So, I wrecked my moms car

[IthinkNOT!]

Went into town to run a few errands, had to go to the bank to get some $$ and to the local cash and carry to get some smokes. Traffic was horrible! So when I left the bank I went out the back way, went through the "hood" so to speak. Figured I'd go through the bad neiborhood rather than fight traffic. That went well, for a few minutes. I came up behind another car, and they were going slow and finally stopped in the middle of the road, looking at a map, so I decided to go ahead and turn left one street earlier than what I had planned. Now there was no turn lane there, just the regular 2 lanes, so I put my turn signal on and checked for oncoming traffic, nothing was coming, so I went ahead and made my turn. Well then I heard a horn blow, another car that had been behind me was coming around me to make that same turn. So my car hit his on the passenger side door, we both immediatly stopped. There was no other traffic, the car that was ahead of me stopped in the road left? I got out of the car, and my first question was to ask if he was allright. He jumped out of his car, and looked at me and said "Bi@ch, your gonna fix my car, it was your fault", and he tried to argue with me, and I was just like well we will let the cops and the insurance companies decide who is at fault. So he called the cops, and it didnt take them long to get there. They made sure we were allright, then wanted to know what had happened, so I explained my side, and the guy explained his side. He said that I was stopped in the middle of the road, and that I didn't use a turn signal when I went to turn. So the cop wanted to know why I was stopped and I explained about the car ahead of me that stopped, and the other guy confirmed that the other car was there too. Then the cop asked me why I didn't use a turn signal, and I explained that I did. So he checked my turn signals, and that side didnt work, so he said that I was lying and hadnt used my signal. And I'm like well ofcourse it doesn't work now, being as how I broke it when the cars hit. The collision broke every light out of the drivers side front of my car, so hello, is it really going to work now? The cop didnt even look at the damage to my car. I told the other driver that we needed to trade insurance info and names and phone numbers, and the cop told us not to do that. That it would all be on the accident report, and we could pick that up in 3 days. And I asked about the cop about the cost of the report, and he said it was free for the victim, and then told me that I would have to pay 5$ to get mine. Then he went on to say that I was at fault because I didn't use a turn signal, and that I could have avoided the accident simply by looking in my rearview mirror. How the hell am I at fault for this? He was apparantly in a hurry and went around me in the oncoming lane, there was no turn lane. There was no passing lane. All I did was make a turn. I guess I must have missed something somewhere, because if he was behind me trying to make the same turn, how did he end up trying to go around me? The cops said that we were free to leave, and my car was still drivable other than the broken lights, so I went ahead and got my smokes and came home. I called Geico as soon as I got here, and told them about the accident. They were very friendly and tried to be helpful. They told me that the cop was mistaken, and that the drivers should have traded information, which I allready knew. Then they were asking details about the accident, and I filled them in. And apparantly the woman I spoke with was from a bigger city, cause I had to explain to her three times that there was no turn lane. I explained to her what had happened, and shes like, well It sounds as if WE may have edged into his turn lane. I explained again that there was no turn lane. And she was like, no turn lane, like she had never heard of such a thing. She finally got the point. And she was asking things like "did WE use our turn signals? By this point, I'm sitting here thinking " WE??? There is no we, it was just me". But after all of this my car is still drivable, the only thing really messed up is the lights. The other guys car is drivavble, he's going to need a new passenger side door. What I didn't realize at the time of the accident was that I chipped my front tooth, guess I must have snapped my teeth together during impact. Have no clue what to do about that. Not sure whos insurance that would be on, I do know that my insurance probably wont cover my dental work if they find that the accident was my fault.

[catdance]

What they wil do most likely is try to make it both drivers fault meaning you pay your end he/she pays thier end, this happens alot with insurance, like you pay your damage on your insurance, he/she pays thier end, at least this is what happens in Minnesota, the no turning lane, this is true in Minneapolis, we have some, not many..good luck..it is always STICKY like this one..they don't want to pay, but if you have called the other parties insurance it probably will be just like I said..not fair, I know!

[Shann]

what an ordeal! I would have been pissed.. sorry but if some butt monkey is BEHIND me and tries to go around me b/c he's impatient and I can't go b/c of someone in front of me.. that is HIS fault. I would file a complaint w/ the police and talk to the cop's supervisor, it sounds like it's that guy's fault, not yours. Reminds me of my accident in georgia, this girl lost control of her car, flew into us pushing us into a pull behind trailer of another car and the cops kept trying to blame me for the accident HELLO! if that bitch had control of her car we wouldn't be sitting here w/ a totaled car. Of course the ppl we hit kept giving us dirty looks, they should be happy I was hurt and they didn't come near me b/c they wouldn't have liked the words coming out of my mouth, I can't stand when ppl give me dirty looks. (funny thing is, there were 2 highway patrol cars in front of where the accident happened and apparently neither of them saw a thing) :rolleyes: We were treated like trash when it wasn't even our fault. I hope you get this resolved and have better luck than we did. Might want to look into getting a lawyer as well.

[Beso]

Looks like you did everything you could at this point in time. I'd go early and get the report. Sometimes Cops say things, and then change when it comes to the report.
So I'll cross my fingers and pray for you that the Cop rights the report as it should be written. And call around and seek out any advice a lawyer might have just in case.

[dv8grl]

OMG! Sorry to hear you had to go thru such an ordeal, and a chipped tooth.

[flute]

Cops are awful. The one that showed up on my scene didn't ask how fast the driver was going, went so far as to say it wasn't matt's fault for hitting me ugh.

I got my eyes rolled at. The guy who hit me freaking laughed at Maggie's fear. (she was 13 months old at the time) Mags eyes were HUGE and I got no apology just a "hey you should have saw how big her eyes got" chuckle* OMG she just watched you plow into mommy's car no dip you dope of course she was scared.

In MO everyone has to pay to get a copy of the police report.

I was injured and I got no offer of $, $1900 for vehicle + pain & suffereing, they are asking to be sued.


I'm so sorry this happened to you, doesn't sound to me as if it's your fault either :( (((hugs)))

[BeanieLuvR]

Wow. I am sorry that happened to you. I don't think you are at fault at all. I live in a small town that doesn't have a lot of turn lanes. As far as I am concerned the jerk you hit should have been cited for going left of center. He was going around you into the wrong lane to make his turn. You were in the correct lane to make the turn. I would go above his head. How can the policeman say it was ok for him to be in the oncoming lane to make a turn? Good luck. I would keep on telling your account of things until you can get someone to really listen.

[vicky122]

Wow. I am sorry that happened to you. I don't think you are at fault at all. I live in a small town that doesn't have a lot of turn lanes. As far as I am concerned the jerk you hit should have been cited for going left of center. He was going around you into the wrong lane to make his turn. You were in the correct lane to make the turn. I would go above his head. How can the policeman say it was ok for him to be in the oncoming lane to make a turn? Good luck. I would keep on telling your account of things until you can get someone to really listen.

This happen to my d/h but he was in a turning lane. He was waiting to turn and the guy came about 5 cars down on the wrong side and as my d/h was turning he ran into him. he only got a ticket for no insurance. We had to pay a 500 deductable and the insurance paid the 2,600 to fix our truck.
The guy did try to file a claim and we ended up in court.
The judge said d/h had to pay 600 of it and that her should of looked out his mirror. Why would you look out your mirror if you are in a turning lane ad a car should not be coming from behind on the other side of the street.
The guy ask to set up a payment plan and that was in Jan. 2006 he has made 1 payment of 50.00. so right now his plates and lisences is suspended until it is paid. And we only get a percent of the 500 back.

[Faithfully]

I had an accident like that myself, and it was ruled that we were both at fault.

[earnhardt1]

if the police man files the report out that you were at dault as he stated there is nothing the insurance company can do. it sucks.....
and esp if your turn signal wasnt working or even burnt out they will rule it as your fault.
good luck

[iluvmybaby]

I am glad you are alright, that is all that matters, I hope that you are covered by your moms insurance.

[IthinkNOT!]

if the police man files the report out that you were at dault as he stated there is nothing the insurance company can do. it sucks.....
and esp if your turn signal wasnt working or even burnt out they will rule it as your fault.
good luck

The turn signal was working before the accident, unfortunatly once the front lights got broke it didn't work after the accident. Moms car is an older car, if one bulb is messed up the signal will come on but not blink.


I am glad you are alright, that is all that matters, I hope that you are covered by your moms insurance.

I don't know yet if the insurance is going to cover my tooth, but I know the accident will be covered if it is my fault. Technically Mom's car is my car, meaning I bought it, it's in my name, but she does with it as she pleases, I only use it if something is wrong with mine, or if I am running her personal errands. The insurance is in my name too, not that it matters too much with geico, they generally cover about anything, as long as whoever is driving has a license.


what an ordeal! I would have been pissed.. sorry but if some butt monkey is BEHIND me and tries to go around me b/c he's impatient and I can't go b/c of someone in front of me.. that is HIS fault. I would file a complaint w/ the police and talk to the cop's supervisor, it sounds like it's that guy's fault, not yours. Reminds me of my accident in georgia, this girl lost control of her car, flew into us pushing us into a pull behind trailer of another car and the cops kept trying to blame me for the accident HELLO! if that bitch had control of her car we wouldn't be sitting here w/ a totaled car. Of course the ppl we hit kept giving us dirty looks, they should be happy I was hurt and they didn't come near me b/c they wouldn't have liked the words coming out of my mouth, I can't stand when ppl give me dirty looks. (funny thing is, there were 2 highway patrol cars in front of where the accident happened and apparently neither of them saw a thing) :rolleyes: We were treated like trash when it wasn't even our fault. I hope you get this resolved and have better luck than we did. Might want to look into getting a lawyer as well.


Oh, and I am pissed. There are just several factors there that rubbed me the wrong way, first he called me a B@#$%. Wrong move! Anyone can have an accident, there was no need to be rude. My first thought was to make sure he was OK, especially since mom's car is a larger car, and they can cause alot of damage, his first thought was that he was getting paid. Then theres the fact that the guys mother has already came here! Yes she came to my house! She actually did ask was I allright after the accident, but why did she come? What was the point? She came while my car repair guy was here, I wanted him to check and make sure that the car was still safe to drive, that nothing had got knocked loose out of place etc. He made the observation that my green car has streaks of the other guys white paint on it. But that the other car doesnt have any of my green paint on it. Strange huh? It almost looks like the guys car was already messed up before we wrecked!

[pepperpot]

She came over only to ask if you were alright? No other questions or comments? :hmmmm2:

[IthinkNOT!]

She said she wanted to see if I was allright, and she looked at my car, and she was driving the car that I wrecked with earlier. I think that the other driver was driving his mothers car also. I also mentioned to her about my tooth, and she just said to make sure and get it checked out. I dunno whats up with that, maybe she realizes that her son is an idiot? LOL




OFF TOPIC: Has anyone else noticed the geico banner at the top of the page?? I don't think it was there earlier!

[PrincessArky]

oh wow what a mess........I am just glad that you are ok

[justme23]

if the police man files the report out that you were at dault as he stated there is nothing the insurance company can do. it sucks.....
and esp if your turn signal wasnt working or even burnt out they will rule it as your fault.
good luck

That's not true... and even if it were, NC is a no fault state (from what I can find) so the police officer can't place fault on either party. If he was allowed to place blame he would have issued a ticket for the non working blinker.

[earnhardt1]

That's not true... and even if it were, NC is a no fault state (from what I can find) so the police officer can't place fault on either party. If he was allowed to place blame he would have issued a ticket for the non working blinker.

in pa they can mail the ticket after the accident if they want to... when the guy who totaled my car hit us he ran a stop sign and they sent him the ticket in the mail after the accident report was done, even though they ended the police report at a 50/50 fault, i was on a straight way and he ran a stop sign. but altleast they still paid for my car and lost wages and medical but only half of it.......
so hope your tooth is better and you get it figured out

[flute]

in pa they can mail the ticket after the accident if they want to...

Oh I hope the jerk that hit me got a ticket in the mail!
The guy who hit me was a jerk and so was the cop!


again ((hugs)) for your accident!

[kerin]

Does your REAR driver's side turn signal work? I am kind of confused as to why there is all of this talk about the front one and it being broken from the accident? If the person was BEHIND you the back one would have been the one that mattered and it doesn't sound like that area was damaged at all in the accident.

[IthinkNOT!]

Does your REAR driver's side turn signal work? I am kind of confused as to why there is all of this talk about the front one and it being broken from the accident? If the person was BEHIND you the back one would have been the one that mattered and it doesn't sound like that area was damaged at all in the accident.
Mom's car is a 1985 Oldsmobile Delta 88. On that car if one bulb on a side is broke or blown then the lights will not blink. They will come on but not blink. For example, if my front left bulb is blown, the back light will still come on when I turn on the signal, but it will not blink.

[kerin]

Mom's car is a 1985 Oldsmobile Delta 88. On that car if one bulb on a side is broke or blown then the lights will not blink. They will come on but not blink. For example, if my front left bulb is blown, the back light will still come on when I turn on the signal, but it will not blink.


Thanks for the explanation- I couldn't figure it out- makes sense now!

[ahippiechic]

Mom's car is a 1985 Oldsmobile Delta 88. On that car if one bulb on a side is broke or blown then the lights will not blink. They will come on but not blink. For example, if my front left bulb is blown, the back light will still come on when I turn on the signal, but it will not blink.

I used to hate that on my cars! So glad they aren't like that now.

I hope you get everything straightened out and glad you weren't hurt.

[IthinkNOT!]

Today has been another one of those days that I wish I could just crawl under the covers and pretend it never happened. Mom woke me up at 9am to ask me to go pay the light bill, because the electric company had came and cut the lights out. So, I got up, with NO COFFEE! and went and took care of that. They promised the lights would be back on shortly, but they were not on at 11am when my insurance company called to give me there GREAT news. It was the agent in charge of my claim and he said that he had to get a recorded statement from me. He asked permission to start recording. And asked me questions about my insurance coverage, and If I thought that I had insurance, when payments were made etc. And ofcourse I said that I had insurance. Well when he cut the recorder off, he told me the reason that he was asking those questions. He said that my insurance had lapsed 3 days before the accident for non payment, that he was going to check to make sure that his information was accurate, and that if I found proof that I had made a payment such as a bank statement, or draft to let him know, but that as things stood now they would not be covering the accident. I got with Mom and we checked all the bank statements, figuring there was some mistake. That was when I realized that none of decembers bills had been payed, hence the reason the lights were cut off. Called and payed all the bills. Which actually isn't helping me on the accident. I decided to go and talk to my cousins, who run a body shop, explained to them what had happened, and asked for there advice, as they have way more experience dealing with insurance claims than I do. They said that I need to contact the other persons insurance company, and that I need to file a grievance against the police department for encouraging us not to trade information. I had already told them that I knew nothing about the guy. This is when the strange part happened. They were telling me if it did come up to be my fault that they would help me in anyway possible, as far as getting his car fixed. About that time the door opens, and guess who walks in? The guy from the accident, needing an estimate to get his car fixed. And he saw me, and was actually polite (after yesterday I was suprised), and he told me that he needed to get my insurance information. And I let him know that I needed his information too, and that we could do that after he got his car checked out. My cousin David went out and looked at the guys car. And he made some observations, and told the guy that he couldn't do an estimate right then and asked if he would come back in the morning. The guy said that it wasn't a problem, and that he would be back. Then the guy came to me and said he needed my insurance info, and I asked for his. He told me that I did not need his insurance info because the accident was my fault. So we just traded phone numbers. Why is he being so shady? The name that he gave David for the estimate was one thing, the name he gave me with his phone number was entirely different. So I honestly still have no idea of who this person is. But David told me after the guy left that he wanted me to bring my Mom's car to him in the morning, so that he could see the cars side by side. He said that some of the damage was not consistent with how the accident happened. He had also noticed the lack of paint that I noticed yesterday. And he said that some of the dents would have been made by a car that is higher off the ground than my Mom's too. He has been in the body work business for 25 years, so if anyone should know it would be him. So I still don't know how this whole thing is going to turn out, it just gets more confusing by the minute!

[Aloha from paradise]

I'm so sorry. I hope it all works out for you:)

[flute]

"FRAUD.
BIG BIG FRAUD SCAM" my head is screaming.
Thank god you have a cousin in the auto industry to help you out; even if just a hair bit!


Do you have ties to an attorney?

That is not right even if you're the one to blame you still get his insurance info. Even in my accidents (i've actually had 2) when I was CLEARLY VERY OBSERVANTLY NO QUESTIONS ASKED the victim both times (and I have multiple witnesses to back me up; both times) I had to hand over my insurance info!

He is trying to scam you. Do not sign a thing!!!!!!!

What do you want to bet he doesn't HAVE insurance? I'd take those odds. Scam scam scammity scam scam.

He's to blame, alright. Perhaps the cop was his friend? (that's what happened in my 2nd accident)

I am so sorry for this insuracne scams are the worst and I'd bet you all the $ i have (uhh which is nothing) that this is one.

[earnhardt1]

good luck..... esp. if the police find out you didnt have insurance..... and in pa that is an automatic license suspension......

[IthinkNOT!]

I wish I had ties to an attorney, so that I would know exactly what to do, cause I don't have a clue. I ran a reverse search on the phone # that he gave me to reach him at, and it came up in the same name that he gave my cuz for the estimate yesterday. It was a man and womans name listed together and it had there ages as 65. So at this point I'm assuming that the car wasn't his, his parents or grandparents. Which makes me feel a little better, because I have to admit I was wondering what a young guy (maybe 19) was doing with a cadilac. And I hate the way that sounds now, you just don't see many of them around here, and it is usually older ppl that have them. Not many good jobs around here. From what David told me, uninsured motorist insurance, which is mandatory here in NC will cover the damages, if they are my fault. But I still want to talk to his insurance company. Because I do not believe this was my fault. I had thought about calling and talking to the boys parents/grandparents and asking them for the information. But don't know if thats a good idea. Also am I supposed to let them know that I don't have insurance, or let them find out on there own?

[IthinkNOT!]

good luck..... esp. if the police find out you didnt have insurance..... and in pa that is an automatic license suspension......
Luckily here in carolina it is only a ticket and a fine, and since they didn't give me a ticket on the day of the accident I don't think they can give me one now. I don't know how the cop missed it, usually when they run tags they will come up with all the insurance info, or if there is no insurance.

[flute]

You know how the insurance company will say the person has ins, at least this is how it works here, we get a lil thing that says "mary k has insurance but this is void if it hasn't been paid" that's how it is here, so that paper you can get it to say you have ins, isn't valid unless you have paid your bill.

Perhaps that's how the cop missed it?

Also, several attorneys will do free consulting work, or a free 1st time visit.

We even have a weekly night you can call on ch 2 (i think) and get free advice, check into that in your area.

[SLance68]

Luckily here in carolina it is only a ticket and a fine, and since they didn't give me a ticket on the day of the accident I don't think they can give me one now. I don't know how the cop missed it, usually when they run tags they will come up with all the insurance info, or if there is no insurance.

The insurance company (yours) has a certain amount of time before they have to report you to the DMV for lack of insurance. They (the police) can send you a ticket after the fact for the insurance lapse. Also the police don't always issue a citation for an accident - don't know why but they don't always do it.

Obviously the guy that hit you has no insurance and he was probably driving Mommy or Grandma's car and promised them he would get the new damage and the old damage fixed on your dime.

[Njean31]

you can most definitely be ticketed after the fact. lots of times people leave an accident scene in an ambulance and they go to the hospital or to their house later and serve them the ticket. if your insurance lapsed and you are found to be at fault, they can get a judgement against you and make you pay cash for the repairs or make payments. my poor neices husband had to pay a lady 250.00 a month for 12 years because his mama didn't pay the premium with the money she gave him. we live here in nc. also, if it's found to be your fault, i don't know if their insurance....uninsured motorist that is...will pay for your repairs. that would not seem fair to me.

[flute]

Well i can tell ya if you lived in MO you would NOT be found at fault. In MO it is the person who's damage is done to the front of their car, they are the ones at fault. The reason being, if damage is to your front you should have stopped. Still sounds to me as if you're the victim!

((hugs))

[SLance68]

Well i can tell ya if you lived in MO you would NOT be found at fault. In MO it is the person who's damage is done to the front of their car, they are the ones at fault. The reason being, if damage is to your front you should have stopped. Still sounds to me as if you're the victim!

((hugs))

I am confused a little - what part of the OP's car was hit - she said the drivers door at first but then said her turn signal light in the front of the car was damaged. So not sure who's front end was damaged - maybe both??

[IthinkNOT!]

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh248/amyepinkham/car021.jpg

This is the front drivers side of my moms car, it is dark outside so this is the best I can do for the minute. As you can see it is just minor scratching, and cracked side light.

<a href="http://s258.photobucket.com/albums/hh248/amyepinkham/?action=view&current=car022.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh248/amyepinkham/car022.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

This is right behind the drivers side tire, the only damage there is that part of the emblem is missing. The "delta" is still there, but the "88" isn't, you can see the glue that was holding it on, but the "88" is in my purse.

The only other damage was the cracked headlight, which I couldn't make show up in the pics at night. Glare from the flash I guess.

The other car was a white cadilac deville, it has a dent in the front passenger side panel (area above the tire), his passenger side doors are dented in, front door and back door, and the back passenger side panel has a few scratches.

With just a few scratches on this it is very hard to believe that I did that much damage to his car.

[tomswife]

I am sorry to hear about your accident. My husband has had a couple accidents where he wasnt at fault, but got ticketed anyway. One even spelled his name wrong. How can you spell someone's name wrong when you have their information in front of you. It isnt like out name is long, 5 letters.
Cops are overworked and understaffed. I honestly think it burns them out way too fast and they stop caring about their jobs. It really is a shame.

[galeane29]

My husband got a speeding ticket a few years ago while we were driving through Louisiana ( by the way , dont speed ....not 1 mile over the speed limit on the interstate in Louisiana, they will hunt you down to give you that damn ticket)....anyway, they put the wrong vehicle on the ticket. We were driving a Tahoe and they had a GMC Sierra on the ticket.




I am sorry to hear about your accident. My husband has had a couple accidents where he wasnt at fault, but got ticketed anyway. One even spelled his name wrong. How can you spell someone's name wrong when you have their information in front of you. It isnt like out name is long, 5 letters.
Cops are overworked and understaffed. I honestly think it burns them out way too fast and they stop caring about their jobs. It really is a shame.

[flute]

Slance: what she said was:
my car hit his on the passenger side door, and I took that to mean the passenger side of the other car hit her back while he was trying to pass her..the passenger side of his car sideswiped hers as he tried to pass. (that's what I took it to mean if anyone comprehends that)
Which in Missouri, would put him to blame NOT her..because he hit her.

Looks like from that photo dude took you head on ~~ what a jerk.
GL with this, you sound between a rock & a hard place!

I would get an attorney, if it were me. Sounds like a scam to me.
Big time & major.

[IthinkNOT!]

My honest opinion on this is that his car was already wrecked before I hit it. Either someone else hit him and he collected the insurance money, and didn't fix the car, or he got hit by someone who was a friend and didn't want to file on there insurance. He saw me as a target, and a way to collect more money, or get his car fixed for free. I am hoping that he doesn't get away with this. I have posted in my local online classifieds trying to find anyone who saw the accident, and will speak up. Someone out there saw this! Also from what I hear his getting estimates is not going so well. He already tried to get an estimate from my cousin, and my cousin was very honest on his report that he didn't think that all the damage was done at the same time or by the same car. And one other body shop has done the same thing.

[flute]

Yay that sounds like good news to me, congrats :)

[diana_circe]

When I first read the post the first thing I thought was that he saw you pulling out and figured he'd try to get you to hit him for the ins. claim. You can try calling an atty to see if they offer a free consultation to see if you have any way to fight the situation.

[mosdata1]

Just to cover yourself, see if you can get copies of the other estimates he received. Also, ask around & see if he got any other estimates. I would def let my insur co know that 2 body shops dispute the damages from this accident. I would also try speaking to your local law offices & let them know that not only were you NOT at fault, but you have proof that he is trying to pull a fast one.
Good luck