UPDATE: The guy who hit me is LYING! :(

I got a call today from the insurance company for the guy who backed
up into my car with his truck. The f*****g b*st*rd is claiming that I
rear-ended him!!! I can hardly believe it - I'm really upset. I'm
going to end up with a bad driving record, and my premiums are going
to go way up.

He had no damage to his truck. I had thousands of dollars worth of
damage. Clearly, he wants to get off scott-free, and he probably
will. I will not get my deductible back, but far worse, this will be
on my record and I will be known as a dangerous driver.

No, I did not call the police at the time. I would like to shoot
myself for that omission. But I didn't, and I am now stuck dealing
with this situation as it is. Unfortunately!

There were no witnesses that I can recall. Although I'm thinking of
ringing a couple of doorbells just to see if anyone did see it, but
didn't happen to come over to talk to us. This happened right in my
neighborhood, so I don't feel too weird doing that. Or maybe I could
put up some signs. Does anyone think that's a good idea?

The adjuster who works for my insurance company is off today, so I
have to wait until Monday to talk to her. She said that if they
denied it, they would go to arbitration, but I don't have much hope.

Does anyone have any *other* ideas of what I might do about this?

I didn't get the guy's phone number (got everything else from him!)
so I can't call him and ask how he could do this to me. This was not
an accident with any grey areas. You know how sometimes in an
accident, it's hard to tell who's at fault, because it's not clear
exactly what happened. In that situation, I would understand if the
other person claimed it was my fault. They might honestly believe it
was.

However, THIS WAS NOT THAT KIND OF ACCIDENT. It was very obvious to
both of us what happened. I was sitting still, and he put his truck
in reverse and backed right into me. He even said, "I put the truck
in reverse by mistake." He admitted he was at fault. Now it's his
word against mine. And he's going to win it, because rear-ending
accidents are extremely common, whereas people don't usually back up
into a car behind them! So who are they going to believe?

Purrs would be lovely, but if anyone has been through this and who
knows what my rights are - if I have any - or has any suggestions of
how I might prevent myself from being a victim in THIS situation (I
know how to do it in the future, ie, GET WITNESSES - but I need help
NOW), I am all ears!

Tearful Joyce

On Fri 15 Sep 2006 08:54:37p, Joyce wrote in
rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
):

I didn't get the guy's phone number (got everything else from
him!) so I can't call him and ask how he could do this to me.
This was not an accident with any grey areas. You know how
sometimes in an accident, it's hard to tell who's at fault,
because it's not clear exactly what happened. In that situation,
I would understand if the other person claimed it was my fault.
They might honestly believe it was.

However, THIS WAS NOT THAT KIND OF ACCIDENT. It was very obvious
to both of us what happened. I was sitting still, and he put his
truck in reverse and backed right into me. He even said, "I put
the truck in reverse by mistake." He admitted he was at fault.
Now it's his word against mine. And he's going to win it,
because rear-ending accidents are extremely common, whereas
people don't usually back up into a car behind them! So who are
they going to believe?

I'd let it go to court. I'm not sure if I'd try to find a witness,
and just trust that judges who preside over small claims court (or
whatever type of proceedings it is) will know what questions to ask
when it's one person's word over the others. They have ways of
learning who is credible. I know that doesn't help you in the short
run. What type of insurance do you have with your insurance
company? Maybe you can get a rental car that they'll pay for while
it's being settled? I understand your panic! When I was hit I was
afraid that the mother of the kid that hit me was going to try to
fight it since it was their policy. But, she and her son did the
right thing. A good influence on her son. Ethical.

Good luck, purrs, and hope this settles soon.

--
Cheryl

On 2006-09-15 19:54:37 -0500, said:

I got a call today from the insurance company for the guy who backed
up into my car with his truck. The f*****g b*st*rd is claiming that I
rear-ended him!!! I can hardly believe it - I'm really upset. I'm
going to end up with a bad driving record, and my premiums are going
to go way up.

He had no damage to his truck. I had thousands of dollars worth of
damage. Clearly, he wants to get off scott-free, and he probably
will. I will not get my deductible back, but far worse, this will be
on my record and I will be known as a dangerous driver.

No, I did not call the police at the time. I would like to shoot
myself for that omission. But I didn't, and I am now stuck dealing
with this situation as it is. Unfortunately!

There were no witnesses that I can recall. Although I'm thinking of
ringing a couple of doorbells just to see if anyone did see it, but
didn't happen to come over to talk to us. This happened right in my
neighborhood, so I don't feel too weird doing that. Or maybe I could
put up some signs. Does anyone think that's a good idea?

The adjuster who works for my insurance company is off today, so I
have to wait until Monday to talk to her. She said that if they
denied it, they would go to arbitration, but I don't have much hope.

Does anyone have any *other* ideas of what I might do about this?

I didn't get the guy's phone number (got everything else from him!)
so I can't call him and ask how he could do this to me. This was not
an accident with any grey areas. You know how sometimes in an
accident, it's hard to tell who's at fault, because it's not clear
exactly what happened. In that situation, I would understand if the
other person claimed it was my fault. They might honestly believe it
was.

However, THIS WAS NOT THAT KIND OF ACCIDENT. It was very obvious to
both of us what happened. I was sitting still, and he put his truck
in reverse and backed right into me. He even said, "I put the truck
in reverse by mistake." He admitted he was at fault. Now it's his
word against mine. And he's going to win it, because rear-ending
accidents are extremely common, whereas people don't usually back up
into a car behind them! So who are they going to believe?

Purrs would be lovely, but if anyone has been through this and who
knows what my rights are - if I have any - or has any suggestions of
how I might prevent myself from being a victim in THIS situation (I
know how to do it in the future, ie, GET WITNESSES - but I need help
NOW), I am all ears!

Tearful Joyce

I don't have experience, but I'm sending purrs anyway. I certainly
don't think there is any harm seeing if you can find someone who saw
it. It would be your best opportunity I think. I'm so sorry this is
happening.

wrote

I got a call today from the insurance company for the guy who backed
up into my car with his truck. The f*****g b*st*rd is claiming that I
rear-ended him!!! I can hardly believe it - I'm really upset. I'm
going to end up with a bad driving record, and my premiums are going
to go way up.

If he knows there were no witnesses (or none that you can easily find) he's
probably doing this for the same reason you need witnesses.

He had no damage to his truck. I had thousands of dollars worth of
damage. Clearly, he wants to get off scott-free, and he probably
will. I will not get my deductible back, but far worse, this will be
on my record and I will be known as a dangerous driver.

No, I did not call the police at the time. I would like to shoot
myself for that omission. But I didn't, and I am now stuck dealing
with this situation as it is. Unfortunately!

Well, you still have the option of shooting yourself, but I wouldn't
recommend taking it, and would be very unhappy to learn that you did.

There were no witnesses that I can recall. Although I'm thinking of
ringing a couple of doorbells just to see if anyone did see it, but
didn't happen to come over to talk to us. This happened right in my
neighborhood, so I don't feel too weird doing that. Or maybe I could
put up some signs. Does anyone think that's a good idea?

I wouldn't bother with the signs, I would just ask around.

The adjuster who works for my insurance company is off today, so I
have to wait until Monday to talk to her. She said that if they
denied it, they would go to arbitration, but I don't have much hope.

I would expect that anyone who has been an arbitrator for any length of time
has probably learned to detect when someone is lying. So if it's only your
word against the doer's, I wouldn't be as pessimistic as you seem to be.

Does anyone have any *other* ideas of what I might do about this?

Stop fuming. It won't do you any good and will have negative effects on your
health and peace of mind.

I didn't get the guy's phone number (got everything else from him!)
so I can't call him and ask how he could do this to me. This was not
an accident with any grey areas. You know how sometimes in an
accident, it's hard to tell who's at fault, because it's not clear
exactly what happened. In that situation, I would understand if the
other person claimed it was my fault. They might honestly believe it
was.

However, THIS WAS NOT THAT KIND OF ACCIDENT. It was very obvious to
both of us what happened. I was sitting still, and he put his truck
in reverse and backed right into me. He even said, "I put the truck
in reverse by mistake." He admitted he was at fault. Now it's his
word against mine. And he's going to win it, because rear-ending
accidents are extremely common, whereas people don't usually back up
into a car behind them! So who are they going to believe?

Whoever seems more credible to them at arbitration.

Purrs would be lovely, but if anyone has been through this and who
knows what my rights are - if I have any - or has any suggestions of
how I might prevent myself from being a victim in THIS situation (I
know how to do it in the future, ie, GET WITNESSES - but I need help
NOW), I am all ears!

I haven't been through exactly the same kind of thing but I can tell you
about a similar incident from my own life and how it turned out.

I was stopped in traffic on an expressway due to construction ahead. There
were cars ahead, behind, and on both sides. Everyone was stopped. The car
behind me was the last in the stopped line/lane that I was in. I was at the
wheel of a tiny compact car. The vehicle in front of me was a large pickup
truck, and in back was a full-size sedan.

Someone travelling in my lane apparently didn't notice that traffic ahead
was halted, and plowed into the car behind me, which forthwith plowed into
mine, which then plowed into the truck ahead. It was a forceful enough hit
from behind that even though I had the car in neutral and the hand brake
engaged, my car moved forward hard and fast enough to not only jar the truck
in front of me but also jar me so hard that I was hurt, almost badly enough
to be taken to a hospital in an ambulance. As it happens I was turned around
in the driver's seat and facing backwards, in the process of digging either
a book or a snack (I forget which) out of a bag on the back seat, when the
blow hit my car, and as I turned back around I felt major pain in my back
near the waist.

The car behind mine took most of the force so it wasn't as bad as it could
have been, but still.... Police arrived and took a report and offered to
call for medical help for me. I told them to wait a few minutes until I
calmed down and could gauge how bad I really felt, and I ended up turning
down the ambulance because I was in a rush to get home, almost there and
could seek medical attention there if I felt it was necessary (which I did).

The only damage to my car was a scrape on the front bumper from hitting the
truck. The truck was not damaged. My rear bumper was just slightly pushed
in. I did not file any claim for the car damage, but on my doctor's advice I
sought legal help to file one for the bodily injury, which ended up costing
me quite a bit (it was a large amount to me, anyway) to get fixed and out of
pain.

The outcome was I could not find a lawyer who wanted to take the case
because (1) none of the ones I consulted believed that any judge or jury
would believe that in an accident that did so little damage to the car they
were in at the time anyone could be hurt, especially if they refused an
offer of an ambulance ride, and (b) the amount of the claim was too small to
make it worth any lawyer's time.

I hope you have a better outcome.

Joyce, start knocking on doors AND put a ad in the paper asking for
witnesses to the accident...That's what they do here...Usually works too...
Good Luck!... :-) Liz

wrote in message
...
I got a call today from the insurance company for the guy who backed
up into my car with his truck. The f*****g b*st*rd is claiming that I
rear-ended him!!! I can hardly believe it - I'm really upset. I'm
going to end up with a bad driving record, and my premiums are going
to go way up.

He had no damage to his truck. I had thousands of dollars worth of
damage. Clearly, he wants to get off scott-free, and he probably
will. I will not get my deductible back, but far worse, this will be
on my record and I will be known as a dangerous driver.

No, I did not call the police at the time. I would like to shoot
myself for that omission. But I didn't, and I am now stuck dealing
with this situation as it is. Unfortunately!

There were no witnesses that I can recall. Although I'm thinking of
ringing a couple of doorbells just to see if anyone did see it, but
didn't happen to come over to talk to us. This happened right in my
neighborhood, so I don't feel too weird doing that. Or maybe I could
put up some signs. Does anyone think that's a good idea?

The adjuster who works for my insurance company is off today, so I
have to wait until Monday to talk to her. She said that if they
denied it, they would go to arbitration, but I don't have much hope.

Does anyone have any *other* ideas of what I might do about this?

I didn't get the guy's phone number (got everything else from him!)
so I can't call him and ask how he could do this to me. This was not
an accident with any grey areas. You know how sometimes in an
accident, it's hard to tell who's at fault, because it's not clear
exactly what happened. In that situation, I would understand if the
other person claimed it was my fault. They might honestly believe it
was.

However, THIS WAS NOT THAT KIND OF ACCIDENT. It was very obvious to
both of us what happened. I was sitting still, and he put his truck
in reverse and backed right into me. He even said, "I put the truck
in reverse by mistake." He admitted he was at fault. Now it's his
word against mine. And he's going to win it, because rear-ending
accidents are extremely common, whereas people don't usually back up
into a car behind them! So who are they going to believe?

Purrs would be lovely, but if anyone has been through this and who
knows what my rights are - if I have any - or has any suggestions of
how I might prevent myself from being a victim in THIS situation (I
know how to do it in the future, ie, GET WITNESSES - but I need help
NOW), I am all ears!

Tearful Joyce

wrote in message
...
I got a call today from the insurance company for the guy who backed
up into my car with his truck. The f*****g b*st*rd is claiming that I
rear-ended him!!! I can hardly believe it - I'm really upset. I'm
going to end up with a bad driving record, and my premiums are going
to go way up.

He had no damage to his truck. I had thousands of dollars worth of
damage. Clearly, he wants to get off scott-free, and he probably
will. I will not get my deductible back, but far worse, this will be
on my record and I will be known as a dangerous driver.

No, I did not call the police at the time. I would like to shoot
myself for that omission. But I didn't, and I am now stuck dealing
with this situation as it is. Unfortunately!

There were no witnesses that I can recall. Although I'm thinking of
ringing a couple of doorbells just to see if anyone did see it, but
didn't happen to come over to talk to us. This happened right in my
neighborhood, so I don't feel too weird doing that. Or maybe I could
put up some signs. Does anyone think that's a good idea?

The adjuster who works for my insurance company is off today, so I
have to wait until Monday to talk to her. She said that if they
denied it, they would go to arbitration, but I don't have much hope.

Does anyone have any *other* ideas of what I might do about this?

I didn't get the guy's phone number (got everything else from him!)
so I can't call him and ask how he could do this to me. This was not
an accident with any grey areas. You know how sometimes in an
accident, it's hard to tell who's at fault, because it's not clear
exactly what happened. In that situation, I would understand if the
other person claimed it was my fault. They might honestly believe it
was.

However, THIS WAS NOT THAT KIND OF ACCIDENT. It was very obvious to
both of us what happened. I was sitting still, and he put his truck
in reverse and backed right into me. He even said, "I put the truck
in reverse by mistake." He admitted he was at fault. Now it's his
word against mine. And he's going to win it, because rear-ending
accidents are extremely common, whereas people don't usually back up
into a car behind them! So who are they going to believe?

Purrs would be lovely, but if anyone has been through this and who
knows what my rights are - if I have any - or has any suggestions of
how I might prevent myself from being a victim in THIS situation (I
know how to do it in the future, ie, GET WITNESSES - but I need help
NOW), I am all ears!

Tearful Joyce

Did you at least get his name and license number? I would call the police
and ask if you can report it this long after the fact. The chances are good
that you can. Then you can get the facts down in writing in a police
report. You might look him up in the phone book, so you could provide his
address and phone number to the police. However, DO NOT TRY TO CONTACT HIM!

If you have a lawyer, or know one, you might ask what you can do. If you're
like most of us, and don't, you might try calling lawyers from the phone
book. There are lawyers who will give a free phone consultation. That
might tell you exactly what to do or not to do. However, I am 100% positive
that contacting the perpetrator is not something you should do.

I wish you all the best.

Joy

On 16 Sep 2006 00:54:37 GMT, wrote:

I got a call today from the insurance company for the guy who backed
up into my car with his truck. The f*****g b*st*rd is claiming that I
rear-ended him!!! I can hardly believe it - I'm really upset. I'm
going to end up with a bad driving record, and my premiums are going
to go way up.

He had no damage to his truck. I had thousands of dollars worth of
damage. Clearly, he wants to get off scott-free, and he probably
will. I will not get my deductible back, but far worse, this will be
on my record and I will be known as a dangerous driver.

No, I did not call the police at the time. I would like to shoot
myself for that omission. But I didn't, and I am now stuck dealing
with this situation as it is. Unfortunately!

There were no witnesses that I can recall. Although I'm thinking of
ringing a couple of doorbells just to see if anyone did see it, but
didn't happen to come over to talk to us. This happened right in my
neighborhood, so I don't feel too weird doing that. Or maybe I could
put up some signs. Does anyone think that's a good idea?

The adjuster who works for my insurance company is off today, so I
have to wait until Monday to talk to her. She said that if they
denied it, they would go to arbitration, but I don't have much hope.

Does anyone have any *other* ideas of what I might do about this?

I didn't get the guy's phone number (got everything else from him!)
so I can't call him and ask how he could do this to me. This was not
an accident with any grey areas. You know how sometimes in an
accident, it's hard to tell who's at fault, because it's not clear
exactly what happened. In that situation, I would understand if the
other person claimed it was my fault. They might honestly believe it
was.

However, THIS WAS NOT THAT KIND OF ACCIDENT. It was very obvious to
both of us what happened. I was sitting still, and he put his truck
in reverse and backed right into me. He even said, "I put the truck
in reverse by mistake." He admitted he was at fault. Now it's his
word against mine. And he's going to win it, because rear-ending
accidents are extremely common, whereas people don't usually back up
into a car behind them! So who are they going to believe?

Purrs would be lovely, but if anyone has been through this and who
knows what my rights are - if I have any - or has any suggestions of
how I might prevent myself from being a victim in THIS situation (I
know how to do it in the future, ie, GET WITNESSES - but I need help
NOW), I am all ears!

Tearful Joyce


I would think that you would have some physical injuries if you had
rear ended him hard enough to do that type of damage. IF you had rear
ended him, there should be skid marks. A thought - will your local
newspaper print a letter from you asking if anyone saw the accident,
and if so, would they please contact you asap. Our local paper does
print those.

Good luck!
Mishi

wrote:
I got a call today from the insurance company for the guy who backed
up into my car with his truck. The f*****g b*st*rd is claiming that I
rear-ended him!!! I can hardly believe it - I'm really upset. I'm
going to end up with a bad driving record, and my premiums are going
to go way up.

He had no damage to his truck. I had thousands of dollars worth of
damage. Clearly, he wants to get off scott-free, and he probably
will. I will not get my deductible back, but far worse, this will be
on my record and I will be known as a dangerous driver.

No, I did not call the police at the time. I would like to shoot
myself for that omission. But I didn't, and I am now stuck dealing
with this situation as it is. Unfortunately!

There were no witnesses that I can recall. Although I'm thinking of
ringing a couple of doorbells just to see if anyone did see it, but
didn't happen to come over to talk to us. This happened right in my
neighborhood, so I don't feel too weird doing that. Or maybe I could
put up some signs. Does anyone think that's a good idea?

The adjuster who works for my insurance company is off today, so I
have to wait until Monday to talk to her. She said that if they
denied it, they would go to arbitration, but I don't have much hope.

Does anyone have any *other* ideas of what I might do about this?

I didn't get the guy's phone number (got everything else from him!)
so I can't call him and ask how he could do this to me. This was not
an accident with any grey areas. You know how sometimes in an
accident, it's hard to tell who's at fault, because it's not clear
exactly what happened. In that situation, I would understand if the
other person claimed it was my fault. They might honestly believe it
was.

However, THIS WAS NOT THAT KIND OF ACCIDENT. It was very obvious to
both of us what happened. I was sitting still, and he put his truck
in reverse and backed right into me. He even said, "I put the truck
in reverse by mistake." He admitted he was at fault. Now it's his
word against mine. And he's going to win it, because rear-ending
accidents are extremely common, whereas people don't usually back up
into a car behind them! So who are they going to believe?

Purrs would be lovely, but if anyone has been through this and who
knows what my rights are - if I have any - or has any suggestions of
how I might prevent myself from being a victim in THIS situation (I
know how to do it in the future, ie, GET WITNESSES - but I need help
NOW), I am all ears!

Tearful Joyce

Joyce, the best advice I can offer is take pictures of the damage to
your car. Take lots of them from a variety of different angles--front
sides, from above, from down low. Also, before your memory of how it
all happened fades, write down your whole account of the accident as
accurately as possible and do it now. Every detail you can remember.
Write down what he said VERBATIM if you can. SInce he hit YOU, it may
be that an experienced insurance person could verify that by looking at
the damage inflicted to your car, how the dents look etc etc. If it
goes into arbitration, be confident and speak up for yourself. You're
telling the truth, he's not. Body language and eye contact can make a
difference about who will be believed.

I'm sorry you're having to go through this,
Melissa

"Shiral" wrote in message
ups.com...

wrote:
I got a call today from the insurance company for the guy who backed
up into my car with his truck. The f*****g b*st*rd is claiming that I
rear-ended him!!! I can hardly believe it - I'm really upset. I'm
going to end up with a bad driving record, and my premiums are going
to go way up.

He had no damage to his truck. I had thousands of dollars worth of
damage. Clearly, he wants to get off scott-free, and he probably
will. I will not get my deductible back, but far worse, this will be
on my record and I will be known as a dangerous driver.

No, I did not call the police at the time. I would like to shoot
myself for that omission. But I didn't, and I am now stuck dealing
with this situation as it is. Unfortunately!

There were no witnesses that I can recall. Although I'm thinking of
ringing a couple of doorbells just to see if anyone did see it, but
didn't happen to come over to talk to us. This happened right in my
neighborhood, so I don't feel too weird doing that. Or maybe I could
put up some signs. Does anyone think that's a good idea?

The adjuster who works for my insurance company is off today, so I
have to wait until Monday to talk to her. She said that if they
denied it, they would go to arbitration, but I don't have much hope.

Does anyone have any *other* ideas of what I might do about this?

I didn't get the guy's phone number (got everything else from him!)
so I can't call him and ask how he could do this to me. This was not
an accident with any grey areas. You know how sometimes in an
accident, it's hard to tell who's at fault, because it's not clear
exactly what happened. In that situation, I would understand if the
other person claimed it was my fault. They might honestly believe it
was.

However, THIS WAS NOT THAT KIND OF ACCIDENT. It was very obvious to
both of us what happened. I was sitting still, and he put his truck
in reverse and backed right into me. He even said, "I put the truck
in reverse by mistake." He admitted he was at fault. Now it's his
word against mine. And he's going to win it, because rear-ending
accidents are extremely common, whereas people don't usually back up
into a car behind them! So who are they going to believe?

Purrs would be lovely, but if anyone has been through this and who
knows what my rights are - if I have any - or has any suggestions of
how I might prevent myself from being a victim in THIS situation (I
know how to do it in the future, ie, GET WITNESSES - but I need help
NOW), I am all ears!

Tearful Joyce

Joyce, the best advice I can offer is take pictures of the damage to
your car. Take lots of them from a variety of different angles--front
sides, from above, from down low. Also, before your memory of how it
all happened fades, write down your whole account of the accident as
accurately as possible and do it now. Every detail you can remember.
Write down what he said VERBATIM if you can. SInce he hit YOU, it may
be that an experienced insurance person could verify that by looking at
the damage inflicted to your car, how the dents look etc etc. If it
goes into arbitration, be confident and speak up for yourself. You're
telling the truth, he's not. Body language and eye contact can make a
difference about who will be believed.

I'm sorry you're having to go through this,
Melissa


I wonder if it would help if you showed them the post you wrote here shortly
after the accident. Your first several posts make it very clear that you
were not at fault.

And I believe they are available to anyone on Google and dated soon after
the accident.

Jo

wrote:
I got a call today from the insurance company for the guy who backed
up into my car with his truck. The f*****g b*st*rd is claiming that I
rear-ended him!!! I can hardly believe it - I'm really upset. I'm
going to end up with a bad driving record, and my premiums are going
to go way up.

snip
Tearful Joyce

I'm *very* sorry to read this, I wish I could say I'm surprised. Purrs that
someone comes forward as a whitness and the truck driver gets into trouble
for lying.
--
Adrian (Owned by Snoopy and Bagheera)
Cats leave pawprints on your heart.
http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk