Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with accident

Can auto claim be reopened?

elizfield — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:48:45 -0800

After I settled an auto injury claim I found out the adjuster mislead me on a number of issues. Had I known that I would have obtained an attorney. Can settled injury claims get reopened (Adjuster says no)?

Construction Accident at CUNY uptown campus yesterday?

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:12:09 -0800

Construction Accident at City University? Just the facts, please. (oh, such a strange explanation) Was there an accident yesterday (Nov 30) at The City College at CUNY where a construction worker who was repairing the facade of building fell to his death?

It seems like a weird and ghoulish question but I really want to know because the story was relayed to me by someone I've come to think of as less than reliable. I'd like to be proven wrong and crazy-ish because that just seems so much better than having been close to someone who lies about things like that.

I've googled the bejebus out of the various phrases and came up with nothing. I looked at the creepily fascinating gothamist news map and nothing. Some of you must attend/teach/work at CUNY. Didja see anything?

Showing appreciation for a classmate who has passed away?

killdevil — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:44:02 -0800

A classmate of mine has passed away following a horrifying accident, leaving behind a wife and infant daughter. What sort of gesture would it be appropriate for my classmates and I to make, if any, to show our appreciation for this person and to let his family know that we're thinking of them during this difficult time?

Yes my refrigerator is running, and you need to get a lawyer

Anonymous — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:11:18 -0800

Legal status of inadvertently sent (supposed to be internal) automated test calls which could be viewed as "prank calls" that go accidentally to 7-13 unsuspecting recipients. And more. YANML i know, please read details. SHORT GROSSLY SIMPLIFIED QUESTION:
I know YANML:

Legally, if you are the cause of ~10 people getting something they characterize a prank call which includes their name, and the ANI was masked so that a random 3rd party is blamed, what jeopardy are you in? The 3rd party knows who you are. The Masking was not intentional, just an unfortunate system setting.

What type of lawyer should you consult?

(looking at context below) is consulting a lawyer at this point wise?

Is the justification that it was an honest mistake that was made while tired and doing an assigned, routine task as part of your job acceptable? Even if there were some lack of protocol that were still ultimately your fault and exacerbated the situation?

As a decent person and morally what is the right course of action (please view context below)

What is the worst case scenario here?

Throw away email = telephony.lawyer@gmail.com

LONG RAMBLING CONTEXT (and blanket apology):

I work for a company that does massive calls for institutions, usually as emergency notifications and "reverse 911" type things. WE DO NOT DO SOLICITATIONS, POLITICAL CALLS, or any of the other stuff that gives broadcast telephony a bad name.

I was preparing to do scheduled, routine testing at 3:00am two nights ago (so we didn't affect users). It was all supposed to be internal tests and I was intending to send test messages to my own cell phone. Easy, no problems.

I was working from home, it was late, I was tired and this is something I do a million times a day as the course of my work. at 10:00pm, before the tests the following morning (and before I tried to catch at least a few hours sleep) I needed to make sure some software that I had just installed on my personal computer was going to work for the 3am tests. I was sending a message essentially in command prompt, back-end method which sends out immediately after you select a list. I thought I had selected a list with only my own personal cell phone and information in it. Somehow I selected the wrong list, it was a list from a customer with live data in it. It was a list I had been working on scripting a solution on earlier that day... somehow I sent it to myself with an ambiguous name thinking it was MY cell phone and test data.

I realized the mistake after the system validation message said "sending to 30 contacts" when I was just supposed to send to one (me)! I immediately tried to terminate the message, but it was too late and around 7-13 people got called.

So here is where it gets sticky. This test call I sent out can insert computer spoken portions, usually the name of someone to whom it is addressed. The accidental list (and my test list of course) both had recipient's names (I work with this type of list a lot as part of my day job... testing is just something I get stuck with at times).

So an unfortunate 2 second oversight and failure to double check which numbers I am sending to gets worse because people are now not just getting a random call, but a random call that features their name in it.

Where it gets more sticky is that the message I sent did not indicate it was a test. Like i said, it was late, I was in a hurry, I was just sending to my self so I wrote some thing for the CPU to say along the lines of free association gibberish that I just typed out on the spot. "message foo bar, go to the playground pick up your baby [name] from play time at [date] thanks bye". or something like that.

Bad form, bad protocol, totally my fault, no excuses. But that is what happened.

Now, the final part, the part that has me worried:
OK, so on the test platforms we use you can define what the outgoing caller ID is (ANI). Usually we just use company numbers, or personal number, or gibberish numbers. In this case it was my test platform but the caller ID number had been initialized in the account by someone else, so I never looked into what the number was. It was a local number so I thought it was one of the companies #s, or some random disconnected number, or ... I don't know, never thought about it.

Again, my responsibility, my fault, my bad. I should have thought about it.

But, when the call went out, I tried to stop it, which I prevented most of the calls, but some still went through. I informed who I needed to inform in the company, fretted over it for 20 minutes but realized there was very little else I could do, and went to sleep so I could do the tests at 3am.

So, when this call goes out to these people, who are understandably confused, a little shocked that it has their name, and some apparently angry, they called the caller ID number back.

It WAS a random number, but apparently, to a real person.

I found this out yesterday when this person called my cell phone and interrogated me about it. I'm not quite sure how he tracked me down (I have thoughts but they are irrelevant).

After at first I honestly did not know who he was. He explained what had happened to him (7 random people from another state called wondering why he was prank calling them) I connected the dots. I apologized, tried to explain in general terms that it was an honest mistake and generally everything I outlined above. I was a bit shocked so I may have admitted more than I should have, and this guy knew who I was through use of Facebook, so I am a bit unnerved

That said, he seems to be OK. By the end of the convo he was not mad at me and we actually chatted in a friendly manner about what he does and a mutual interest, but I don't know. Maybe he is just trying to psych me out or... I don't know. I have not really heard back from him. I called him back (at his request) to follow up, but only got a Voice Mail.

Anyway... This brings me to my question. obviously YANML, but what is the legal status of this? Should I consult a lawyer. And I am willing to admit maybe I should, but what type of lawyer would know something about this type of thing?

And on a decent person, moral level what should I do? Keep in mind, the people who were contacted are off limits. My company has expressly forbid me from contacting them (their customers). So basically what can I do to make it up to random guy?

I am not at all concerned about the company, I have informed the proper people above me, they are handling it to protect their interests. I need to protect my interests. I am 90% sure this will just blow over and maybe I'll buy this guy a beer and be done with it, but I want to prepare for that 10%.

Thanks Metafilter.

Fender bender responsibility?

cosmac — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:41:38 -0800

Who is at fault in the following scenario (USA, Colorado)? "Person A" in a pickup stopped in the left lane of a 4 lane road waiting for a car in front to turn left. "Person B" in a car stopped behind "person A". "A" and "B" get tired of waiting and seeing no traffic in the right hand lane pull into it to pass the stopped car. "B" hits the right rear quarter panel of "A"'s truck. "A"'s truck is large, "B"'s car is small. "A" asserts (s)he never saw "B". Note I'm interested in both the legal and ethical answer!

Traffic accident incorrectly without fault?

anti social order — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:12:00 -0800

Maryland Accident, car totaled. Cops incorrectly say both drivers are at fault. Can anything be done? My wife was in an accident yesterday while driving her fathers's car. Some very old lady (OL) in a 80's crown vic pulled directly into her head on. The Mrs is fine, but the since there were no witnesses at the scene the cops claimed both parties were at fault in their report.

This is bad because there's only liability on that car and it's totaled.

It's also completely false. The OL was in my wifes lane and hit her head on. The OL claimed she had a 'solid green light' and was cleared to go. One cop mentioned to my wife offhand that wasn't possible as her lane only has arrows (no solid lights at all). How this means she wasn't at fault is beyond me.

So no one was cited and the cops told my wife the insurance companies would figure it all out. I don't trust that for a second.

Some older questions about fault on Ask.Mefi say to ask the judge, but no one was cited so there's no court date. From my cynical POV, lazy cops throw up their hands to avoid paperwork and leave it to the insurance companies that will try very hard to screw my inlaws.

So my question is: How can I help my wife and her dad through this nonsense without them being screwed? Is there anything we should/shouldn't do? Bonus: if anyone knows about police procedure in MD can answer if this is typical procedure up here or something that should be reported?

Did the seat belt fail?

Anonymous — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:57:18 -0800

Automobile accident: Did the seat belt fail? What should we do? My wife was recently involved in an automobile accident. She was driving our 07 Kia Spectra and rear-ended a large SUV on an exit ramp connecting two major highways(no intersection or traffic lights involved), traveling at about 45mph. The ramp has 2 lanes, and the collision occurred when she was switching from the left-hand lane to the right. She was ticketed by a state trooper for "unsafe lane change."

Her injuries are, thankfully, limited to some severe bruising across her abdomen and shoulder, and pain that she describes as muscle soreness. The other driver did not leave the scene in an ambulance, injuries were probably less severe than my wife's.

My actual question concerns the seat belt. After the collision, the seat belt was fully extended and hanging loosely, and the buckle had come undone. The seat belt did not retract after the accident, and appears to have not locked during. That doesn't seem normal. We have photos of the seat belt fully extended and hanging loosely, not retracting, but when we went to check out the car a couple of days ago, the buckle seemed to be functioning normally, so it would be difficult or impossible to prove it came undone. Of course, I can't put nearly the same force on it by yanking that a high-speed collision would cause.

Should we contact Kia? A lawyer? Or is that totally normal and we should let it go? We're really thankful that the injuries aren't any worse than they are, but we also think something should be done about that seat belt, if it indeed malfunctioned.

If it matters, location is north-east edge of DFW metroplex.

Thanks.

Should I seek a personal injury lawyer after being rear ended?

zzztimbo — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 06:42:07 -0800

Should I hire a personal injury attorney after being rear ended? I was rear ended while waiting at a freeway off ramp stop light. It was completely the other driver's fault. The driver even admitted fault to me, the other person that I hit (I was pushed forward into the other car) and the CHP that came on to the scene.

My issue is my car is an older BMW with high mileage. My insurance is claiming it will be a total loss. I'm thinking that I won't get much for the car. I don't think this is fair and would like to be give as much money as it takes to find a similarly configured car.

The car I was driving is a BMW wagon with manual transmission. It is pretty difficult to find one of these in my area (SoCal). Should I seek a personal injury lawyer?

Minor accident, am I being an ass.

evilelf — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:20:20 -0800

SUV backed over my tiny Miata, what should I do? Well, instead of trading in my clunker Jeep in for a minivan this summer, I decided to buy a 17 y/o Miata to help survive my horrible commute (at least on the nice days). The Miata is in great shape (low miles) for it's (17y/o) age. Unfortunately, last night a huge (Acadia) SUV backed over it while parked on the street (I was not in it). The owner of the other car was nice and coo-operative (I'm pretty sure I have all the info I need from them) and the damage looked minimal. Thing is while it looks like it may 'buff out' (the damage is only to the nose piece which is body colored plastic), I really do not have the time/inclination to fix it myself. I am going to get professional estimates in the morning. However, I feel a bit of an ass going after the person who backed over it for a professional repair (the car is 17 years old after all). If it were my Jeep I would have said just let it go, but this car was pretty much mint.
The person who hit me claimed they had not had an accident in 40 years (though I drought they were much older than 40), but my car had not had one in 17!
Opinions?

How to verify that I'm not getting ripped off by gas station technician quote

ilovehistory — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:45:46 -0800

I drive away with the gas nozzle still in my car. Dumb, I know. But, now the attendent says I owe him $692 to have it put back in by a technician. How can I validate this amount? It's a sketchy bodega, so I don't just trust a receipt. Don't want to get police involved as the attendant was nice enough to agree not to contact my insurance. However, I want to make sure that I pay the correct and fair amount.

Is there somewhere online I can verify this? What kind of technician would i call for quotes.

Please help as I have to pay by noon tomorrow and he will say he already hired the technician by then.

Does injecting tesosterone in a vein require an immediate trip to the hospital?

double block and bleed — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 07:21:32 -0800

I may have accidentally injected testosterone into a vein. Do I need to go to the ER or can I wait until my endocrinologist's office is open tomorrow? I am a man in my late 30's and I have hypogonadism, my body makes little or no testosterone naturally. Every two weeks, I inject 1 ml (200 mg) of testosterone intramuscularly into my thigh.

About 15 minutes ago, I injected my medicine. When I removed the needle, about 1/4 of a ml of blood welled up from the injection site. This has never happened to me before. I'm wondering if I accidentally hit a vein and shot some or all of the medicine into it.

I've been on metafilter long enough to know that the answer to this type of question is "Go see a doctor" and I will. I just want to know if this is something that can wait until tomorrow or if I need flashing lights and sirens.

Note to my friends from not America: today is a holiday here

Help me find a hit-and-run driver!

janerica — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 09:50:47 -0800

Can you identify this GM car part? My sister's car was significantly damaged by a hit-and-run driver last night. I know what color the other car was from some paint transfer. I also found an amber light cover (?) on the ground next to her car. It says "GM" on it, with this number: 16513298. I assume this is a GM car part number, but I've had no luck finding what kind of car it belongs to on any car parts website or Google. Photos of the light cover are here and here.
Anyone recognize this part, or know how to access a complete GM car parts database? I realize this is a total long shot and we'll probably never find the driver, but it would be nice to know what kind of car to keep an eye out for.
Thank you!

So much for the car and vacation

icarus — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 23:22:17 -0800

I was in a pretty crappy head-on collision with another car tonight. Advice on what to do? My husband was driving and I was in the passenger seat. The 16 year old girl that crashed into us (found 100% at fault by police and was cited) gave me all of her insurance information and when I asked her if she was ok she said she was fine; obviously she was pretty shaken up, but looked like she suffered no injuries.

My husband was taken from the scene to an emergency room, they checked his neck (the headrest snapped back towards him and jabbed him pretty hard in the neck upon impact). I'm fine except a minor scratch.

We had both taken the entire upcoming week as vacation, which we will now have to spend at home.

Our car was towed and I assume is pretty totaled. I took 2 photos, but it was pretty dark and I was more worried about my husband than about being a good photographer.

What are our options? I know you are not my lawyer, I doubt I need a lawyer.

I'm not looking to sue for injuries, pain, suffering, or any other bs like that.

I want to know if I am entitled to a rental car, how long can I hold on to the rental car? How long do I have to find a replacement car? Is there anything else I should know about being 100% not at fault and yet having my car smashed, my vacation ruined, and my husband on pain pills?

take a payoff?

Anonymous — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 17:50:33 -0800

I got hit by a car while I was cycling, and reported it to the police. Now the other party is offering to "settle it personally", leaving insurance companies and police out. Is this legal, and is it advisable? Here are the details:
I was hit by a car that was cutting across my lane to turn left. I was not badly injured, but had quite a number of big bruises and lots of soreness. My bike was slightly scratched up and the chain got knocked off and tangled in the gears.

At the scene the guy who hit me gave me his first name and phone number. I took out my mobile and snapped some photos of him, and his number plate. We parted ways without anything else, but I told him that I was going to report the accident. The reason I decided to report the accident was because
- it doesn't seem fair that just because I'm on a bike, he gets to drive away without bringing insurance/police into it the way one normally would with a collision with a car
- I feel he should get points on his license or whatever happens to people who cause accidents - it was a really stupid, unsafe maneuver he pulled, and it was only sheer luck that I wasn't really badly injured or worse.
- I thought I might get some small amount of money to get some general repairs on my bike.

Now, after I filed the report (which is simply a collision report), the wife of the man who hit me has phoned to ask if we can "settle it ourselves". I'm not too sure what they have in mind, but I assume it's some amount of money.

I have to admit I'm tempted to go for it, but I'm not sure. First, is this legal? And if I were to take them up, how would I go about canceling a police report - is that even possible?
Finally, how much do they have to gain by avoiding a police report, and by extension how much bargaining power would that give me? I wouldn't be tempted to let him "get away with is" legally for £50, but £500 on the other hand..

Are car horns rigged to go off in an accident?

IndigoRain — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:03:47 -0800

Are car horns rigged to go off in an accident? Since the car accident I was in, in which my car horn jammed until some kind Samaritan yanked a wire, I’ve been wondering…

Are car’s horns rigged in some way to sound when the airbags deploy or when there is a severe front-end crash, either as a warning to others or (less likely to me) as a way to locate a wreck? Or is it just a common side effect for the horn to get stuck?

If it is just a common side effect, is it something that happens under the hood, or the fact that the horn “buttons” are next to the airbag on the steering wheel and thus get pressed on by the airbag?

What wire did my Good Samaritan yank to quiet the horn? The battery?

Rental Car Accident filter

spacefire — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 06:43:10 -0800

Hertz fender bender, do I need to file police report, and am I covered? I backing up out of my parents driveway, I hit my mom's car with the rear of my Hertz rental car. Dents and scratches , but no other damage. I have Liability Insurance supplement but no Loss Damage Waiver as that should be taken care of by Visa since I rented using my Visa card. Should we file a police report?

Another question, related: The liability protection states, quote:
Within the limits stated in this subparagraph, hertz will indemnify, hold harmless....which by definition EXCLUDES ANY OF YOUR OR ANY AUTHORIZED OPERATOR'S FAMILY MEMBERS...RESIDING WITH YOU OR THEM..."
I don't live with my parents, I was just visiting, will the liability thing cover the damage to my mother's car?

Can I / should I accept reimbursement for a car repair I didn't do?

Anonymous — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:40:56 -0800

Is it legal to accept $500 from a car insurance company, reimbursing me for a repair I'm not going to make? If it's legal, should I? Recently my car was very lightly rear-ended. Both I and the other driver are insured. There were no injuries and my car has no visible damage -- I took it to my mechanic, who I trust, who confirmed that there was no damage from the collision. The other driver's insurance company sent a photographer to take photos of my car to check its condition. The photographer reported a small nick in my bumper, and based on this, the other driver's insurance sent me a check for $500 for a new bumper. The nick is almost invisible (my wife can see it, I haven't managed to) and we have no interest in getting a new bumper. My wife thinks it might be OK to just cash the check, on the grounds that the eventual resale value of the car will be lower because it's been involved in an accident, however small. I'm concerned that it might actually be against the law to cash a check for replacing a bumper that I didn't actually replace. I see a few options:
A. Cash the check, pocket the money.
B. Cash the check, replace the undamaged bumper. (Seems like a waste of the world's resources, but maybe I should think of it as economic stimulus?)
C. Don't cash the check, keep it, and if I need to replace the bumper for some other reason in the next year (the life of the check,) cash it.
D. Cut up the check.

We don't want to do anything illegal. So: which of these four options is legal? And of the legal ones, which are ethically OK?
(Anonymous in case the right answer is "A is probably legal but I wouldn't do it if my real name were attached to the general practice in a public place.")

Must I report minor fender bender to insurance company?

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:39:28 -0800

In a minor fender bender. Do I have to report the accident to my insurance company? In rainy weather I slid into a car stopped at a light. It was basically a tap. Her car had a small scrape on her bumper. My car had the same, just a little paint missing.

The policeman at the scene wrote up the accident report and gave me the accident number to give my insurance agency.

With only a little paint missing, the damage is below my deductible, so if/when I get it fixed it will be on my own. Do I still have to report this to my insurance agency? Sorry for the question; first accident.

FML.

the NATURAL — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 03:15:33 -0800

Car Insurance Filter: I bumped a parked car an hour ago. They'll probably contact me tomorrow. Insurance or out-of-pocket? (More than meets the eye.) So, I'm staying with a relative who lives on a pretty steep hill. I was parked just below a driveway, with another car paralleled in front of me. (Here's where my brain's conditioning kicks in: it was raining, he was parked WAY too close to my front, etc., etc...)

But all that aside, the fact is, I put my car in neutral instead of reverse, and in the split-second when I released my foot and gassed it, expecting to roll up and away from his rear bumper, I instead rolled downwards and gave it a little kiss. Nothing too serious -- just enough so that there's clear marks where the screws met his bumper. Being that it was a one-car affair, I think I may have been at fault. (Get it? Understatement! Ha!)

The "victim" car: a Scion tC, of which I can't make the year. The car doesn't have any after-market body modifications, so I think it's safe to say the damaged bumper was stock. Also, the hit was such that I really don't think I put anything under the bumper out of alignment.

I wrote a little note, telling the owner to call me when he gets it so that we can settle fixing his car. The catch: it's my aunty's car, and she's the one who's got the insurance policy on it. She's not the one I'm living with, but she does a lot for my family and I, and I'm really hesitant to put any of this on her plate.

The question: Given the minor nature of the accident and the tricky nature of the insurance, would it be better to just settle it out-of-pocket? Are there things that I should ensure that would make the out-of-pocket settlement easier or more fair (for me)? I read the first post that comes up when you search AskMeFi for "car insurance," and it talked about a form preventing later claims. Necessary?

Were charges filed after an accident?

Man with Lantern — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:39:18 -0800

Help me with a site or source for finding out if charges were filed against a driver involved in an accident in Weld County, Colorado. Colorado State Police is the investigating agency, from what I can determine.

Paying out of pocket and preventing future involvement of car insurance co.

ecsh — Tue, 26 May 2009 14:57:29 -0800

If I pay out of pocket for repairs to another driver's car, is there a form I can ask him to sign to prevent later involvement of insurance companies? As I was backing slowly out of a parking space this afternoon, I bumped into another car. The other car was driving through the parking lot and not yet in a space.

The collision was so gentle that I didn't actually feel it, and the only damage to my car was a small crack in the paint on the corner of the rear bumper. The other car was a two-door model, and the only damage that we could see was a dent in the panel just behind the driver's door. The dent was about a foot across and looks like something that might easily pop out, but then there's the issue of repainting.

The other car belongs to the driver's brother; it is unquestionably still drivable and both the driver and owner live nearby. I admitted fault, but I pointed out that it was raining and that the other driver had not turned on his headlights, which certainly contributed to my failure to see his car. I'm in PA, where headlights are required when wipers are in use, and it was raining hard enough for that.

Given the headlight issue, I asked that the driver do me the favor of communicating to the owner that I am interested in paying out of pocket and not getting insurance companies involved. We exchanged contact and insurance information amicably, and the driver mentioned it was possible that his brother would decide to let the whole thing go (not that I'm pinning my hopes on this).

1. My guess is that repairs will run $200-400, and in this range I would rather pay out of pocket than report it to my insurance company and deal with increased premiums for years. Are these estimates reasonable?
2. I've never before been in a car accident where parties other than myself and a deer were involved. Is settling w/o involving insurance in any way illegal? If not, is there some standard form I could ask the owner to sign, when I hand over the check, to establish that the issue has been settled and prevent him from seeking money from my insurance company?
3. Would the driver need to sign the form mentioned above? I don't think there are any medical issues, but we did not discuss that explicitly.
4. If costs spiral out of control somehow, and I decide that I would rather have my insurance company cover the cost, how much of a delay in reporting the accident is acceptable?
5. The other car is 15 years old and worth $800-1200 according to KBB. It seems possible that the owner might prefer to have the cost of the repair in cash and either not repair the car or repair it when convenient (since the damage isn't a safety issue). Does offering to write him a check directly, either for the value of an estimate or for a mutually agreed upon amount, change any legal/insurance status?

Please don't tell me that I shouldn't have admitted fault. I think that it mostly was my fault, and paying a few hundred dollars out of pocket is no hardship. I would just rather avoid the insurance hike.

Resource that archives motorcycle traffic incident reports for San Diego, CA?

toomanyplugs — Fri, 15 May 2009 14:04:47 -0800

Is there any resource that archives traffic incident reports for San Diego, CA? I'm thinking of SigAlert mostly, but their website doesn't seem to keep the info long after the alert is resolved. I would like to review "downed motorcyclist" incidents to try to learn from them, but most of the ones that make it to the news are the bad ones.

Almost every day, however, there seems to be an incident involving a motorcycle on the morning or afternoon commute, and I'd like to review the conditions, as well as how the motorcyclist fared, what they were wearing, etc. I can follow along with active sigalerts on this web site, but they go away after the alert is cleared.

Tips and Hints for the Occasionally Klutzy Erstwhile Photographer

not_on_display — Tue, 12 May 2009 05:48:22 -0800

A few days ago, I unknowingly spilled water on a pile of old photo prints that I am planning on scanning. They dried, and now, as a result, the bottom twenty are stuck together. How can I separate the prints without tearing or otherwise ruining them? If that is impossible, I still have the negatives somewhere; how can I best scan negatives into a regular flatbed scanner?

Do I need to replace my son's car seat?

anastasiav — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 09:42:28 -0800

Last night my husband was involved in a very low-speed crash -- the other party was a cement pylon. The crash popped the airbags and broke the plastic grill on the front of the car, but we don't see any other damage. My son's car seat was in the back of the car. (My son was not in the car.) Do I need to replace the seat? I know there was an Ask question about this a year or more ago, but I cannot locate it on search. Google results seem to be divided on "replace or not replace" but they guy at the repair shop (not an expert, I know, but he is a volunteer firefighter) saw the seat and basically said "ooohhh, you'll need to get a new one of those" even after we told him my son was not in the seat at the time.

Checking the NTSB site this accident met all the criteria for a "minor" crash except that the airbags did deploy.

Get coffee out of a Macbook keyboard?

Orb2069 — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:56:20 -0800

Just spilled coffee into a 13" macbook. Remediation tips? Splenda and cream, no sugar. Any ideas on stuff that can be done to mitigate the damage while it's still wet?