Rear-end collision. Distracted driver with phone in hand caught on video

[sirozha]

No injuries but I'd love to sue purely for punitive damages. This woman was about to obliviously drive through an intersection and possibly kill someone.

Sue her. Hire a well known law firm that charges percentage of the money awarded.

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[sirozha]

In that moment she realized she hit a guy in a $100K truck and it was 100% her fault. Still rude not to at least ask if you’re ok and apologize.

Apologizing is admitting guilt. She’s been there before. That’s why she kept silent. Nonetheless, she should be sued for everything she has, which, I’m sure, isn’t much.

 

[sirozha]

Always get yourself checked out after an accident like that. I got rear-ended when I was stopped at about 60mph. Years later I found out I had lower back problems from it. Had I done chiropractics after it I probably would never have had issues.
I was young and dumb and invincible at the time (20 year old). I hurt for a little bit and got over it and was 'fine'.
The spine is a pain in the ass with jolting impacts.

One should always go see multiple specialists. The insurance of the guilty party will reimburse you all the medical costs. You can also submit it to your own health insurance. It’s 100% legal. I’ve been there several tines. The lawyers told me to submit to my own health insurance and to get paid by the guilty party’s automobile insurance.

Hopefully, all you’ll end up with is a bunch of visits and X-Rays. If they find damage, get it treated immediately and submit to both insurances.

Then, the guilty party automobile insurance should pay you for pain and suffering and for the vehicle’s diminished value.

You need a good lawyer. Don’t skimp out on the lawyer’s fee, trying to get someone inexperienced for cheaper. Just agree for the lawyer to keep 1/3 of the award (reimbursement for medical bills doesn’t count into the total award, so you get to keep 100% of medical reimbursement from the guilty party’s insurance). You will come out way in top if you hire a well known law firm in your area and let them keep 1/3 of the awarded amount.

 

[sirozha]

Damage doesn’t look that bad given her speed. Hope everything is okay.

Glad you got it on video and the pic of her holding her phone in her hand. I’d make sure her insurance and yours see that…her premium should skyrocket for having evidence of distracted driving that caused an accident.

Skyrocket? Her insurance will drop her like a hot potato after her six-month term expires.

 

[sirozha]

Driving is a privilege. She should lose hers.

 

[sirozha]

Each one of these mindless fools raises our collective vehicle insurance each tine they cause a crash. It wasn't an accident. It was a crash. Some people really shouldn't have licenses.

I didn't see the one on the left, hands down she has the phone in her hand. The one on the right it's harder to tell, at least to me. Either way, she doesn't have a defense because she didn't even slow down, before impact.

When you rear-end someone, there is no defense. Especially, if the vehicle you rear-end is stationary.

 

[ModelXer]

Rear-ending a car with 7 cameras and then thinking "let me not apologizes because I'll look less guilty that way..."

In the end it doesn't matter, legally, if she apologized to me or not because it's always going to be "he said, she said." It's what she tells the police that's really relevant to her hypothetical lawyer.

I don't know what police did with her to be honest. They absolutely should cite her. Yes, holding your phone while driving is unlawful in NJ.

Thank you for your support. I really hope it's just bumper and trailer hitch assembly ?

It's what she says to the police that matters. The lady in the SUV that t-boned me admitted to the police officer that she pulled out and hit me. That was a slam dunk.

 

[ModelXer]

Driving is a privilege. She should lose hers.

The points in NY get you pretty close...5 points. Two convictions gets a suspension, three a revocation.

 

[rudedawg78]

I can’t help but think she saw your truck and was taking a picture of it.

Obviously she can't operate her phone camera and her car's brakes at the same time. lol

 

[HaulingAss]

Skyrocket? Her insurance will drop her like a hot potato after her six-month term expires.

That's generally not how insurance works. Her rates may or may not go up, depending upon her insurer and previous driving history, but it will have a negative effect on everyone elses rates.

 

[sirozha]

That's generally not how insurance works. Her rates may or may not go up, depending upon her insurer and previous driving history, but it will have a negative effect on everyone elses rates.

May go up? She rear-ended someone while looking at the phone, holding it in her hand. This is not just distracted driving. Touching a phone while driving (let alone holding it in your hand) has been highly illegal in most US states and in all Canadian provinces since about 2018-2019. If the insurance company doesn’t drop her, her rates will skyrocket to the level that she will leave voluntarily.
Insurance premiums rise significantly every six months nowadays even without any accidents. A not-at-fault accident sticks on the history for years and results in a higher insurance premium. An at fault accident, especially this kind with an illegal activity having caused it, will be life-changing for her, as it should.

 

[Deleted member 17810]

May go up? She rear-ended someone while looking at the phone, holding it in her hand. This is not just distracted driving. Touching a phone while driving (let alone holding it in your hand) has been highly illegal in most US states and in all Canadian provinces since about 2018-2019. If the insurance company doesn’t drop her, her rates will skyrocket to the level that she will leave voluntarily.
Insurance premiums rise significantly every six months nowadays even without any accidents. A not-at-fault accident sticks on the history for years and results in a higher insurance premium. An at fault accident, especially this kind with an illegal activity having caused it, will be life-changing for her, as it should.

I know somebody whose car got stolen, and they had been with their insurer for years.

They dropped them so hard after they had to pay them out.

 

[Klis]

I know somebody whose car got stolen, and they had been with their insurer for years.

They dropped them so hard after they had to pay them out.

It's ridiculous how the victim pays twice for someone else's wrong doing. I feel like there should be legislation against that. If you're not at fault then you should be NOT AT FAULT!

 

[sirozha]

It's ridiculous how the victim pays twice for someone else's wrong doing. I feel like there should be legislation against that. If you're not at fault then you should be NOT AT FAULT!

There is legislation against it, but not in this country. I'm comparing the ridiculous insurance premiums I pay in Georgia compared to what people pay in Quebec. It's not even funny. I pay 2.5 times as much for the same car insured in metro Atlanta as people pay in metro Montreal.

My wife drove out of our own garage with an open back door (compliments of my then 11-year-old son, who was in the back seat) and bent the door to the point it needed to be replaced. This was counted as an at-fault accident, but no other party was involved, and it was not any kind of illegal activity that caused the accident even though it would certainly qualify for distracted driving. It still boggles my mind how one could drive out of a garage with an open back door.

The damage was accessed at $2,000. We are paying dearly still for me having filed with Insurance and having gotten $1500 for the door (after my $500 deductible). My rates were jacked up so badly that I had to shop for another insurance, but even the new insurance is charging me about 40% higher in premiums than what I paid back in 2021. Partially it's due to the overall insurance having gone up dramatically in metro Atlanta, and partly it's due to this one accident in the garage. I wish I had never filed for insurance and just eaten the $2,000.

 

[TexasRaider]

She was either in shock, under the influence, suffering from a concussion, or very socially awkward. She stood like a statue and just stared at me. She didn't ask me anything or say anything to me. It was a very strange and awkward few moments before the police arrived. That made me even more upset. She could have at least apologized for the accident but instead she decided to remain silent.

I wouldn’t take it offense, the way you’re describing her she is probably socially awkward. There is an increasing high percentage of people that are extremely uncomfortable in social situations such as an at fault car accident. I’m glad that she didn’t try to drive away. I’ve been hit by so many hit and runs the past few years.

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