i got into a car accident today. it was not minor, and it was not my fault. my car is totalled, but i feel alright. i had no major injuries as far as i can tell at this point (people say you can never feel it till the next day, so i'm not rejoicing too much yet).
nathan says it's a good social experiment to tell the story but not let on what the sex of the other driver is and let you guys guess. let's see what people think. from here on out, the driver of the other car will be referred to as "the driver." so here's the story:
today i had my meeting at the SBA to talk about my plans for starting a business. on the way home i was driving north on highway 30. highway 30 is a 3 lane road. one lane going each way, and a middle turn lane. a car was parallel parked on the shoulder on the right hand side of the road. the driver had been shopping at one of the businesses there. the driver was leaving the parking space, and started to make what i think was going to be a u-turn to head south on highway 30. i tried to slow down, but the next thing i remember is hearing the crash and realizing i was stopped and smelling powder and realizing my airbag was in my face. i hit the other car head on directly on the side. the speed limit on that road was 45.
the people who were inside the business saw it all happen and ran out to help me get out of my car. my door was bent and i couldn't open it myself. the other drivers that saw it happen stopped and gave me their contact information so they could be my witnesses. there were tons of people in the road making calls for me and moving the cars out of the way. everyone was so nice. the other driver just got a cut on the elbow and smashed glasses. my knees are a little bruised, and my glasses got bent, and i was able to bend them back.
i know a lot of you guys don't believe in God, but i do, and i understand that this is the time for praise and thanksgiving. i'm so blessed to be alive and walking right now. nothing else matters, and i have no desire to complain about anything. i'm only very, very thankful.
the driver's insurance company is accepting liability and will probably just give me fair market value for my car (and a rental in the meantime). it's kind of sad. i hate cars and all, but this was a good car. it was my first new car ever, and it was paid off. it had everything i want in a car. and for the price i'll get for it, i won't be able to afford as nice of a car. i refuse to get car debt again. part of me wants to just go car free, but i don't know if that'll happen. i'll have to weigh the costs. i could sure use $6000 and no more car-related costs, but then again, i like to go places on the weekends that public transportation just won't take me, like the mountains or the beach. (of course, a rental car would solve that). and we do tend to buy things that are too large or too far to carry home, but not large enough to have delivered. i guess i'll be visiting "drive to work, work to drive" again.
what do you guys think?
1. was the driver male or female?
2. should i buy a replacement car?
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9 comments:
1. Not enough information. Does it matter?
2. Just say no.
i can't say if the driver was male or female, but i do know that zipcar is about to start a branch in seattle.
-christina
except you're in portland, so that doesn't help. my b.
-c
i used the car ownership calculator, and if it helps you guys answer question 2, my monthly car ownership costs (with no car payment) are exorbitant: $400 per month, or almost $5000 per year. different insurance will surely reduce that figure, but i'm sure it won't be a huge difference.
1. I choose c. Driver on phone
I could see either gender not bothering to look behind them for cars when pulling out of a parallel spot.
2. It is entirely dependent upon your frequency of travel outside areas reachable by alternate modes of transportation. If you were like me, and like to go places that can only be reached by your own means of transportation fairly frequently, get a car. If, however, those sorts of trips are sufficiently infrequent, just rent a car when you need one (I think most decent places will bring the car to you these days). Same goes for hauling stuff - if it's infrequent, you can always get a pickup from U-Haul.
BTW, talk to Steph about things to watch for after that acccident. She's had a few longer-term issues after hers last year (I think that's when it was) than she knew about right after. She's also had problems getting money from the insurance company, so she probably has some decent info on what to and not to do. If you don't already have it, e-mail me and I can send her contact info (get my e-mail off my "blog" page).
First off I am glad to here that you are ok, most cars are designed to handle head on collisions nowadays so I am glad to hear you are ok. Do watch out for possible long term effects and lingering symptoms. And as for your project...well here goes! Since nobody else has decided to take a guess at the sex of the person I am going to take a stab. Now this is only a guess, being fully aware that both women and men are capable of causing accidents. I have seen the movie "Crash", which if you have not seen it yet I think it might be a good watch while you are recooperating (my attempt at offering up a disclaimer). So with that said here is my guess and my reasoning. Most accidents caused by male drivers involve wreckless driving, since the accident was due to an oversight (driver not checking for traffic) I would most likely assume that it was caused by a person of the female persuasion. But whatever they were at least they were responsible enough to have insurance, and afterall accidents are just that, accidents.
You did mention the "driver" was shopping, and that the speed limit was 45. Shouldn't this be considered a business district, maybe the speed limit should be 35 or something.
thank you very much for stepping up to the plate with that one! and thanks for your advice and concern. as to the answer, if you had stuck with the wreckless driving idea, you would have gotten it right! the driver was, in fact a man. but i am impressed with your line of reasoning. very well done.
as to the business district notion, maybe you're right, but it is a highway leading out of town. this area was just becoming less populated, hence the 45 speed zone. the shops on the side are warehouses. the one i crashed in front of was a cabinetry store.
ok so flint sucks because he did not tell me nything about this and i stumbled upon it. Good thing that you are ok. i felt the same at first that yes it was an accident and that I wished to not go after some shlub for an accident but I am sure that the shock has wore off and that you may not be feeling well. You should be sore fora few days. I have back problems still because of my accident. I cannot drive for long peroids of time. medical bills pile up if you go to a general doc and a chiro. Your PIP insurance will cover the bills upfront but you ( or the settlement via the other persons insurance) will have to pay it back. Mine totaled 6,000 while Dylan's were alot less. Get them to pay off your car and all medical bills. You may feel ok now but you never know.
thanks steph
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