Well that could have been MUCH worse
Nov. 20th, 2012 11:49 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
drwexShort form: I was in a car accident last night on the way home from work. There's some damage to the car but it's driveable and I'm unscathed. I was stopped at a red light, the middle car of a line of three, when someone plowed into the back car in the line.
The plower's vehicle is clearly totaled and was towed. The guy behind me had a lot of damage - his back hatch and window were smashed in. I suggested that he get it towed but he wanted to drive home.
He was also one lucky bastid. He informed me that he had just put on his seat belt a few blocks back. Ironically, he put on his belt because he saw me driving the way I drive. I wasn't doing anything illegal but I also don't like to sit in pointless lines (baa!). So in some oddball way I probably saved this guy from serious injury. Hooray I'm a bad example? The guy also smokes (a lot) and refused medical examination and transport despite having a visible limp after the accident. Perhaps not the best decision-maker I've ever met.
The woman driving the car that caused the accident demonstrated some classic "in shock" behaviors. She was babbling, including foolishly admitting to all and sundry that she had been talking on the phone at the time of the accident. She appeared detached from reality, though she did apologize profusely to everyone. She then wandered away. She said she lived a few blocks from the accident site and apparently thought it was a good idea just to walk home while the policeman was sitting in his cruiser with everyone's license and reg, filling out the crash report. She had no visible injuries either, and also refused medical exam or transport. Her wandering off delayed things somewhat as the cops had to go pick her up and bring her back.
The cop eventually let us go with copies of the crash report and a verbal statement that the fourth driver was at fault and had been cited. I called my insurance company when I got home and filed an informational claim, but this AM I was able to see (and hear) damage to my car so I called and re-opened the claim. Liberty Mutual are pretty awesome - they immediately waived my deductible and are arranging for me to get an appraisal. If I have to give up the vehicle for repairs they are also going to waive any rental charges.
My recollection is that I was cool-headed through it. When the guy behind me was knocked into me, I put on the parking brake - he seems to have injured himself in part by jamming down the pedal brake while being rammed. I called 911 first and fumbled what town I was in, but otherwise managed to be coherent.
I then called Pygment and said (as best I remember it): "The first thing you need to know is that I'm OK. I think the car is OK, but I'm not going to make the movie. I've been in a car accident."
I know that's kind of an odd order to give information, but starting out with "Hi, I've been in an accident" can be panic-inducing and it's better not to panic the sweetie. She was very nice to me and made me tea and soup after I had to stand out in the cold for the hour it took the cop to write everything up and send us on our way.
When I called Liberty Mutual back they recorded my statement about the accident, including things like the road being familiar to me and the conditions at the time - dark, with normal streetlights and everyone had their headlights on; no rain and the road was dry and debris-free.
Next up, filling out the MASSDOT "Motor Vehicle Crash Operator Report" which has to be done any time there's an accident that causes over $1000 in damages or someone was killed or injured. Annoying, but man that could have been much worse.
The plower's vehicle is clearly totaled and was towed. The guy behind me had a lot of damage - his back hatch and window were smashed in. I suggested that he get it towed but he wanted to drive home.
He was also one lucky bastid. He informed me that he had just put on his seat belt a few blocks back. Ironically, he put on his belt because he saw me driving the way I drive. I wasn't doing anything illegal but I also don't like to sit in pointless lines (baa!). So in some oddball way I probably saved this guy from serious injury. Hooray I'm a bad example? The guy also smokes (a lot) and refused medical examination and transport despite having a visible limp after the accident. Perhaps not the best decision-maker I've ever met.
The woman driving the car that caused the accident demonstrated some classic "in shock" behaviors. She was babbling, including foolishly admitting to all and sundry that she had been talking on the phone at the time of the accident. She appeared detached from reality, though she did apologize profusely to everyone. She then wandered away. She said she lived a few blocks from the accident site and apparently thought it was a good idea just to walk home while the policeman was sitting in his cruiser with everyone's license and reg, filling out the crash report. She had no visible injuries either, and also refused medical exam or transport. Her wandering off delayed things somewhat as the cops had to go pick her up and bring her back.
The cop eventually let us go with copies of the crash report and a verbal statement that the fourth driver was at fault and had been cited. I called my insurance company when I got home and filed an informational claim, but this AM I was able to see (and hear) damage to my car so I called and re-opened the claim. Liberty Mutual are pretty awesome - they immediately waived my deductible and are arranging for me to get an appraisal. If I have to give up the vehicle for repairs they are also going to waive any rental charges.
My recollection is that I was cool-headed through it. When the guy behind me was knocked into me, I put on the parking brake - he seems to have injured himself in part by jamming down the pedal brake while being rammed. I called 911 first and fumbled what town I was in, but otherwise managed to be coherent.
I then called Pygment and said (as best I remember it): "The first thing you need to know is that I'm OK. I think the car is OK, but I'm not going to make the movie. I've been in a car accident."
I know that's kind of an odd order to give information, but starting out with "Hi, I've been in an accident" can be panic-inducing and it's better not to panic the sweetie. She was very nice to me and made me tea and soup after I had to stand out in the cold for the hour it took the cop to write everything up and send us on our way.
When I called Liberty Mutual back they recorded my statement about the accident, including things like the road being familiar to me and the conditions at the time - dark, with normal streetlights and everyone had their headlights on; no rain and the road was dry and debris-free.
Next up, filling out the MASSDOT "Motor Vehicle Crash Operator Report" which has to be done any time there's an accident that causes over $1000 in damages or someone was killed or injured. Annoying, but man that could have been much worse.
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no subject
Date: 2012-11-20 04:53 pm (UTC)You're absolutely right about that being the best order to give information over the phone. No panicking the sweetie.
no subject
Date: 2012-11-20 04:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-20 05:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-20 05:05 pm (UTC)And of COURSE that was the right order in which to give information. When I was in a serious car accident in 1996, Norman got a call from the hospital that I'd been helicoptered to, saying, "We have your wife," and THEY WOULDN'T TELL HIM WHETHER I WAS ALIVE OR DEAD. They said they couldn't give condition information over the phone! The hospital I'd been taken to was a 2-hour drive from where we were living, and my husband got a friend to drive him there, all the time not knowing whether or not I was dead. (I think it probably wouldn't have been a hospital that would have called if I'd been dead, but one doesn't think of such things when getting such a phone call.)
Anyway, glad you're okay, and hope the car repair and claim goes as smoothly as possible.
Yipes...
Date: 2012-11-20 05:18 pm (UTC)SMOOCH
Date: 2012-11-20 05:26 pm (UTC)Of course soup and tea when you've been cold. Love you Motik.
no subject
Date: 2012-11-20 05:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-20 05:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-20 05:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-20 06:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-20 06:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-20 06:42 pm (UTC)Cars can be fixed or replaced. People can sometimes be fixed, but never replaced.
Also - that is definitely the right order of communication. When friends had a fire, the fire chief told them to call an adjuster, so they called me and said, "We had a fire. I was told to call an adjuster, and you're the only adjuster we know." I asked if everyone was ok, and the response I got was, "Hey, maybe we should lead off with that. Yes, everyone is fine, even all the cats."
They got their trial run with someone who doesn't panic at disaster - so that they didn't cause panic with the rest of the folks they called.
no subject
Date: 2012-11-20 06:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-20 07:09 pm (UTC)Absolutely the right order to give the information.
no subject
Date: 2012-11-20 08:37 pm (UTC)Glad to hear you're ok. Now you get to look at the MASSDOT and think about how you have all this information on perfect strangers who are now connected to you through the accident.
Hope the car's ok
Tom
no subject
Date: 2012-11-20 09:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-20 09:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-20 09:31 pm (UTC)See you soon.
no subject
Date: 2012-11-20 10:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-21 04:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-21 04:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-21 05:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-21 09:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-22 06:48 am (UTC)