Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with caraccident

recovering traffic accident damages when lawyers won't take the case?

anti social order — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 06:44:28 -0800

Maryland Traffic Accident Filter: Insurance company denied claim, lawyers won't touch the case. Now what? Anything? A follow up to this question.

Recap: Old lady ran a light and totaled the car my wife was driving. No witnesses so the police report didn't assign fault. Car was worth ~$5000. That was their only car and they just don't have $5000 to replace it. The old ladies' insurance company refused the claim outright, before the paperwork was even submitted. According to the two lawyers we spoke with, since there was no injury there's not enough incentive for them to take the case. If I had $15k for a retainer, I wouldn't be worried about the $5k car.

There must be something else we can do, right? What other options do we have?

How do I stop being a fearful driver after a very close call on the road?

balls — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:32:23 -0800

A few weeks ago, an oncoming tanker truck ran me off the road on a curvy two-lane highway. I (barely) managed to avoid a collision or rollover but did clip a mailbox. Now whenever I drive the roads in this rural area, I'm constantly worried that oncoming cars are going to veer into my lane. I've always been a very careful driver and a witness to the accident confirmed my side of the story and said I was lucky to be alive. If I hadn't been paying close attention at that precise moment, he would have hit me head-on. It's comforting to know that what happened wasn't my fault but that doesn't make it any less terrifying!

The experience really shook me, especially since I had my toddler in the backseat at the time. How can I get over this powerful new fear, and when will I stop being so nervous behind the wheel?

Car accident; No information about other driver.

Anonymous — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:49:46 -0800

My mother got into an auto accident in Pennsylvania earlier today. She did not take down the other driver's information other than the license plate. What are her options? She was stopped behind a pickup truck at a traffic light. The pickup truck went out too far into the intersection, and then backed into her trying to clear the way for a tractor trailer.

She looked at the car and thought there was no damage, so she let him go without taking down any information. My grandmother, who was also in the car, wrote down the pickup truck's license plate (probably Pennsylvania, but not noted.)

Upon getting home, it was discovered that there is actually some damage to the front of the car -- scratches, a bent grill, and some missing parts of the grill.

My parents are going to contact their insurance company for advice on what to do and hopefully file a police report. I also told her to write down anything she can remember about it at this point, like the color of the truck, time, intersection where it happened, etc. Is there anything else they should be doing?

Help! I crashed my car in a foreign country!

sary — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 22:43:16 -0800

Do I need to submit form MV-104 (Report of Motor Vehicle Accident) to the New York State (where I live) DMV if the accident occurred in Toronto, Ontario? Last weekend I was involved in an accident in Toronto, Ontario. I'm a New York resident, and last time I got into an accident (in Buffalo, NY) I filled out and submitted form MV-104 as instructed.

However, is it necessary to do so this time since the accident occurred in Ontario? I have a police report, and I know that they (Ontario) can report traffic violations to NYS.

Other details:
-I got a ticket (was making a left, even though I was being waved on it was an automatic offense... my first ever ticket, wonderful.)
-Pretty sure the other driver won't be sending in that form, as he was a Canadian driver
-Accident has been reported to my insurance, my car is totalled
-I have already paid the ticket without contesting it (I didn't want to have to find a way back up to Toronto just to fight it, the hassle would be more than paying the fine)

For that matter, are there any forms that I need to be sending to the Ontario DMV?

Also, if points are given for this offense, how do I find out that they have been given, and how many? Does the DMV send me a letter? Or am I expected to know? The Ontario police officer at the scene didn't know what would happen because I was a NYS driver.

This is so frustrating.

jennyjenny — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:07:48 -0800

Bought new car Tuesday. Car got squooshed in a hit and run four days later. I only have liability insurance. Oh, crap. How can I track down the guy who hit me? I have some information about him, but the police are being very unhelpful. Help, Metafilter detectives! My pretty new Subaru Forester (new to me -- it's a 2000, but was in lovely shape) was terribly maimed in a hit and run accident on Saturday night in Brooklyn, NY.

The accident was witnessed by a couple of people, I have their contact information. One of them made a police report. The police report described the truck that hit mine and another car as an 8-wheel truck with commercial plates. The truck is very likely blue, due to the long streak of blue paint along the side of my car. The truck that hit me is very likely to be damaged enough to require repair, because it completely destroyed one car in the impact, and really seriously took a bite out of mine.

The police report contained a license plate number, but my insurance company ran the plates and said that it didn't match anything.

I want the police to make at least some effort to find the person who hit my car. This is the first car I've had since 1995, I really don't have the money to get it fixed, and I really don't want to have spent all that money for nothing.

I have called the police precinct where the accident report was filed, and they said I have to call back between midnight and 7 am on thursdays or fridays to reach the relevant officer.

Questions: Is there anything I can do that I'm not doing to try to track down the person who hit my car? It's a commercial vehicle, so it's likely insured, and it's likely to need repairs.
If I pursue something with the police, is the officer who took the accident report the only person I can talk to?
Is this incident likely to be investigated, or are the police just going to ignore it?
What other options might I have?

Thanks in advance, metafilter.

I totaled my car; now what?

nel — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 19:23:18 -0800

I totaled my car. What should I do? Should I keep the car? Last Friday I rear-ended someone, driving in my 2002 Acura RSX. The car I hit was an SUV. My car, being very compact, was damaged horribly, while the other driver's car only minimally. Today, State Farm deemed my car a "total loss." My car is worth $9,250, and the repairs total $7,991. This is big loss for me. I loved my car and I feel like I lost a friend. The car will now have a branded title (i.e., "salvage") as required by state law.

My question is, what if I want to keep the car anyway? There is a lien on the car, so if I let the insurance company take the car, they will pay off the loan, and give me any money left over. But if I want to keep the car, what would they do then? With such high damage, do you think that it is even worth repairing it myself? It seems like the car will never be the same either way.

No ambulance to chase

Anonymous — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:23:00 -0800

My car was rearended hard today by someone who has no insurance. I'm physically fine so far. Assuming I stay that way, should I consider suing him? I am in Connecticut, which is also where the accident took place. I also understand that you are not and will never be my lawyer, and you're not giving me legal advice.

I myself have insurance. I'm out my $300 deductible and won't have my car back for at least a month, possibly longer -- my own policy does not include a rental for myself (yeah, I may rethink that for later...). I have not been told yet whether this accident will affect my premiums. While these expenses won't put me on the street, they will be felt.

I'm not sure it's relevant, but I'll mention it in case it is: The guy who hit me fled the scene, and was arrested about 20 minutes later. There were solid witnesses, and I've been told he will likely plead guilty to leaving the scene when charged.

I'm still pretty shaken up -- it was a scary scenario -- so if you're tempted to give me a hard time for pondering what I'm guessing would be a small claims case at best, please don't. Today has sucked enough already.

Thanks.

my dominant hand is no longer dominant. help!

melodykramer — Tue, 27 May 2008 02:23:47 -0800

i was in a very bad car accident this weekend and smashed my dominant hand and my non dominant shoulder. i've been told my dominant hand may not regain full functionality. any tips on getting through the next few weeks/months? any good car accident recovery stories? the car rolled 3 times and i am very lucky and thankful to be alive.

aside from my hand and shoulder, i am not physically injured. i shielded my head with my left hand as the car rolled. every time the car hit the ground, my left hand scraped the ground and now looks pretty, pretty, pretty gross.

of course i am visiting all sorts of ortho + hand surgeon people, but i'm quite concerned about my left dominant hand. i write a lot for work and pleasure and was 100 percent left sided.

compounding that is a bad tear in my right shoulder. the combo makes me armless except for my right hand, which has no range of motion while my shoulder recovers.

i am home with my parents but want to be as independent as possible. any tips/advice for the 1 armed lady? :P (this took forever to type.)

I was just in a car accident and I need your advice on how to handle it.

sharkfu — Fri, 16 May 2008 10:54:30 -0800

I was just in a car accident and I need your advice on how to handle it. I'm a little shaken up and I live alone so I have no one to advise me on how to handle this.

While dropping my friend off at the airport, I approached a police checkpoint (just police cars and cones, not a parking structure with an arm that lowers) where two lanes merged into one to stop for ID Check. I was ahead of a parking shuttle van (privately company owned), 90% merged, and at a full stop as I waited for the two cars ahead of me at the checkpoint.

The parking shuttle, who I thought was just riding rather close because he was overly aggressive, didn't stop and dented/ scraped the left rear of my car with the right front of his van. I guess he didn't see me or he wasn't paying attention. It happens.

I pulled up to the checkpoint and the cop had me pull over. He said since there were no injuries no police report was needed. He did note that there was major paint transfer from his van to mine, but none from mine to his (does this prove I was stopped and he was the one moving up?).

I was shaken but it was really slow accident so it wasn't bad. We exchanged info, but he didn't have the insurance info in the van so I had follow him back to the parking office to get it.

That's where everything got crappy...

The owner and manager at the van place were complete jerks. I've been in accidents before and I always strive to make it amicable despite adrenaline and emotions. They didn't want to listen to my side of the story, claimed I was in the wrong lane and it was my fault, and talked about calling the cops. I told them I was fine with that. When we did exchange info, they photocopied my insurance card rather than writing down. When I asked if they could just photocopy theirs to save us time they said "that's not our problem". At one point I said, "You know this doesn't have to be adversarial, we can still be amicable" and they just grunted. They just generally made an unfortunate situation really crappy. I got the sense they were kinda shady jerks.

I don't like conflict or making things worse, so I'm honestly more shaken up by their attitude and behavior than the accident itself.

And here's the thing: 6 Months ago a guy rear-ended me. It was low speed, no damage was done. The guy was so nice and apologetic about it I told him to forget it. We didn't need to make claims. He even offered me cash and I turned him down. It's an older car and it's not in perfect shape so I didn't want to hassle either him or me.

If they had been nice to me I might have done the same this time. But they're behavior makes me want to be formal about it and teach them a lesson. But is this shooting myself in the foot? I think I have a $500 deductible--so it might not even been covered AND my rates might go up, right?

So is my desire to win overshadowing my own best interests?

Other minor details:

-98 Honda Civic, not in great condition

-Progressive insurance, customer for 9 years

- Picture: imagevenue link

-Could they claim whiplash or something (by one of the van passengers) and sue me?

-I really don't like that they have my address-- will they retaliate against me? I'm probably paranoid but they seemed like the kind of guys who could do that.

Mostly I just want this to go away, but I'm trying to fight through that to deal with it in the best way.

Car accident that may become involved. How do I report to the DMV?

Anonymous — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 08:23:24 -0800

QUESTION: The DMV form wants me to indentify injured persons - should I report the other party as injured because the insurance company has told me about their injury claim? I rear-ended another vehicle; there was limited car damage and nobody looked visibly injured or complained of injuries at the time of the accident, at least until the police officer came. Afterwards, my insurance company informed me that the other party has claimed injuries and hired a lawyer.

I undestand that injuries may not be felt fully at the time of the accident and if I had a problem like this, I would probably want to have a lawyer on my side, too. As the guilty party, I feel very vulnerable and since the form I have to file (SR-1, Report of Traffic Accident Occuring in California) will be public information, I want to be careful, too.

So, the form wants me to indentify injured persons - should I report the other party as injured because the insurance company has told me about the injury claim?

It seems to me that doing that could be interpreted as me personally acknowledging the injuries, whereas I do not know about any first hand. The form instructions say “Identify any person involved in the accident (driver, passenger, bicyclist, pedestrian, etc.) who you saw was injured or complained of bodily injury or know to be deceased.”

Thanks in advance for any comments. If you have an opinion or had any similar experience, I will very much appreciate it if you share.

The DMV form is available here, if anyone wants to take a look: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/forms/sr/sr1.pdf. Throwaway e-mail: anonymousaccident@yahoo.com.

Trying to fix a broken home...mate.

mdonley — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:15:42 -0800

What little treats should I get today after work to take home to my shaken-up-after-a-car-accident housemate? And what can I do to make his life a little easier/nicer in the days/weeks to come? He's in some pain and has taken today off. I'm already thinking about Tiger Balm for sore muscles and a big bar of chocolate. He doesn't drink and is in his mid-20s.

Finally, this is in Latvia, so while I'd love to bring home a bunch of carne asada tacos, that's not really possible.

How should I handle this car accident?

Anonymous — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 05:22:23 -0800

I was in a car accident on Friday. I have questions about insurance, etc. I've never been in an accident before. My friend's car was T-boned on the passenger (my) side of the car at relatively low speed. It was hard enough that the passenger side door was not able to be opened.

I went to the hospital yesterday on the advice of friends and learned that my ribs are quite bruised. Apparently (according to the doc), I have a high pain tolerance. I took the advice of the doc and stayed home today, taking Tylenol 3. I have sick pay at work, so I guess that I technically didn't lose any wages. I don't believe that I am seriously injured, just uncomfortable for a while. I am thinking about going to a chiropractor because I find that my posture tends to emulate the position that I was in upon impact: I saw it coming and braced myself. I'm not trying to screw anyone over, just want to know the most prudent path to take...

"Lawyering up" seems a bit extreme for me, as it seems to be soft tissue damage and I am just assuring that I get my expenses reimbursed. Am I being ignorant? I really have no idea here, so any advice is appreciated.

crash Fortunately, we all had insurance. Which one of the three companies gets the claim?

truenorth — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 23:10:31 -0800

Out of state rental car driver who paid for the Loss Damage Waiver backed in to us. We have his insurance information and claim number, and also reported the incident to our insurance company, which offered to cover damages to the car. We think we'd like to have repairs covered under the rental company's LDW. Do we have the right to choose who should foot the bill? And is this a good choice? The damage: back door and back fender panel, which is a pretty sizable piece of metal.
Rental Car company: Enterprise
His insurance: USAA
Ours: Allstate, with good driver discount and a promise of no rate increase even if we make a claim.

Other driver totally at fault - we were in a crowded parking structure, blocked front and back, and he backed in to us despite our honking. No injuries, but it caused a surprising amount of (cosmetic) damage for such a low impact collision. We would rather not bill our insurance, because we filed a damage claim last year.

My preference would be to somehow bill Enterprise, since the other driver paid for the LDW, and I have an idea that this would not increase his USAA rates. Unfortunately, the only information I have about it is the driver's name and the rental car license plate number. USAA called two days after the accident with a claim number, Allstate has called to ask if we'll be filing the claim with them, and we haven't had an adjuster take a look at the car pending this decision, but will probably set up an appointment tomorrow.

I know nobody's my lawyer and I won't treat any advice as legal counsel.
Thanks for any information you can offer, Reader.

Car accident. "I will write a cheque" turned into "Who are you?"

kmennie — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 11:35:59 -0800

Car accident in Sept. Swapped info; didn't call police. Now the guy who hit us has never heard of us. What can I reasonably expect? Back in September, I stood watching on a corner as an SUV clipped the Civic my husband was driving. Much of the side of the plastic (!) bumper got left in the street.

Information was swapped, cops weren't called. (That last part was not my idea...) Very long story about why we didn't get around to pursuing it until now -- part of it having to do with my holding our newborn daughter while I watched him get clipped -- but, anyway. I finally called the dude (who had liquor on his breath at the time) yesterday.

He was very nervous and bullshitty of tone and claimed to own a grey Cadillac, not an SUV. No idea who I was. Then went into some story about how he owns a company and maybe a car there... Well, could he call me back? Give him 24h. Yeah, right.

What, if anything, can I reasonably expect at this point? Estimate for the damage is about C$1,400. We're in Ottawa, Ontario.

What should I do after a hit-and-run car accident?

zavulon — Tue, 15 May 2007 11:43:22 -0800

I was pulling out of my parking spot as some guy, going at high speed, out of nowhere cut in front of me, causing me to bump into him, and then ran away. What's my best action at this point? Hi,

Yesterday, I got into a car accident, and not sure what's the best option to take... I was pulling out of my parking spot (last spot before the light), as some guy, going at high speed, out of nowhere cut in front of me to turn right, causing me to bump into him. He then proceeded to drive away at high speed. I chased him and caught up to him after a few blocks. He then told me, in essence, to eff off, and to take it up with my insurance company. I did write down his license plate though.

So now I'm pondering, what's my best course of action? I live in New York state. It would be around $500 to fix my bumper. My insurance deductible is $500.

If I report a hit and run (which what, in essence, this was), would it be determined completely his liability, or partially mine too? Would my insurance go up in either case? I could just report that someone bumped into my car while it was parked, but I don't really want to lie about it ...

Thank you very much!

IS THE LEFT TURNER ALWAYS AT FAULT?

GIRLesq — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 15:42:36 -0800

Was I at fault when I got hit by another car? I was in the left turn lane facing north (Car 1). Another car was in the left turn lane facing south (Car 2). A third car (Car 3) was coming straight south bound but decided to get into the left turn lane behind Car 2.

The intersection was clear so I proceeded to turn left. Just then, Car 3 changes his mind and pulls out of the left turn lane (from behind Car 2) a dashes into the intersection and hits the rear panel of my car. He was going so fast his airbags deployed.

There was a lady in Car 4 directly behind me who says she saw everything -- but I don't think she could see the intersection when I turned because she was behind me. She completely insists it was my fault just because I was turning left. She also said she used to work for an insurance company (but I have no idea in what capacity) so I fear she may have a point.

I don't think I'm at fault because the intersection was clear when I started my turn. Who is right?

(Yes, IAMAL, but not that kind of lawyer so I don't know the answer). And it just happened like 10 minutes ago so I have no info from the insurance companies yet.

Missing my ride

xo — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 15:06:58 -0800

My non-pimped ride (1993 sedan, BB value: $825) was just totaled in an accident with a commercial truck (the truck driver's fault, and he was cited). Are there any ways to get the adjuster to value the car more highly than $825 so that I have any chance of replacing it? This car cost me $2K three years ago and nothing more than oil changes since, and has been completely reliable... to me, its value was like a new car, since I never had to do anything to it and it always ran. $825 would not get me anything comparable.

Also, I haven't rented a replacement car, but I would like to if I could be more sure they'd pay for it. Are they likely to pay, considering that at $60+tax a day, in 10 days I'd have exceeded the value of my car just in rentals? My car insurance policy has a $1K deductible and no car rentals, and I haven't heard back yet from the truck's insurance claims people.

Loosey goosey girl

acoutu — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 13:45:54 -0800

PhysioFilter: Where can I find information about really loose ligaments with a tendency to subfluxation? We were in a car accident last month. (It wasn't our fault and we're mostly okay.) My husband and I both sustained whiplash. Mine is worse. The physio says this is partly because I didn't see the car coming and couldn't brace. However, she said that I have incredibly loose ligaments and so I don't have much stability. Apparently, my muscles usually have to do the work of my ligaments and, when injured, that means I'm in a worse situation. (She says I missed my calling as a ballerina.) She said that I am thus very prone to subfluxation and that it's going to take a long time to recover. My central nervous system is still sending out mixed messages and is in a heightened response mode.

I would like to read about this loose ligament and subfluxation stuff -- preferably materials in plain language, since I don't have a strong background in anatomy. I don't even know if there is a name for this sort of situation. I just want to learn about it and compare it to what my physio tells me. I do trust my physio and my doctor, but I always like to be well informed. My physio is great.

I don't really have much experience with physiotherapy and reading some of this would also make me feel a bit more comfortable with the work she's doing on me. I am not clear on the line between spinal manipulation and just getting stuff back to normal, for example. I'm astounded that my central nervous system could still be freaking out a month after an accident. It's just that I'm not well-informed about these things. I believe what she's telling me about my ligaments, because I know I do hyperextend. (Enough that she started to look ill when she asked me to do a few things for her.)

Thanks.

Can I recoup the value on my car that somebody hit (and ran from)?

cubedweller — Tue, 09 May 2006 16:31:40 -0800

Can I recoup the value on my car that somebody hit (and ran from)? My car was hit, person admitted to it, they're insured, now what? All the juicy details are inside. My 5 month old Infiniti G35 coupe was parked outside of my house about a month ago. At about 2:30am there was an almighty bang - that bang...was my car. Someone hit it going so fast that they lifted my car up into the air, ripped the wheel and the associated hardware right off the car, and pushed it down the hill. There is debris 30ft from the car. The skid mark goes down to the end of the street.

Anyway, the guy took off when he did it but the cops caught him, as he had just gone down the street to his house and parked and gone to bed. He admitted to hitting the car and his insurance will cover it. The case is being forwarded to the DA for a misdemeanor hit and run.

But here's the thing. If they fix the car, I get back a car that will be seriously devalued if I try to sell it. That amount of damage will show up on carfax or any other reporting system. If I decide to keep it, I have a car with refurb and non-oem parts, not to mention a car that will probably never drive the same again.

Even though the damage is extensive, the value of the car is also high, which means it's unlikely to be totalled.

It seems incredibly unfair to me that I should get anything but a car that is EXACTLY how I left it when I parked it, or a brand new car. I am totally blameless, yet I lose thousands of dollars in value on my car. I'm told I can sue the person who hit my car (after I sell it) for the difference in reasonable blue book value (close to $40k) and what I sell it for, but who has the time and resources to do that?

What are my options here? I just feel like I pay insurance companies for a reason, and I shouldn't have to settle for a compromised vehicle.

Maybe just a bike from now on.

anonpeon — Tue, 02 May 2006 12:56:52 -0800

Had a car accident, one witnesssays I ran red light, but I don't think I did. What do I do now? This happened in Georgia.

Accident was at an intersection. No serious injuries on me, but I don't know about the other driver. Police said he seemed like he'll be fine, was talking and conscious. Our cars are probably totaled. There is one witness who says I ran a red light, but said witness seemed fishy to me, like he was covering for a friend in the neighborhood. Or maybe I was still in shock from accident.

I remember checking the green light earlier up the street and watched it go from red to green and since I do this route everyday, at this time, was confident about the timing of the light. In short I'm 90% certain the light was green.

There was one local resident (different from the witness above) who says he's seen the other driver ran speeding and running the light before. My wife (who wasn't in the car, but a local lady was nice enough to call, so wife showed up later) got his address but he seemed reluctant to say much more.

Did get a ticket for not obeying local traffic laws, but the cop made a point of saying that he had to ticket someone for insurance purposes, so one witness against me was enough for me to get it. he also said to go to court with documentation showing the other guy was taken care of via my insurance and the case would most likely be dismissed. i do have full coverage on the vehicle.

So do I try to fight this or just go with the cop said? Does it matter either way? Do I lawyer up? Investigate, question people? Like was said, pretty sure, but not completely sure it wasn't my fault.

Filed a claim already, based on my local insurance agent's advice, got a body shop to go look at car, got a rental car setup.

Can someone else make a claim on my car insurance?

jayder — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 06:31:20 -0800

Can someone else make a claim on my auto insurance? Let's say I am involved in a very minor collision with someone's car in a shopping mall parking lot. The other person claims it is my fault. I give the person my insurance information. After the person presents me with an exorbitant, inflated "estimate" of what it will cost to fix the damage, I make the person an offer to settle the case, of a little more than half of what they are demanding. The person rejects my offer.

The person (who has his own auto insurance) threatens to contact my insurance company and make a claim. Will my insurance company deal with this person? Is there any chance the insurance company will pay the person's claim? (Assume that the person knows which insurance company my policy is with, but that I have not reported this incident to my insurance company.)

He's sick, I'm scared, and I'm 3000 miles away. Help!

fuzzbean — Sat, 08 Oct 2005 08:19:15 -0800

On Tuesday, my boyfriend is having an anterior cervical fusion of C5 and C6 as a result of being on the weak end of a car-bicycle collision. He's in Los Angeles. I'm in Boston. I'm worried, and I have lots of questions. How can I help? He was hit by the car two Thursdays ago, finally made it in to see a doctor (long story) last Monday, and in the intervening week has had four separate and unrelated doctors, including two non-surgeons with no interest in unnecessary surgery, look at him and go, "Oh, shit, it's a good thing you're not paralyzed." So we're pretty sure this is the right thing to do.

Flying out isn't really an option, due to the expense and my job, etc., nor is it particularly necessary; he has family and friends in the area who will be around to help. It's rational for me to stay in Boston and go about my life; it doesn't mean it's what I want to do. I've basically been put on internet research detail, but I feel so very helpless and useless at this. I've offered several times to come out (and have a packed duffel in the hallway by the door), but he is also being rational about this and discouraging it, on the grounds that there will already be lots of people there and I won't be able to help that much; it would be better for me to save the time and money and see him when he's recovered.

Complicating the issue (for me, anyway, although I'm not mentioning this to him as it's one more thing he doesn't need to worry about) is my crippling, bowel-clenching phobia (self link) of doctors, medicine, hospitals, needles, etc.etc.etc. that puts me nearly into a crying, shaking panic attack when I think about all of this too hard.

So now for the questions:

Medical:
- What can he expect in terms of aftermath and recovery time? He's 37 and in good overall health, non-smoker, slender build, very healthy diet.

- Has anyone here had this procedure done? What were your experiences (good and bad)?

- What's the best way to treat a surgical wound so it heals quickly and with minimal scarring? What's the best way to prevent infection? He's considering using something like this, on the grounds that it will seal out everything nasty and won't need to be fussed with for a week. Thoughts? Why would this be a bad idea?

- His doctor has had a single malpractice arbitration judgment against him, for $1.2 million in October of 2004, but says that he hasn't had any deaths. Is this a large enough settlement to be concerned about? I'm taking it with a grain of salt, as I know perfectly well that very good doctors often settle malpractice disputes just to settle without going to court, but I'll admit that the size concerns me.

Legal:
- Is there a maximum inheritable value above which point the estate goes to probate court regardless of the existance of a will, or as long as it's under the $1.5 million mark (for the estate tax) does the will take precedence? (No, I'm not this ghoulish, but he wants to be prepared for the worst.)

- He hasn't contacted a lawyer and is unwilling to sue (variety of reasons). He has health insurance that should be covering all of this, so will they just go after the car insurance and leave him out of it?

Personal:
- What concrete steps can I take to help him from all the way across the continent? As I said, I'm on internet research detail, as he has limited time he can sit/stand upright, so I'm answering and trying to anticipate his questions, but it's so...little.

- How do I get control of my head? I'm keeping busy, knitting him a scarf, cooking, going out with friends, not letting myself be too alone, but often when I am, bad scary things start going on inside my cranium. I want them to stop; they're not helping him and they're not helping me, but I can't. I know some fear is rational, but I know this isn't.

Random:
- He has an returning residency visa for New Zealand, and was planning to move there (permanently) before all this happened. Will this affect his application for an indefinite returning residency visa?

What should I do with the infomation I got from the person who hit my car and ran

shoos — Thu, 23 Dec 2004 18:32:18 -0800

A hit-and-run accident. I was in one today, after being rear-ended by the idiot. After the guy takes off onto a nearby freeway onramp, I follow him and he exits at the next offramp. He then runs a red light, sideswiping two cars in the process, and I lose him. [more inside] I was able to write down his plate and the make/model of his car, and know where he works. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the two drivers he sideswiped. What I'm wondering is if I can't identify any other witnesses to the hit and run, what will keep the guy from just saying I made the whole thing up, and the police from having to drop any charges?

Car Accident Tragedy

Anonymous — Thu, 28 Oct 2004 18:27:46 -0800

Someone in my immediate family was involved in a car accident today on a highway, and he was in the wrong (though no alcohol or drugs were involved). Not only that, but the other driver was killed, and he is probably going to be charged. He is traumatized, extremely distressed, in a bad state mentally. My question is for advice from anyone who has dealt with this kind of situation.

How exactly do insurance companies figure "pain and suffering" on car accidents?

nramsey — Fri, 16 Jan 2004 16:44:36 -0800

How exactly do insurance companies figure "pain and suffering" on car accidents? I've been told by several people to take whatever they offer and double it, but how do they decide what they offer? And how do I know if that's enough (because I assume once I take their offer the claim is closed)? (more inside) I've been told to think about it over the weekend by the other car's insurance claim person. I can either just give them a number for expected future doctor's visits or go for a few visits and then decide how much, whatever is the most comfortable with me.