Was in a Car Accident this morning..

[ramanth]

*sighs*

Right in front of my apartment complex!

There are two entrances into my apartment complex. I had just pulled out of the one and was heading down Grand River Ave. when BAM, I got broadsided on the passenger side. Dad suspects the car is totaled.

:(

I'm not hurt, but now I'm starting to feel a little stiff and sore.

She said she didn't see me, but I suspect she was on the phone and just pulled out without looking. While she called the police, a woman came over to see if I was okay. She said she saw the whole thing and gave her report to the officer when he arrived.

He found the young lady at fault but didn't give her a ticket.

I'm picking up a copy of the police report tomorrow morning. Insurance has been called and their sending out an adjuster.

My poor car.


*EDIT* 4/24/06

Here are the photos of the damage.

I still have some stiffness in my back, so I made an appointment for 10:50 a.m. this morning. Wish me luck.

*crunch*
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y164/ramanth/car%20damage/IMG_8179.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y164/ramanth/car%20damage/IMG_8181.jpg

Damage to her car
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y164/ramanth/car%20damage/IMG_8184.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y164/ramanth/car%20damage/IMG_8185.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y164/ramanth/car%20damage/IMG_8186.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y164/ramanth/car%20damage/IMG_8187.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y164/ramanth/car%20damage/IMG_8188.jpg

The buckle in the roof
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y164/ramanth/car%20damage/IMG_8191.jpg

[luvofallhorses]

oh no! :( I am glad you are OK! (((hugs)))

[beeniesmom]

Glad you are Ok. Hope the car is not as bad as your dad thinks.

[pitc9]

Ouch! I'm so sorry this happened to you!
But glad you're okay!
I work in a body shop and with today's cars, it doesn't take much to total out a car! :(

edit: I don't work on the cars... I work in the body shop office :p

[Flatcoatluver]

Omg!!! How scary, I am so glad your ok though.

[ramanth]

Glad you are Ok. Hope the car is not as bad as your dad thinks.
Well, my dad used to be a mechanic. He knows his cars. And the guy at the Body Shop said he'd be very surprised if the insurance company wants to have it fixed. In his eyes it's a total loss. :(

[kimlovescats]

I'm so sorry, but thank God you are "ok"!

Hugs,
Kim

[Killearn Kitties]

Well, I'm glad to hear that you are alright. It does shake your confidence for a while when you are driving. Poor car. Hopefully the insurance will be sorted out quickly.

[Jadapit]

Well that totally sucks!! :( I'm sure glad you are ok. Sorry about your car.

[Ginger's Mom]

Oh Kimmy, I am so sorry. Gentle hugs to you (I know you are sore). I am glad you weren't seriously hurt. Cars can always be replaced. How old was your car?

[ramanth]

Thanks guys.


Oh Kimmy, I am so sorry. Gentle hugs to you (I know you are sore). I am glad you weren't seriously hurt. Cars can always be replaced. How old was your car?
It was a 2000 Grand Am that I bought used in 2001. I've put a lot of miles on her but I love that car. I wasn't ready to give it up. :(

Here's Kia posing next to our car...
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y164/ramanth/misc%20images/IMG_6102s.jpg

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Gosh, Kim, I'm so glad you're ok! I know when I rear-ended somebody a few months ago, I was only going about 2 miles an hour when we hit. My air bag didn't even go off, but my neck was sore for a week, and it didn't really start hurting until the next morning, so be prepared for when you wake up tomorrow! :eek:

Sorry to hear about the car probably being totalled, but just think, now you get a new car! ;)

[caseysmom]

Kim I am so glad your okay. When she says she didn't see you that translates to "she wasn't looking" its her fault.

[Anita Cholaine]

How scary! I'm sorry about about your car, but it's a great thing that you're ok....

[Pam]

I'm glad you are OK. Isn't it amazing what a jolt you can get when you have just been hit by someone going relatively slow? I can't even imagine (God forbid) being in a major accident with high speeds involved. I hope this doesn't wind up costing you anything out of pocket. I was rear-ended a few years ago in a car that I had only had two weeks. :( I was stopped at a light and the guy behind me was looking elsewhere. :rolleyes:

[kimboe]

Glad your ok, Hopefully your insurance doesn't go up to high.

[Barbara]

I'm so sorry Kim- but glad you're ok!
I also hate to give up a car once I'm used to it. This is why I drive my 11 year old 160000 miles BMW and hope to drive it for some more years. If someone hit my bumper it would be a total loss :D .

[Jessika]

Wow I also have a 2000 Grand Am (well, a GT) and I am very curious to see the pictures of the car if you get around to taking them... just to see how sturdy the car is! How fast was she going???

[ramanth]

Wow I also have a 2000 Grand Am (well, a GT) and I am very curious to see the pictures of the car if you get around to taking them... just to see how sturdy the car is! How fast was she going???
Because of the shock of the whole thing, I thought, oh...the Body Shop can just put new doors on it! :rolleyes:

Well, the fender is also bent and the roof buckled a little and dad thinks the undercarriage might also have some damage.

Not sure how fast she was going. It sure looked like she was coming at me fast when I saw her out of the corner of my eye! I'd guess 20 mph.

[Jessika]

Because of the shock of the whole thing, I thought, oh...the Body Shop can just put new doors on it! :rolleyes:

Well, the fender is also bent and the roof buckled a little and dad thinks the undercarriage might also have some damage.

Not sure how fast she was going. It sure looked like she was coming at me fast when I saw her out of the corner of my eye! I'd guess 20 mph.
Isn't that technically speeding in a parking lot, though? Isn't it a general rule that in parking lots the speed limit is 15MPH?

But ugh kind of scary nontheless :o

EDIT: Ah nevermind you had just pulled OUT of hte entrance, I thought you said you pulled UP to lol

[Lady's Human]

Glad you're okay.

It sounds like the car has driven it's last mile. If the roof buckled, the unibody is probably damaged. Even if they did fix it, it would never drive the same again.

[ramanth]

Yeah, I pulled out of one entrance and was already driving down the road when she pulled out of the other driveway and hit the side of my car.

I don't think she fully stopped to look for traffic... probably just yielded long enough and accelerated out and into me.

[jackie]

I glad no one was seriously injured, and hope everything is sorted out ASAP.

(((hugs)))

[lvpets2002]

:( I am so sorry that your car is totalled = But I am glad you are ok & not hurt.. :) & your right the lady was prob. on the cell phone or something with distraction.. :o

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

I'm so sorry.... :(
It is scary hey when something like this happens... . Good thing is that you aren't hurt badly! Be sure that your witness is heard by the insurance company too. Wow, here it is forbidden to phone while driving!

[ramanth]

Wow, here it is forbidden to phone while driving!
They are working on making it against the law here. Hasn't happened yet though.

Handy when you are in an accident... a pain when it's the cause. :( :mad:

[anna_66]

Kimmy I'm really sorry to hear you had another accident. This is the same car that got hit last year isn't it? People need to pay more attention to what their doing!

I hate that your starting to hurt now, I hope it doesn't get any worse.

And like Tubby & Peanut's Mom said...at least you get a new car out of it;)

[lizbud]

I'm so sorry to hear about the accident.Major bummer. :(
I am glad you were'nt seriously hurt. May want to take a couple Tylanol
or something before going to bed tonight.Soft tissue damage usually
doesn't show up till later.

[cyber-sibes]

oh, sorry about your car but thank God YOU are alright, Kim! And at least the silver lining is that you have insurance and you can always replace a car, unlike body parts! ;) Take a good long soak in the tub before bed, maybe it'll help.

[Laura's Babies]

I'd like to know why she didn't get a ticket... To me it sounds like the officer thinks you both were responsiable for the accident. I would have insisted she get a ticket!

Be prepared, they (insurance companies) are going to want to know what YOU did to prevent the accident... They always have to ask that, even if you were at a dead stop, waiting for a light and someone rear ends YOU!...
and yup, wait until in the morning to see how you feel. I would take something tonight at bedtime to try to ward off any stiffness/soreness in the morning.

I had a friend that was rear ended on her way to work one day. She was fine and went on to work. She worked for 2 1/2 days... on that 3rd day, she sat down and her legs went out on her completely, couldn't feel them or use them and she was rushed to the hospital where she ended up in traction from that wreck.

[moosmom]

Kimmy,

Glad to hear you're okay. Just remember that you'll start to feel achy within 24-48 hours after you're hit. It's best to be checked out immediately after it happens, just in case there IS something, God forbid, wrong.

Always remember to look to your left FIRST. Why you ask??? Cuz if you pull out and you're gonna get hit, it's gonna be from traffic coming from the left first.

((((((HUGS)))))))))

Donna

[Alysser]

I'm glad your OK! I hope your car gets fixed as soon as possible!

[*LabLoverKEB*]

When I read the title of this thread, I thought "Oooohhh nooo!"
Thank the lord that you are alright, and not hurt!

[Karen]

Glad you're okay, take an aspirin tonight before bed if your body is okay with aspirin. My friend the MD told me that once, said I wouldn't be as stiff in the morning. I trust you did get yourself checked out just in case? How sad for your poor little car, gone to that junkyard in the sky at such an early age ...

Cars are better engineered, I think, for being hit front or back than they are from the side.

Poor little car.

[RedHedd]

Kimmy, I'm just glad you're okay. I hope the car isn't too badly damaged. After the incident I had a week or so ago .... it's scary being in something like that. Glad you're safe. GA

[shais_mom]

that totally sucks - so close to the wedding also.
ack
poor Car and poor You!
hugs!

[krazyaboutkatz]

Kimmy, I'm sorry to hear about your accident:( but I'm glad to hear that you're alright.:) I hope that you won't become too sore and that everything works out for you. Take care.

[gini]

These things are so frightening. Thank God you are alright. I sure am sorry about your car. It is late here, so you must already be asleep. I hope you get a good nights rest and aren't too sore in the morning.

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

oh no!! i'm sorry to hear about your car... but im glad you're o.k.

So if the officer didn't give her a ticket... is she still responsible ???

[ChrisH]

Oh, Kimmy, thank goodness you are ok. {{hugs}}

My sister (the driver) and I were in an accident along the same lines many years ago, difference was we were the ones coming out of a side road and were hit by a van and the car was a write-off. To this day I don't remember a thing about it, just getting into the car then waking up in hospital, but on seeing the car I realised how lucky we were to get out alive. Totally my sister's fault, she was drunk, and my own fault too for getting in the car with her knowing it.

[ramanth]

Photos in the first post.

I'm still pretty stiff and Ibuprofen doesn't seem to be doing the trick, so I have a doctor's appointment this morning. Wish me luck.

[cyber-sibes]

Hope everything checks out ok at the doctor's. We'll keep our paws crossed. ;)

[ramanth]

To answer some of your questions. :)


Kimmy I'm really sorry to hear you had another accident. This is the same car that got hit last year isn't it? People need to pay more attention to what their doing!
Yep, same car, though the accident last year was my fault. I re-ended the car in front of me. :o


I'd like to know why she didn't get a ticket... To me it sounds like the officer thinks you both were responsiable for the accident. I would have insisted she get a ticket!
I don't know and the more I think about it the more I get peeved. She claims it was her first accident ever. So I'm not sure why the officer decided to be lenient.



So if the officer didn't give her a ticket... is she still responsible ???
MI has this 'No Fault' policy. So even though the police found her at fault for causing the accident, all that means is that her insurance has to pay the deductible on my car. Then, because I have full coverage, my insurance company decides if it wants to have the car repaired or claim it a total loss and give me what they think the car is worth. :\

[ramanth]

Minor whiplash. With daily stretches and Iburprofen I should be feeling better by next Wednesday. :)

[crazy_caique]

thank god you are not hurt

[ramanth]

Verdict is in: Car is a Total Loss.

*sniffles*

[Cinder & Smoke]

Her insurance has to pay the deductible on my car.
Then, because I have full coverage,
my insurance company decides if it wants to have the car repaired or
claim it a total loss and
give me what they think the car is worth.

"What THEY think the car is worth."

Kimmy ~

Do some research before you talk to the insurance "adjuster"!!

Check the "Kelly Blue Book" site >>>
http://www.kbb.com (http://www.kbb.com/)

for the exact Year, Model, Body Style, Engine, Trim Level, and OPTIONS you have
on the car - see what Mr. Kelly says it's worth.
Pay attention to the "condition" rating - can you claim this >>> ?

"Excellent" condition means that the vehicle looks new, is in excellent mechanical condition and needs no reconditioning. This vehicle has never had any paint or body work and is free of rust. The vehicle has a clean title history and will pass a smog and safety inspection. The engine compartment is clean, with no fluid leaks and is free of any wear or visible defects. The vehicle also has complete and verifiable service records. Less than 5% of all used vehicles fall into this category.

That "condition" is worth the most money - can you claim that with a straight face?

It doesn't *look* that badly damaged ...
but the crumple in the roof is reason to worry.

IF the insurance company wants to Fix It - have a long talk with the Body Shop
to be sure they plan to use NEW parts and will guarantee a First Class repair.

Hope your *aches* & *pains* don't get any worse!!
http://petoftheday.com/i/our_smilies/wink.gif

[ramanth]

Phred, Dad checked Kelly Blue Book and other 2000 Grand Am's with similar miles to mine that are on lots to get an idea of how much it's worth.

About $4000, and the damage cost is more than that, so the adjustor said it's a total loss.

Time to shop for a new car.

[Cinder & Smoke]

Dad checked Kelly Blue Book and other 2000 Grand Am's with similar miles to mine
that are on lots to get an idea of how much it's worth.

About $4,000 ...

Time to shop for a new car.

:eek:
ONLY $4,000!??? :(

That doesn't seem like much for a 5-6 year old car that looks like it's in GOOD Condition.

*Argue* for every penny you can get - be sure they are comparing cars with
the same features and condition as yours!
And remember - YOU have to find a replacement vehicle with what they give you!

Good Luck!!

[ramanth]

I think it's how many miles I have on it that really hurts the value. About 142 thousand.

A lotta trips to the dog park.... ;)

I bought it used for 12,000 in 2001.

[ramanth]

My settlement came in!

$4,384.16! :D :D :D

That'll make for a nice down payment.

The tow truck comes tomorrow morning to pick up my car. RIP my green one. You were a great car.

[Husky_mom]

i´ve been reading but havent posted until now, sorry to hear that, it almost happened to me, bt look at the bright side you´ll be on a brand new one......

i now all the memories you muts´ve had but hey lets make new ones :D

[Karen]

My settlement came in!

$4,384.16! :D :D :D

That'll make for a nice down payment.

The tow truck comes tomorrow morning to pick up my car. RIP my green one. You were a great car.

Awww, bye-bye little green car!

[Vette]

EYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!
that must have scared the crap out of you. :eek:
glad youre okay though. and sorry about the car.

[Oggyflute]

Glad your OK, but your Dads probably right. Once the shazzy is impacted, they most often write it off.

[RobiLee]

Aww, Kimmy, sorry I missed this. I'm glad you are ok and you're right that will be a nice down payment.

[Logan]

I'm so glad you are ok, Kimmy. :)

I got "nailed" a couple of years ago, in my Jeep, which didn't even have a scratch on it. Broke my heart! And the guy who hit me was not supposed to be driving at night, nor was he supposed to have so many passengers in his car. He got a ticket for that, but not for hitting me. Turned out, later, he admitted to causing the accident, and his insurance paid for all of my repairs, but it still burns me that he was not charged for the accident.

Let us know what you end up driving!

Logan

[cyber-sibes]

:D$4 grand? Great! Now go have fun car shopping!