Rearended on way to vet

eilcon

eilcon

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Well, Katie, Peter and I have had a fun evening. I had both of them in the car in their carriers and was stopped waiting to turn into the parking lot for our vet's office, when we were rearended!

Turns out a kid driving an old clunker hit the SUV behind me and pushed it into my car. Fortunately, nobody (people or cats) was hurt. In fact, two of the vet techs heard the crash and came out to get Katie and Peter to take them inside. They were already stressed out, so this just added to it. My poor babies.


My car has some rear end damage - not too bad. The SUV was worse, but drivable, but the front end of the kid's car was totally crumpled and it had to be towed.

I hope the rest of the evening is less eventful. Now, I'm going to go comfort the kitties, who have been under the bed since we got home.
 
xocats

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I am so glad that you, Katie and Peter were not injured.
I hope that kid suffers the consequences of his careless driving so that he will be more careful in the future.
This could have easily become a tragedy.
Here are some hugs for you and your sweet babies.
 
arlyn

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Better safe than sorry, you could have whiplash and not even know it.
Go to a doctor just to be safe, I wish I had when we were rearended (much the same thing happened), ten years later and I'm nearly crippled with back and shoulder pain from whiplash I never knew I had.
 
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Originally Posted by xocats

I am so glad that you, Katie and Peter were not injured.
I hope that kid suffers the consequences of his careless driving so that he will be more careful in the future.
This could have easily become a tragedy.
Here are some hugs for you and your sweet babies.
Click to expand...
If it was a clunker, it could've also been mechanical error. It is odd to me that someone would immediately assume that the person causing the accident is an evil person who did it for sport/out of stupidity and must be punished or be wished a bad day. For all you know, he was a nervous kid who is learning how to drive.
 
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eilcon

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Originally Posted by CommonOddity042

If it was a clunker, it could've also been mechanical error. It is odd to me that someone would immediately assume that the person causing the accident is an evil person who did it for sport/out of stupidity and must be punished or be wished a bad day. For all you know, he was a nervous kid who is learning how to drive.
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I should point out that the young man in question was very rude (to put it mildly) to everyone involved - the driver of the SUV, me, his mother who showed up at the scene, a couple of witnesses, and the police. He knew he was at fault and got defensive about it. No matter what caused him to rearend us, there was no excuse for this behavior, especially when the rest of us were polite and concerned about him.
 
missy&spikesmom

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Oh gosh! What a day to forget, for you all!

That almost happened to me, about a year ago, when I had my cat in the car, on my way to the vets too! I was missed, by two boys, in their daddy's EXPENSIVE sports car and they missed me by about 1 inch! --No exaggeration! I was SURE I was just waiting to hear the loud CRUNCH! The lady who let them scoot past her (right into my lane), burst into tears, when she realized she almost let them cause an accident. I was a bundle of nerves for the rest of the night, and like you, was SO worried how upset my little Spikey Kitty would be. He was OK by the next day. I surely do, hope you feel so much better by the next few days. My experience has been, that when I have gotten in accidents, I felt terrible, about 2-3 days later. So, I hope that was just ME--and not YOU!!!!
 
sar

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Oh how terrible!


I do worry about this happening, as the lane to my vets is rather small and double parked - plus there's a mad ambulance driver around there who seems to make a point of trying to crash into people, even the vet nurses!!


I'm so pleased that you, Katie and Peter are all safe - as were the others involved!


I hope you have all calmed down now and feeling safe and relaxed at home!
 
lillekat

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oh doesn't it make you wish people would learn to watch where they're going? I still think that some kids get on the road far too young. I'm so glad no-one was hurt... your cats must be having a really rough day eh?
 
jcat

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I'm glad to hear you're all okay! The cats are really going to be nervous the next time they're in the car after that experience.
 
gailc

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I'm glad to read that the damage wasn't too bad for you or the cats.
But I agree and go to the doctor. I was rearended maybe 8-9 yrs ago. I was completely stopped at a light and a guy plowed into me. I went to doctor later that day (should have went earlier) and went thru 6 weeks of therapy for my neck which I still can have problems. The symptoms may not be apparent now.
BTW the therapist advised me to drive with my car seat in a 90 degree position instead of any degree of tilt. This is to prevent further damage as your neck won't have so far travel back if you are hit again!!
 
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eilcon

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Thanks everybody!


Had a call from the third driver's insurance company this morning, so things are moving already.

I have to admit I was more worried about Katie and Peter than anything else. Katie seemed fine, but it took a few hours for Peter to come from under the bed and he still wasn't his usual sweet, goofy self this morning. They're both going to be getting some extra attention and cuddles when I get home from work.
 
xocats

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Eileen..I am so glad that you and your babies are OK. I know that the accident was a terrible shock to all 3 of you.



I want to clarify something from my previous post, that apparently was misunderstood.
Originally Posted by Commodity

If it was a clunker, it could've also been mechanical error. It is odd to me that someone would immediately assume that the person causing the accident is an evil person who did it for sport/out of stupidity and must be punished or be wished a bad day. For all you know, he was a nervous kid who is learning how to drive.
Click to expand...
Understanding the consequences of our behavior, is an important step toward taking responsibility for our actions.
That insight, gives us the power to change what no longer works for us.
It has nothing to do with evil, stupidity or revenge.
It's about positive change ... becoming a responsible member of society.
I hope "a bad day" is all this young man needs to get his attention.
 
beach bum

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Originally Posted by eilcon

Thanks everybody!


Had a call from the third driver's insurance company this morning, so things are moving already.
Click to expand...
Very good news, Eileen. Too often drivers of "clunkers" have either no or insufficient insurance, and this is often true even when the law of the particular state requires insurance.

As you negotiate with the other driver's insurance company, let me volunteer just a few words to perhaps avoid a costly misunderstanding.

In the US the general rule is that when your car is "rear-ended," the driver of the other car is presumed by the law to be at fault. That is, you generally have no obligation to prove that the other driver was at fault -- he has to prove that he was not at fault in order to avoid liability for the accident, and while there may be rare exceptions, this is a very difficult burden for the other driver to meet.

For example, prompted by an earlier post in this thread, a mechanical failure of the other vehicle, without meeting demanding extenuating circumstances, is no excuse. Secondly, being "a nervous kid just learning to drive" is no excuse. Driving is a privilege afforded responsible mature individuals, and the law demands the same degree of care of nervous kids as is expected of an experienced adult driver.

I venture these words in case the other driver's insurance company should prove to be unreasonable. I represented insurance companies for years, and I can assure you that they are in the business of making a profit -- they are not in the business of giving their money away.

All the very best,

Jim
 
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eilcon

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Originally Posted by Beach Bum

Very good news, Eileen. Too often drivers of "clunkers" have either no or insufficient insurance, and this is often true even when the law of the particular state requires insurance.

As you negotiate with the other driver's insurance company, let me volunteer just a few words to perhaps avoid a costly misunderstanding.

In the US the general rule is that when your car is "rear-ended," the driver of the other car is presumed by the law to be at fault. That is, you generally have no obligation to prove that the other driver was at fault -- he has to prove that he was not at fault in order to avoid liability for the accident, and while there may be rare exceptions, this is a very difficult burden for the other driver to meet.

For example, prompted by an earlier post in this thread, a mechanical failure of the other vehicle, without meeting demanding extenuating circumstances, is no excuse. Secondly, being "a nervous kid just learning to drive" is no excuse. Driving is a privilege afforded responsible mature individuals, and the law demands the same degree of care of nervous kids as is expected of an experienced adult driver.

I venture these words in case the other driver's insurance company should prove to be unreasonable. I represented insurance companies for years, and I can assure you that they are in the business of making a profit -- they are not in the business of giving their money away.

All the very best,

Jim
Click to expand...
Thanks for excellent advice, Jim!

You're so right about insurance companies. I worked as a claims adjuster for several years (primarily auto and property) and remember well how things work.

Take care.
 
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