Last night, my girl and I went to her apartment to get some movies to watch. There were no parking spots within a football field of her building, we parked perpendicular to the parked cars right in front of her building. She ran in, 2 minutes later comes out and starts to get into the driver's seat. She got her right leg in before the car on the opposite side of the parking lot backs up and pins her in between our car and its door. She was pinned no more than 5-6 seconds, and she's ok, no broken bones or anything, just some bruises on her left leg and some scrapes on her neck. They got her on some pain meds, so she's sleeping basically all day. I don't really know how to proceed from here though, to put in an insurance claim and all that, having never been in an accident before. The cops gave me the guy's insurance info (they didn't ask for mine, which I assume is a good thing). Do I go to my insurance office, or one of his insurance company's? Also, can anyone recommend a good collision repair shop that could take care of this, or should I take it to a dealer? It's a '94 Mitsubishi 3000gt. Girl's dad said that a shop might have trouble matching paint and thus have to repaint the whole car. Is this accurate? I thought if they got paint codes from a dealership or something they could just paint what needed it. Anyway, any insight you guys can offer is awesome thanks.
/words


door's taped because the alignment of it is slightly off, and there is about a half inch gap between window and the roof of the car.

[Edited on February 15, 2009 at 7:48 PM. Reason : .]

2/15/2009 7:47:23 PM

you contact their insurance first. if no dice, call yours and get them to deal with them or get a lawyer.

dude, it's a '94. they WON'T repaint the entire car, unless it was a show car or you can prove that the vehicle was pristine before the accident. their responsibility is only to the damaged areas and getting it back to pre accident shape. repainting is only something they do if a large part of the car is damaged. any shop worth their salt will be able to blend the paint so it looks as weathered as the areas around it though.

take it to garner collision, ask for ean, he's the owner and a very good guy to deal with. he'll let you know what your options are.

Garner Collision Center
- http://www.garnercollisioncenter.com - (919) 779-7858

I'm having my car repainted there, if that tells you anything. I'm an anal bastard when it comes to my car and the last job I had done there was excellent.

[Edited on February 15, 2009 at 8:03 PM. Reason : d]

2/15/2009 8:01:01 PM

did the cop fill out a report?

She should talk to her insurance company about it.

I'd say she would have a choice regarding to paint the damaged pieces or the entire car


[Edited on February 15, 2009 at 8:01 PM. Reason : i knew my answer wasnt going to be worthy]

2/15/2009 8:01:10 PM

^^thanks

Another question, do I get estimates to fix the car first, or do I file a claim first?

[Edited on February 15, 2009 at 8:28 PM. Reason : .]

2/15/2009 8:03:40 PM

file claim.

with the cops, did he cite the guy at fault eg was a report formally written up? giving you insurance means he thinks so but was it written down?

if it was, call the dudes ins and file. dont mess with yours. if they dont, get a lawyer. the other guys ins will take care of everything. keep written records of EVERYTHING! doctorbills, phone records, etc

2/15/2009 9:02:12 PM

if you feel that you need some help or arent getting what you deserve, do not hesitate to get an attorney

it is a game and you dont know the rules, you need someone that can play the game for you

2/15/2009 9:12:10 PM

^^not sure if the cops cited the guy. the info they gave me had the accident no. on it, so i'm gonna call up the police dept. tomorrow and see about getting a copy of the accident report.

thanks for the help

2/15/2009 9:23:57 PM

^^yep... especially since there are medical issues involved. don't be surprised if the other insurance company puts up a real fight. in fact, i'd be pretty surprised if they don't flat out deny giving you anything. they've got a pretty good case considering you were parked illegally. north carolina has this nice little thing called contributory negligence that they'll hide behind. basically, if you didn't do anything and everything right to avoid the accident (like parking in a real spot) they've got good grounds to fight you. hopefully, you have good coverage on your policy because it sounds like you might need it.

as for the car, i'd say you'll be pretty lucky (or unlucky depending on your point of view) if it's not totaled. if it's not, they shouldn't have to repaint the whole thing. white isn't exactly hard to color match/blend, even if it's got some age.

[Edited on February 15, 2009 at 10:08 PM. Reason : if it was rpd, you can get the report online. what's your name?]

2/15/2009 10:07:48 PM

The reports always take a couple of days to come online, but you can find it here once it is posted: http://rpd.carolinasimaging.com/index.htm

2/16/2009 12:13:13 AM

wow, what a fucking idiot, just backing up like that. Glad your gf's okay and good luck with the car.

2/16/2009 1:16:48 AM

Quote :

"wow, what a fucking idiot, just backing up like that. Just parking where ever the fuck you want to like that. Be Glad your gf's okay and good luck with the car."

fixed it for ya.....

2/16/2009 2:16:01 AM

^Even though just parking wherever isn't the smartest thing to do, it still doesn't give the other guy license to just back the fuck up without checking if there's anything behind him. Just because you don't expect a car to be there isn't a good excuse--what if there had been a pedestrian there, or a really long vehicle extending into that space?

2/16/2009 10:37:26 AM

^^ha, yeah, i figured i'd get flamed for that. didn't really feel like walking 200 yards to run in and grab some discs though.

Quote :

"in fact, i'd be pretty surprised if they don't flat out deny giving you anything. they've got a pretty good case considering you were parked illegally."

that's what i am afraid of. oh well, we'll see i guess.

[Edited on February 16, 2009 at 10:37 AM. Reason : .]

2/16/2009 10:37:33 AM

the car wasn't just parked there, she was getting in out, point is, it was their fault

whatever their insurance decides to do, you still need to call your insurance and give them all the information you have immediatly

2/16/2009 12:26:37 PM

yeah she was in the car, still their fault. getting insurance to agree will be interesting.

2/16/2009 12:29:13 PM

it doesnt matter, you call your insurance and give them the info, they are responsible for either getting the other insurance to pay, or pay themselves, and they are not gonna pay themselves, thats why you pay your premiums, they will take care of it for you

and whatever you do, until it is settled, do not tell the other insurance your gf is ok, tell them she is still in pain and you don't know her condition

that is the only thing you have to hold over them until the car is fixed

2/16/2009 12:37:09 PM

Quote :

"Even though just parking wherever isn't the smartest thing to do, it still doesn't give the other guy license to just back the fuck up without checking if there's anything behind him. Just because you don't expect a car to be there isn't a good excuse--what if there had been a pedestrian there, or a really long vehicle extending into that space?"

doesn't matter. common sense and simple reasoning might tell us that, but unfortunately the law follows neither. the insurance commission and lawmakers would rather allow innocent victims to suffer instead of allowing any possible loopholes for acts of fraud. hell, even if one of the drivers is cited by the police, that still doesn't satisfy any burden of proof.

2/16/2009 10:45:35 PM

Update:

Fiancee ok. Still sore.

Dude's insurance is taking care of everything. They have actually been very helpful so far. Wrote me a check Friday after an adjuster came out and inspected the damage. So my next step is going to a few places and getting estimates, seeing who can do the best work for the least amount of money. The adjuster said that the bottom molding may be able to just be epoxied and then smoothed out, instead of having to spend $Oregon on a new one. We'll see. I am going to take it to Garner Collision as per Seotaji's recommendation. I am also planning to take it to Foster's Collision and Paragon. Anybody know what I can expect or have any other recommendations?

2/21/2009 12:05:06 AM

good to hear. i'm surprised they didn't make an issue of where you were parked. i hope you also realize your fiance is entitled to compensation for any current or future medical expenses, any current or future lost wages, current or future wasted tuition from missing class, or anything else. that's likely one of if not the main reason they're being so cooperative, they want it settled ASAP because injury settlements get expensive in a hurry.

[Edited on February 21, 2009 at 12:21 AM. Reason : .]

2/21/2009 12:20:33 AM

^yeah, her parents said to not cash the check they gave me right away, because they may say, "well, by cashing that check you indirectly implied that that was fair and just compensation for all your expenses haveaniceday."

hopefully they will continue to be helpful.

2/21/2009 12:32:31 AM

UPDATE: Car was deemed a total loss. I retained ownership, got it fixed, looked really good. Picked it up last Tuesday, got the insurance check on Thursday. Friday afternoon I was on my way to the Bank of America on Oberlin to deposit said check. I turned left onto Oberlin from Hillsborough behind a silver Chrysler Sebring driven by a high school student (his gf's dad's car). He veered to the right as if to take the right fork or turn into the parking lot on the right. I proceed straight. THEN HE DECIDES HE WANTS TO MAKE A U-TURN RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF OBERLIN. Dude just whips it around. I swerved into the other lane, but it wasn't enough. Now my car looks like it did from the first accident, just on the opposite side. It's just the molding on the bottom, and not the door also this time, which is good. It's still a ~$700 part though. Curse my luck.

4/20/2009 10:36:39 AM

damn, I think I'd quit driving if I had your luck.

4/20/2009 11:15:15 AM

for real homie

i wasn't really pissed about it until yesterday - friday and saturday all i could do was laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

4/20/2009 11:19:49 AM

1. keep fixing the pos
2. .............
3. $profit$

4/20/2009 12:14:18 PM

hahaha

if only

probably won't ever sell it, it's in fantastic condition, sentimental value, and it has a salvaged title. though, if i do ever sell it, someone will probably get a great deal

[Edited on April 20, 2009 at 12:18 PM. Reason : used fantastic twice. redundancy ftl ftl]

4/20/2009 12:17:14 PM

Quote :

"it has a salvaged title"

Watch out the insurance company will try and lowball you on the repairs.

4/20/2009 12:31:49 PM

i'm so tired of dealing with insurance companies

4/20/2009 1:19:29 PM

i paid for my old truck twice over in only 4 accidents, that thing attracted teenage bitches like a magnet, but not in a good way, usually at 50mph+

4/20/2009 3:55:05 PM

not at 69mph?

4/20/2009 4:22:37 PM

and none of them were worth 15-20 either, i never get plowed into by jailbait

4/20/2009 4:32:01 PM