Car Crash

[Ilfirin]

So, I'm going to get dinner for the family tonight, when I get to a busy intersection. I have a stop sign, so I stop and wait until the traffic on my side of the road breaks. I check to see if anyone is turning from the other direction, and no one is, so I slowly move to the median. When I get there, I stop. A few moments later, a brown buick pulls in front of me (going rather quickly), and hits the front right side of my car with her back door. My front end is completely fucked, as is her back door.

Here's a MSPaint recreation of the events p): (this picture is mostly accurate, except I was a lot closer to that left median and I was turned to the left quite a bit (so I was almost parallel with the road) - to the point where even if she wouldn't have turned too sharp and hit me, she still wouldn't have been able to get by. Both the median on the road she's turning into and the highway she's turning off of are curved in a way that clearly suggests a path *behind* me, where there was quite a bit of room, which she didn't take for some reason.)

Now.. the cop arrives and right away decides it was my fault, and gives me a ticket for failure to yield to right of way, despite the fact that A) I was already at the median before she even arrived at the intersection and B) I was stopped - she ran into ME.

Is there anything I can do though? It's pretty much her word vs mine, since we didn't get any witness accounts of the accident and there was no camera at the intersection. And, her word vs mine, when she's 40 something and works at a hospice (something she conventiently threw into the conversation with the cop), and I'm 18 and have only had my license for a month, pretty much means her word is default true.

I'm up to suggestions though..

 

[jvd]

sue the woman and the cop for slander .

Make sure the ticket is signed and with the correct date.

Find an expert on car crashes and see if there is any damage on your car that can prove you were hit. Like if he can show proof that you were still when it happened.

if that all fails face the fact that being young means your allways at fault and thtere is nothing u can do about it .

 

[Ilfirin]

The more I think about it, the less sense it makes. I wasn't quite positive who hit who at the time of the accident (otherwise I would've been a lot more assertive when talking to the police officer), but the way her and my cars were damaged.. there's just no question about it - she turned into me.

Her driver side door has a small scratch (with paint removed, indicating friction), that progressively turns into a very large bulge as you move to the back door. The only place my car was hit was the front right bumper (the bumper was still securely held together on the front left, the middle is clearly ripped off). With the way my car was oriented, there's just no way it was me running into her - if it was, there would have been a *large* dent on her driver side door, since that's where the majority of the impact would have occured. The only way for it to damage her car the way it did was if she turned into me (with me either completely stopped or almost completely stopped) and kept driving (and, indeed, she never stopped. Even after the collision she kept going and pulled off of the road). Now, if it was my front *left* bumper, it could've been me running into her (while turning right).. but it wasn't - it was my front right bumper while I was turning left (but stopped).

But I still don't know if there's anything I can do other than make this case to the insurance company tomorrow and have them investigate it.

Everyone I talk to, though, says that once the ticket is written that's pretty much all there is to it - It's going on my insurance.

sigh.. All I wanted was quiznos for dinner :?

 

[micron]

Phear your MS paint skillz!

 

[Ty]

Pictures, pictures, pictures. Take as many as you can. Look for tire streaks, debris, etc.

Take pictures of your car as well.

Not sure about the laws of your state but you may end up just going through your insurance (i.e. there is no court case in front of a judge). Can you borrow a camcorder and try to video the crash and give a narrative as well?

 

[Ilfirin]

Can you borrow a camcorder and try to video the crash and give a narrative as well?

Sure, just let me get in my time machine..

 

[Ty]

Heh, I meant crash scene.

 

[davefb]

.

2 years ago , i was approaching a side street going to work...i'm on the main road and the side street is a right turn ( think left for any non-uk'ers)..theres traffic so i approach slowly , indicator flicking... i wait for 2 vehicles to pass , still crawling up to the junction..


anyway this bloke is slowly approaching , it's OBVIOUS he's looking for something , but i wait for him coz he's still moving....

just at the moment he pulls up at the kerb i decide "at bloody last you've stopped" so i pull across in front of him.. only now he decides to carry on BUT WITHOUT LOOKING FORWARD!!!!!!!!!!
it's the only time i've regretted not having a stupidly fast car,,, so he hits me , but because i can't deny that i turned across a vehicle it's all my fault

took a year , but got it down to 60% my fault , geeeee

-dave-

*agree* with everyone else , it's thru the insurance . . . i've no idea about the ticket though . NOTE in the Uk there'd be no reason for the cop to be involved , how come they were ? oh right i see, she thinks you just went over the intersection ,,, err yeah that would be a pretty wierd accident though . .. best of luck with it :-/

 

[Sage]

Everyone I talk to, though, says that once the ticket is written that's pretty much all there is to it - It's going on my insurance.

absolutely not true. it's up to the judge. I've had three tickets- 47 in a 15 school zone, 93 in a 70, and driving too close. NONE of them my insurance know about. 8) And, if the insurance company finds out, and investigates and proves it wasnt your fault, and the judge accepts that, then the ticket shouldnt affect your insurance. It's all about what goes on your record... judges can make things not show up on your record if they want.

 

[Althornin]

I recently got rear-ended while stopped at a red light.
I pulled out of a gas station, accelerated to about 35, the light turned yellow, i slowed, it turned red, i stopped at it.
About 3 seconds later, i hear squeeling tires, and then BAM, i get knocked into the intersection - luckily, no cross traffic.
The assclown who rear-ended me got a ticket for failure to cotnrol speed.
He is now contesting this, saying i "cut him off", and so his insurance isnt wanting to pay for my totalled car. I now have a lawyer, etc - such a PITA.
All because this assclown won't admit that he was going too bloody fast and wasn't paying attention.
Fucking people.

(note - sorry to crash your thread)