new thread
Today I was driving to work and got rear-ended at 40-45 miles per hour. I was stationary waiting for the guy ahead of me to turn left, then plowed into him and then ping-ponged between the car which struck me and the guy I was plowed into. My car is totaled and I went to the hospital. I have full tort, and a note from the Doctor of Orthopaedic Medicine stating that I am off of work till the spinal people look at me. I am also in a cervical collar until further notice. So, the guy who hit me should be buying me a new car, paying me for my lost work, and paying me for pain and suffering. I am in pain up and down my spine and my body is generally in pain other-wise. So, now I am homeless (staying with two people) and carless. Fortunately, if I can get to the public bus without too much agony, I should still be able to make it to appointments. However, for the most part I am eating soft foods/through a straw and relying on the kindness of others entirely. At this point they are not finding any broken bones, fluid in places it should not be, or punctures to internal organs. My cervical spine is more than likely bruised.
I am wondering at this point whether I will be able to go back to doing janitorial, if I will ever work on an ambulance again, and if I have kids whether I will be able to pick them up. Activities I was planning on doing such as gardening are out of the question in the near future as it will require bending. I was freaked out while being driven home from the hospital tonight. The person driving was not doing anything wrong and was actually doing quite well driving, but I was on edge. So, I am wondering whether I will be able to drive any time soon as well.
At this point, I am glad to be alive, not paralyzed and cognizant. I had at least six impacts between all of the times that I was ping-ponged and that I was hit. I was wearing my seat-belt. When people came up to help me, my car was on, not moving, still in drive and the smell of gas was coming through the vents. I asked if anything was leaking, was told yes that radiator fluid was leaking out and since the door was open I went to get out of the car. I thought, well, if it blows up then I will at least be on the side-walk and not in it. The passers-by stopped me from getting out but had me shut-down the car.
I am an Emergency Medical Technician in my state and it was helpful because it gave me better relations automatically with the the Emergency staff who showed up on site as well as the police man. I asked if the guy in front of me was ok, and he was, so thank goodness for that. The guy who hit me came running up talking on his cell phone. I am wondering whether he was on the cell phone when he hit me. I was screaming at the time releasing my terror and fight/flight reaction. He knocked on the window, asked if I was ok, I stopped screaming, glanced out the window without moving my head, and continued screaming. I think I was knocked out or else I dissociated.
My priest (I'm Orthodox Christian) came to the hospital, which was really nice. He is my emergency contact person as well as my person to make medical decisions if I go unresponsive (I am not married and seeing as my dad strangled me four years ago and my family does not believe me...you get the picture).
Ok, sorry, I am just really up-set right now, thanks for letting me espress myself. Sorry to ramble on, I just realized how long this post is.
Have a good day/night everyone.
I wish you luck in your recovery.
Did he have insurance? i wouldn't bet on any of that.
I've had my share of accident over the years, Alot depends on whether the other driver had insurance, and are willing to settle. Back about twelve years ago I was driving on the
expressway, got rear ended by a tractor trailer truck. My car was totaled, turns out the driver was an illegal immigrant,
and it took close to seven years for the settlement to come through and it was no where near the cost to replace the totaled car/medical bills/etc.
I realize you need to get it off your chest, and you're looking for support.
But the Internet is exactly the wrong place to do it.
Everything you write can and will be used against you by the insurance companies and their lawyers.
At your first oppportunity, contact the mods and have them delete this thread.
I don't think there is anything in the thread that could be used
against him. He was stopped waiting to make a left turn.
Of course the chances of the insurance company finding this thread
on this site are probably somewhere between slim and none. Escpecially since it's posted under a nickname and is on one sight among millions of web sites. I would think the insurance companies and their lawyers would stick with sites like Facebook,
twitter, and other well known sites.
I hope all goes well for you! I am grateful that your alive. Hopefully, you will have a full recovery too.
Darrin
Oofta! That sounds terrifying. Prayers for your quick recovery - physical & emotional - and a just recompense for what you're going through.
Peace,
Fr. Maurer
Hey Native Carolinian,
What an experience!
My heart goes out to you.
Don't worry about rambling; we're here for you.
I will pray for you at Mass tomorrow; I'm a Catholic priest.
Just take it one (1) day at a time.
Your long haired bro,
Raymond
Oy, vent all you want! Prayers offered for a speedy and complete recovery. You're not alone; hang in there!
Don
So sorry to hear of this, I am praying for you, and we all wish you healing and rest....
Take Care.. The Spaf Man
Sounds bad.
I got rear-ended by an idiot once. Luckily no-one was in front of me. Also, it helps that my car is heavy. I even got the car in gear and tried to pull away, but he still hit me. The light I was stopped at had just turned green and the fool behind me didn't slow down, just ploughed into me.
My car was drivable, although he took out all my rear lights and bent a lot of metal. It was dark and the cop who stopped at the scene had to follow me home, because I no longer had rear lights. The fool who hit me was immobilised, because he took out his own radiator.
That said, my car was still an insurance write-off, and Geico tried to cheat me by offering a lot less than its value, so I sued their sorry arses. It seems they cynically took off the cost of paying a lawyer from their offer, so I sued them without using one, and they settled for a more reasonable sum. There's a reason their premiums are low. That was the other guy's insurance, as I didn't have full coverage. I wouldn't get Geico if they were the last company on earth.
I was very leery of rear end collisions for years afterwards. If I was stopped at a light and someone cane up fast behind I would pull forward even if the light was red, ready to take off across the junction.
If you have to sue anyone, and you might, be sure to check the statute of limitations, i.e. don't leave it too late! Depending where you are, there may be different periods for accidents with and without injury. Don't depend on law books, as they are often just written for students and just give typical limits. Check what the law actually says where you are.
I wrote a complaint (what you write to initiate suing someone) based on a DIY law book, and was surprised when the court had their own form, so I filled that in and attached the one I brought with me for good measure. The court fee was a couple of hundred, but Geico had tried to short me by a lot more than that. Unfortunately, I can't do the same for you as I'm not a lawyer, but it isn't that hard, and everyone has the right to represent themself.
Forgot to add, name everyone in the court complaint, the driver and his insurance company. Don't leave anyone off.
Also, Bill Choissier is a lawyer, not admitted in NC I don't think, but he might think of something I've missed (don't think I have, though).