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  #1  
Old 09-02-2008, 12:43 PM
Johnny L.A. Johnny L.A. is online now
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Me arse got pounded

Yep, got rear-ended in the Prius this morning. Traffic had stopped, and I was stopped behind a BMW. I looked in my rear-view mirror to see a Nissan SUV come to a stop behind me. Just as she stopped she was slammed from behind by a Dodge minivan. She was pushed into me, and I was pushed into the BMW.

The BMW got scuffed bumper paint. My front bumper was scuffed, and my license plate frame was broken. The plate is a little mangled. The back end is not good. The bumper is smushed in and the hatch doesn't want to close unless you push the bottom forward while closing it. The car thinks I have a door open, and lights the annunciator to tell me so.

The Nissan's front end looks find. The car that caused the collisions hit her in the back. Pushed her spare tire in, thus deforming her hatch.

The minivan hit the woman with enough force to destroy his front end. He was immobile. Here's the best part: The State Patrolman had to push him to the shoulder. The minivan hit the Nissan again!

The at-fault driver lives in California, the minivan has California plates, but the driver has a Mexican driver's license. He does have insurance, so I'm letting my insurance company hash it all out with his insurance company.

The BMW driver, I, and the woman were uninjured; though the woman's 23-year-old toy poodle (!) was shaken up. Neither the BMW driver nor I talked to the at-fault driver. He was uninjured, and no ambulance was called so I assume his passengers were as well.

Ironically, I normally would have telecommuted today since Monday was a holiday. But I didn't want to.
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  #2  
Old 09-02-2008, 01:15 PM
The Great Sun Jester The Great Sun Jester is offline
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Bummer dude. There's never a good time to get in a wreck.
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  #3  
Old 09-02-2008, 01:37 PM
Palo Verde Palo Verde is offline
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I just got my car back after getting hit in the rear. No one was hurt but I had frame damage and it took over a month for them to finish fixing the car.

I'm soooo glad the guy had insurance!
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  #4  
Old 09-02-2008, 02:29 PM
BrotherCadfael BrotherCadfael is offline
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Ooh! Ooh! Did your Prius batteries blow up????
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  #5  
Old 09-02-2008, 02:32 PM
Johnny L.A. Johnny L.A. is online now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BrotherCadfael View Post
Ooh! Ooh! Did your Prius batteries blow up????
No... Should they have?
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  #6  
Old 09-02-2008, 06:43 PM
Manduck Manduck is online now
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Originally Posted by Johnny L.A. View Post
No... Should they have?
It would have made a much better story
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  #7  
Old 09-02-2008, 07:19 PM
Count Blucher Count Blucher is offline
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Originally Posted by BrotherCadfael View Post
Ooh! Ooh! Did your Prius batteries blow up????
Have you tried Prius-peration-H...?

-d&r-
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  #8  
Old 09-02-2008, 11:25 PM
Tequila Mockingbird Tequila Mockingbird is offline
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Johnny, sorry about the accident and glad you're not seriously hurt.


You're still doing that American trying to be British thing though? Ouch. (you may wanna rethink that)
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  #9  
Old 09-02-2008, 11:26 PM
Johnny L.A. Johnny L.A. is online now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tequila Mockingbird View Post
You're still doing that American trying to be British thing though? Ouch. (you may wanna rethink that)
A) Didn't ask your opinion.

B) Woosh.
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  #10  
Old 09-02-2008, 11:33 PM
Tequila Mockingbird Tequila Mockingbird is offline
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A.) doesn't mean I can't post it anyway

and

B.)it's been awhile since I've been here. If I am offbase, I do beg your pardon. I do recall you using affected language in the past, so much so it stuck in my memory with your username. If you were puposely drawing on that in naming this thread, most especially for humor, I apologize and have inded been whooshed.
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  #11  
Old 09-02-2008, 11:42 PM
MikeG MikeG is offline
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A) seconded

B) I never said anything but this one was a little over the top. God knows I'm guilty when I get drunk or tired of a bit of accent slip but hell, it's been 31 years since I lived in Ireland, I'm fine with being an American.
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  #12  
Old 09-02-2008, 11:45 PM
Johnny L.A. Johnny L.A. is online now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeG View Post
B) I never said anything but this one was a little over the top. God knows I'm guilty when I get drunk or tired of a bit of accent slip but hell, it's been 31 years since I lived in Ireland, I'm fine with being an American.
I don't have an accent. I do accents. In print German or Russian isn't funny.

Thank you both for threadshitting.
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  #13  
Old 09-02-2008, 11:59 PM
Spiny Norman Spiny Norman is offline
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Glad you're OK!

- that rear-ending stuff is dangerous. Don't make it a habit.

At least you were on four rather than two wheels...
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  #14  
Old 09-03-2008, 12:02 AM
Johnny L.A. Johnny L.A. is online now
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Originally Posted by Spiny Norman View Post
Don't make it a habit.
I'm beginning to wonder. Back in 2001 (I think) I was on the 105, stopped behind a guy and this girl was too busy playing with her radio to pay attention to traffic...

ETA: Then there was the time on the bike when a guy in a truck decided to make a two-lane dash, and years before when a woman backed into me after changing her mind at a stop sign, and in high school when a guy made a U-turn into the back of the pickup I was driving. I'm starting to think I'm a magnet for inattentive drivers.

Last edited by Johnny L.A.; 09-03-2008 at 12:06 AM.
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  #15  
Old 09-03-2008, 12:12 AM
Tequila Mockingbird Tequila Mockingbird is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny L.A. View Post
I don't have an accent. I do accents. In print German or Russian isn't funny.

Thank you both for threadshitting.
It certainly was not my intent to do any threadshitting here, or to anyway imply that I found this topic dismissive or beneath me.

I am glad you weren't seriously hurt. Perhaps you missed that in my first post, so I'll say it again. I am glad you weren't injured.

The rest was just an observation and I am sorry if you read too much into it.
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  #16  
Old 09-03-2008, 02:31 AM
picunurse picunurse is offline
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Where were you? Did any airbags deploy? Glad you're ok.
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  #17  
Old 09-03-2008, 08:16 AM
Johnny L.A. Johnny L.A. is online now
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Originally Posted by picunurse View Post
Where were you? Did any airbags deploy? Glad you're ok.
Everett. No airbags. I've felt more of an impact on amusement park rides. I was actually surprised at the damage to the front of the mini-van. Still, he hit hard enough to push a small SUV into me with enough force to push in my bumper.

I found a flaw in Toyota's engineering. The car thinks a door is open (the hatch is indeed latched) so it won't let me lock it up. Used to be that cars didn't need to be locked up here; but I've had things pilfered from the Jeep so so much for that.
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  #18  
Old 09-03-2008, 11:47 AM
minor7flat5 minor7flat5 is offline
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I have always wondered about how chain-reaction accidents are handled.

Does everyone deal directly with the last guy in the chain with no dealings (insurance or otherwise) with the intermediary cars?
or
Does everyone just work with the person directly behind them, with each insurance company simply passing the blame on down the line?

In other words, is your accident treated by the police and insurance as you being rear-ended by the Nissan, and all dealings are with the Nissan owner and her insurance?
Or
Is your accident and everyone else's treated as all caused by the same guy at the end of the line?

If it is the former, what happens when someone in the middle is uninsured? Suppose your Nissan lady was uninsured: she would not pay you, but her damages might be paid by the car behind her.

If it is the latter, then doesn't that take all responsibility away from the drivers further forward? In some cases one in front locks their breaks, causing the "accident wave" to travel front-to-back, meaning the first person's car was damaged before the last person arrived. In other cases, the last person shoves everyone forward.
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  #19  
Old 09-03-2008, 12:34 PM
Enright3 Enright3 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by minor7flat5 View Post
I have always wondered about how chain-reaction accidents are handled.

Does everyone deal directly with the last guy in the chain with no dealings (insurance or otherwise) with the intermediary cars?
or
Does everyone just work with the person directly behind them, with each insurance company simply passing the blame on down the line?

In other words, is your accident treated by the police and insurance as you being rear-ended by the Nissan, and all dealings are with the Nissan owner and her insurance?
Or
Is your accident and everyone else's treated as all caused by the same guy at the end of the line?

If it is the former, what happens when someone in the middle is uninsured? Suppose your Nissan lady was uninsured: she would not pay you, but her damages might be paid by the car behind her.

If it is the latter, then doesn't that take all responsibility away from the drivers further forward? In some cases one in front locks their breaks, causing the "accident wave" to travel front-to-back, meaning the first person's car was damaged before the last person arrived. In other cases, the last person shoves everyone forward.
From personal experience, when I rear ended a car (i was a teen at the time), and they subsequently rear ended the person in front of them.... I only had to pay for the damage of the person in front of me. The person in front of me had to pay the person in front of them.
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  #20  
Old 09-03-2008, 04:17 PM
Count Blucher Count Blucher is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by picunurse View Post
Glad you're ok.
Ditto. Car accidents are no fun no matter what end of the (light tap > totaled car) spectrum it falls under. Sorry if you thought I was TSing; maybe I just have Prius envy...
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  #21  
Old 09-03-2008, 05:32 PM
Johnny L.A. Johnny L.A. is online now
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As I said, this is the second time I've been sandwiched, once in California and this time in Washington. In the first case the guy ahead of me wanted me to pay for his damage. I called my insurance company and they said, 'No way.' It was on the girl who hit me and pushed me into him. In yesterday's instance the SP cited the Dodge driver and it's clearly his fault. So his insurance company will have to pay for all four vehicles.
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  #22  
Old 09-03-2008, 08:02 PM
The Vorlon The Vorlon is online now
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It could be worse.

I was rear-ended by the van for blind.

in my driveway.

The sherif was trying very hard to keep a straight face.
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  #23  
Old 09-03-2008, 08:52 PM
Johnny L.A. Johnny L.A. is online now
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That's freakin' hilarious! I'd have taken photos.
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  #24  
Old 09-03-2008, 09:14 PM
Rico Rico is offline
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Johnny:

Glad you're OK. The Prius can be rebuilt. You can't.

Ric and Kathy
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  #25  
Old 09-04-2008, 04:39 AM
jhinman jhinman is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Enright3 View Post
From personal experience, when I rear ended a car (i was a teen at the time), and they subsequently rear ended the person in front of them.... I only had to pay for the damage of the person in front of me. The person in front of me had to pay the person in front of them.
I was in the front of a simlar acident. The guy in back ended up paying the whole shot. It may depend on the local rules as well.
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  #26  
Old 09-04-2008, 04:55 AM
Sophistry and Illusion Sophistry and Illusion is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rico View Post
JohnnyThe Prius can be rebuilt. You can't.
We can rebuild him. We have the technology. Better than he was before. Better, stronger, faster. Less likely to get pounded in the arse.
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  #27  
Old 09-04-2008, 06:33 AM
Lucretia Lucretia is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny L.A. View Post
As I said, this is the second time I've been sandwiched, once in California and this time in Washington. In the first case the guy ahead of me wanted me to pay for his damage. I called my insurance company and they said, 'No way.' It was on the girl who hit me and pushed me into him. In yesterday's instance the SP cited the Dodge driver and it's clearly his fault. So his insurance company will have to pay for all four vehicles.
I had the same experience in Tampa, when this ditzy...woman......plowed into the back of my lovely, sporty little Mazda, which I loved and which had all of TWO payments left on it, and pushed me into the car in front of me. The insurance of the person responsible for the accident incurred all costs.

Except, of course, the cost of having to buy a new car, and incur years worth of car payments, which I am still bitter about.
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  #28  
Old 09-04-2008, 09:38 AM
cards cards is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tequila Mockingbird View Post
It certainly was not my intent to do any threadshitting here, or to anyway imply that I found this topic dismissive or beneath me.

I am glad you weren't seriously hurt. Perhaps you missed that in my first post, so I'll say it again. I am glad you weren't injured.

The rest was just an observation and I am sorry if you read too much into it.
Hey, glad to see you back, you need to rejoin!
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  #29  
Old 09-04-2008, 10:46 AM
VunderBob VunderBob is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Vorlon View Post
It could be worse.

I was rear-ended by the van for blind.

in my driveway.

The sherif was trying very hard to keep a straight face.
I was driving the ambulance on a call, and was rear-ended by another squad member. The Highway Patrol officer tried (jokingly) to talk me in to admitting I backed into her...
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