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Car Accidents: I hate them

Got into an car accident yesterday. I was crossing an intersection with in a parking lot i.e. going from one store to another, so two different parking lots. I stopped at the stop sign, let traffic pass, rolled forward a bit to check traffic again, crossed and then I got plowed by a speeding Porsche Carrera. My front bumper was past the intersection, but the Porsche driver swerved and their front, driver side bumper collided with my passenger side, front bumper. Unfortunately, the accident was technically my fault (I am in Maryland, so I fell under the Maryland Intersection Stop-Yield law).

At the end of the accident, my Toyota Highlander ended up on the grass, ten feet from the accident spot! :eek:. Needless to say, both the cars invovled are in the collision shop. Makes me so freaking upset; I'm on my parent's insurance. We haven't had a claim in the 25 years my parents have been married and I haven't had a single driving infraction (not even a speeding ticket) in the 7 years I've been driving :mad3:. All of that just got (expletive) shattered.

The officer on the scene did mention that I could've been given 3 points on my license and a ticket for "reckless" driving and not following this Stop-Yield law, but I guess I am fortunate that everyone walked away from the accident and that I didn't get a ticket or points on my license. It's not much of a consolation because I think the insurance company is gonna take us to town on our payments because they have to repair a Porsche. The other driver even mentioned that she just got into an accident 3 months prior. The problem I have is that I don't think that all of the blame should be on me; the other driver was definitely speeding. They would've been able to stop and NOT hit me if they had been driving more slowly. The only reason my SUV wasn't T-boned was because they swerved. The officer knew that the other driver had been speeding, but I was more at fault than they were. He even said I could file a civil case, but that would cost so much with court costs and lawyers and litigation that it wouldn't be worth it. And considering that I didn't get any thing besides a slightly wrecked car and the possibility of higher insurance payments for my parents, I'm pretty lucky.

For some reason, I feel very dissatisfied with the result. Am I just crazy for feeling like this?

Jeez, sorry ladies and gents, just had vent. Been holding all of this in all day. Afterwards, I just got lecture after lecture about safe, defensive driving that I never got a chance to explain what happened.

Again, sorry to vent. I had to get it off my chest and clear my conscience.
 
Tough break, Karth. Hey, you know, don't let it get you too down. Accidents happen, man. That's why there's insurance. It sucks that you have to endure mounds and mounds of pedantic driving tips from just about everyone who hears about this, but, alas, it's par for the course. Over the next week or two that stuff will just kind of dissipate away.

Maybe you're not going to be in such bad shape in terms of your insurance payments after all. A pristine driving record all these past years counts for something. Chin up! You've always got a fine shave to look forward to!
 
You took out a speeding Porche. Kudos. He'll think twice about speeding and a pedestrian will be spared....

I will say that I'm glad that he wasn't in a Yukon. I wouldn't want you to be a martyr for the cause. ;-)

Steve
 
You have every right to be upset. It's an unfortunate accident. The most important is no one was injured. Hope your spirits are better tomorrow or next. The driving lectures will die down quickly.
Sue
 
Tough break. It was an accident and sh*t happens mate. Try not worry about it. Nobody was hurt, that is the main thing.
 
So in Maryland they can write tickets for accidents they didn't see? That's a messed-up deal you got there. Yielding doesn't matter when the other driver is a moron. Too bad there weren't any witnesses. Parking lots are some of the worst accident havens, especially when they're crowded.
 
The laws that have been passed are retarded. In CA i got a seat-belt ticket and for a first time offense it was over 160 dollars. Should you have nosed out? I'm going to say no, but the other guy speeding, I'm going to say that the accident was her fault.

If you crash into someone from behind, then it's automatically your fault because you were going too fast to stop even if they cut you off and slam on their brakes.

But the laws are the laws. The prohibitive court costs shouldn't stop you from filing a small claims case. Going for the gusto and trying to do a civil case for the damage probably wouldn't be worth it. Although the accident report putting the blame on you might be enough for a judge to toss it out. I'm not a lawyer and don't construe that as legal advice. I am in no way, shape, or form qualified for that.

best thing tho is that you're alive, the other driver is alive and it could have been a lot worse. AND at least you had an awesome shave that morning and many more to look forward too.
 
Sorry to hear of your bad luck and glad everyone walked away.
I would think that the officer would take the Porsche's excess speed as a contributing factor and tilt the blame in your favor.
Hang in there KarthVader.
 
That's unfortunate. I'd be upset too. I'm still in Physical Therapy from my accident on 3/31/09 where I was directly rear ended by a Jeep while I was stopped waiting to make a left hand turn. My Isuzu was totalled, which sucked, because the vehicle had great sentimental value to me. Meh.

Anyway, I don't think you will get dinged too badly on the insurance. Most insurance companies will give you a freebie on the first one but they will take away your "accident-free" status for several years. Check your policy and see if you have this option. I know both State Farm and Allstate offer it.
 
Some stop signs do not allow you to see oncoming traffic unless you "nose out" a little bit. This could be from bushes, parked cars, the person next to you in the Suburban.

The Porsche driver clearly doesn't have a lick of common sense. Just because someone else has a stop sign or red light doesn't mean you plow through intersections without looking. if they knocked your SUV 10 feet, I'd say they definitely were more at fault.
 

ouch

Stjynnkii membörd dummpsjterd
For some reason, I feel very dissatisfied with the result. Am I just crazy for feeling like this?

Sorry about the bad break- it stinks. You're definately not crazy for feeling this way, in fact it's quite normal. But since you invited opinions, let me add mine- you're wrong.

I recall an episode of The People's Court where a man was bitten by a dog. The defendant was told that there was a leash law, and responded "But my dog was on a leash." The judge explained that a leash law doesn't just mean that your dog is on a leash, rather that your dog is controlled on a leash. A stop sign doesn't just mean that you come to a complete stop (yeah, I always do that :001_rolle) but it also signifies that you are in a position in which you do not have the right of way until it is safe for you to proceed. This may sound cold and callous, but the fact that you were unable to make it across the intersection without getting hit indicates that your decision to proceed was incorrect.

Now certainly there are all sorts of wacky situations that arise that result in accidents that are almost unbelievable. Are you always in the wrong if you rear end someone? What if the car in front of you was driving backwards? If the Porsche were driving the wrong way down the street that would certainly weigh into the evidence. Whatever the case, you have a tough task in front of you if you want to claim (let alone prove) that the person who had the right of way was in the wrong.

Think of it this way- if you were driving along and someone jumped out from a stop sign and you hit them, would you think you shared in the responsibility?

Speeding? Hard to prove.
Swerving? Pretty easy for them to say that they saw you coming through the sign and tried to avoid hitting you.
Prior accidents? Irrelevant- they were probably hit by my wife.


I'd suggest sucking this one up and chalking it off to experience.
 
The problem I have is that I don't think that all of the blame should be on me; the other driver was definitely speeding. They would've been able to stop and NOT hit me if they had been driving more slowly.

Sorry to hear about the crash.

We lived in Maryland for 11 years before moving to Michigan. Technically, all the blame isn't on you. If I recall correctly, in Maryland, unless the blame is *overwhelmingly* on one or the other operator, it's strictly "no fault". That is, your insurance will cover your vehicle and her's her's. We had an extraordinary case in which the other operator covered our repair, but only because they executed a left turn from an improper lane (in front of my oncoming wife) in the presence of a police officer. :smile:

FWIW, Michigan is even more thoroughly no fault. The most a "not at fault" party can collect is his/her deductible from the other party under a mini-tort.

Note: I am not a lawyer. These are my recollections and beliefs--nothing more.

- Chris
 
G

gone down south

Most importantly, don't anyone's advice who isn't a lawyer specializing in motor vehicle law, even if that person is a cop!
 
I know how you feel. My only accident is when I backed into a parked motorcycle. I was driving my mother's SUV and couldn't see it. I fealt so dumb (and still do).
 
I caused a couple of minor accidents when I was young (and REALLY stupid). Fortunately no one was hurt, and today I drive extremely safely compared to my youthful habits. Looking back on it, it is astounding that anyone is allowed to get behind the wheel of a car at age 16, let alone me.
 
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