I was out on a little drive around town with my dog tonight, and as I headed home, I happened to be following a flat bed wrecker truck. (It was raining hard, and I was paranoid about the possibility of driving through standing water with my CAI, so both vehicles were traveling well below the posted speed limit of 40-MPH.)

Several car-lengths up ahead of me, the truck changed from the right lane to the left lane and began to slow down, as if to make a left-hand turn. (No turn signal and no brake lights.) As I routinely continued forward in the right lane, I began to pass the truck on its right.

Suddenly, the driver of the truck cut the wheel to the RIGHT, attempting to enter a driveway on the right (Again, no turn signal and no brake lights). Unfortunately, the front of my car was already well past the truck's rear bumper when the driver made this maneuver!

I only had time to touch my brake pedal before we collided, with the truck making contact with my car on the front driver-side quarter panel, and sliding up to the A-pillar. My windshield shattered, showering me with glass. Both of my air bags deployed, filling the passenger compartment with smoke/dust. We came to a grinding halt with my horn stuck on and blaring.

I got only minor cuts and bruises. My dog's OK. We were both scared sh!tless for a while, though...

My front driver-side corner is destroyed. The hood is depressed and gouged. The windshield is broken. The left driver's mirror is totally severed from the door. My front left tire is cut and the wheel looks bent. I don't know what happened under the hood...

You guessed it... The truck driver has no insurance. *&%$#@*&^%!!!

Ar-r-r-r-r-r-gh!

I'm glad to be alive. I'm glad my dog's OK. I'm glad the truck driver is OK. (His son, who was riding with him, bumped his head on their windshield... No seatbelt. The kid went to the hospital for an exam as a precaution. I think the kid will be OK, though.)

I'm p!ssed off, too. I just got my car back about 3 weeks ago, after having about $4,000+ worth of mods done. And now this...


Ar-r-r-r-r-r-gh!

 

Oh man, sorry to hear such a bad news.

A similar thing also happened to us just two days back, but this time it was in Cambridge, MA (business trip, be here for two weeks before going back to Milwaukee).

Fortunately for us, the driver of our car (city engineer) managed to brake on time. He did not hit the car, but it was so close and yet, the other driver seemed to not knowing that we were there.

The city people that I was with took off the reading of her license plate...so I assume the city will pursue some things out of it.

Good luck man!

 

Sorry man.

 

Same thing happend to my dad. only it was a bus, and he has a Infiniti Q45 and he hit the gas and got out of the way by going faster.

 

Call a good lawyer, RIGHT NOW. Do not wait 1 minute.

-RMB

 

Maybe you mentioned this in your post above, but I didn't catch it. Is your car totaled or repairable? If totaled you should sell parts on the forum.

-Ian

 

OUCH!!! Sorry to hear about your accident, but glad to hear you're ok. I've had a few close calls w/ my Max w/ the ignorance of truck drivers, luckily my SE is still in 1 piece.

All I gotta say is that truck drivers can't drive for ****!!

 

Sorry to hear about this glad everyone is ok,maybe you will be better off having the car totaled and save those parts and get another Nissan

 

Try to look at it this way - a $250/$500 (depending on your collision deductible) reminder on just how valuable and precious your life is. I know it sounds hokey to everyone else, but I'm guessing you know exactly what I'm talking about. I'm also guessing that this feeling is more valuable than the feeling you would get from a new y-pipe or other mod.

Best of luck.

 

Flat-bed wrecker? Meaning it was a business?

Depending on your state's limit on small-claims cases I'd definitely sue him for anything you lose (anything your ins.co doesn't pay for) including;

- deductable
- alternate travel arrangements (taxi, bus, rental car)
- missed work
- damaged car contents not covered by the insurance (aftermarket audio components)
- cost of mods not compensated by the ins.co *if* they total your car (especially considering the mods are 3wks old!!)
- increase in insurance costs

If you were injured at all, even just scratches or burns from the airbag, or if you wind up paying over the state's small-claims limit out-of-pocket then you'll need a lawyer.

I hope the truck driver loses his licence for driving without insurance. You did get the cops involved, yes?

Sorry to hear man - This sheet never goes well for anyone involved...

 

Three police cruisers, an emergency medical truck, and a firetruck arrived on-scene in no time flat. They did a great job, too. They were professional, thorough, and sensitive.

Contrary to my usual luck, there were two (2!) vehicles trailing me at the time of the accident, one an SUV with a family of 6 on board. The drivers of both vehicles stopped to render assistance, and one of their kids actually brought me some bandage pads from a first aid kit to put over some cuts on my hand. One of the drivers called police on his cell phone. Both drivers stuck around to give their account of what happened to the police. I *love* those people!

Needless to say, the authorities were not happy with Mr Truck driver: They caught him trying to lie his way out of this mess, and they did not appreciate that. The cops were loud, impatient, and blunt with him after a while...

I'm stiff and sore this morning, but I was lucky:
-Nobody, nor my dog, was badly injured.
-The witnesses stopped (!), and corraborated my story.
-My car looks fixable.
-I was not cited.
-The truck driver *was* cited.
-Hopefully, my Maxima will race [on the track] again!

I notified my insurance company this morning, and I've made all the arrangements I can until Monday. We'll see how it all pans out. I'm not ready to lawyer-up, yet... But we'll see.

Thanks for your thoughts and well-wishes. Drive safely.

 

I got a copy of the police report today. It seems the driver of the truck that hit me was cited for an improper turn, no insurance, and also for *2* "irregularities" with his plates: Not only were they expired (Big Time!) but they were off of another vehicle! Looks like the guy is going to have a lot of fun with the judge in court next week. I hope the judge throws the book at that jerk.

Meanwhile, I shot most of my day today on the phone with my insurance company, a local claims adjuster, the towing company, and a body shop.
So far, the car is considered fixable, but the local claims adjuster
will not have eyes on the wreck until tomorrow morning. He said there was a chance the car would be totaled. I'll hear for sure tomorrow, I guess...

My God! I've got a TON 'o MODS on that car. I want it fixed.

 

Glad you're safe and sound and have your pooch as a pal to keep you calm. Imagine what you may have done if it was just you alone or if something worse happened to your pet...I can only wince.

 

That is the truth! I was so busy trying to keep my pooch calm, I forgot how upset I was. She stuck to me like glue the for the rest of the weekend, too. She actually broke a "nail" in the wreck. (Can you believe it?) She didn't seem too concerned about it, though.

Thank God for small kindnesses.

 

sorry about everything...but it wasn't your fault plus dude isn't insured so hey, u have nothing to lose out of this

but was your car a 5 speed? if so sell me your trans, driveshafts, etc....

i'll give u good price

 

Sorry to hear about it bro. As long as you and your dog are alright, thats all that matters. I hope that Max is fixable, because losing another Max is like Losing a family member, and your fellow Max Members arent gonna let that happen!

I hope all goes well, peace

JBM

 

AMEN.....

p.s. Keep the family informed, eventhough you might step up to something better, keep the fellas at Nissan in mind...

 

I'll make long story very short:
Saturday morning I parked my 96 max on a three lane road at an Infiniti dealership. I was checking one G35. Someone hit my trunk so badly that almost the whole trunk was gone.

Waiting for the other insurance company to pay me.

Got a new QX4.

 

Dude, that' sucks. I'm sorry and I'm glad you and your companion are ok.

F'in truck drivers... They of all people should use blinkers...

 

Sorry to hear that. At least you are okay, and you got truth on your side. My friend was rear-ended on the freeway becasue the punk (drove a Toyota truck too) at the back couldn't stop in time. And guess what, the a**hole accused my friend stopped and back up to him. WTF!!!!

I hate careless drivers!!! Man, I almost got hit twice today.