Was just in a major car accident.

[BostonSully]

Why im posting this on a golf forum I have no idea.

My girlfriend and I had just left the bar tonight. We were sitting at the next set of lights on a main highway in MA. We werent looking behind us when an SUV traveling approx 40-45MI slammed us from behind pushing us into the car infront of us. Totalling my GF"s car.

Both her and I are perfectly FINE. Not injured niether was either other driver. This has to have been one of the scariest moments of my life and one that puts the serenity of Golf into perspective for me, You never know what is going to happen. My GF was not drunk she had only 2 beers tonight, she had ordered a 3rd but because I was tired from work this week I chugged 3/4 of it on her so we could leave.

I wish I hadn't. 5 minutes later and we woudlnt have been in an accident. However the Driver who crashed into us was SHITFACED, we watched he/she miserably fail the DUI road test, then listened to the cop charge her with Reckless endangerement and OUI(liquor). So on that note Im sort of glad it was us and everyone was OK rather than this reckless drunk killing some poor person later on down the road.

Im pretty emotional right now this happened merely 45mins ago. All I can say is thanks and God Bless to the good samaritans who came to our aide in blocking of the road and making sure the situation would not get more dangerous, and the same to the officers who were truely classy and helped us through this emmotional experience. God bless the good people out there in the world.

-BS

[max power]

Hey, I'm glad you're both ok.  No excuse for drunk driving-my uncle (who I never met) was killed by a drunk driver as a teenager.  Glad to hear the experience wasn't worse than it had to be and no permanent damage was done.  The woman who did this deserves whatever punishment she receives, and probably more.  Take care.

[BostonSully]

My ears are still wringing heh, im sluggin down a jack and coke but im not going anyhwere! Her poor civic looked like a coke can someone stomped on man.... Im so happy she was ok.

[RedFox999]

Ive been hit from behind by someone going about 40 mph while I was at a dead stop, had my license for only 3 weeks when this happened, not cool. We were fine too but the next day you guys will have a little whiplash that will last a bit.

[BostonSully]

Originally Posted by RedFox999

Ive been hit from behind by someone going about 40 mph while I was at a dead stop, had my license for only 3 weeks when this happened, not cool. We were fine too but the next day you guys will have a little whiplash that will last a bit.

Probably the loudest noise ive ever heard and I go shooitng at my gunclub quite a bit.

[max power]

There's really no way to prepare for a wreck like that.  A truck flipped over in the air and landed next to me and my wife once in traffic and I couldn't believe how loud the impact was.

Originally Posted by BostonSully

Probably the loudest noise ive ever heard and I go shooitng at my gunclub quite a bit.

[iacas]

Depending on the laws in your state and your insurance, I recommend:

1. Going to the hospital or a doctor if you haven't already.
2. Going to any and all physical therapy you need.
3. Keeping all of your paperwork.

My wife was in an accident that was not her fault at all (other car swerved into her lane) and while she was "okay" she was sore. Over the next several weeks she had neck pain, stiff neck, sore hips, etc. She went to physical therapy and she's just now - after a few months - feeling 100% again. She had X-rays taken, of course, and was having headaches that if they had not gone away would have necessitated an MRI.

We're currently in the settlement phase. All of her medical expenses are covered, but she's entitled to some amount for pain and suffering and time off work (just two days immediately after the accident - her car was also totaled, head-on impact).

It's all covered, of course, by the other person's insurance. We had "tort" or something on our policy, though, so that lets my wife get the pain and suffering portion. Medical expenses are, I believe, almost always covered, though that law varies by state and coverage levels, I think, so double-check al of this.

Simply put, if someone else is at fault you want to be made whole in your health, at no expense to you.

Also, do a lot of research to show the adjuster what your GF's car was truly worth. It doesn't matter how much (if any) she owes on it - just what it was worth. All the options, the miles on the car, the cleanliness and upkeep, etc. all matter. It's just resale value, basically.

P.S. I'm not recommending making anything up. My wife stopped going to physical therapy before they advised her to (just by a visit or two) and we're not seeking much of anything in the pain and suffering side of things - but we're darn certain our medical expenses are all covered. That's only smart. :-P

[jamo]

Definitely check the laws and insurance conventions. From what I understand we have some pretty odd laws regarding fault in Massachusetts.

[NI4NI]

BS, at a minimum, follow iacas' advice, and also check into the MA liability laws to make sure you CYA.  One resource is http://accident-law.freeadvice.com/auto/massachusetts-car-accidents.htm .

Make sure that you are protected, and that you and your GF are not affected long-term (medically and financially).

Did you happen to get the names and numbers of the good samaritans / witnesses?  Did the cops get their statements?

Curious, in what town / county did this happen?

[zeg]

Along the CYA lines, be careful what you post online, especially personally identifiable places like Facebook, but I would generally be careful everywhere.  Statements about who did or didn't drink what or how much, that you weren't hurt, etc, could potentially become problems later if, say, you did turn out to have a real injury.  Most likely nothing will come of it and it wouldn't be found anyway, but if someone did sue you or if you did turn out to have a legitimate reason to do so yourself, you don't want to have online "casual" statements taken out of context.

Anyway, glad everyone was ok and that the accident was handled well.

[CT207]

Also, one other CYA item. The other insurance company will probably call the both of you and attempt to ask questions about the crash, your injuries, and whatnot. Direct all their inquiries to your insurance company claims representative.

My car was rear ended and subsequently totaled last fall. The guy's insurance company kept calling my house "wanting info"... obviously to protect their client. I was advised by my insurance representative not to talk to them and if they have any questions to call her (the rep). She said they generally record the calls as well as take notes in case of litigation.

On a side note, I was glad the 2004 Ford Taurus had a large trunk.... my clubs were in there at the time of the crash and they survived.