Traveling down the freeway, a car two lanes on my right suddenly bolted and began traveling toward the retaining wall on the inside (left) lane. It passed in front of the car on my right, then in front of me going completly 180 degrees the wrong way on the road. That car’s back end was sliding and I was quickly looking at its headlights now on my left. I was thinking “Cool! I’m gonna miss it!” But, no. It bumped into something (I think it was another car, but it could have been the retaining wall) and bounced back in front of me and I hit it right on the driver’s side at the column between the front and back doors.
The next thing I knew, I was sitting stopped in my car, smelling a fire work smell and looking at a big while cloth pillow. I occurred to me that I might get hit from behind- so I just sat there and braced myself for a few minutes.
Soon some folks were asking me if I was OK so I checked myself out and decided I seemed to be OK. They pried open my door and I got out. The other car was facing the wrong way on the inside lane and I was facing the right way on the outside lane. The other driver was saying “I don’t know what happened. I just lost control of my car” and something about the two new tires she just got.
The wreckers moved us off the road and the police cited her as being at fault, but issued no ticket saying it would raise her insurance rates. The police collected our ID’s and insurance and gave us a form with the incident number. I did not get her ID or insurance myself- the police said I did not need to and that it would all be in the incident report.
I called my insurance already and I called in to work today because I’m sore all over- neck, back, shoulder (seat belt marks), chest (where the airbag hit), and both hands/wrists where I guess I was gripping the steering wheel.
I haven’t had an accident in 25 years or so. I’m not really sure about what to do next. I guess the insurance will call me and tell me the next steps.
That was very, very, scary, but my car really impressed me. It was a 2008 Prius.
Sorry, that sucks. As it was happening, were you braking, or was it more of a “it seemed like slow motion, but it happened too fast to react” situation?
And this part:
is perplexing to me. Why do the cops give a shit about that? And if anything’s going to raise her rates, it’s probably going to be the fact that she caused an accident!
I was braking and trying to figure out if I could move off to my right but I couldn’t as I just saw there was another car there. It did seem that everything went into slow motion. It was very scary, too. Cars just don’t spontaneously go the wrong way on the road!
Do you need a rental car? Get on that quickly. Many close early on Sat & depending upon where you live (suburbs) it may not be easier to do later today/Sun.
Call the police and find out when the report will be ready. In my case the first couple of pages were available in 2 days the entire report was about 2 weeks.
Call your insurance company and start a claim
Have someone look at the car and determine condition. Repairable or a total?
Contact other insurance company or your lawyer about your bodily injury.
You have seen a doctor by now, right?
Let me chime in with “go to a doctor”. As Oakminster recommended, you may be injured and don’t know it yet. Especially since you are sore all over.
Our modern automobiles are pretty amazing when it comes to preserving human life in the case of collision. But they aren’t perfect.
And if your airbags went off, then under most situations, your car is totalled. That is sad, especially considering it was obviously not your fault that anything untoward happened. Fortunately you have insurance, right?
It seems from your report that there was no obvious reason for the other car to veer wildly into your path. Any guesses? The police are too busy to investigate? They didn’t even charge the driver of the veering car? Some of this doesn’t make much sense to me.
After you get back from the doctor, perhaps you could fill us all in.
Good luck.
I just got back from the Doc- got an exam, an xray and some prescriptions.
I called my insurance and started the claim last night.
While at the Doc, I got a call from her insurance asking for my version of the accident. I was told that she is disputing that it was her fault and claiming that I came out of my lane and hit her. I cannot believe she is claiming this, especially in the light of having been cited as being at fault by the police. She was apoligizing and hugging me last night, saying “I don’t know what happened. I justlost control of my car,” and today it’s my fault? Wow.
I guess this means it’s gonna get messy. I’m pretty sure my car is totaled and hers probably is, too.
This is not a true statement. Airbag deployment does not = total, just as no airbag deployment does not = repairable. My Volvo was totaled with no airbags deployed.
Getting back to the OP I got $5 that I will bet they out the new tires on the FRONT of her car. The worn rear tires lost traction and she spun.
Despite all of the recommendations of tire makers and industry groups there are a bunch of people that think they know more than the experts. They don’t. This is the result.
As far as her claiming that you left your lane point out that her story is not supported by the facts. If you have pics from the scene that will go a long way toward blowing her story out of the water.
I’m an insurance adjuster and I deal with this all the time.
I’d honestly be prepared to go through your policy for the entire thing. I don’t know the company or your coverages, etc, so I’ll be generic.
I’m not surprised she’s changing her story. In fact, as I was reading the op I was waiting for it. People do this all the time. If you have an specific questions let me know.
Yeah, that doesn’t surprise me at all, either. I hope she ends up getting hit with 100% of the fault, but if it turns into your word against hers, you both might end up at 50/50.
A dashcam has been recommended here many times, and I’m thinking seriously about getting one for situations just like this.
Glad to hear you’re okay, even if your car isn’t and the person doing the bad driving isn’t owning up.
ETA: Were you able to get pictures of the scene? That could help a bit.
Rick- her new tires were on the back. When she was talking about her tires, I was standing at the front of her car and looked at her front tire and then walked to the back and looked at one of them too. The front were pretty worn and the back newish looking.
Thank you RandMcNally (‘lying liars’- funny!).
I haven’t had a wreck for about 25 years and I was/am at kind of a loss as to what to expect. I seen so many Russian dash cam videos on line now, and after this wreck, that I’m thinking that maybe a dash-cam is not a such a bad idea, Cat Whisperer.
I took 3 pictures of my car with my cell phone and no pictures of her car. She took several pictures of both cars. When her insurance called today, the adjustor asked me to email my 3 pictures to her in separate emails. I was at the doc so gave my email address. When I got home I had an sort of generic email from the company with a case number, but there were no instructions about emailing the pictures or email address in which to do so. I’m thinking at this point that maybe I should wait until instructed by my insurance agent before sending the 3 pictures I have.
When she came into my view on the right, she was traveling faster than the already fast rate on the road. I was probably moving at about 50 or 55 MPH at the time. Initially, I thought she was just one of those drivers who speed a weave through heavy traffic- until she went sideways across the lanes. At one point, when she had traveled to my left, I was looking at her headlights. She bounced off of something (another car or the cement wall- I’m not sure which) and back into my lane. That’s when I hit her. I t-boned her right at or after the divide between her driver side front and rear doors. The bulk of my damage is to the driver’s side front. I fail to see how I could have done that by leaving my lane when she was on my right side.
I think she also hit another car. Those two guys came and asked us if we were OK (in fact, they pried open my door and got me out), and stood around for a few minutes asking that question several times. Finally they said, "‘If ya’ll are OK, we’re going to take off.’ and they did. But there was an extra bumper (I think) in the road and I think it was theirs. That car part was black or grey and both our cars are white. Neither of our bumpers fell off. I tole the police about those other guys and they said that happens a lot.
After the wreck, I was in the far right lane pointing in the proper direction, and she was in the far left lane pointing the wrong direction.
Now, I’m pretty sure she told the cops the truth last night- the part about “I don’t know what happened. I just lost control of my car.” I don’t understand how she can change the story today. I’m pretty sure the statement she gave last night will contradict her statement to day. Wouldn’t that make her insurance company very nervous about her?
It would but in the end it’s not what you know it’s what you can prove. Hopefully the police report and damages will corroborate your story.
There are two liability investigations going on right now: your insurance company’s and the other driver’s. Just because their insurance company places you at-fault for the accident doesn’t mean your insurance company will agree with that. Vice versa, if your insurance company says you’re not at-fault does not mean the other insurance company will pay out.
Honestly, just let your insurance company deal with it. It is what they do, and what you pay them for. I was just in an accident, my fault, and the insurance companies are working it out. It was my first in 23 years. Coincidentally I was hit while in the rental car my insurance provided due to the accident:smack: 2 in four days?? Pretty sure my premium is going up:)