As I posted in another thread a little while ago, my girlfriend left me and did so in a very evil way. I am starting to get over that though I still have issues with it.
Tonight something happened that might take my mind off that crap for a while.
I wrecked my car. :smack: A 2004 Hyundai Elantra. I love my car.
I was headed east down a street named Craig. I was doing 45 to 50 (the speed limit is 45). As I entered the intersection of Craig and Commerce a guy going west pulled a U-Turn. I slammed on the brakes, said ‘Oh Shit’ and rammed right into the guy. I had a green light. The other guy had a red arrow.
My car is pretty smashed up. I think it is totaled but won’t find out until the insurance people take a look. I doubt the car is fixable, the driver side tire is rammed into the wheel well and the front is all smashy.
The other driver got a ticket so he is at fault. The downside is that I still haven’t found a roommate and really don’t need to buy another car right now.
The car was insured though, right? So you will get something for the value of the car if it cannot be repaired. In my experience the amount is fairly generous relative to the actual market value of your vehicle. You should be able to buy something comparable with the funds. I had one friend that actually came out a bit ahead because the car that was totalled was a bit of a lemon.
Sorry about the car though, dude. I would be so sad if my Hyundai Accent got smushed. No one wants to deal with that!
Wow, Slee, that sucks. But I’m glad you weren’t injured, and that it was the other driver’s fault, therefore insurance payment will have to come through!
Sending good vibes your way! (I’ve been sending a bunch your way already, which is why you weren’t physically injured, and it was the other guy’s fault. . . )
Thank gosh that your primary worry is the car and not your health! Glad to hear you are okay. Beyond that, really sorry you have to deal with this hassle on top of the crap you are already dealing with.
I’m glad you weren’t injured! Here’s hoping that insurance will take care of things. Good luck.
Speaking of roommates…do you have any experience with roommates.com my brother used it to find a place to live when he was on a temp job in NY. He said it was an excellent service.
My car was insured but I am not going to get a whole lot for it. It was 5 years old and these things depreciate like mad. The other guy was insured as well.
I just went to the wrecker lot to pick up the rest of my junk from the car but the insurance company already took it. So now I need to find out where it went.
There is a bright side to this. I am now driving a 1994 Dodge Ram. I love that truck. It is big, lifted a bit and if anyone hits me they are going to regret it.
Contact the other company to retrieve your personal belongings. Do the best you can to inventory anything that may have been in the car. Don’t forget that original Monet painting you had in the trunk They’ll have to either return the belongings to you or include their value in the compensation.
I don’t know where you live or what the laws are like in your locality (No-fault insurance etc.) but when **Typo Knig’**s car was totalled, we made a good effort to document everything that was in the car that couldn’t be retrieved (e.g. the booster seat in the trunk that we literally couldn’t get out of the car because of how badly the back end had been crumpled). We also documented time lost from work. I think we asked for compensation for 800 dollars for goods + time lost. The insurer said “how about 1200 and you go away” (in addition to the payout for the car of course) and we said sure.
You should definitely refuse to settle for less than the cost to buy an identical car. Plus for time lost from work, spent getting your stuff in order, etc. Don’t gouge 'em, obviously. I’d bet they’ll do something like the insurer did for us.
Don’t forget about getting a rental car for the duration your car is in the shop or if totalled until you find a replacement. If the other driver is at fault then their liability insurance will gladly pay for the rental.
My Dad just called and told me that they were going to buy my Mom a new car next year. She has a 2004 Honda Accord EX. They decided that they are going get my Mom a new car in the next month and give me her old car.
Damn, now I am crying.
This solves a huge problem, assuming of course that my car is totaled which I believe it is.
It is actually worse than it looks. The driver side corner is like 6 or 8 inches closer to the wheel than the passenger side. The doors and front quarter panels would need to be replaced.
Yeah, that’s a total. Visit cars.com, autotrader.com, nada.com (stay away from Kelley Blue Book, it’s a rag) and figure out how much you’d have paid someone in the Vegas area the day before the accident if you wanted to buy your car from them. Pay attention to mileage and condition. Print off your findings, be prepared to provide a reasonable and supported counter offer to the other guy’s insurance company if their settlement offer doesn’t seem close to what you’ve found.
Statute of limitations in Nevada is 2 years (I believe) if you want to file an injury claim. If you’re sore, you have a valid claim even if you didn’t see a doctor. “Pain and suffering” claims are not frivolous and they are expected. If you feel fine, then don’t file an injury claim. But if you’re hurting, this is not the time to be a man about it. You’ve got a little time to be justly compensated for any injuries you might have.
I just heard from my insurance company. It is totaled. They are going to have a third party company value the car and let me know how much it is worth.
I just heard from the insurance company. My car is indeed totaled. On the bright side I am going to get more than I expected for my car by a reasonable amount. The insurance company should also give me another grand on top as my policy is written where if the accident is the other guys fault they don’t take out the deductible.
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