry for the rant.

Are you sure you're paying your ties? That's too many coincidences. Try to get a bright red one next time that is easy to see. Sorry about your luck but maybe you're using up all your bad luck for some smooth sailing. ohfred

Just tell the Insurance Company you want your Car "Replaced" just as good or better then what you had --- most times they don't like doing that -- but that can be done if you stick to your gun's

Like one post suggested demand a replacement, or rather tell them you'll get a replacement and then "send them the bill". They can make offers up the wazoo but you don't have to accept any of them until they make one that's to your liking. If they try to cheat you don't hesitate to, at the very minumum, threaten legal action and/or to call the insurance commission. Most insurance companies are a racket and will cheat you in a heart beat, if you let them. In the grand sceme of things though you are actually in control when it was the other persons fault, they'll just never admit to it until they get desperate to settle the case. It took me nearly a year to settle with the insurance after my pickup got totalled but in the end they were calling me and asking what it would take to satisfy me so they could close the case. What I was told (but not by the company trying to settle with me) is they can't close it until an offer is accepted and to try to do so isn't viewed that well by the insurance commission. Another thing, they often want to settle the medical and the vehicle seperately and send seperate checks, etc. Tell them you want it all together. Your state may be different but in NC law requires them to pay your medical and making them pay it all together insures the vehicle part gets paid because they have to pay you that part in order to pay you the medical. Unless you have no choice but to settle quick to get mobile again, hold out and make them pay you a fair price for your damaged vehicle and your injuries, that's their job....It worked for me.

I used to have a bright red truck. In May I was hit from behind by a drunk driver (I was three cars back from a red stoplight). Insurance company wrote me a check for the salvage value and I spent a few hours getting it back in drivable shape. Then in August of the same year a fellow pulled in front of me (he was making an illegal left turn) and smashed my radiator into the engine. Bright red, totalled twice in 4 months. Probably wouldn't have helped even if it had flashing red lights on it.

I think you ought to slow down. 2 of the 3 accidents you hit somebody else.

Spook,
My thoughts too, drive like the other guy is an idiot and you don't have many problems. I think politically correct it's called defensive driving.

MDWill I feel your pain except two out of the three accidents I've been in were by unisured motorists. I don't quite agree with one of the comments about slowing down I got hit after stopping at a fourway stop and was taking off when a big halfton truck broadsided me after not stopping my buddy was following and saw the whole thing, the kicker was it was a gray GMC S15 and the insurance company argued it had been repainted which it was because that paint was called back for repaint due to flaking off offered me $1900 that went on for months finally settled still not great also by the way I had just made the last payment on it. A year later I was rearended by a 16 year old who had just gotten her license had no insurance. Less than a year later I loaned it to my stepson to take his dog to the vet again 4 way stop some underage punk left a bar like a bat out of H*** with no insurance slammed my truck and SS dog flew out but was OK. Finally had to junk the truck after that have seen no money and all the violators are still driving. Ohio has a law of no insurance no license but I guess that's out the window court says how do you expect them to go to work if they can't drive? What?

I'll agree with the defensive driving part. Being in 'the right' doesn't always keep you alive on the road...

Rod

In each of your accidents, if you were driving a motorcycle rather than a car you would be pushing up daisies right now rather than b*ing about other drivers. The left-hand turn is a particular killer for bikes. You might want to take a motorcycle safety class if you can. They teach you to drive with a total awareness of the risks around you. If you anticipate what other drivers MIGHT do, then you'll be prepared to act WHEN another driver does something stupid.

I had a woman pull out from a stop sine in front of me in February.Dont take what they offer if its not enough.They have a certain amount of time,dont remember if its the same in every state,probably not.I think its 2 weeks here,and the agent I dealt with called me about 3 days before the deadline,then acted like she was in a hurry.She got mad and hanged up when I told her I wasnt taking what she was offering for my pickup,3 days later I got over two and a half times more than she offered the first time.Look for the highest priced ones with picture ads you can find like yours and e-mail them 4 or 5 of them in a 200 mile radius of where you are.They will send you a couple in your e mail maybe of some car thats about half of what yours is worth,but when you check on it,the transmission will be out,or it will have twice as many miles as yours.You dont have to take that offer,just find higher priced ones and send them back.If you are lucky you will get quite a bit more than you think.One thing about doing it that way is they dont have an excuse now for giving you a few dollars and not enough to buy another car.Print the ads out too in case they say they cant find them,car ads come and go all the time,but its not your fault if it was there last night but gone today.You also have title fees,transportation costs,new license plates,or transfer,sales tax.It all adds up.By the time you are on the road again you will have maybe a thousand out of your own pocket if you arent careful.After they make the deal with you,go buy the one without a transmission if you want to.I thought about doing that and putting mine in it,but didnt,who knows what else is wrong with it,maybe nothing.

I like the replies about you driving too fast , Will. It is all your fault that people climb behind the wheel, put the vehicle in gear, while their brains are in neutral. These guys that are blaming you, need to get out and about more. I drive about 125,00 miles every year, and the things that I see everyday on the road would make your hair stand on end.

I almost rear ended someone today who thought it was a good idea to not merge all the way into the center left turn lane.

Hopefully my screeching tires taught them a lesson.

It's amusing how you comment about all these hair raising situations you witness every day yet you imply that you stay out of these messes or don't get in an accident. Perhaps you drive defensively too??
I'd think that our friend here would not have been involved in the left hand turn accident if he'd either been paying closer attention or not following so close. If the car had simply stopped in front of him, and then he rear ended him, it's likely he'd have been at fault, not the car making the left hand turn.
The other two.... mabey could have been avoided, mabey not. I tend to think that most accidents can be avoided by paying closer attention. I get to see plenty of stupid things done from the cab of a truck too, and I don't spend a lot of time in it. I had a guy pull out onto the highway in front of me one day about 500 feet from the intersection. There's 10 strips of rubber there yet, but he got away. I spose if I just trucked on through like I owned the road (since I did have the right of way) he'd be dead now, but anyway. He lived so as to provide someone else the pleasure of $hitting their pants.

Rod

You are driving too slow. If you had been driving fast enough, you would have been past those spots before the jerks got there.

Get this - I was stopped a red light, got rear-ended by a company owned van. The employee driving was a diabetic (ins. co knew this) said he went into insulin shock (interesting how someone in shock can navigate a curve and leave 30+ feet of skid marks). Ins. co. claimed it was and "act of God". I had to get a lawyer and sue.

I asked a man one time why he moved only 3 miles from his previous home.

He replied that he had read some statistics that proved most accidents happen within 2 miles from your home.

So he moved 3 miles away from his home to avoid having any accidents.

Only in Texas!