Hi Guys:

sob....Wolfie was hurt today......really bad....some stupid freaking asshole
in a Camry plowed into her at 60 kmh...I was stopped, waiting to make a left
hand turn with my signal flashing when it happened...I'm amazed that the car
held up the way it did, but still, the police guessed at least $5000 in
damage to the vehicle....the ass who was driving the Camry was charged with
careless driving, but he is going to contest it....Other than a really stiff
neck, I'm okay...Just needed to vent....I've never had an accident
before....but my poor car is in a really sad state...She looks like a
Golf.....

- Pete


--
--
Pete Cressman
cressmanp (AT) rogers (DOT) com

1990 Jetta GLI Wolfsburg Edition
1968 Beetle GLX
2003 Beetle GLS

"On the road of life there are passengers
and there are drivers"

Pete,

Tou may want to see a doctor and call a lawyer -- lawyer first, probably.

The effects of an accident like this can last quite some time, and the only way
you may be able to get enough money to purchase a decnt replacement car is to
use the pain and suffering money from doctor visits.

-- Tom Werner

Tom has a good point regarding your body. I got a year of deep tissue
massage out of a collision on the 401 where the speeds were comparable
to yours (you haven't lived until you've run into a car that is
driving perpendicular to traffic on a highway). In Canada, lawyers
are not the first option unless there's serious bodily injury.
Otherwise, the insurance companies are usually responsive to paying
out for alternative therapies such as chiropractic or massage.

The Insurance company has agreed to pay for physiotherapy for as long as it
is needed, but I have been in touch with a lawyer, and I am taking the
asshole who hit me down!!!! As Darryl knows, the damage to the Jetta wasn't
enough to write it off, but the guy hit me hard enough to send the car 40
feet forward. The police said, had I not been driving a Jetta, I most likely
wouldn't be here right now. The only good thing that the guy did who hit me
was aim right for the bumper shock, effectively absorbing most of the
impact. The body shop said another couple of inces to the left or right and
the car would be a definite write off...no question.

Regards,

Pete

"Darryl" <umpolung (AT) REMOVEhotmail (DOT) com> wrote

On Wed, 18 Feb 2004 03:32:46 GMT, "Pete Cressman"
<cressmanp (AT) rogers (DOT) com> wrote:
Why?

I have been hit twice. Both times required some physical therapy. Both
times I dealt directly with the other person's insurance. Both times I
had to wait them out a while (3-6months) but they finally caved to my
requests.

1) Full repair or replacement cost based on me finding 2-3 other
vehicles in what I considered to be similar condition.
2) Full cost of therapy covered
3) Full cost of lost time at work due to accident and therapy
4) Some (relatively small, $1k-$2k) amount for pain, suffering, and
inconvenience

If you go for a big settlement you are just contributing to all of our
rising insurance costs.

Scott

Pete Cressman <cressmanp (AT) rogers (DOT) com> wrote:
He hit you from behind, while you were stopped to make left turn? How's
that possible? And, how is he going to contest it? In any case, you
have my sympathy when your insurance is up for renewal.

--
William Park, Open Geometry Consulting, <opengeometry (AT) yahoo (DOT) ca>
Linux solution for data management and processing.

William Park <spam-opengeometry (AT) yahoo (DOT) ca> wrote

W: It's very simple. The victim is stopped, waiting for traffic to
clear, so he can safely make his turn. The other driver comes along
from behind, not paying attention, expecting the lane to be empty. Lo
and behold, there is a stopped car there, signalling to make a turn.
Other driver can't stop in time-he's going too fast.
Add alcohol, a car phone, or basic stupidity, on the part of the other
driver, and you have a complete setup. End result is the same- two
crunched up cars, one possibly crunched up driver 8-(. What's so hard
to understand?

I am thankful that our friends on this NG survived to tell their
tales, and to warn others.

The other driver is contesting it because if this all goes through,
he's going to get hit badly on his car insurance premiums. He may
*think* he has court case...

Disclaimer-no, I'm not a lawyer. Yes, I have been in accidents, both
at fault and not at fault. (For the record, both kinds suck.)

Walter

His insurance shouldn't go up, as he wasn't at fault and the other guys
company was billed, so I don't think you need to sympathise with his premium
going up, just the loss of his Jetta ;-).
"William Park" <spam-opengeometry (AT) yahoo (DOT) ca> wrote

Rob, as I have some insurance background I can say that you are not
exactly correct. Depending on the amount of accidents (whether at
fault or not) the ins. company might choose not to renew the guy
because he is a too high risk.
I have seen that done with drivers that had 2 not at fault and a
speeding ticket or 2 not at fault and 1 at fault within a 3 year
period.


"Rob Guenther" <robertguenther (AT) sympatico (DOT) ca> wrote

With no tickets, why would they raise your premium because you kept getting
hit? It is not your fault... why should you get billed?.... don't they just
charge the other company anyways, not like they lose money?

I really hate insurance companies.... I'm thinking I should just start my
own and get my friends to sign up for like 50 bucks a month..... sure i'd go
bankrupt if one of them was in an accident, but I am sick of paying 3600 a
year.
"spiralingcrazies" <jjbraunius (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote