I was in my 1st car accident tonight; traumatized

Post Reply New Topic

I know you are asking my husband, but I do know for a fact that he has never been enlisted, and doesn't intend to, either.

I'm sorry to hear about your scary experience WitchsCat. I've been in a few car accidents, they are horrible.

I'm sorry to here about this, Shep and WitchsCat. I'm glad you're okay. Stay safe.

I understand your fears. I don't drive, either.

I hope I never experience a car accident.

Glad you ok.

Came here to post an update, but apparently I missed all of Page 2! My bad...

USAA was the insurance company of the other driver, if that's what you mean. I'm with Nationwide. Never have been nor do I intend to be in the military (my wife was right on that one).

I agree with the dash cam footage proving fault, and my frustrations became a moot point when I found out the other driver was uninsured, so I didn't have to deal with USAA at all actually! The other driver's policy expired in 2012. I provided the footage to my insurance company either way, but I'm out my deductible until she pays in full. Good news is that my tax refund I'm getting soon more than covers it thanks in part to getting married this year!

Car's all fixed up now! Here's a "before and after" picture:



Yes, that bumper magnet was a new addition. My brand of humor as this is the second time I've been rear-ended I opted for a magnet in case people don't listen to it

The kicker is that my dash cam kept going as the body work was underway. I pulled the footage off of it, and it's quite an entertaining view. Only kicked in when the car was started, but it's good to have proof it never left the facility. Haven't listened to the audio yet, but I'm sure it's equally entertaining.

Anyways, that's the end of this one!

If you're found not at fault at all, wouldn't Nationwide return the deductible?

Anybody who has not been insured since 2012 probably will not pay what they owe.

In NYC, the other driver would have probably been arrested at the scene.

That's the key: Nationwide will return the deductible, but only once they collect it from the uninsured driver, which could take years. Interestingly enough, the driver lives at a nearby boarding school, and seemed very young, so I suspect they attend that school also. Probably don't make enough to fix their own car, let alone mine.

Right now though, the holdup is on the police department, who has yet to release the official report. I know, it's been almost a month, which is in a way glorious as it's pissing off my insurance company quite a bit. They literally pulled all the information from a name and a plate number that I myself provided them, and are out two grand until they have confirmation of who exactly the other party is from an official source. Police department is refusing to provide it to them either, so this will be interesting to watch unfold.

Ohio seems to be more relaxed in that sense. My brother-in-law got hit by an uninsured driver also, but that driver wasn't arrested (although to be fair, I'm not sure if the cops were involved on that one -- they exchanged information, but no clue if they called the police or anything).

Hmm, I was in a couple of car accidents, one where my mom's car got rear-ended and totaled, and another where my car got rear-ended and the car behind me got totaled. I wasn't traumatized by it, so I guess different things affect different people.

If you got rear-ended, there's seemingly no cause for "trauma" if you didn't get injured. It is automatically not the rear-ended driver's fault.

Accidents, however, do affect people. I've only been in fender-benders--but they've affected me quite a bit.

This is one instance where I believe one shouldn't tell someone just to "suck it up." People should be sensitive to people who get in auto accidents. It can be a very traumatizing thing.

Because they will do everything to minimize payouts. I knew a person who was an actuary at an insurance company. She left because she realized her only job was to find a mathematical way to keep from paying out even if the insurance was obligated to do so.

I hate insurance companies.

Sorry to hear about your accident. Collisions like that can be very traumatizing!

Yesterday, while driving back from the Smokies, I was almost involved in a very bad accident south of Lexington, Kentucky -- and it would have been my fault! I had a moment of inattention when suddenly the traffic came to an abrupt stop. Hitting the brakes hard, I would have smashed hard into the vehicle in front of me, so I headed for the narrow space between that car and the one in the left lane. Luckily, I avoided disaster! That was an adrenaline rush! I have perfect driving record that would have been obliterated had things gone differently. It certainly makes you think. I've been feeling pretty stupid about the whole incident.

Careful there, I've been in the insurance industry for almost five years.

Honestly though, some of them do suck. I work in IT, and we see both good and bad. It's interesting working for a company that supports a variety of different insurance carriers. I see both sides of the coin from one point of view.