Don't Forget Your Neck Brace!
 

So I've been avoiding the forum for quite some time, because sometimes burying the pain is the best way to deal with it....

But 3 1/2 months of torture has broken this man, and I need to let the pain out. Sharing is part of my rehabilitation.

A short story... I call it A Boy and his Z, and Some Chick Who Ran a Stop Sign, Almost Totalled His Z, Then Followed Him to the ER to Record How He Acted While Wearing a Neck Brace She Went Home to Get.

Ok, so the title of my story just about covers it. The small details include a Liberty, a female driver, no f***s given, and a stop sign.

I'm driving back to work from physical therapy (ironic, no? Back issues from getting t-boned 3 years ago under almost the same circumstances.) I'm on a main road that has outlet mall stores on both sides. I don't have a stop sign. I cautiously look to my right, because people run stop signs around here all the time. As I look to my left, a white Liberty comes plowing through her stop sign.

--A quick pause to help set the scene; the road I'm on has a lane on each side, split by a super-wide middle turning lane. We're talking about essentially 3.5 lanes, with shoulders on both sides. My speed is 30-ish. I'm in the lane farthest from her, and between her stop sign and my car, we have a wide shoulder lane, a driving lane, and a center lane.--

By the time I see her, she's maybe a few feet away from my car, and on course to hit me between my A pillar and door. My cat-like reflexes kick in; I swerve away from the oncoming Jeep of Doom as far as I can in the shoulder and accelerate, taking the risk that, if I brake and she doesn't, she will be hitting me square on my side, and as much as I love my car, I'm willing to sacrifice structure to save my back from any additional damage.

Fortunately for me, I was sort of right. Unfortunately for my Z and my sanity, I have maybe 2 seconds of watching her realize what is happening (after she dug her face out of her phone) and- mind you, she is feet from my door- what do I see next? This broad FLOORS HER JEEP INTO MY Z! All I see is her panic-face of realization, the front of the jeep lean back from torque, a revving V6 at eye level, followed by a bright white pillow of air-death punching me in the face, kidney, and chest.

It gets better.... I park my beloved Z, my best friend, injured. Adrenaline forces me out of the car, cursing and rubbing my neck and back (remember, I just left physical therapy.) I call my boss, because I kid you not I was within a 30 second walk to work; insult to injury.

This woman comes to me and says, Oh My God, do you have insurance??
.... Vanity reared its ugly head. My response was a reasonably condescending "Look at my car... does it LOOK like I wouldn't have insurance?"
Followed by a quick "Not like it matters, You ran the stop sign."

Of course, she starts yelling and swearing, saying it was my fault... I quickly shut her up by saying she can save her story for the police, it won't matter anyhow.

Shortly after, here arrives the police and ambulance, insisting they take me; apparently when all of your airbags deploy they're required?

And it just. doesn't. end.

As I'm waiting in the ER, maybe 25 minutes rolls by, and this crazy woman walks in wearing her OWN Neck Brace!! She records me rolling in pain for about half an hour, then decides to swear at me repeatedly, yelling something about me calling her names. Mind you, the only words that came out of my mouth for the entire time she was there were to my husband, explaining that I got hit, and was waiting in the ER. I didn't even bother explaining anything besides telling him I'm not dead/dying/bleeding, and everything was still attached.

I ask for security to move this crazy woman away, and they comply. 20 minutes later, this nut bag takes off her neck brace and leaves, after complaining to the receptionist that it was taking too long.

Needless to say, the insurance companies took less than a few hours to deem her at-fault. 15k worth of body work later, she gets a small insurance hike, and I'm stuck with more back pain, no Z for over 3 months, and driving..... drum roll please.... a corolla :shakes head:, and I still have at least another 3 weeks of Worlds Most Boring Lightweight I4/CVT Combo hell.

Well, if anyone actually reads this entire post, all I can say is, if you're driving ANYWHERE in Texas, wear a freaking helmet. And watch out for white Jeep Liberties under the influence of a texting female.

Also, our curtain and side airbags both hurt and work wonderfully.

http://s25.postimg.org/gkkx4kd27/20150714_115504.jpg

Besides my door looking like someone took a can opener to it, the damage wasn't too horrible.

Apparently, though, getting factory 40th Anniversary seat covers and door inserts takes a miracle, an act of Congress, and a small animal sacrifice.

That's some bad luck. I c it all the time, people on their cell phones. Scares the s**t out of me. Glad that ur alright. Breaks my heart to c that Z tho. So sorry to hear bout both accidents

Fortunately this time, I wasn't impaled by a 2.5-ton 80's Steel Body Full Sizer going 60mph in a parking lot, and my car survived... Last one didn't make it. My poor tC got hit up front so hard, the back crumple zone got damaged.

http://s25.postimg.org/48i0r2p7j/image.jpg
http://s25.postimg.org/4zfcalgyn/image.jpg

I have enough survival stories to make me seriously question why I keep buying small, sporty coupes...

You were too nice. I would have told that crazy woman to F-off and get away from me...LOL

Sorry to hear bout that, hope you recover soon.

Maybe you guys can help me figure out the shifter on my rental... this corolla has
P for Park
R for Rattle-Can
N for Nothing
D for Dangerously Slow Shifting
S for Slightly Less Dangerously Slow Shifting, and
B for... Buzz Mode?

Can't figure that last one out... the corolla's motor just makes a funny noise, but doesn't get anywhere any faster.

Lol on a more serious note, this car..... bleh.

I hope that you fully recover from this latest accident. Between people smoking, trying to use a phone, eating or drinking in their car, half the people I see driving scare me to death.

FUCK! :eek:

Sorry to hear man. Hope you are made whole again :driving:

I would definitely get compensation for additional injuries :twocents:


In Texas, make sure you have uninsured motorists coverage, too.

I've got nothing compared to that, but I did have a lady rear end me at full speed as I was turning right into a parking lot (with my blinker!). I had been in front of her for well over a mile, and she pretty much took the rear hatch off my Ford Explorer Sport as she spun me 360 with her 90s Buick Regal. The whole incident was witnessed by a police officer sitting in that very parking lot, no less. She did not speak English and had no ID or driver's license or insurance, yet she insisted that I was at fault :icon14:

I find it interesting that a group of sports car drivers are the ones complaining about how others drive... what a world.

They should be upset about us! We're supposed to be the "unsafe" drivers, not the family sedan with 2 toddlers in car seats!!:driving:

i find that there are too many distractions in cars these days. the touch screens, tuoch pads, info touch lcd panels. i swear all these nav techs in cars are more distracting than using your phone to make a call.

yet the auto industry is pushing these technologies and regulators turn a blind eye. oops!


get well soon and i hope that woman gets written up for attempted insurance fraud and then the charged for reckless use of a vehicle causing bodily harm and an attempted murder charge. oh might as well throw in a trespassing charge too.

Thinking about what you wrote above and driving my own Z for about 5 months. I think I'm actually a more cautious driver now. Translation - everyone else on the road is a potential enemy of my car :p

I wouldn't be able to help... I have 1-2-3-4-5-6 lol.. Never was good at math when they started sticking letters into the damn equations

:shakes head: I work for State Farm Insurance out in California and just..... wow.. :icon18:
Just FYI in the insurance industry, put it this way, If the front of your car hits any part of the back or sides of any other persons car, guaranteed your at least rated Principally At-Fault, if not At-Fault.

Oh sweet irony. I think its cause us drivers with the sports cars actually pay for the nicer car and pay the real money for something and also understand the fact that this machine has some real power and torque under those back two wheels. All those ricers you see racing around in Hondas, Subarus, Scions, etc... all have to feel they need to go fast and blare that fart horn they call an exhaust system. Not only that I have a theory on the behavior psychology of those people racing in the ricers. Maybe the feel they need to take off fast and race around against regular cars all the time cause they know if I pulled up that it would a completely different look on their face. :stirthepot: :rolleyes: (not stating that I street race, actually the complete opposite, Ill sit there and laugh at the person, and if they really want to race and they are talking, I'll have them follow me to a track. They usually end up turning eventually on the way there... :owned:)

Dear god glad you are okay! I am crying for the z being down though... accidents happen BUT that is no accident, texting and driving is a big problem especially in women.

Look at the bright side OP. At least you're not seriously injured. Could've been a lot worse. I'm glad you and your friend is okay. And if you think you need more justice,you can away file a suit against her.

i wouldn't say it's just women.

cab drivers.

old drivers.

young drivers.

middle aged drivers.

essentially everyone is guilty of getting distracted one way or another.

:iagree:
Which is why CA made calling or texting illegal to do while driving,(plus revenue lol). Of course that's a lot like the issue with Gun Control right now.. Lets take away their privilege/ability to do something, but wait the people who do not care about the law will still do what they want regardless.

Driving is dangerous..

Sorry to hear about your accident.

Get better soon!


Don't forget about filing a loss of value claim.

Yeah, our B pillars are pretty tough. There wasn't any frame/structure/suspension damage besides the door, but that's an easy replacement. I was surprised. I figured with all the aluminum and crumple zones nowadays, an SUV bumper would have done more damage. Fortunately we have like 20 airbags. The inflation punch may hurt, but I'll take that over the alternative any day.

I'm not worried about the crazy one. Besides the car wreck, she didn't interfere with my life. People like that set themselves up for their comeuppance, I just hope she doesn't actually hurt someone in the process.

I plan on it, but my insurance agent has set me up to expect nothing. Apparently TX isn't as strict on this as other states... once I get the car, I plan on having a few dealers give me a trade value that I can fax in with the book values. The wreck was on my Carfax before I was even back to work :icon14:

Good luck! :tup:

Here's a sign of the times:
I had my annual physical exam this morning. I've previously had a few docs ask me if I wear my seat belt. Routine. The one today not only asked that but if I text or use Facebook while driving.

Dant, sorry for your experience. But glad it wasn't worse.

I definitely keep uninsured, and I've always had comprehensive just to be safe. What I did learn, though, is that I've been guilty of sticking with the default coverage dollar amounts. I've been a bit naive with insurance over the years, and since I don't cause wrecks and I've never had a nice car it didn't matter. But, this woman's insurance is paying more to fix my Z than my last 4 cars put together cost... made me look into things a bit deeper.

Now that we have a 370Z and a new Maxima, I looked over my policy and realized just how crappy default coverage amounts are here in TX. Basically, if one of us were at fault, and we hit a nice car, we would have been liable for thousands. 30K property damage doesn't stretch far if 2 cars that cost over 40k collide :icon14:....

If any of you out there haven't picked through your policy, I would take the time. It could save you some major money if you're ever at fault, or if you're hit by an uninsured/under insured motorist. Full Coverage may sound safe and cozy, but it isn't as Comprehensive as it sounds. Hah! SWIDT?! :roflpuke2:

What do you mean your agent is telling you to expect nothing? Certainly not how I would do things. In a time like this yeah expect the worse (which is nothing) but also look at the best parts of this so you don't make it seem only bad. Just my prerogative. Always like to please my clients.

As for coverage, mind you I am a 21 year old male that is self-supporting in all ways and living in my own apartment with no assets besides this car and my job working at State farm; I still hold the coverage limits of:

$50,000 up to $100,000 for Bodily Injury
$100,000 for Property Damage
$5,000 per person in Medical Payments
$500 Collision Coverage Deductible (Car on car/object collision)
$0 Comprehensive Coverage Deductible (for theft, vandalism, key marks, tree branch falls on car etc.)
Emergency Roadside Service
Rental Car Coverage $50 per day up to $1,200.00 MAX per claim.

Like I said before I work for State Farm Insurance, So I make sure that my coverage covers me. I have always said base your coverage off your assets. If you have a Home that costs $900,000 and two cars adding up to another say $75,000, I would have not only have my Auto Insurance set a up like this:

$250,000 up to $500,000 for Bodily Injury
$100,000 for Property Damage
$5,000 per person in Medical Payments
$500 Collision Coverage Deductible
$0 Comprehensive Coverage Deductible
Emergency Roadside Service
Rental Car Coverage $50 per day up to $1,200.00 MAX per claim.

With Adequate Homeowners Coverage with Personal Liability limits of $100,000 and then on top of all that a Personal Liability Umbrella Policy which starts at $1M and goes up from there increasing by $1M. I would get the $1M Umbrella Policy so I have personal liability limits of $1M over both cars coverage and the home's coverage at that point. So anything you are personally liable for can be claimed through your personal liability.

Just my :twocents:

Yea I just bought a house myself birdman and I have a 250/500 policy with an additional mil in an umbrella policy. Insurance is no joke! Can never have too much.

Dantz can't believe ur agent said that. Like others said, may be time to involve attorneys

.....from an old risk manager and claims adjuster from both private industry and an insurance company...."Never risk more than you can afford to lose."

That should be the minimum you should have when you have a home and autos. An umbrella policy is a must pretty much.
Whenever I have a new client and I am quoting their autos and home together I already throw in the Umbrella of $1M if their home is of a certain value or it looks like they just have completed upgrades to the home, and quote the cars with the increased discounts as well for having the added umbrella. So not only are you saving $$$ but you're saving your a$$ :tup:

Unfortunately my auto company said at first, my home isn't insurable by their standards. After, it changed to a price of literally double what my current home insurance costs, with the exact same protection, and that's with a 3 car multi discount, 10 year policy discount, and some other mess. I left it alone, but this umbrella policy sounds like it might be worth it for me to look for a new company for both our home and cars..

I would definitely be looking for a new Agent atleast, if not company. Ill send you a PM and help out since I'm in the Insurance Industry.

Glad it was not worse. Hopefully no new health problems arise from all this.

Good luck with it all.

FWIW, I get quotes from several of the major insurance companies every year for comparison. And I make sure they know they're being compared. My agent has taken care of our family for over 30 years now.

Sorry to hear about the Z!!!

But to help you out, B is similar to 'engine brake', meaning it helps slow the car down a little bit when on a hill, etc..although it doesn't really work that well.

source - I sell Toyotas lol

Lol thanks... it was all in jest. I figured out what they are supposed to do, but yeah... kinda useless in this car. My husband's old Juke and current Maxima have awesome CVTs compared to this hunk. His Maxima is Not afraid to get the revs up, and tire chirps from launch were/are common when I drove either lol. The toyota, tho.... I've even tried revving before takeoff, but this transmission is afraid to hit anywhere close to the engine's power band until you're already going 60.

It does get great gas mileage, though.

Well that's why, its gas efficient not a performance sports car haha ;)

I don't think those cars revvs aren't supposed to go above like 4k/min lol Super low shift points to be able to be gas efficient plus a small V4 engine.
Cant wait for your Z to get fixed haha!

Definitely worth looking into. I added umbrella and my auto insurance dropped $50 a month, more than paying for umbrella coverage for the year. My umbrella cost me $330 for the year. And we just had our house built in northern California

Could have been worse. Doc now might ask if you're a gun owner these days.

LOL!

Not around here--it's a given. A local sheriff recently tried to buy an armored vehicle from military surplus because "every resident has at least a shotgun and a hunting rifle." If you don't have at least a closet-full of guns, you're considered a commie pacifist and to be at an extreme disadvantage :eek:

So I get a call from my brother last night saying he needs a ride home from work... I get there, and this kid somehow managed to find out my Z was finished (yaaaasss!!), get it from the shop, have it detailed, and hide it on his lot at work to surprise me with it. Christmas came early!!

Goodbye, Corolla.

Now I just have to decide when I'm dropping it off at the dealership for 2 or 3 more weeks -_-

Started a new thread for parts advice. Also, I forgot how sexy these cars are in person... X-D