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The Shoulder
Pull off the road and talk it out. Stories, questions, and shop talk on everything that happens after an auto accident — yours or someone else's. No login required.
500 conversations
- patient-otter-65131m ago
At-fault driver gave fake insurance info — now no one will help us fix my car
I'm so frustrated I don't even know where to start. Got rear-ended at a red light about three weeks ago by a guy who was clearly not paying attention. Hit me hard enough to push my bumper in and mess up my trunk. We pulled over, did the whole thing — swapped info, I photographed everything including his proof of insurance card. Here's where it falls apart: when I called his insurance company to open a claim, they told me the policy had lapsed *months* ago. The card he showed me had dates on it that looked valid, but apparently it was either outdated or outright fake. The guy is now dodging m…
8 replies - daring-dove-57632m ago
tracked down a witness from my crash and honestly didn't expect what happened next
okay so this is kind of random but I just need to share it somewhere because it made my whole week. I've been dealing with the aftermath of my accident for a few months now — physical therapy, back and forth with the insurance company, the whole exhausting mess. I wasn't sleeping great and ended up down a rabbit hole of accident-related content online at like 1am (you know how the algorithm finds you). Anyway it got me thinking about the guy who pulled over and stayed with me until the ambulance came. I was pretty out of it that day but I remembered his face. His name was on the police repo…
8 replies - mellow-badger-22932m ago
Hit from behind and the other driver flat-out refused to give me his insurance info — what now?
So this happened two days ago and I'm still kind of shaken up and honestly just annoyed. I was stopped at a red light when a pickup truck rolled into the back of my car. Not a massive crash but enough to crunch my bumper and leave me with a stiff neck. The driver got out and seemed fine at first — apologetic, even. I figured we'd swap info like normal people and go from there. Here's where it got weird. When I asked for his insurance card, he got this whole attitude and said something like, *"look, let's just handle this between us, I'll pay you cash, no need to get companies involved."* He…
8 replies - plain-swift-20333m ago
Trying to stop being 'the accident person' — anyone else fight this mental battle?
It's been about eight months since a driver ran a red light and T-boned me at a busy intersection. Physically I'm still a work in progress — some days are better than others, and I had a bad flare-up two weeks ago that honestly sent me spiraling. The flare knocked me back into this headspace where every conversation I had somehow circled back to the crash. My partner, my coworkers, my mom — I could see their eyes go a little distant when the topic came up *again*. And honestly I don't blame them. I was exhausting myself too. I've been thinking a lot about the difference between *processing*…
8 replies - clear-swan-71933m ago
Totaled my boyfriend's car while he's abroad and I can't stop spiraling
I don't even know how to start this. My boyfriend has been working overseas for about three months now — one of those long-rotation jobs where real communication is limited and inconsistent. Before he left, he asked me to drive his car occasionally so the battery wouldn't die and it stayed in good shape. It meant a lot to him. Last week I was coming home from a late shift and got clipped by someone running a stop sign. The impact spun me into a parked truck. His car is almost certainly a total loss. I walked away with some bruising and a really sore neck, but physically I'm okay. Here's whe…
9 replies - bright-hare-43434m ago
Airbags never went off during a pretty serious crash — is that even a thing we can pursue?
Hey everyone, long-time lurker, first time posting. My mom was in a collision about two weeks ago — another driver ran a red light and hit her hard enough that her car got towed from the scene. She walked away with a sprained wrist, some serious bruising across her chest, and what her doctor is now calling a mild concussion. Here's what's been nagging at me ever since: **none of the airbags deployed.** Not the driver's side, not the side curtains, nothing. The impact was significant enough to crumple the front quarter panel and set off the seatbelt pretensioner (the seatbelt locked and left…
9 replies - keen-marten-35134m ago
Crowded places are wrecking me since my accident — anyone else?
So I'm about eight months out from a pretty bad rear-end collision on the highway, and I feel like my nervous system just never fully reset after it happened. For the first few months my main struggle was driving again — the anxiety, the hypervigilance, white-knuckling the steering wheel every time someone merged too close. I've actually made a lot of progress there and I'm genuinely proud of that. But now something *new* has crept up and honestly it blindsided me. Anytime I'm somewhere with a lot of people — grocery store, the mall food court, even a busy pharmacy — I hit this wall of tota…
8 replies - clear-kestrel-54835m ago
18 months post-crash and I've completely fallen off with staying active — anyone else?
I don't even know how to start this without sounding like I'm whining, but here goes. Before my accident I was genuinely one of those people who *loved* moving. Hiking on weekends, pickup basketball twice a week, morning runs — it was just part of who I was. Then a rear-end collision at a highway on-ramp took that version of me and kind of... erased it. I ended up with a badly herniated disc in my lower back, a fractured collarbone, and what my neurologist calls a 'mild' traumatic brain injury (nothing about it feels mild, but okay). The collarbone healed. The brain fog comes and goes. The…
8 replies - candid-beaver-71335m ago
My own insurance is suing me?? I'm so confused and honestly scared
So this whole situation has me completely lost and I need someone to explain what's happening because it feels like I'm being punished for something I didn't even do. About 18 months ago my son borrowed my SUV while I was out of town. He parked it at one of those big downtown parking structures — the kind where you pay at a kiosk and park it yourself. Totally normal. He flew home a few days later, picked the car back up, everything seemed fine. Fast forward like three weeks — my insurance calls ME asking about a claim. I had no clue what they were talking about. I asked my son, he was just…
8 replies - kind-raven-35936m ago
7 months pregnant, rear-ended hard, at-fault insurance keeps changing their offer — what's happening?
I really need some outside perspective because I feel like I'm losing my mind. About six weeks ago I was sitting completely still at a red light and got slammed from behind. Hard enough that my car got pushed into the intersection. I'm 7 months pregnant. I went straight to the ER because I was cramping and the baby's movement felt off. They monitored us for several hours, ran a bunch of tests, and ultimately said baby looks okay — but the OB on call was pretty clear that some things "just can't be ruled out until delivery." The at-fault driver's insurance finally got around to calling me la…
8 replies - spry-heron-7902h ago
Drove over an unmarked hazard in a parking lot — is the property owner liable?
So this happened two days ago and I'm still frustrated trying to figure out what my options are. I pulled into a shopping center parking lot I've been to maybe a dozen times. There's always been this raised concrete island in the middle of one of the lanes — it used to have a bollard on it with a bright orange reflective sleeve, so it was super obvious. Well apparently they removed the bollard at some point and never repainted the curb or put up any other marker. It was dusk, the sun was hitting my windshield at a bad angle, and I just... didn't see it. Rolled right over the edge of that co…
9 replies - calm-stoat-3942h ago
My passenger's family is threatening criminal charges after our accident — is this even real?
I'm still kind of in shock writing this. A few weeks ago I was driving my coworker home after we stayed late to finish a project together. Road conditions were bad — there was a weird patch of ice nobody was expecting — and I lost control going through an intersection. We hit a curb and the car spun. Airbags went off. It was terrifying but we were both conscious and talking afterward. She ended up with some bruised ribs and a possible hairline fracture in her wrist. I walked away with whiplash and a gash on my forearm. We were both pretty shaken but okay, all things considered. Here's where…
9 replies - spry-finch-8052h ago
My passenger didn't survive the crash. I was driving. How do I live with this?
I don't even know why I'm posting this here. Maybe because it's anonymous and I can't keep carrying this alone. About six weeks ago I was driving a close friend home after a get-together — completely sober, no distractions, roads were dry. A truck that had been weaving in traffic clipped the back of my car at highway speed. I lost control, went into the guardrail, spun out. My friend was in the passenger seat. I walked away with a broken collarbone and some lacerations. My friend didn't make it. She passed in the hospital about four hours after we got there. Everyone — the responding offic…
8 replies - quiet-heron-2142h ago
Neck surgery after my accident — scared, exhausted, and only 31. Anyone been through this?
Long post, sorry in advance. I'll try to keep it organized. About eight months ago I got rear-ended pretty hard on the highway by someone who was looking at their phone. Seemed like a normal fender-bender at first — I drove home, thought I was fine. Two weeks later I could barely turn my head and the tingling in my right arm was constant. Fast forward through two rounds of physical therapy, an epidural injection that helped maybe 20%, and a second opinion from a spine specialist — and now I'm sitting here with a referral for a cervical disc replacement. My doctor says the disc is basically…
9 replies - calm-dove-1242h ago
Insurance payout went to my mom — it's MY car, MY money. What do I do?
So I'm in a really frustrating situation and I honestly don't know where to turn. I got rear-ended a few months ago and my car was totaled. The other driver was clearly at fault — I have the police report and everything. Here's the problem: I'm 22 and when I first got the car, my mom added it to her policy because the rate was cheaper. I've been paying her back every single month for my share of the premium — I have Venmo receipts going back almost two years. The car title is 100% in **my name**. I bought it myself, I made the payments, it's mine. The insurance settlement came through and t…
8 replies - clear-crane-2642h ago
Lent my car to my cousin, she got hit, now lawyers are involved — am I exposed?
So this whole situation has spiraled way further than I expected and I'm honestly losing sleep over it. About six weeks ago I let my cousin borrow my car for the weekend — she needed it to help a friend move. On her way back, she got T-boned at an intersection by someone who ran a red light. Not her fault at all. There's a traffic cam that caught the whole thing, and the police report backs her up completely. My car is almost certainly a total loss. I only had liability on it because it was older and I figured full coverage wasn't worth the cost anymore. My insurer basically told me to go a…
8 replies - cool-crow-2932h ago
Anyone tried therapy specifically for crash anxiety? Feel silly even asking
So I've been debating whether to bring this up here because honestly it feels embarrassing to admit — the physical stuff from my accident is mostly healed at this point, but mentally I'm a mess and I can't seem to shake it. It's been a few months since the crash and I still white-knuckle the steering wheel every single time I get on the highway. I had a panic attack at a red light last week for no obvious reason. Sleep is rough. I keep replaying the moment of impact even when I'm just trying to watch TV or whatever. The weird part is that objectively the accident "wasn't that bad" — I mean,…
8 replies - calm-badger-5212h ago
Insurer keeps rejecting my diminished value claim but won't tell me WHY — anyone dealt with this?
So I was rear-ended about four months ago — totally not my fault, the other driver admitted it on the spot and her insurer accepted liability without a fight. My SUV got repaired and honestly the body shop did a great job. Visually it looks fine. Here's the thing though: my vehicle is barely 18 months old and has pretty low mileage. I know a Carfax hit from a structural repair tanks resale value, so I started looking into a diminished value (DV) claim right away. I called the at-fault driver's insurance and they actually *encouraged* me to get an independent appraisal done. So I paid out of…
8 replies - brave-swift-0802h ago
Insurer says my truck isn't covered because my nephew was driving — is that even legal?
I'm so frustrated right now and could really use some perspective from people who've dealt with insurance nonsense. Here's what happened: my brother borrowed my truck last weekend to help move some furniture. He had my nephew driving — the kid has his learner's permit and my brother was sitting right there in the passenger seat the whole time, supervising. A deer jumped out on a county road, my nephew swerved, clipped a guardrail, and the front end is pretty badly damaged. Nobody was hurt, thank god. I filed a claim and my insurer is now telling me the damage *may not be covered* because my…
8 replies - quiet-marmot-9752h ago
Dealership slapping me with a massive 'storage' bill AFTER insurance called it a total loss??
I need to vent and also genuinely need some guidance because this feels like a trap I didn't see coming. Back in late spring I brought my car to the dealership's collision center after getting rear-ended pretty badly on the highway. Seemed like the logical place — they know the make, figured they'd do quality work. The repair estimate process dragged on forever while they went back and forth with the other driver's insurance about parts pricing and labor rates. Then out of nowhere, almost **six weeks after drop-off**, the insurance company tells me the vehicle is actually a total loss and t…
9 replies - patient-beaver-5153h ago
Coming to terms with lifelong pain after my crash — how do you actually do it?
Hey everyone. Long post, sorry in advance. About eight months ago I was rear-ended at highway speed by a driver who blew through a construction zone without braking. The impact shoved my car into the vehicle ahead of me, so I got hit twice basically simultaneously. I ended up with two fractured vertebrae, a badly torn rotator cuff, and nerve damage down my left arm that my surgeon describes as "probably permanent." I did the surgeries. I did — and still do — the PT. By every clinical measure I'm recovering "well." My care team keeps using words like "functional" and "encouraging trajectory"…
8 replies - candid-mole-9683h ago
Got hurt in a rear-end crash and pursuing a claim feels… gross? Anyone else feel this way?
I don't really know how to explain this but I'm going to try. About six weeks ago I got rear-ended at a red light by someone going way too fast. My car was pretty messed up and I've been dealing with neck and shoulder pain ever since — my doctor found some soft tissue damage and I just started seeing a chiropractor twice a week. I also keep waking up at 3am with this dull ache running down my arm. It's exhausting. Here's the thing though. I hired an attorney because everyone said I should, and logically I know the other driver was 100% at fault. But every time I think about a potential sett…
8 replies - quick-kestrel-8203h ago
First time dealing with an injury claim after a crash — do I even need a lawyer?
So about three weeks ago I got rear-ended at a stoplight on my way to work. The other driver was clearly at fault — there were witnesses and the police report backs me up. My car had pretty decent damage but I was mostly worried about that, not myself. Except now my neck and upper back have been killing me. I went to urgent care a few days after because the pain wasn't going away and they said soft tissue strain, referred me to physical therapy. I've gone to a handful of sessions so far and honestly I'm not sure how long this is gonna take. Here's my thing — the other driver's insurance adj…
9 replies - daring-stoat-0683h ago
Accident made my driving anxiety so much worse — anyone else struggle to get behind the wheel again?
So I've been sitting on getting my license for a while now — life kept getting in the way, you know how it goes. I'm in my late twenties and honestly embarrassed I still don't have it, but I kept telling myself *next month, next month.* Then a few months ago I was a passenger when we got rear-ended at a red light. Not catastrophic or anything — the other driver wasn't paying attention and hit us hard enough to jolt everyone forward. I walked away with some neck stiffness and a referral for PT. Physically I'm mostly okay now. But mentally? Different story. Ever since, I white-knuckle every…
8 replies - keen-mole-5113h ago
At-fault driver's insurance totaled my car but their payout math makes zero sense to me
So I got rear-ended about three weeks ago — completely the other driver's fault, police report confirms it. I filed a claim through *their* insurance (not mine) and things moved pretty fast at first. An adjuster came out, looked at the car, and then a few days later I got a letter saying it's a total loss. Here's where I'm confused. They gave me some document with three different numbers on it: - A "base vehicle value" - An "adjusted vehicle value" (lower than the base??) - And then the actual settlement offer, which is **even lower than that** Like… how did we go from the adjusted value d…
8 replies - clever-kestrel-9063h ago
At-fault fender bender is destroying my mental health and I might lose my gig work
I don't even know how to start this but I need to get it out somewhere. About a week ago I tapped the car ahead of me at a traffic circle. I misjudged whether they were going or stopping — they stopped short, I didn't react fast enough, and I bumped their rear bumper. Barely any visible damage on their car. My front end looked worse than theirs. But the other driver called the police anyway, and now I have a citation for inattentive driving and a court date coming up. And because I do rideshare and grocery delivery to pay my bills, I'm absolutely terrified that a moving violation is going t…
8 replies - spry-marmot-0753h ago
At-fault driver had bare-minimum coverage and I'm stuck with a permanent injury. Anyone been here?
So I'm about eight months out from getting T-boned at an intersection by someone who ran a red light. Toxicology confirmed they were impaired. I ended up with a herniated disc that my spine specialist says is almost certainly going to affect me for the rest of my life — I'm 26. Cool, cool, cool. My attorney ran down the at-fault driver's coverage and... it's basically the state minimum. Like, embarrassingly low. No umbrella policy anywhere. My lawyer explained that we can demand the full policy limit and that if their insurer drags their feet or low-balls us when liability is this obvious, w…
9 replies - warm-badger-6103h ago
Piece of cargo flew off a semi and totaled our SUV — whose insurance pays?
Still kind of shaking writing this out. My wife was driving home from work on the highway last week when a flatbed semi in front of her lost a massive chunk of what looked like metal sheeting — it just peeled right off the load and went airborne. She couldn't swerve in time. It hit the hood, caved in the windshield frame, and basically destroyed the front half of our vehicle. She's okay — some whiplash and a really bad scare — but the car is almost certainly a total loss according to the body shop we took it to. The trucker pulled over and there was a police report filed. The trucking compan…
8 replies - tidy-dove-3383h ago
Delivery driver hit my retaining wall, admitted fault over text, now ghosting me on the repair bill
So this whole situation has been a nightmare and I'm honestly just venting but also genuinely need some direction. About six weeks ago a delivery driver — clearly had the wrong address — backed into my retaining wall and cracked two of the stone sections plus knocked loose the iron gate post anchored into it. The guy didn't even ring the bell. I only knew it happened because my neighbor came over and told me. I have him dead to rights on my doorbell camera. Full plate, full face, the whole thing. I tracked down his contact through the delivery app's support and we actually exchanged message…
8 replies - warm-sparrow-8523h ago
Hit and run caught on dashcam but police are dragging their feet — what now?
I'm honestly so frustrated right now I don't know where else to turn. About two weeks ago I was parked on a side street near my office when someone sideswiped my car pulling out of a spot across from me. The impact was hard enough to cave in my driver-side door and shatter the mirror completely. The person **did not stop** — just kept going. Here's the thing: I have a dashcam that was running and it caught the whole thing. You can clearly see the other vehicle, the direction it drove off, and what looks like a partial plate. I filed a police report the same day and handed over the footage.…
7 replies - sharp-finch-7414h ago
Rolled my truck alone on a back road at night — still processing what happened to me
I don't really know why I'm posting this. Maybe I just need to get it out somewhere that isn't my family's group chat, because every time I bring it up my mom cries and I end up comforting *her* instead of dealing with my own stuff. It's been about ten days. I was driving home from a late shift on a rural two-lane road — one I've taken probably a thousand times. A deer came out of nowhere and I swerved. The shoulder crumbled. My truck went sideways down an embankment and rolled. I don't remember the actual rolling. I remember the deer. Then I remember being upside down, or at least tilted en…
9 replies - patient-badger-4804h ago
Dad was killed by a driver with barely any insurance. What are our options?
I'm not even sure how to write this out without falling apart, but I need some guidance from people who might understand what we're going through. My dad was struck by another driver while he was crossing a parking lot on foot back in the spring. He survived the initial impact but passed away about six weeks later from complications tied directly to the crash injuries. It has been the most devastating thing our family has ever been through, and now on top of the grief we're drowning in paperwork and phone calls. The at-fault driver's insurance company contacted us and basically said their p…
8 replies - bold-vole-5894h ago
At-fault coworker hit my car and is now dictating how I get it fixed — is she serious?
Okay I need to vent because this situation has me genuinely baffled. About two weeks ago a coworker backed into my car in our office parking garage. Broad daylight, witnesses, and she admitted it on the spot — no debate about fault at all. My car is only a few months old and I haven't even finished paying off the first few payments on it. At first she seemed reasonable. Said she didn't want to go through insurance and would just pay out of pocket. Fine, I'm willing to work with her — we see each other every day and I don't want drama at work. I got an estimate from a shop that specializes…
9 replies - bold-newt-9574h ago
8 months post-accident, multiple leg surgeries, still can't walk — is this normal??
I honestly don't even know where to start with this. Eight months ago a driver ran a red light and hit my car on the driver's side. I ended up with fractures in my tibia, fibula, and hip — three separate surgeries later and I'm still not walking unassisted. The first two surgeries were to stabilize everything with hardware. Then about three months in I developed a post-surgical complication that required a third procedure to clean out the site. Fun times. Here's where I'm at now according to my last imaging: the hip fracture is healing, the tibia is mostly there, but there's a section of my…
8 replies - quick-elk-2534h ago
Nobody got seriously hurt but I can't stop shaking — do I even belong here?
I'll keep this short but I need to say it somewhere because I've been holding it in for almost two weeks now. I was rear-ended at highway speed on my way home from work. The other driver didn't brake at all — just full force into the back of my SUV. I got pushed into the car in front of me. Airbags went off, my neck snapped forward, glass everywhere. My coworker who was riding with me walked away completely fine. I had some soft tissue stuff in my neck and shoulders — sore, but nothing broken, nothing that landed me in the hospital overnight. So technically? We're both okay. But I genuinel…
9 replies - patient-mole-3594h ago
Got rear-ended at a red light — no collision coverage. Am I screwed?
So this literally just happened a few hours ago and I'm still shaking a little tbh. I was sitting at a red light on my way to work, completely stopped, and out of nowhere I got slammed from behind. The impact pushed me forward like half a car length. The guy who hit me pulled over at least, so there's that. Here's my situation: I never added collision coverage to my policy because my car is older and I was trying to keep my premiums down. I know, I know. But now I'm staring at a crumpled rear bumper, a messed up trunk that won't close properly, and my neck is already starting to feel stiff.…
9 replies - curious-otter-6204h ago
Airbags went off — does that automatically mean my car is totaled?
So I got rear-ended pretty hard on the highway last week. The other driver was going way too fast and I had no time to react. My airbags deployed — both front ones — and my car got pushed forward about 20 feet into the lane ahead of me. Here's the thing: I called my insurance to start the claim and before they even sent anyone out to look at the car, the rep on the phone basically told me "when airbags go off, it's usually a total loss situation." She said it almost casually, like it was already decided. My car isn't even that old. I bought it used about two years ago with pretty low mileag…
8 replies - brave-heron-8484h ago
The other driver caused the crash and now she's suing ME for injuries?? I'm losing my mind
I genuinely don't know where to start because this whole situation feels like a nightmare I can't wake up from. Back in the spring, a guy blew through a stop sign and T-boned my car on the passenger side. Cops showed up, took a report, and the officer told me right there on the scene that the other driver was cited for failure to yield. I have the citation number. I have photos of where his skid marks start — well past the stop line. I have a neighbor who was walking her dog and saw the whole thing. Both our insurance companies took statements. Mine said I was not at fault. His carrier kept…
10 replies - humble-marmot-0894h ago
Insurance flipped our fault determination after other driver lawyered up — can we fight this?
Really frustrated right now and hoping someone here has been through something similar. So back in the spring I was in a two-car intersection collision. No traffic cameras at that corner, just my word against the other driver's. My insurance investigated and told me we were **not at fault** — I was relieved, thought the whole thing was wrapping up. Then about ten days later, the other driver apparently hired a personal injury attorney, and suddenly the case gets *reopened*. Now my insurance is telling me the fault determination has been **reversed** and I'm being held responsible. I'm floor…
9 replies - swift-heron-9254h ago
Totaled car got crushed before insurance even looked at it — what now??
I'm honestly losing my mind over this situation and hoping someone here has been through something similar. About six weeks ago a driver ran a red light and slammed into my car. Police came, I filed a report, my car got towed to some impound lot. I was shaken up and dealing with doctor visits so I assumed the insurance side of things was moving along in the background. Fast forward to last week — I finally feel well enough to really dig into the claim and I call the adjuster to ask about the vehicle inspection and a rental reimbursement. They basically tell me they haven't even located the…
8 replies - cool-newt-6055h ago
Dealership rep told me to keep my mouth shut about the crash — do I report him?
Still kind of shaking my head at this whole situation. I picked up a used SUV on a Friday evening — literally drove it home, parked it in my driveway, and a drunk driver plowed into it Saturday morning while it was just *sitting there*. I wasn't even in it. Total fluke, totally not my fault, police report and everything. Obviously I called my insurance, I called the lienholder (the credit union financing the vehicle), everyone who needed to know. The car is a total loss — there's no hiding that. Here's where it gets weird. A sales guy from the dealership called me a few days later, and the…
9 replies - wise-owl-5945h ago
Got T-boned at an intersection, other driver uninsured, got ticketed — do I even have a shot?
Still kind of in shock writing this out. Last Tuesday I was leaving a parking garage and pulling through an intersection — my light was green, I'm 100% sure of it. Out of nowhere a pickup truck blew through and hit me square on the driver's side. Deployed every airbag in the car. I had to be helped out by a bystander because I couldn't open my door. Cops showed up pretty fast. The other driver told them HIS light was green too, classic "he said / he said" situation. Officer couldn't determine fault on the spot, but based on — I honestly don't know what — they handed ME a citation for failure…
8 replies - bold-stoat-6075h ago
I shouldn't be here right now and I'm still trying to wrap my head around that
I've been lurking here for a few weeks since my accident and I finally feel like I need to just... say some of this out loud somewhere. My sister has been amazing but I can tell she's hitting a wall with me emotionally and I don't blame her. I process by talking and I can't stop needing to talk about it. About six weeks ago I was driving home on a two-lane highway I've taken a thousand times. It was dusk, visibility was okay but not great. A pickup came flying over a hill in my lane — I don't think he even saw me until the last second. I jerked hard to the right to avoid a head-on. Got onto…
10 replies - curious-grouse-2745h ago
I caused the crash. I was at fault. I don't know how to live with that.
I need to say this somewhere anonymously because I can't say it out loud to anyone in my life right now. I was the one who caused the accident. I made a bad decision and someone else got hurt because of it. Not seriously, thank god — they walked away — but it could have been so much worse and I know that. The image of their car spinning after I hit them doesn't leave me. I wake up with it. I've never been in any kind of trouble before. Not even a parking ticket. Now I'm dealing with criminal proceedings, a civil claim from the other driver, and my insurance is already making noise about thi…
8 replies - tidy-marten-7845h ago
Can't stop replaying the crash in my head — is this normal after an accident?
I don't even know how to start this so I'm just going to type it out. About three weeks ago I was driving home from work and a pickup blew through a red light and T-boned me on the passenger side. My teenage daughter was sitting right there. She walked away with a sprained wrist and some bruising. I had a concussion and two cracked ribs. For the first week I felt almost *euphoric* — like, we're okay, this is fine, count your blessings. I was telling everyone the story almost cheerfully. Then something shifted. I went back to pick up some things from the impound lot and actually saw the car,…
7 replies - bright-owl-9375h ago
Anyone else develop a fear of the road after their accident? How do you cope?
I got hit pretty badly about six weeks ago — broad daylight, clear weather, I was completely stopped at a red light when someone plowed into my driver's side door. The other driver ran a red and never even hit the brakes. My car was a total loss and I ended up with a concussion and some soft tissue stuff I'm still dealing with. Physically I'm getting there. Mentally? Not so much. I just got the green light from my doctor to start driving again, and honestly I'm terrified to get back behind the wheel. Every time I picture myself pulling up to an intersection, my chest gets tight. I keep imag…
8 replies - humble-grouse-9135h ago
My car was damaged BY the shop I trusted it with — they never even told me
So I dropped my car off at a tire and alignment shop last week. Routine stuff, nothing major. I get a call out of nowhere from someone who works nearby saying there was some kind of incident in the lot. I had NO idea what they were talking about. Turns out one of the shop's own guys was moving vehicles around and clipped my car hard enough to push it into a concrete barrier. The front bumper is crushed and there's visible frame damage. I only found out because a *stranger* was kind enough to call me — the shop itself never reached out. Not a text, not a voicemail, nothing. When I finally ca…
9 replies - clever-wolf-5445h ago
Two years post-crash and I still freeze the second I touch a steering wheel — anyone else?
Looking for people who've actually been through this because I feel like I'm losing my mind a little. I was in a really bad side-impact collision about two years ago — wasn't even the one driving, I was in the back seat. Walked away with a concussion, some nerve damage in my shoulder, and apparently a completely shattered relationship with the idea of driving a car myself. Here's the weird part that messes with my head: **I have zero problem being a passenger.** Rideshares, friends' cars, whatever — totally fine. I can sit in traffic and scroll my phone like nothing happened. But the second…
8 replies - gentle-heron-6395h ago
Single-car scrape — file a claim or just eat the repair cost?
So I did something embarrassing last weekend and I'm still kicking myself over it. Was trying to navigate a tight parking situation at a strip mall — one of those lots where cars park on both sides and there's barely room to squeeze through. I misjudged the gap between a concrete pillar and a parked SUV, and scraped the entire passenger side of my car pretty good. No other cars were involved, nobody got hurt, 100% on me. Got it looked at by two different body shops this week. Both came back in the same ballpark — somewhere around $3,200 to get it properly fixed. That's a new bumper cover, re…
8 replies - humble-grouse-7235h ago
Uninsured driver totaled my car and just... drove away with a warning?
Still kind of in shock about how this all played out so I'm hoping someone here has been through something similar. About two weeks ago I'm stopped at a red light and this guy rear-ends me hard enough to deploy my airbags. Cop shows up, takes statements, and it's pretty clear-cut — he admits he wasn't paying attention. 100% his fault, officer even said so. Here's where it gets infuriating: the guy has **no insurance**. None. And the officer basically just issued him a written warning and let him go. No citation for the no-insurance, nothing. I genuinely didn't know that was even possible? I…
8 replies - calm-otter-1276h ago
Guy who hit us is already texting asking us to 'keep it between ourselves' — what do we do?
This happened maybe two hours ago and I'm still kind of shaking while I type this. We were stopped at a red light and got rear-ended pretty hard. The guy who hit us was totally at fault — he admitted it on the scene. We exchanged info, took photos, the whole thing. Cops came and filed a report. Now here's the thing. Before I even got home, this guy is already blowing up my phone. He's saying stuff like we should just 'handle it between us,' that going through insurance is a headache for everyone, that his cousin owns a body shop and can fix my car for cheap, and that both our rates will go…
8 replies - warm-newt-4376h ago
Wrong-way driver totaled my car last week and now I can't even sit in a passenger seat without panicking
I'm still kind of in shock writing this out so bear with me. About ten days ago I was driving home after a late shift — it was maybe 2 AM, highway was nearly empty. I came over a rise and there were headlights *coming straight at me* in my lane. No time to think. I yanked the wheel toward the shoulder and the other driver drifted the same direction and we still collided almost head-on. Turns out they'd entered the highway through an exit ramp and had been going the wrong way for a while before they found me. Airbags went off, my car is a complete loss, and somehow I walked away with whipla…
9 replies - silent-stoat-3086h ago
Just got served with a lawsuit from the other driver — I'm completely panicking
I don't even know where to start. About eight months ago I was making a right turn out of a parking garage and a motorcycle came through faster than I expected and we collided. I pulled over, called 911, exchanged info, did everything I was supposed to do. My insurance accepted liability and I thought the whole thing was basically wrapped up. Then last week a process server showed up at my door and handed me a stack of papers. The other driver is suing me personally for a number that I genuinely cannot look at without feeling sick. We're talking multiple millions of dollars. I own a house, I…
8 replies - spry-marten-8066h ago
Settlement came in but after fees and medical liens I'm barely getting anything — is this normal??
I've been dealing with this accident case for almost two years now and my attorney finally called yesterday to say we settled. I was honestly relieved until she started walking me through the numbers. The gross settlement is decent — I'm not complaining about that part. But then she explained the breakdown: - **Her contingency fee** takes a big chunk off the top (we agreed to a percentage when I signed, so I knew that was coming) - **The hospital and physical therapy liens** — apparently my health insurance has the right to get reimbursed for everything they paid out on my treatment - **Out…
8 replies - quiet-beaver-6656h ago
3 years out from a crash that almost killed me — wanted to share where I ended up
Not sure what made me want to post this today, maybe just feeling reflective. About three years ago a pickup truck ran a red light and T-boned me on the driver's side. I won't get into all the gory details but I spent weeks in the hospital, had two surgeries, and was told by more than one doctor that I should 'adjust my expectations' about ever living an active life again. I was 31. I wasn't ready to accept that. I cried a lot. I was angry a lot. Physical therapy felt humiliating at first because I was doing things I could've done with my eyes closed before the crash. But I kept going. Then…
8 replies - spry-stoat-3766h ago
At-fault driver is ghosting his own insurance company and now they want to close our claim??
I'm honestly so frustrated I don't even know where to start. Back in early spring my husband was rear-ended at a red light by a guy who blew through traffic while clearly distracted. Pretty straightforward — cops came, report was filed, other driver admitted fault on the scene. Damage to our SUV ended up being more than it looked: crumpled rear panel, busted tail assembly, and the trunk latch is completely misaligned now. Shop quoted us just under four grand to make it right. Right after the crash the other driver was cooperative. Exchanged info, said "just file with my insurance, no proble…
8 replies - bright-elk-7766h ago
Guy merged into me on the highway and just kept going — am I on the hook for this??
So this happened about two weeks ago and I'm still kind of fuming about it. I was cruising on the interstate, completely minding my own business in the center lane, when this pickup truck basically *squeezed* himself in front of me without signaling. Like, zero warning. I had to slam my brakes to avoid getting fully plowed. Here's the thing — his rear bumper still caught the front corner of my car when he cut over. I felt the impact, he HAD to have felt it too. And what does he do? Just... keeps driving. Didn't slow down, didn't pull over, nothing. I was honestly in shock for a few seconds b…
9 replies - plain-marmot-1376h ago
Other driver completely made up what happened — what actually happens to them now?
Still kind of in shock about this whole thing. I was T-boned at an intersection a few weeks back and ended up in the hospital with a broken collarbone and some pretty serious soft tissue damage. Wasn't exactly in a position to be talking to cops on scene. When I finally got the police report, I almost couldn't believe what I was reading. The other driver told the officer that I ran a red light and that she had the right of way. That is completely, 100% false. I had green. She blew through a red at a good 45+ mph and slammed into me. Here's the thing though — my brother-in-law had just convi…
8 replies - swift-sparrow-4976h ago
Merging lane accident and now somehow I'M the one at fault?? Makes no sense
I'm still fuming about this and need some outside perspective because I genuinely cannot wrap my head around what happened. So here's the situation: I was driving in the middle lane of a three-lane highway, totally minding my business at a normal speed. A driver in the far right lane — which was clearly marked as ending ahead — just... came over into my lane without checking. Clipped the front quarter panel of my car pretty good. Here's where it gets infuriating. The responding officer took a statement from someone nearby who claimed I was "accelerating aggressively" right before impact. I…
9 replies - warm-crane-3666h ago
At-fault driver's insurer says my custom truck is worth pennies — am I getting robbed?
I'm still kind of in shock so bear with me. About six weeks ago I was sitting at a red light when a driver ran the intersection from the cross street and T-boned me on the passenger side. Police came, she got cited, her insurer accepted liability pretty quickly — so I figured this would be straightforward. It was not. The truck is a fully built-out heavy-duty pickup I spec'd and ordered through a dealer two years ago. Lifted, upgraded suspension, custom bed work, the whole thing. I have every receipt, the original build sheet, and photos documenting the condition before the accident. It had…
9 replies - genuine-bison-3777h ago
Spent years in insurance — nothing prepared me for being the claimant myself
Okay so I need to vent somewhere people might actually understand this. I worked in auto insurance for almost eight years — mostly on the property damage side, handling claims day in and day out. I thought that experience would make navigating my own claim a breeze. Spoiler: it absolutely did not. About six weeks ago someone blew a red light and T-boned me on my driver's side. The other driver was insured, thankfully, so I've been dealing with their carrier. And let me tell you — knowing exactly what adjusters *should* be doing has made watching them *not* do it so much more infuriating. A…
8 replies - hearty-beaver-9567h ago
Crashed with my best friend in the car. She got hurt bad. I can't stop shaking.
I don't even know why I'm posting this. Maybe I just need strangers to talk to because everyone in my life is either too upset or too busy trying to 'handle things' to actually sit with me. Two nights ago I was driving home from dropping someone off. My best friend was with me — we always ride together late, it's just our thing. The road was wet and I was going faster than I probably should have been. Hit a curve I've driven a hundred times, lost control completely, and we went off the road into a ditch and hit an embankment hard enough to spin the car around. I walked away with scratches a…
10 replies - clear-stoat-7987h ago
High-speed rear-end totaled my car and sent me to the ER — final year of grad school and I'm falling apart
I still can't fully process what happened. Two Thursdays ago I was sitting at a red light on my way home from campus, completely stopped, when I got slammed from behind by what witnesses said was a full-size SUV going way too fast for a surface street. The impact shoved me forward into the car in front of me, and that car hit *another* one. Four vehicles total. My airbags didn't even deploy but the whiplash snapped my head back so hard I bit through part of my tongue and my jaw hit the steering wheel on the rebound. I drove myself — stupidly — to urgent care that night, but the next morning…
10 replies - careful-lynx-2787h ago
Almost a year later and the crash still lives in my head rent free — is this normal?
I don't even know how to start this but I need to say it somewhere people might actually get it. The accident was almost eleven months ago. I wasn't driving — I was in the passenger seat. Physically I walked away with some bruising and a mild concussion, nothing that landed me in the hospital long-term. So on paper I'm "fine." But I am so far from fine. Every single morning I wake up and it's the first thing that hits me. The sound of it. The way everything went sideways in like two seconds. I replay it constantly — what I could have said, what I should have grabbed, whether any version of…
8 replies - clever-marten-9207h ago
Doctors keep saying I shouldn't be alive after my crash — anyone else deal with this?
This is going to sound dramatic but I genuinely don't know how to process what happened to me a few months ago, and I was hoping someone here might relate. I was driving through an intersection on a green light when a sedan blew through the cross street at what police estimated was well over 60mph in a 35 zone. Broad daylight. The impact spun my car almost completely around and pushed it into a utility pole. I ended up with a shattered collarbone, two cracked ribs, a fractured wrist, and a pretty serious concussion. I was in the hospital for almost two weeks. Here's the thing — every singl…
9 replies - silent-dove-1807h ago
Truck has $40k+ in repairs and they're offering peanuts for diminished value — is this normal??
Still kind of in shock over this whole situation so bear with me. My husband bought a brand new pickup about two months ago — we're talking under 2,500 miles on it. He was sitting at a red light when someone blew through a stop sign and slammed into the passenger side. Major damage. We're talking the kind where the tow truck driver actually whistled when he saw it. The repair estimate came back at over $40,000. The truck is technically "repairable" so they didn't total it, which I guess I understand, but now the other driver's insurance is offering us what feels like an insult for diminishe…
9 replies - tidy-grouse-9787h ago
Cited for failure to yield but the other driver was flying — am I really fully at fault?
Still processing this whole thing so bear with me. I was at a stop sign on a side street waiting to pull out onto a two-lane road. The problem is there's a pretty sharp curve to my right AND a row of overgrown hedges along the property line that absolutely kills your sightline. You literally cannot see more than maybe 25 feet in that direction until you start creeping forward. I waited, looked as best I could, saw nothing coming, and started to ease out. A pickup truck came around that curve and slammed into the passenger side of my car. My car got shoved sideways into the opposite lane. Th…
9 replies - brave-crane-2007h ago
my sister hit someone who cut across traffic — everyone says she caused it but I don't think so
I'm posting this because my sister is a wreck right now and I'm trying to help her figure out what actually happened legally. She was driving home from work on a four-lane road — two lanes each direction with a raised median. There's a gas station on her side of the road, and someone coming from the **opposite direction** decided to make a left cut across all the lanes into that gas station. My sister was going straight in the right lane, totally normal speed, and the other driver just swung across in front of her. She T-boned them pretty hard. Here's where it gets complicated: the car in t…
8 replies - clever-finch-0387h ago
Drunk driver plowed into my parked car & fence — his liability limits are a joke. Now what?
I'm still kind of in shock honestly. Three weeks ago, around 2am, I woke up to a massive boom outside. A guy had lost control, jumped the curb, and absolutely demolished my car where it was sitting in the driveway. He also took out about forty feet of my wooden privacy fence and clipped the corner of my detached garage. Cops came, he was cited for DUI, the whole thing. I got a copy of the police report. Open and shut, right? Wrong. I finally got confirmation from his insurance that his liability limits are so low they won't come close to covering the car damage alone — forget the fence and…
8 replies - humble-newt-3837h ago
Got hit in a parking lot, no cops came, now I don't know what step to do first
So this happened to me yesterday and I'm still kind of shaken up. I was parked outside my gym, came back out after my workout, and a guy had already clipped the front corner of my car pulling out of the space next to mine. He was still there thankfully — didn't bolt. The damage looks pretty bad to me. Bumper is cracked, there's some scraping along the panel, and one of my fog lights is hanging loose. His car had like a small scuff. Super unfair. He was really nice about it actually, gave me his info no problem, and we both agreed not to call the police because the cars were drivable and nob…
8 replies - brave-vole-3558h ago
Hit-and-run driver rolled my car and just drove off. I can't stop replaying it.
I don't even know why I'm posting this. I think I just need to get it out somewhere. This afternoon I was on my way to pick up my little sister from her after-school thing — totally normal Tuesday — when a truck came flying out of a side street and clipped my rear bumper going way too fast. It sent me spinning across two lanes and I ended up rolling into a ditch off the shoulder. I remember the sound most. That grinding, crunching sound. And the smell — like hot metal and burnt rubber all at once. I managed to crawl out through the passenger door because mine was caved in. My phone had skid…
9 replies - quick-marmot-6378h ago
Hit-and-run got my car AND my roommate's — at-fault driver has bare-minimum coverage. Now what?
So this whole situation is still kind of wild to me and I'm trying to figure out my next steps. Last week someone clipped my car while it was parked on the street in front of our place, and the impact pushed my car right into my roommate's truck that was parked directly behind me. The guy actually tried to take off but a couple of people hanging out nearby saw the whole thing and followed him until he pulled over about a street away. Thank goodness for nosy neighbors honestly. Cops came, took a report, the whole thing. Here's where it gets complicated — when I finally got through to the at-…
8 replies - bold-crow-7028h ago
Hit by an uninsured driver with no license — what do I do now?
Still kind of in shock writing this. Got rear-ended two days ago at a red light — wasn't even moving. The guy who hit me pulls over, and when we start exchanging info I realize pretty quickly something is off. No insurance card, couldn't produce a valid license either. I called the police and they came out and filed a report, so at least that's documented. Here's my situation: I only carry liability on my car. I didn't add uninsured motorist coverage because honestly I was trying to keep my premium down. Now I'm sitting here with a busted rear bumper, possible alignment issues, and a neck th…
8 replies - spry-beaver-9688h ago
Trucking company's insurer says there's a 'policy issue' — won't tell me anything else. What now?
I'm still kind of in shock so bear with me if this is scattered. About ten days ago a commercial flatbed rear-ended me on the interstate. I was completely stopped in slow traffic, saw it coming in my mirror, and there was nothing I could do. Driver admitted fault on the scene, gave me his insurance card — which listed what looked like a trucking company policy — and everything seemed straightforward. Except it's not. I filed a claim with their insurer the same day. Sent over my photos, a written statement, even a description of the traffic conditions. For a week I heard nothing. Finally go…
9 replies - quiet-finch-8888h ago
Crash 4 months after getting my license — can't make myself get back on the highway
I don't even know if this is the right place to post this but I needed somewhere to put it. Back in the spring I got hit while I was still basically a brand new driver — had my license maybe four or five months. It happened on an on-ramp, the kind where you have a really short window to get up to speed and slide in. Someone came flying up behind me and I ended up getting clipped and spun into the shoulder. Nobody was seriously hurt physically but I was shaking for hours. A woman who pulled over stayed with me until the tow truck came and honestly I think about her a lot — just a stranger who…
8 replies - sharp-swift-0088h ago
Didn't expect to be here — multi-car pileup got me today and I'm still shaking
I don't really know why I'm writing this out but I feel like I need to put it somewhere. I was on my way to pick up my kid from practice this afternoon, totally stopped in traffic on the highway on-ramp. Out of nowhere — **boom**. Then another boom. Then another. I don't even fully understand what happened in those seconds. One minute I'm tapping my steering wheel to the radio, the next there's dust everywhere, my ears are ringing, and my chest hurts from the seatbelt locking. Turns out it was a four-vehicle chain reaction. I was second in line and got hit from behind *and* pushed into the…
9 replies - keen-badger-8288h ago
Guy backed into me in a parking lot and won't admit fault — am I stuck paying my deductible?
I'm still fuming about this and need some outside perspective. Was grabbing lunch at a strip mall last week during my break. I was already stopped in the parking lot lane when this older guy in a big SUV just kept reversing out of his spot — slowly but steadily — right into my front quarter panel. I laid on my horn, I waved, nothing. He just... kept coming until there was a crunch. When I got out he was super confused and kept saying things like "I didn't see you" and "well we were both moving" — except I **wasn't** moving, I had stopped completely. He never flat-out said it was his fault,…
9 replies - quick-hare-9568h ago
Insurance wants to 'discuss' my injury claim after the at-fault driver had the same carrier — what does that mean?
So back in the spring I was rear-ended pretty hard on the highway. My teenage son was in the passenger seat. We both got taken away by EMS — he had a neck strain and I ended up with a mild concussion plus a messed-up shoulder that I'm still doing PT for. The other driver got cited at the scene, total liability on their end, no dispute there. Property damage side got sorted out first. They offered me way less than what two body shops quoted. I pushed back, sent the estimates, and eventually got a little more — still not enough to actually replace what I had, but I was exhausted and just wante…
8 replies - candid-vole-9558h ago
Rear-ended at a red light, car is acting possessed, and I still owe money on it 😩
So this happened about two weeks ago and I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything. I was stopped at a red light on my way home from work when an older gentleman plowed into the back of me. Didn't even slow down from what I could tell — just full-on rear-ended me. He was super apologetic, said he "didn't see the light change" which honestly made me more nervous, not less. Here's my situation: I still owe roughly **six grand** on this car. I bought it after my mom passed because it was her favorite color and it honestly just made me feel close to her still. So there's sentimental we…
9 replies - hearty-vole-3628h ago
Doctor basically laughed me off after my highway crash — now I can't take a deep breath without wincing
I've been driving since I was 16 and never had so much as a fender bender. That streak ended last week and I'm still kind of in shock about it. I was heading home late on the interstate — light traffic, nothing unusual. A pickup truck came barreling up behind me way faster than the flow of traffic and basically tailgated me for a second before swerving around. I moved over to give him space. Then out of nowhere he drifts back into my lane like I wasn't even there. We were both doing highway speeds when he clipped the front corner of my car. My car whipped sideways, I hit the median barrier,…
8 replies - tidy-stoat-0989h ago
Hit a jackknifed semi that was blocking my lane — need help understanding the physics/liability
So this happened a few weeks ago and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it, both physically and legally. I was driving home on a two-lane rural highway, totally normal conditions — dry road, clear sky, middle of the afternoon. Out of nowhere there's a fully loaded flatbed semi jackknifed across **both lanes**. The cab had drifted off the shoulder and the trailer was lying diagonally across the road like a wall. No cones, no flares, nothing. I had maybe two seconds of visibility before I hit it. I was doing the speed limit. There was a guardrail on my right and oncoming traffic on my le…
9 replies - steady-seal-3209h ago
Rear-ended with my infant in the car — weird movements after the crash, freaking out
I'm still kind of shaking writing this. Yesterday afternoon I was on my way home from a grocery run with my 9-month-old daughter in her rear-facing seat and my 4-year-old next to her. We were stopped at a red light when someone hit us pretty hard from behind. The force pushed us forward into the intersection — it was terrifying. We went straight to the ER. My older kid seemed totally fine, just scared. My daughter was checked over and the staff said she looked okay, but while I was getting her undressed for the exam I noticed she was doing these little twitchy arm movements — almost like sta…
7 replies - spry-raven-4749h ago
First accident ever at 21 — someone blew a red light into me, wrist hurts, totally lost
So this literally just happened two days ago and I'm still kind of in shock. I've never been in an accident in my life and neither has anyone in my family, so we're all kind of winging it here. I was going through a green light on a main road when a pickup truck ran the red and T-boned me on the passenger side. I didn't even have time to brake — just heard the crash and then I was spinning. My car got hit hard enough that both airbags went off and the whole driver's door is caved in. The truck barely had a scratch somehow?? Wild. Physically I feel mostly okay but my right wrist has been thr…
10 replies - careful-mole-7809h ago
Husband was in a bad crash, woke up days later, we have NO info on the other driver — help?
I don't even know where to start with this. My husband was struck by a commercial van while he was out on his bicycle a few weeks ago. The impact was so severe that paramedics called in a helicopter transport. He had left the house without his wallet — just his keys and his phone, which got destroyed in the crash. Because he had no ID on him, the hospital admitted him under a generic placeholder name. I was calling around frantically for almost two days before a social worker finally tracked me down through a contact in his phone that survived. By that point he'd already been in the ICU for…
8 replies - humble-crow-3339h ago
Hit by a government vehicle — driver wasn't even supposed to be behind the wheel. What do I do?
So this happened to me last week and I'm still kind of shaken up about the whole thing. I was driving to run some errands, totally normal Tuesday morning, when a vehicle coming out of a side street basically T-boned me on the passenger side. We pulled over and exchanged info, and that's when things got weird. Turns out the guy was driving an official government-issued vehicle — like, a fleet truck — and from what I pieced together talking to him, he wasn't actually authorized to be driving it that day. His supervisor showed up maybe 20 minutes later and immediately started being really... *d…
9 replies - wise-swift-8829h ago
Let my cousin borrow my truck, he got a DUI and wrecked it — am I covered??
I'm still kind of in shock honestly. My cousin asked to borrow my truck last weekend for what he said was a quick errand. About six hours later I get a call that he rear-ended a guardrail on the interstate and the truck is probably totaled. Then *another* call — this one telling me he was arrested for DUI at the scene. I had no idea he'd been drinking. If I had, obviously I never would've handed over the keys. Here's where I'm at: - I have **full coverage** on the truck including collision - I still owe a decent chunk on the loan, but I don't think I have GAP (going to dig through my paperw…
8 replies - kind-crow-5589h ago
Hit and run, uninsured motorist claim denied — my car's been sitting dead in my driveway for 3 months
I honestly don't even know where to start because I'm so frustrated I could scream. Back in late winter I was sideswiped in a parking garage by a driver who just... took off. No plate, no nothing — they were gone before I could even process what happened. I filed a police report the same day and opened a claim with my own insurance under my uninsured motorist (UM) coverage, which I specifically pay for every single month for *exactly* this kind of situation. That was over three months ago. Since then I've left probably a dozen voicemails for my adjuster. Silence. I finally got someone on t…
9 replies - keen-beaver-8319h ago
Paid the other driver cash on the spot without getting anything in writing — did I just get played?
So I rear-ended someone at a stoplight about two weeks ago. It wasn't a bad collision — my bumper kissed her trunk — but she had a newer car and there was a visible crack in her rear fascia. We both pulled into a parking lot nearby. She was super calm and friendly about it and said she really didn't want to deal with insurance because her rates had already gone up this year. That actually made sense to me so I agreed to handle it privately. She called a body shop contact of hers right there on the phone and came back to me saying repairs would run around what felt like a reasonable number fo…
9 replies - kind-finch-2249h ago
Road debris sent my truck into a barrier — now I can't work and bills are burying me
I don't even know how to start this. About six weeks ago I was driving home from a long shift on the interstate when a piece of lumber — looked like it fell off a flatbed ahead of me — shot up under my truck. I swerved to avoid more of it, clipped the concrete divider, and bounced across two lanes before finally stopping against the guardrail on the shoulder. Another car rear-ended me during the chaos trying to stop in time. I'm a courier. My whole income depends on being able to drive and physically load and unload packages. Right now I can't do either. My lower back and left shoulder took…
8 replies - sharp-beaver-5169h ago
We walked away from a rollover with our kids inside. Still shaking days later.
I don't even know why I'm posting this. Maybe just to get it out somewhere that isn't my family group chat where everyone keeps saying 'you're so lucky' and I just want to scream. Last week we hit a patch of black ice coming home from my sister's place. The truck fishtailed and we went off the shoulder — rolled at least twice before we stopped. My husband and our three-year-old and our seven-month-old were all in the car with me. **The kids were okay. Both of them. Not a scratch.** I keep typing that like if I say it enough times I'll actually feel relief instead of just... terror replayin…
9 replies - kind-hare-01310h ago
Got rear-ended, damage looks minor — do I even bother filing a claim?
So I was sitting at a red light last week when someone bumped into the back of my car. The other driver was apologetic, we exchanged info, and when I looked at my bumper it honestly didn't seem *that* bad — a scuff, a small crack on the corner, maybe a slight push inward on one side. Here's where I'm torn. If I go through the other driver's insurance to get it fixed, that repair shows up on my vehicle history and chips away at my resale value down the road. But if I just let it go, I'm eating the cosmetic damage AND potentially missing something structural I can't see. A few things running…
9 replies - silent-newt-72510h ago
At-fault driver's insurer won't cover the full repair bill on my leased car — am I stuck paying the gap?
So I got rear-ended at a red light about three weeks ago. Total stop, daylight, not moving. The guy behind me was clearly on his phone and hit me hard enough to crumple my rear bumper, damage the trunk lid, and mess up some sensors. Liability is not even a question here — he admitted fault at the scene and his insurer already accepted it. Here's my headache: I'm in a lease, and my lease agreement is *very* specific that all collision repairs have to go through the manufacturer's certified body shop network and use only OEM parts. Not a suggestion — it's literally in the contract I signed. If…
8 replies - bright-tern-59710h ago
My sister crashed a car that's in MY name and now I'm the one getting collection letters??
I don't even know where to start with this mess. About two years ago my younger sister needed a car but couldn't get approved on her own — bad credit history, no steady income at the time. I agreed to put the car in my name and let her make the payments directly to me every month. We had a whole verbal agreement. I know, I know. She rear-ended someone pretty badly back in the spring. She didn't tell me right away — I found out when a notice showed up at MY address from the insurance company. When I confronted her she downplayed it completely, said the other driver was fine and it was no big…
8 replies - gentle-marten-15110h ago
T-boned by a driver who ran a red light — spinal surgery done, now terrified about what comes next
I've been sitting on this post for weeks because honestly I didn't know if I was ready to put it into words. About four months ago I was driving home from work on a normal Tuesday evening and a driver blew straight through a red light and slammed into my driver's side door at full speed. Witnesses said he never even touched his brakes. I won't go into every detail but the short version is: multiple fractured vertebrae, a two-level spinal fusion, and some nerve damage that has my left leg doing things it shouldn't — or not doing things it should. I spent almost three weeks inpatient, then a r…
8 replies - gentle-marten-39610h ago
Other driver won't give me his full name — what do I do next?
So my wife got sideswiped last week and the other driver pulled over, seemed cooperative at first, then started acting really weird about sharing his information. He handed her a piece of paper with just his insurance policy number and a phone number scribbled on it — no full name, no license number, nothing else. When I called him later he was friendly enough at first, told me to "just go through insurance" and that his carrier would handle everything. But the moment I asked for his full name he completely shut down. Said I had everything I needed and that he wasn't required to give me anyt…
9 replies - wise-marmot-56010h ago
Woke up in the ICU not knowing what happened — almost 18 months later, still processing it all
I don't really know why I'm posting this today. Maybe I just need somewhere to put it. About a year and a half ago I was driving home from a late shift when a pickup ran a red light and T-boned me at full speed. I don't remember the impact. I don't remember the ambulance. My first real memory is waking up in an ICU bed, seeing my mom and my brother sitting against the wall looking exhausted, and not understanding why my chest felt like a truck was parked on it. Because, well — basically one had been. I had a collapsed lung, several broken ribs, a fractured pelvis, and a pretty serious traum…
9 replies - humble-sparrow-23510h ago
Tow company billed my insurer WAY more than the law allows — should I say something?
So my husband got rear-ended last month and the police responded to the scene. Because the car wasn't driveable, the officer arranged a tow through whatever rotation program the department uses — we had no say in which company showed up. The car sat at their lot for maybe three or four hours before our insurance got everything sorted and sent their own truck to bring it to our preferred shop. Super quick turnaround, we were on top of it. Fast forward to this week — I was poking around our claim documents online and noticed the tow company billed our insurer an amount that honestly made me d…
9 replies - tidy-beaver-65410h ago
Will they total my truck or try to patch it together? I don't want a patched truck.
First — everyone walked away. My teenage son was in the passenger seat and other than being shaken up, he's physically fine. I'm still processing how lucky that is. Here's the situation: I bought my truck brand new about 18 months ago. Still owe a significant chunk on it. Last Tuesday a driver ran a red light at a pretty high speed and hit us on the driver's rear quarter. The impact spun us almost completely around. The rear axle area looks visibly wrong to me, the bed is crumpled bad, the rear door won't open at all, and there's a gap along the roofline on that whole side that I'm pretty su…
8 replies - kind-wren-82610h ago
Hit-and-run driver caused me to crash into another car — now I'm stuck with the bills??
I still can't wrap my head around what happened. I was driving on the highway during afternoon rush hour, minding my own business in the center lane, when a silver sedan came flying over from the far lane without any warning — no signal, nothing. I had maybe half a second to react and I jerked the wheel to avoid getting sideswiped. That sent me straight into the car on my other side. We made contact, I spun, and when everything stopped I looked up and the silver sedan was just... gone. Didn't stop, didn't slow down. Just vanished into traffic. The driver I actually hit was shaken but okay, t…
8 replies - warm-newt-96910h ago
Driver dinged my car in a parking garage and denied it — I have it on camera. Now what?
So this happened a few days ago and I'm still annoyed about it. I was parked in a covered garage while I ran a quick errand. When I came back, I noticed a fresh scrape along my rear bumper and a tiny crease near the corner. The car next to me was still there, and honestly I wouldn't have thought much of it except my dashcam had been running the whole time on parking mode. I pulled up the footage right there in the garage — clear as day, the driver's door swings wide open, makes contact with my bumper, and the driver just... looks around, gets back in, and goes back to doing whatever they we…
8 replies - quiet-sparrow-79911h ago
Tapped someone at a red light — now they're claiming pre-existing damage is my fault?
So this happened about three weeks ago and I'm still stressing about it. I was at a complete stop at a red light, light turned green, I eased forward maybe a car length and then traffic stopped again suddenly. I barely kissed the bumper of the SUV in front of me. Honestly I'd be shocked if I was doing more than 5 mph at the point of contact. We both pulled over, looked at it together, and the guy said "don't worry about it, it's fine." There was literally no visible damage on the outside — no scuffs, no cracks in the paint, nothing. We shook hands and went our separate ways like adults. Now…
8 replies - spry-sparrow-16611h ago
Landscaping company's trailer broke loose and demolished my fence/garage — do I have a case?
So this happened about three weeks ago and I'm still kind of in shock honestly. I was inside my house on a Saturday morning when I heard this massive crash. Went outside and a landscaping crew's equipment trailer had come unhitched from their truck while they were pulling out of my neighbor's driveway. The thing rolled straight across my lawn and took out my fence, my side gate, and then smashed into my detached garage hard enough to collapse one wall. My car was parked in there. It's a mess. The crew foreman was apologetic and gave me his company's info on the spot, and I already filed wit…
9 replies - brave-crane-26311h ago
Anyone else getting sleep paralysis and nightmares after their crash? It's been months
I don't really talk about this with people in my life because it feels embarrassing, but I can't keep it bottled up anymore. My accident was back in the spring — rear-ended at a red light by someone going way too fast. Physically I'm mostly healing, but nobody warned me about what it does to your *head*. I keep having these vivid nightmares where I'm back in the car, but somehow they're even worse than the real thing — like my brain decided the actual crash wasn't traumatic enough so it started writing horror sequels. I'll wake up at 3am completely convinced it's happening again, heart poun…
8 replies - keen-marten-67811h ago
Cousin got T-boned pulling out of a parking lot — airbags deployed, now what?
So my cousin was leaving a shopping center yesterday, she'd stopped and checked both ways, started to pull out slowly, and out of nowhere a truck came flying through and hit her on the driver's side. The whole front quarter panel is destroyed and both front airbags went off. She's walking around but she's got a nasty welt across her collarbone from the seatbelt, her neck is already stiffening up, and her wrist is swollen where she braced against the wheel. She went to urgent care this morning and they took some X-rays but said she needs to follow up with her regular doctor. The ER doc mentio…
8 replies - candid-otter-62911h ago
Insurance demanding I fix cosmetic damage I paid for out of pocket — can they really drop me?
So I got into a fender-bender about a month ago — totally my fault, I'll own that. I drive an older hatchback, probably worth maybe three grand on a good day, and I haven't carried collision coverage on it for years. Didn't make sense financially. After the accident I paid a mechanic out of my own pocket to fix everything that actually mattered — suspension components, a bent control arm, alignment was way off. Everything that makes the car safe to drive is sorted. Took a chunk out of my savings but it's done. What I did NOT fix: a crumpled rear quarter panel and some denting along the rear…
8 replies - patient-beaver-73711h ago
Uninsured driver who hit me is now trying to collect from MY insurance — how is this even possible?
I'm honestly still in shock that this is a thing that can happen. Back in the spring, a driver blew through a yield sign at a weird angled intersection and slammed into the front corner of my car. The impact was bad enough that my airbags went off. At the scene it came out pretty fast that the other driver had a suspended license and zero insurance. A cop showed up, wrote everything up, and the guy basically admitted he wasn't paying attention. I only have liability on my older car — no uninsured motorist coverage — so I knew recovering anything was going to be an uphill battle. I had some…
9 replies - quiet-grouse-01611h ago
Parking lot fender-bender — can I really be held partially at fault for this??
Still kind of shaking as I type this, happened maybe two hours ago. I was pulling through an empty row in a grocery store parking lot, moving pretty slowly, when another car came flying around the end cap of the aisle and clipped my front quarter panel. Like, they were clearly cutting the corner way too tight and way too fast for a parking lot. My dashcam caught the whole thing. Watching it back, I genuinely don't see what I could have done differently — I was barely moving, staying in my lane, no obstructions blocking my view of where they came from. The other driver got out and immediate…
8 replies - kind-wren-39911h ago
Semi hit my car on the highway — I had no idea how many parties could actually be liable
This is kind of a vent but also genuinely asking because I'm still wrapping my head around everything. About three weeks ago I was merging onto the interstate when a commercial semi drifted into my lane and clipped the rear driver's side of my car. I spun, hit the guardrail, and ended up facing oncoming traffic for a few terrifying seconds. Somehow nobody else got hit. I walked away with a concussion, a messed-up shoulder, and a car that the tow company says is probably totaled. I filed a claim with my own insurance right away because I didn't know what else to do. The trucking company's ca…
8 replies - cool-stoat-38311h ago
Husband may be at fault in a 4-car pileup — completely lost on what happens next
Posting this because I genuinely don't know who else to ask and I've been spiraling for two weeks. So my husband was driving on the highway during a pretty bad rainstorm last month and got caught up in one of those awful chain-reaction crashes. Four cars total. He bumped into the SUV ahead of him, which then hit the car in front of *that*, and so on. His car has a cracked bumper and a busted headlight — honestly way less damage than I expected — but the SUV he made contact with looks really bad. Like, potentially not driveable bad. Here's where it gets murky: there's some question about whe…
8 replies - curious-dove-48711h ago
Just got sideswiped by a rental car driver — sitting in urgent care now, totally lost
This literally happened two hours ago and I'm still in shock. I was driving through an intersection on a green light when a rental car blew through the red and hit the passenger side of my car hard enough to spin me halfway around. The other driver is from out of state and the car is definitely a rental — I saw the barcode stickers on the windshield. I drove myself here to urgent care because my neck and left arm have been aching since it happened. Waiting on some imaging now. Honestly the pain isn't even my biggest stress right now — it's everything else piling up. My car is probably total…
8 replies - plain-sparrow-36712h ago
Driver tried to force me out of my lane TWICE, hit me on the second try, then blamed me to the cop
I'm still kind of shaking writing this out, so bear with me. I was on my way home from running errands on a four-lane divided highway — two lanes each direction. I was in the left lane, just cruising along, when the car next to me in the right lane apparently decided the person ahead of them was going too slow. No big deal, people change lanes. Except she just... started drifting into my lane without checking if I was there. I laid on my horn and actually managed to steer onto the shoulder a little to avoid her. She pulled back. I thought it was over — just some distracted driver, whatever,…
9 replies - genuine-lynx-13712h ago
Anyone else losing their mind being stuck at home healing for months on end?
I don't even know where to start. It's been almost a year since my accident and I've had two procedures already with what looks like a third one coming. Before this happened I was running around constantly — managing a small crew, staying active, barely sitting still. Now I'm on the couch watching the same streaming shows on repeat and it's genuinely making me feel like I'm disappearing. The hardest part isn't the physical pain anymore, honestly. It's the *restlessness*. I have this weird buzzing energy that just has nowhere to go. I'll feel okay for a few days, start thinking about getting…
8 replies - curious-owl-85612h ago
Got a demand letter for WAY more than our policy limit after a minor fender-bender. Are we ruined?
I'm honestly shaking writing this. My wife had a low-speed accident in a parking lot a few weeks ago — she tapped the rear bumper of another car while pulling out of a space. The other driver got out, seemed totally fine, was walking around normally, even joked about it with her while they exchanged info. No airbags, no ambulance, nothing. We thought it was just going to be a minor property damage claim. We just got served with a demand letter. The number on it is **over $2 million**. For a parking lot tap. Our liability coverage is $25k. That's it. We're not wealthy people — we rent, we ha…
9 replies - bright-beaver-19912h ago
Car jumped my curb and destroyed my yard decorations — am I stuck with what I paid years ago?
So this past weekend a driver lost control and hopped the curb right into my front yard, absolutely demolishing my holiday display. The centerpiece was this massive inflatable that I'd hunted down for years — finally found one at an estate sale a while back for a fraction of what they go for new. It was in perfect shape, fully functional, and honestly irreplaceable at what I paid for it. The driver's insurance has already accepted liability, which is great I guess. But when I called to start the claim, the adjuster kept circling back to 'what did you pay for it originally.' The problem is th…
8 replies - kind-tern-37812h ago
My teenager caused an accident and now we're drowning in claim letters — what do we do?
I don't even know where to start. My 17-year-old ran a red light last month and T-boned another car. Nobody was airlifted or anything, but the other driver went to urgent care and then followed up with a spine specialist. My kid is on our family policy. Here's the nightmare part: one of the kids riding WITH my son is now claiming injuries too, and his parents lawyered up fast. So we're potentially looking at two separate claims — the driver we hit AND a passenger from our own car. Our policy limits aren't great. We got the coverage we could afford, and now I'm sick thinking it won't be enou…
9 replies - sharp-kestrel-32412h ago
Crash scenes in TV shows hit different now — anyone else struggle with this?
So it's been about six weeks since my accident. The other driver blew a red light and t-boned me going pretty fast. I'm still dealing with the physical stuff — ribs, some soft tissue — but honestly the *mental* part has been sneaking up on me in ways I didn't expect. Last night my roommate and I were watching one of those prestige crime dramas on streaming, totally normal evening. There was a chase sequence that ended in a pretty graphic crash. I knew *something* tense was coming — the music, the camera angles — but when the impact actually happened on screen I just... fell apart. Hands shak…
8 replies - candid-marten-36112h ago
Parking lot blind corner crash — other driver was on the wrong side of the aisle. Who's at fault?
So this happened to me last week and I'm still wrapping my head around it. I was in a busy shopping center parking lot, slowly creeping out from behind a concrete pillar at one of those uncontrolled T-intersections inside the lot. I'm talking barely moving — foot barely off the brake — because I've been through that lot a hundred times and I know you can't see anything until your hood is basically in the lane. I finally nudge out enough to see left (clear) and start checking right — and out of nowhere a pickup truck is RIGHT there. Like, inches from my driver-side front corner. Here's the t…
9 replies - clear-vole-44512h ago
Spun out on black ice and dented my whole passenger side — do I even bother with insurance?
So this morning on my way to work I hit a patch of black ice and completely lost control. Slid sideways into a concrete median barrier before I could even react. Nobody else was involved, just me and a very sad-looking car now. The damage is pretty rough — passenger door is caved in, the side mirror is hanging by a wire, and there's a long crunch along the rear quarter panel. Cosmetically it looks terrible but the car still drives okay I think? Didn't notice anything weird on the way home but I'm not exactly a mechanic. Here's my dilemma. I've had my current insurance for about two years wi…
8 replies - warm-mole-09912h ago
Survived a rollover yesterday and my brain won't stop replaying it — is this normal?
I'm still kind of in shock writing this so bear with me. I was driving to meet a friend for breakfast yesterday morning when I hit a patch of black ice on an overpass. My car spun, clipped the guardrail, and rolled. I honestly don't know how many times. When it stopped I was upside down, hanging in my seatbelt, and the whole roof was caved in on the passenger side. I got out with a gash on my forearm, some bruised ribs, and a mild concussion. That's it. The car is absolutely destroyed. The first responders on scene kept saying things like "you should not be okay right now" and that did NOT…
8 replies - spry-fox-62612h ago
Bought my car 10 days ago — now it's probably totaled. What do I actually do here?
Still kind of in shock writing this out, so bear with me. I'm in my mid-20s and literally just bought a brand new car about a week and a half ago. First brand-new car I've ever owned. Drove it off the lot feeling great, and then this week I hit a patch of black ice on a curved road, overcorrected, and slid into a guardrail hard enough to deploy the airbags. Front end is destroyed. I wasn't hurt badly — some soreness and a bruised wrist — but the car is almost definitely totaled based on the damage. The tow truck brought it to a storage yard attached to a repair shop. I filed a claim with my…
9 replies - humble-kestrel-35313h ago
I survived the crash but I don't recognize my life anymore — anyone else feel this way?
I don't even know how to start this but I need somewhere to put it. About four months ago a driver blew through a red light and hit the passenger side of our car going full speed. I was in that seat. The impact was bad enough that I was unconscious when the paramedics arrived. I woke up in the ICU with a shattered collarbone, three broken ribs, and a fractured pelvis. I had two surgeries in five days. The physical stuff — I fought through it. I did every PT session, I smiled when people visited, I kept saying *I'm doing great, I'm getting there.* Partly because I didn't want to scare my fam…
9 replies - genuine-wren-06313h ago
Husband caused a minor fender bender and now the other driver filed a claim — what do we do?
So my husband tapped the back of a pickup truck about three weeks ago in a grocery store parking lot exit. Traffic just kind of bunched up unexpectedly and he couldn't stop in time. Super low speed, like walking pace almost. Both drivers got out, looked at the vehicles, and honestly neither could see obvious damage in the moment. The other guy seemed totally fine, kind of waved it off, and they shook hands and went their separate ways. Here's the problem: they didn't swap insurance cards, didn't take a single photo, and didn't call the police because it seemed so minor. They did exchange cel…
8 replies - silent-bison-95413h ago
Got rear-ended on the highway last week. No injuries but I can't bring myself to get back in the car.
So this happened about ten days ago and I'm still a mess about it mentally, even though on paper I'm totally fine. I was merging onto the interstate — totally routine, something I've done maybe a thousand times — when a pickup came up behind me way too fast and slammed into my rear bumper. The impact spun me sideways and I genuinely thought I was going to roll. I didn't. I ended up on the shoulder, hands shaking, heart going absolutely insane. No airbags, no injuries, just a crunched bumper and a bruised ego. Here's the thing though. In that split second when I felt the car starting to spin…
8 replies - steady-hare-39713h ago
Sober for 2 years, hit by a drunk driver last week. The irony is not lost on me.
I'll keep this short because honestly I'm still processing everything. About two years ago I had a real wake-up call with alcohol. Nothing that hurt anyone else, thankfully, but enough to make me completely turn my life around. I quit drinking, did everything I was supposed to do, and genuinely became a better, healthier person because of it. I'm proud of that work. Fast forward to last Tuesday. I'm coming home from a late shift, totally sober, and I get T-boned at a green light by someone who apparently could barely walk when the police got to him. My truck got pushed halfway into a ditch.…
9 replies - patient-marten-15313h ago
At-fault driver ghosted their own insurer so I had no choice but to file suit
I still can't believe this is where things ended up, but here we are. Back in the spring I was rear-ended at a red light — pretty straightforward collision, the other driver admitted fault on the scene, we exchanged info, I even took photos of both vehicles and got the light to turn green on a dashcam before impact. Open and shut, right? Wrong. Turns out the car the other driver was operating is registered and insured under a family member's policy — not him. Once I filed the claim, the insurance company says they've been trying to reach *both* the registered owner AND the driver for weeks…
8 replies - warm-wren-72613h ago
Other driver's insurance went completely silent after I sent everything they asked for — normal??
I feel like I'm losing my mind a little bit. Back in the spring I filed a claim against the other driver's liability insurance (he ran a red light, hit me on the passenger side — not subtle). The adjuster I was assigned actually seemed helpful at first. She confirmed in writing that their insured was fully at fault and told me exactly what to send over: my medical records, the bills, photos, the whole package. So I did. I spent two weeks pulling everything together, got my doctor's office to release records, organized it all into a PDF, and sent it through their online portal just like she a…
8 replies - sharp-raven-93113h ago
Made a legal left turn, other driver was drunk and flying — insurance says it's MY fault??
I still can't wrap my head around this. About two months ago I was making a completely legal, green-light left turn at an intersection I've driven through a hundred times. I checked both directions, saw it was clear, and started turning. Next thing I know I'm waking up in a hospital bed with my family around me. Turns out the other driver was coming at an absolutely insane speed — way over the limit, like nothing a normal person would ever anticipate. He was arrested on the spot for DUI, reckless driving, and a handful of other charges. There's a city traffic camera AND a witness who filmed…
9 replies - cool-tern-56313h ago
Hit by an uninsured driver, no UM coverage, still owe on my car — what can I even do?
I'm still kind of in shock honestly. About three weeks ago I'm driving home from work on a four-lane road and some guy blows through a stop sign and T-bones me on the driver's side. My car is completely totaled. I was taken away by ambulance — nothing broken that they could find at the hospital, but my neck and lower back have been killing me ever since and I keep getting these headaches. I called around and talked to a couple attorneys who basically told me the same thing: the other driver has **zero insurance**, and from what they can tell, the guy has no real assets either. So nobody will…
9 replies - bold-kestrel-07113h ago
A city garbage truck blew a stop sign and hit me dead on. Still processing that I walked away.
I don't even know why I'm posting this. Maybe just to say it out loud somewhere. Two weeks ago I was driving my little hatchback through an intersection — green light, normal Tuesday morning, coffee in the cupholder — and a municipal garbage truck came through the cross street without even slowing down. Hit me on the driver's side so hard my car ended up facing the wrong direction. I genuinely do not know how I'm still here. The whole door was basically inside the car. The truck driver is now claiming I was the one who ran the light. I was *floored* when I heard that. Thankfully a woman who…
8 replies - patient-finch-23513h ago
Adjuster said 'probably totaled' over the phone but repair guy says otherwise — confused
So I got rear-ended pretty hard about two weeks ago. Car was still drivable — I actually made it home fine — but the trunk area and rear bumper look rough. I filed a claim and during my very first phone call with the adjuster, before anyone had even *looked* at the car, she casually mentioned it 'might end up a total loss.' That freaked me out. I pushed back and asked for an actual physical inspection before anyone made that call. A repair appraiser came out, walked around the car, took a bunch of photos, and then emailed me saying it looks repairable and I should go ahead and get it into a…
7 replies - spry-dove-62514h ago
Two not-at-fault claims in under a year — will my insurance drop me or jack up my rates?
Ugh, I really didn't think I'd be back in this situation so soon. About eight months ago I was t-boned at an intersection — the other driver ran a red and hit my passenger side. Their insurance accepted full liability, claim closed, car repaired. Fine. Annoying, but fine. Then last week I walk out to the parking garage at my apartment complex and notice my rear bumper is crumpled and pushed to one side. I have a little wireless camera on my dash that also covers the rear, and sure enough — there's footage of a pickup backing hard into my car, the driver getting out, *looking right at the da…
9 replies - clear-finch-58814h ago
Other driver's insurance just said 'no coverage' after 2 months of jumping through hoops — is this normal??
I'm so frustrated I don't even know where to start. My partner got rear-ended at an intersection about two months ago. The other driver blew through a yield sign and clipped her pretty good — enough that her bumper and rear quarter panel are messed up. No serious injuries, thankfully, but the car damage is real. Since it happened on a side street with no traffic cam and no police (they said it was a non-injury call so they didn't come out), there's no official report. They exchanged info at the scene and the other driver's insurance card looked totally normal — current dates, legit-looking…
9 replies - keen-marten-09614h ago
Got hit from behind on the freeway 2 days ago and I can't stop shaking
I don't really know why I'm posting this here. I guess I just need somewhere to put it. Two days ago I was heading into work, totally normal Tuesday morning. Traffic on the interstate slowed down fast — construction zone or something — and I braked. The car behind me didn't. He hit me so hard I spun partially into the next lane before coming to a stop against the median barrier. The airbags went off. I remember the sound more than anything. Like a gunshot. And then this weird chemical smell and just... silence for a second before I started realizing what happened. Physically I got off pret…
8 replies - bold-sparrow-18014h ago
Looked up my old car for fun and found out it got totaled after I sold it — is that normal?
So this is kind of a weird one and I'm not even sure why I'm posting but I need someone to help me process this. I sold my old SUV about two years ago — a car I genuinely loved and kept in perfect condition for almost a decade. Last week I was bored and ran the VIN through one of those vehicle history lookup sites just out of curiosity, honestly half expecting to see it living its best life with a new owner. Instead I found a salvage title flag. Totaled. The record shows it happened sometime in the past year. I know logically it has nothing to do with me anymore. I signed it over, it's not…
7 replies - hearty-marten-02714h ago
At-fault driver's insurer approved everything then pulled the rug out — is this normal??
I'm so frustrated right now and honestly feel gaslit by this whole process. About three weeks ago a driver lost control and smashed into the front of my house, damaging my fence, my landscaping, and clipping my truck that was parked in the driveway. The whole thing is on my Ring camera — crystal clear footage, zero ambiguity about what happened. The at-fault driver's insurance contacted me pretty quickly, seemed cooperative, and verbally told me to go ahead and get the fence repaired and have my truck assessed. So I did. I'm already out a significant chunk of money on the fence contractor b…
9 replies - warm-badger-17614h ago
I caused my own crash and I can't stop replaying it — anyone else deal with this?
This might be a weird post for this forum since most people here are dealing with someone *else* hitting them, but I needed somewhere to put this. About eight months ago I was driving home on a two-lane highway after a really long shift. I wasn't drunk, wasn't texting — just exhausted and probably going faster than I should've been on a stretch of road I thought I knew. There was a patch of sand or gravel in a curve and I felt the back end step out. I overcorrected — classic panic move — and suddenly I was fully sideways across both lanes. I remember seeing headlights coming toward me and j…
8 replies - warm-swan-57714h ago
Rear-ended by a delivery van 3 months ago — back still wrecked, anyone relate?
Hey everyone. Still kind of processing all of this honestly. Back in the spring I was stopped at a red light and a delivery van came up behind me and just... didn't stop. Hit me hard enough that my compact car got pushed into the intersection. Airbags didn't even deploy but the trunk was basically accordion'd. Car was declared a total loss. Physically they told me nothing was fractured, but I've been dealing with this persistent mid-to-lower back thing ever since. I've done about six weeks of PT — the stretches, the heat, the tens unit, massage therapy twice a week — and honestly the sharp…
8 replies - calm-hare-04814h ago
Someone says I scraped their car in a parking lot — I wasn't even there that day??
I'm honestly baffled and a little panicked right now so bear with me. Last week I found a handwritten note tucked under my wiper blade. It said I sideswiped a silver SUV in a strip mall lot "sometime last Tuesday" and that the person had my plate number. I had no idea what they were talking about — I wasn't anywhere near that strip mall on Tuesday, I was literally working from home all day. I kind of dismissed it as a mistake or maybe a wrong plate situation. Figured nothing would come of it since I knew I didn't do anything. Then **yesterday** I got an alert from my insurance that a claim…
8 replies - bold-vole-66614h ago
Driver who hit me begged me to skip insurance — now I'm finding some sketchy stuff about him
This happened three days ago and I'm still kind of spinning out about it. I was stopped at a red light when someone rolled into the back of my car. Not a massive crash, but enough to jolt me and crunch my bumper pretty good. The guy who hit me was *super* nice about it — almost weirdly so. Kept saying things like "let's just handle this between us, I'll pay for everything, insurance companies just make everything worse." He seemed genuinely stressed, so in the moment I said okay, took his number, and we went our separate ways. I didn't even take photos. I know. I know. Couple days later my…
9 replies - bold-tern-72314h ago
I was driving when we crashed and I can't stop blaming myself even though everyone lived
Not really sure why I'm posting this here but I guess I just need somewhere to put it. About two weeks ago I was driving a group of my closest friends home from a weekend trip. Road conditions got bad fast — I'm talking out of nowhere — and I lost control. We ended up off the road and into a ditch. Airbags went off, car was totaled. One of my friends hurt her shoulder and has a pretty bad bruise across her ribs from the seatbelt. Everyone walked away, which I know is the "good" outcome. But I cannot stop replaying it. Like, obsessively. I'll be fine and then suddenly I'm back in that moment…
8 replies - wise-kestrel-25615h ago
10 months out from a bad crash and I feel like my body and my job are both falling apart
I don't even know where to start. Almost a year ago I was rear-ended on the freeway during a construction backup — the truck behind me never slowed down. No broken bones, so everyone kind of acts like I'm fine. I am not fine. I started a demanding new job about three weeks after the crash because I had no choice financially. It's a client-facing role with a lot of emotional labor involved, long hours, and almost no flexibility. I've been grinding through it on a cocktail of anti-inflammatories and muscle relaxers that my doctor okayed short-term... except it's now been months and 'short-term…
10 replies - candid-grouse-03015h ago
Five years of surviving crashes, grief, and medical bills — I'm running on empty
I don't even know how to start this but I need to put it somewhere. Back in the spring a few years ago I got rear-ended on the highway by a distracted driver going full speed. Shattered two vertebrae, tore my rotator cuff, spent months in PT. The settlement I eventually got sounded okay on paper until it evaporated into surgeries, co-pays, and lost wages. Then my dad got sick. Really sick. I spent the better part of two years driving him to treatments, sleeping in hospital chairs, watching someone I love shrink away. He passed last winter. I moved to a new city to try to reset — new job, n…
8 replies - keen-marten-03415h ago
T-boned with my daughter in the car — other driver ran a red light. Will we be okay?
Still shaking as I type this, honestly. Three days ago I was driving through an intersection on a green light and a pickup blew straight through the red and absolutely destroyed the passenger side of my SUV. My 8-year-old daughter was in the back seat on that side. I can barely even finish that sentence without my heart jumping into my throat. Miraculously, she walked away with bruising from the seatbelt. I have a pretty gnarly headache that won't quit and my neck is stiff as a board. We both got checked out at the ER the same night. The other driver got cited on the spot — witnesses stoppe…
9 replies - wise-marmot-47815h ago
Other driver lawyered up after my son's fender-bender — can they take our home?
I'm trying not to spiral here but I'm not doing a great job of it. My son is 20 and still on our family policy. Last month he clipped someone pulling out of a parking garage — totally his fault, no question. Everyone walked away, the other car had some bumper damage, seemed pretty minor at the time. Fast forward a few weeks and we get a letter saying the other driver has hired a personal injury attorney. Now I'm in full panic mode. We called our insurance company and the rep we spoke to was very casual about it — basically said "this happens all the time, we handle it, don't lose sleep ove…
8 replies - genuine-dove-93715h ago
Swerved to avoid a collision, now my car's totaled & I can't get to work — totally lost
I don't even know where to start. About a week ago I was driving home from an early shift when a pickup truck ran a red light right in front of me. I yanked the wheel to avoid getting T-boned, overcorrected, and ended up wrapping my car around a concrete barrier on the side of the road. Airbags went off, car is 100% done. The ER cleared me that night but I've had this dull, throbbing headache every single day since, and my neck and shoulders feel like I slept on concrete for a month. I know I should probably follow up with someone but honestly I haven't had time to breathe. Here's where thi…
9 replies - curious-owl-58115h ago
I caused the crash that hurt my passenger and I can't forgive myself
I don't even know how to start this. A few months ago I made a genuinely stupid decision behind the wheel — I was distracted, I was going too fast for the road conditions, and I lost control. My car went off the road and hit a barrier. It was 100% on me. No question. I walked away with two cracked ribs and a messed up shoulder that I'm still dealing with. My cousin, who was in the passenger seat, got a concussion and some pretty bad soft tissue stuff in her neck. She was in a collar for weeks. She has been nothing but kind to me about it. Says she doesn't blame me, that accidents happen, th…
8 replies - quiet-wolf-39615h ago
Truck swung wide turning right and crushed my front end — private lot = no fault??
Still fuming about this and honestly just need some outside eyes because I feel like I'm losing my mind. I was sitting still in a parking lot exit lane. There were two exit lanes — I pulled into the right lane assuming the big pickup ahead of me in the left lane was going left (why else would you be in the left exit lane?). No turn signal. Ever. We both just sat there waiting for a gap in traffic. Then out of nowhere he cranks the wheel hard right and his rear quarter just *obliterates* my front driver's side. I was completely stopped. My foot was on the brake the whole time. Cops showed u…
9 replies - clever-sparrow-23915h ago
Multi-car pileup wrecked my shoulder — scared about surgery, driving anxiety, and losing my independence
I don't even know where to start. About three weeks ago I was driving home from a late shift when a chain-reaction crash on the highway caught me completely off guard. Three cars hit in quick succession and I ended up getting pushed into the median. The impact was violent enough that my seatbelt locked hard and my shoulder took the worst of it — torn labrum, partially torn rotator cuff. I had surgery six days ago. Honestly the surgery fear was almost worse than the crash itself. I lost my grandfather a few years back to complications under anesthesia and I could not shake that image the whol…
9 replies - hearty-heron-61215h ago
Anyone else lose the ability to just… keep up with their own life after a crash?
It's been about 18 months since I got rear-ended at a stoplight and honestly the physical stuff — the PT, the neck pain, the headaches — I kind of expected that to linger. What I did NOT expect was how much the accident would mess with my ability to just… function normally at home. Before the crash I was the type of person who meal prepped on Sundays, kept my kitchen spotless, and actually enjoyed reorganizing my closet. Like that was genuinely relaxing to me. Now I look at a pile of mail on the counter and I just… walk past it. For days. Sometimes weeks. I'm not depressed (or at least I do…
7 replies - mellow-fox-98415h ago
My dashcam caught an angle I literally couldn't see — now I don't know who's actually at fault
So I've been beating myself up for the past week thinking this was 100% my fault, and then I finally got around to pulling the footage off my dashcam and… I'm not so sure anymore. Quick version: I was backing out of a parking spot at a shopping center. I checked my mirrors, did a shoulder check, started moving slowly. There was a car parked to my right that was blocking part of my sightline — I didn't realize until I watched the footage back that the other vehicle had actually been creeping forward in the lane at the same time I was backing out. The dashcam picked up their front end way earl…
9 replies - swift-finch-31916h ago
Had my first real crash yesterday and I honestly can't stop shaking
I don't really have anyone in my life who gets it so I'm just going to word-vomit this here. Hope that's okay. I was a passenger when we got T-boned at an intersection yesterday afternoon. The whole thing lasted maybe two seconds but it felt like a movie glitch — like reality just skipped a frame. One second we're talking about where to eat lunch, and then suddenly there's this wall of noise and everything is sideways and there's smoke or dust or *something* in the air that smells like burning plastic and chalk mixed together. Neither of us had serious injuries, which still doesn't feel rea…
8 replies - steady-mole-94816h ago
My husband was driving when we got hit — he's drowning in guilt and I don't know how to help him
This is kind of a two-part thing — dealing with the crash aftermath AND watching my husband fall apart emotionally, so bear with me. About a week ago we were heading home from a friend's birthday dinner, totally normal night. My husband pulled out of a parking garage onto a one-way street and a car came flying through a red light and slammed into my side of the vehicle. No skid marks, didn't even slow down. The impact was on my door. I ended up with three broken ribs, a fractured wrist, and some soft tissue stuff they're still evaluating. I'm home now but mobility is rough. Here's the thin…
9 replies - tidy-swan-75916h ago
First time dealing with an accident — when do you actually call a lawyer?
So I got rear-ended about three weeks ago at a red light. The other driver admitted fault at the scene, we exchanged info, and I thought it was basically done. Minor fender bender, whatever, move on. Except now my neck and upper back have been killing me and I've missed two days of work because I can barely sit at my desk. I finally went to urgent care and they're sending me to get an MRI. So what started as "no big deal" is turning into actual medical bills and lost wages. The other driver's insurance called me pretty fast — like, suspiciously fast — and the person on the phone was super f…
9 replies - kind-kestrel-87116h ago
Felt fine after my crash — now I'm terrified I already messed up my claim
So I got rear-ended pretty hard about three weeks ago at a stoplight. The other driver was 100% at fault — there's a police report and everything. In the moment I felt shaky but okay, so I told the paramedics I didn't need a ride to the hospital and drove myself home. Fast forward a week and my neck and upper back started *screaming*. Went to urgent care, they found muscle strain and some soft tissue stuff, referred me to a PT. I've now been to four PT sessions and honestly I'm still really stiff in the mornings and get headaches a few times a week. Here's where I'm panicking: I did a littl…
8 replies - clever-mole-97716h ago
Rolled my truck on a construction zone road and walked away — now terrified to ever drive again
This happened three days ago and I'm still shaking when I think about it. I was heading home on a route I've driven a hundred times, but there was active construction — loose gravel scattered everywhere, temporary lane markings that made zero sense, and a shoulder that basically didn't exist anymore. I hit a patch of loose material, overcorrected, and the next thing I knew my truck was on its side in a drainage channel they'd partially dug out. The truck is totaled. Both side windows gone, the cab twisted, airbags everywhere. I crawled out through the windshield. Walked away with bruised ri…
8 replies - gentle-tern-29016h ago
Car got towed after the crash and now I have no idea what happens next??
So I was rear-ended pretty hard at a stoplight two days ago. Airbags didn't deploy but the back end of my car looked really bad — trunk was basically caved in. A tow truck came and took it away while I was still standing there kind of in shock, and honestly I barely processed where they were even taking it. I called my insurance the same night and opened a claim. The person on the phone was nice enough but talked really fast and I didn't absorb half of what they said. Now I'm just sitting here with a rental I'm not sure I'm actually covered for and a million questions. Like — what actually…
8 replies - kind-wren-03616h ago
Still here. Still healing. Just needed somewhere to say that out loud.
I don't have a specific question tonight. I just found this place and felt like maybe someone here would get it. A few months ago I was hit while walking to my car in a parking lot. Whoever did it didn't stop. Didn't even slow down. I woke up in the hospital not totally sure what had happened to me. The physical stuff is ongoing — a few surgeries down, probably more ahead. That part is brutal but honestly the part nobody warns you about is how weird your brain gets afterward. I startle at every car that passes too fast near me. I had a full panic attack in a grocery store parking lot last w…
8 replies - daring-raven-82116h ago
Other driver wasn't listed on the car's insurance — claim denied. Am I just stuck eating my deductible?
Really frustrated right now and could use some perspective from people who've been through something similar. About two weeks ago someone ran a red light and clipped the front corner of my car pretty good. The guy who was driving admitted fault on the spot — we exchanged info, I took photos, got a police report, the whole thing. Seemed straightforward. Then I filed against his insurance (the car's insurance, technically) and got a denial letter saying the driver wasn't a listed or permissive driver on that policy. Apparently the car belongs to a relative and that relative never added him. S…
9 replies - cool-marmot-41816h ago
Bungee straps and prayer aren't a cargo plan — learned that the hard way
So this happened about three weeks ago and I'm still kind of processing it. I drive regionally for a flatbed outfit and we picked up a load of landscaping stone at a supplier we don't usually work with. When I got there, the forklift operator was rushing — I could tell immediately. Pallets were uneven, shrink wrap was basically decorative, and the weight distribution looked off to me from the jump. I flagged it to the dock supervisor and he waved me off. Said the load was "fine" and they do it like that "all the time." I had my own ratchet straps plus some extra edge protectors in the cab a…
9 replies - careful-otter-77116h ago
Totaled my brand new truck before I even made the first payment. Insurance won't cover what I paid.
I still can't believe this is my life right now. I saved up for almost three years to buy a new pickup — paid cash, drove it off the lot on a Saturday afternoon, and was rear-ended so hard at a red light on the way home that the frame got pushed in. Less than **four hours** of ownership. The airbags deployed. I was shaken up but physically okay, thankfully. The other driver was 100% at fault — multiple witnesses, a nearby traffic cam caught the whole thing, and the responding officer noted it in the report. Here's where I'm losing my mind: the at-fault driver's insurance came back with a t…
8 replies - daring-owl-36117h ago
Black ice sent us rolling on the highway — everyone survived but I'm still shaking
I don't even know where to start with this. Three days ago I was driving my SUV on the interstate with my elderly father in the passenger seat and my cat in her carrier in the back. We do this trip together maybe once a month — totally routine, I've driven that stretch a hundred times. Conditions looked completely fine. No ice warnings on my navigation app, pavement looked totally clear and dry. I was actually doing a few mph *under* the posted limit because my dad gets anxious on highways. Then out of absolutely nowhere the rear of the vehicle just let go. I've heard people talk about blac…
9 replies - silent-raven-16617h ago
Delivery driver from a big national company hit me — how does their corporate insurance even work?
So this happened about a week ago. A driver in a clearly marked company van rear-ended me at a red light. Not a fender tap either — my trunk is pretty much crumpled and my neck has been killing me ever since. When we pulled over, the driver handed me some kind of document that wasn't a normal insurance card. It looked like a self-insurance certificate or a fleet coverage letter — honestly I'd never seen anything like it before. He said the company handles claims internally and gave me a number for their corporate risk management department. I called the number the next day and left a messag…
8 replies - keen-elk-21817h ago
Can't merge onto the highway anymore without a panic attack — anyone else been through this?
I used to genuinely enjoy driving. Long road trips, late night runs to grab food, didn't matter — I felt totally at ease behind the wheel. That's completely gone now. About six weeks ago I was cruising along at highway speed when a pickup drifted into my lane without any warning and clipped the back corner of my car. I went into a full spin across two lanes. Somehow I didn't hit anyone else and ended up on the shoulder facing the wrong direction. The other driver pulled over briefly, then just… left. Drove away like nothing happened. A witness stayed and called 911 for me, which I'm still gr…
8 replies - daring-otter-59117h ago
T-boned, broken bones, surgery scheduled — do I really need a PI lawyer?
So about three weeks ago I was heading through an intersection on a green light when someone blew through the cross street and slammed into my driver's side. My car is a complete write-off. More importantly, I ended up with fractures in two places in my right leg — tibia and fibula both — and I'm scheduled for surgery next week to put in a rod and some hardware. My health insurance is picking up a chunk of the medical bills and the at-fault driver's liability coverage is supposedly "cooperating," whatever that means. The adjuster has been weirdly friendly and called me twice already. Here's…
9 replies - bold-hare-30217h ago
At-fault driver's insurance lowballed my parked car damage — now ghosting me on the difference
So this whole situation has me stressed out and I just need to know if anyone else has dealt with something like this. About six weeks ago my car was parked on the street outside my apartment while I was at work. Came home and found a note on my windshield — someone had sideswiped me pulling out of a tight spot and took off a chunk of my rear quarter panel plus cracked the taillight assembly. To their credit, they actually left their info instead of just disappearing. Filed a claim with their insurance. The adjuster asked me to submit photos through their online portal instead of having any…
9 replies - humble-bison-61417h ago
At-fault driver's insurance denying my claim because he wasn't on the policy — what do I do?
Hey everyone, really hoping someone has dealt with something like this before because I'm genuinely lost. About two weeks ago I got hit pretty hard at an intersection — the other driver blew through a yellow that had basically turned red and clipped my front end hard enough to spin me into a curb. Police came out, wrote him up for failure to yield, pretty cut and dry that it wasn't my fault. Here's the wrinkle: the car he was driving belongs to his older brother. The car has insurance, but this guy — the one actually behind the wheel — isn't listed anywhere on the policy. When I called the…
8 replies - sharp-wolf-51417h ago
At-fault driver ghosting his own insurance and now my claim got denied — is this even legal?
I'm so frustrated I don't even know where to start. Back in the spring I got rear-ended at a red light by a guy who was clearly on his phone. Cops came, wrote everything up, and the officer literally told me at the scene that fault was obvious. We exchanged info, I filed a claim through the other driver's insurance, and then... nothing. Fast forward almost six months and I finally get a letter saying my claim is **denied** because they were "unable to cooperate with their policyholder." Basically the guy stopped picking up their calls and they're using that as an excuse to wipe their hands o…
8 replies - wise-badger-04317h ago
Survived a bad crash two weeks ago but my brain won't let me move on — anyone else?
I don't really know how to start this so I'm just going to type it out. About two weeks ago I was driving home on a two-lane highway, totally normal Tuesday afternoon. A pickup drifted into my lane — I still don't fully know why, maybe he fell asleep, maybe something distracted him — and we hit each other almost dead-on. Both of us were going highway speed. My car got spun off into a ditch. Airbags, glass everywhere, the whole thing. Here's what's messing with me: we both survived. Physically I'm banged up — seatbelt bruising across my whole chest, some neck and shoulder stuff my doctor is…
8 replies - patient-heron-45317h ago
Thought I was finally healed — now doctors are finding something they can't explain in my ankle
I don't even know how to start this other than I just need to get it out somewhere. Back in the spring I got rear-ended pretty hard on the highway. Walked away feeling lucky — fractured my ankle but nothing life-threatening. Spent months doing physical therapy, hobbling around in a boot, doing all the right things. Finally got cleared to go back to my job in food service management, which keeps me on my feet basically all shift. Fast forward to last week. I went in for what I thought was just a routine follow-up X-ray and my orthopedic doc got really quiet. Apparently there's some kind of b…
8 replies - daring-fox-24417h ago
Got rear-ended last week — no idea how any of this actually works, help?
So this is genuinely my first time dealing with anything like this and I feel completely lost. I was stopped at a red light and someone plowed into the back of me. The other driver admitted fault at the scene and we exchanged info, but now I'm just sitting here not knowing what happens next. The back of my car looks rough — the trunk won't latch properly anymore and there's a weird creaking noise when I drive that wasn't there before. I don't know if that means it's just cosmetic stuff or if something structural is messed up. I'm also a little sore in my neck and upper back but I didn't go t…
9 replies - genuine-otter-41718h ago
Off-duty firefighter rear-ended my parked truck while I was inside eating breakfast — now what?
Still kind of in shock writing this, so bear with me. So last Tuesday morning I'm sitting at my kitchen table having coffee when I hear this massive boom outside. I run out and my pickup — totally paid off, parked right in front of my house on a residential street — has been shoved up onto the curb and into the back of my roommate's sedan that was parked ahead of it. The guy who hit both vehicles? An off-duty firefighter driving a personal SUV. He told the responding officers he dropped his phone and reached down to grab it. They documented that in the report, at least. Neither vehicle is…
8 replies - bright-swan-68318h ago
Got rear-ended by a city vehicle while stopped at a red light — what now?
Still kind of in shock writing this out, honestly. About a week ago I was sitting completely still at a red light on a pretty busy street when a municipal work truck plowed into the back of my car. Like, full stop — I wasn't moving at all. The driver was apparently from the city's public works department. The physical damage to my car is pretty bad — whole rear end is crumpled. I've got some neck stiffness and a headache that hasn't gone away since, which I know doesn't sound dramatic but it's been a week and it's still there every single morning. Here's the thing that's throwing me off: I…
8 replies - candid-wolf-32718h ago
My whole family was hit by a reckless driver. I wasn't in the car and I can't cope.
I don't even know how to start this. About two months ago my parents, my aunt, and my teenage sister were all in the same vehicle heading to a family reunion a few states away. I was supposed to go with them but I had to stay back last minute for a work emergency. So I'm sitting at home and I get one of those automated crash-detection alerts from my sister's phone. Then another one from my mom's. I've never moved so fast in my life. My partner and I jumped in the car and drove through the night. By the time we got to the hospital they were scattered across different floors — some in the ICU,…
8 replies - keen-otter-59718h ago
Crash happened 2 years ago and I still can't shake it — is this normal?
I don't really talk about this much so bear with me. Two summers ago I was on a road trip with a few friends — one of those spontaneous long-haul drives where you split the wheel time and just go. I'd been driving most of the day and by early evening I was genuinely wiped out. We talked about stopping at a rest area but everyone kind of wanted to push through to where we were planning to camp, and honestly I just went along with it instead of putting my foot down. Somewhere around the third hour of night driving, the person who took over for me drifted. I woke up to the car leaving the road…
8 replies - clever-crane-65218h ago
Barely any damage to my truck but I can barely turn my neck — is this normal??
So this happened about a week ago and I'm still kind of processing it. I was sitting at a red light, completely stopped, when someone plowed into the back of me. The impact wasn't *insane* — my truck has maybe a scuff and a tiny crease on the bumper. The other driver's insurance is already trying to tell me the damage is "minor" like that somehow means I should be fine. Here's the thing though: I am absolutely not fine. My neck has been stiff and achy since basically the next morning. Turning my head to check blind spots while driving is genuinely painful. I also keep getting these weird he…
8 replies - silent-raven-06518h ago
Paid someone cash at the scene to settle it — now they're lawyering up on me??
I'm so frustrated I don't even know where to start. A few months back I bumped someone in a parking lot. We're talking a low-speed tap — their bumper had a tiny scuff, maybe already there, honestly. They seemed annoyed but okay. No one called the police, no report, nothing. They kept saying they didn't want drama and just wanted to be "made whole" on the spot. I handed over cash — not a small amount either — and they shook my hand and said we were square. I didn't get anything in writing because honestly I panicked and just wanted it handled. Fast forward to last week: I get a letter sayin…
8 replies - cool-marten-76918h ago
Someone drove my truck without asking, caused a wreck — now I'm getting calls from a stranger's lawyer??
I'm genuinely losing sleep over this and could use some outside perspective from people who get it. So a few weeks ago my neighbor's adult kid — someone I barely know — apparently helped himself to my truck while I was out of town for work. He had access to my property because I'd asked the family to keep an eye on things. I never said he could touch my truck. Ever. While I was gone, he took it out, clipped another vehicle at a gas station or a parking lot or something (details keep changing every time I hear the story), and just... parked my truck back in the driveway like nothing happened…
8 replies - silent-hare-51818h ago
Other driver's insurance says I'm 30% at fault for a crash that was clearly not my fault??
I am so frustrated right now and just need to vent and maybe get some perspective from people who've been through something similar. About three weeks ago I was driving through a shopping center parking lot — barely moving, maybe crawling at walking pace — when a truck shot out of a spot between two big SUVs and plowed straight into my driver's side rear door. I had zero warning. The driver literally didn't even look before reversing. Here's the thing: there's a camera mounted on the corner of the building right there. I went in, explained what happened, and the store manager was super help…
9 replies - swift-crane-91718h ago
Accident was 'resolved' on paper but I can't stop shaking every time I drive
I need to get this out somewhere because I feel like I'm going crazy. About four months ago I was driving on the highway with my toddler in his car seat when a pickup truck ran a red light and T-boned us at full speed. We got spun into the guardrail. His airbag didn't deploy — mine did. There was so much noise and then just this horrible silence. My son was screaming, which I know now means he was okay, but in that moment I couldn't process anything. A stranger pulled over and got my door open because I couldn't work the handle. My hands just weren't doing what I told them to. My son had a…
9 replies - kind-owl-53718h ago
At-fault driver had zero insurance — do I even have the right to go after them personally?
This has been eating at me for a while and I finally need to talk it through with people who might get it. About 18 months ago a guy blew through a red light and slammed into my driver's side door. Totaled my car — a used SUV I'd saved up for over two years working double shifts. That car meant everything to me because I bought it completely on my own, no help from anyone. Turns out he had let his insurance lapse like three weeks before the crash. He got cited for it at the scene. Then — and this still makes my blood boil — he went and got a new policy the following week and somehow used th…
9 replies - wise-hare-24919h ago
At-fault driver's insurer keeps saying 'low limits' — do I just eat the difference??
So I got hit about a week and a half ago and I'm still fuming about how this whole thing is going down. I was driving through a green light at a normal intersection when a driver coming from a side street blew through what was clearly a stop sign and T-boned my passenger side. Cops came, report was filed, the other driver literally admitted to the officer he didn't see the sign. Open and shut, right? Wrong, apparently. I filed a claim with the at-fault driver's insurance the same evening. The adjuster who called me the next morning was almost *cheerful* when she told me the policy has "low…
9 replies - spry-marmot-65419h ago
Two accidents in three years destroyed everything I was rebuilding. I don't know how to keep going.
I don't even know how to start this. I'll just say it. About three years ago I finally felt like I was getting my footing back. I'd gone through a really ugly separation, moved into a small place I could actually afford, and was slowly getting back to a job I loved in a trade that requires physical stamina. Things weren't perfect but I was *moving*. Then a driver blew a red light and hit my driver's side door. I did the PT, dealt with the insurance circus, managed to keep working reduced hours. Figured I'd gotten lucky, all things considered. Eighteen months after that, I got hit again. Re…
9 replies - quick-newt-13019h ago
At-fault accident, other driver demanding cash on top of what insurance is paying — can he do that?
Still kind of shaken writing this out, but here goes. About three weeks ago I ran a red light — completely my fault, I own that. T-boned another car pretty bad. Both vehicles were totaled. I ended up with a broken collarbone and some bruised ribs; the other driver walked away without a scratch, which honestly I'm grateful for. Here's where it's getting complicated. My insurance accepted liability right away and they're handling everything — paying out the other driver's total loss, covering my own car under my policy, the whole deal. I thought that was it. But now the other driver keeps te…
9 replies - brave-wren-24019h ago
At-fault driver's family was inside my car after the crash — is that even legal??
I'm still wrapping my head around this so bear with me. I was rear-ended pretty badly on the highway a few weeks ago. Wasn't going anywhere near the speed limit when it happened — I was basically stopped in slow traffic. The other driver hit me hard enough that my car got pushed into the one ahead of me. I had a pretty serious neck and back injury and ended up being taken away by ambulance, so I wasn't even conscious at the scene for part of it. Here's the thing that's been eating at me: my attorney recently got hold of the dashcam footage from a nearby vehicle, and at some point after the…
9 replies - mellow-wren-61119h ago
Gave my statement while still foggy — can I correct what I said?
So I'm kind of spiraling about this and hoping someone here has been through something similar. I was rear-ended pretty hard about two weeks ago. At the scene I felt "okay" — shaken up, neck was stiff, but I was walking around and talking to the officer and everything. I gave a recorded statement to the insurance company basically the same evening because I thought I was being responsible by handling it quickly. Here's the problem: turns out I had a mild concussion. My doctor confirmed it a few days later when I finally went in because the headaches weren't stopping. Looking back, I was abs…
8 replies - bold-owl-18819h ago
Writing this from my hospital bed — got T-boned by a truck that blew a red light
Still can't really believe this is my life right now. Three days ago I was driving home from my shift at work, totally normal Tuesday, and a pickup truck just *blew* through a red light at a busy intersection and slammed into the driver's side of my car. I was maybe going 25 mph. He had to have been going at least 50. The impact pushed my whole car sideways into a utility pole. My door was basically caved in against me. Airbags went off — honestly think they saved my life. I'm writing this from a hospital room where I've been since it happened. Ended up with a fractured pelvis, a lacerated…
8 replies - quiet-swan-47419h ago
Woman photographed my plate and now claims I hit her — no damage on either car. What do I do?
So this happened a few days ago and I'm still stressed out about it. I was pulling out of a busy parking lot near a shopping center. It was crowded, slow-moving, the usual chaos. I honestly did not make contact with any vehicle — I was being extra careful because there were carts everywhere and families walking around. About ten minutes later, I'm sitting at a red light and I notice a minivan pull up right behind me, really close. A woman gets out, walks up to my passenger window, and just... starts photographing my license plate. That's it. She didn't knock on my window. Didn't ask for my…
8 replies - quick-sparrow-08619h ago
Offered to settle out of pocket after a fender bender — massively underestimated the damage. Now what?
So I kind of made a rookie mistake and I'm hoping someone here has been through something similar. About two weeks ago a guy sideswiped me while merging — totally his fault, there's even a gas station camera that caught it. We pulled over, exchanged info, and honestly I just wanted to keep it simple. The damage *looked* minor at the time, so I texted him a few days later and said I'd settle privately for what I thought was a fair number — enough to cover what I figured was a small dent and some scraped paint. He immediately started nitpicking. Said some of the damage looked "pre-existing" (…
9 replies - candid-beaver-00319h ago
Insurance saying total loss but other driver's insurer says it's repairable — who do I trust?
So I'm stuck in this really confusing limbo right now and honestly just need some people who've been through this to weigh in. About two weeks ago someone ran a red light and T-boned me pretty hard. My car got pushed sideways into a curb and the damage on the driver's side looks *bad* to my eyes — frame area, door, rear quarter panel all crumpled. My own insurance looked at photos and used the word "total loss" pretty casually. But the at-fault driver's insurer sent their own adjuster out and he kept emphasizing that the engine started fine afterward and that "structural damage isn't always…
9 replies - mellow-stoat-87119h ago
3 years post-crash and I just got cleared by my last doctor. Had to tell someone.
I don't really have anywhere else to put this where people would actually *get it*, so here I am. Three years ago a delivery truck ran a red light and hit the car I was riding in. I was in the back seat. Ended up with a fractured collarbone, a serious concussion, and soft tissue damage all the way down my left side that took *forever* to stop being a daily problem. For about a year I couldn't sleep on my left side, couldn't lift anything heavier than a grocery bag, and had headaches that made me feel like I was losing my mind. I just got out of what my doctor called my "final baseline appoi…
9 replies - quick-marmot-38020h ago
Officer showed up, took zero notes, and now there's no crash report — what do I do?
I'm honestly at a loss right now and could use some guidance from people who've been through something similar. About six weeks ago I was hit at a four-way intersection when a traffic light was completely out due to a bad storm. Everyone was supposed to treat it as a stop sign. I had the right of way, pulled through, and got T-boned by a van that never even slowed down. My front quarter panel got crushed and my car had to be towed — totally undriveable. I called 911 right away. An officer showed up, walked around the cars, snapped a few photos on what looked like his personal phone, and cha…
8 replies - kind-bison-85620h ago
Almost 3 years post-crash and I'm still paying for what someone else did. I'm exhausted.
**CW: grief, chronic illness, mental health, loss of independence** Just need to get this out somewhere because I feel like the people around me have moved on and I haven't. Three years ago a driver blew through a red light at a busy intersection and hit me at highway speed. Total loss on my car. I walked away from the scene — or so I thought. Before the crash I was thriving. I had a career I'd spent years building in hospitality management. I coached youth soccer on weekends. I was training for a half-marathon. I had a whole *life*. Now? I have daily migraines that no specialist has been…
9 replies - cool-marmot-48020h ago
At-fault driver's insurance won't cover my repairs — now they want me to go through my own policy??
I'm genuinely confused and frustrated right now so bear with me. About three weeks ago someone ran a red light and plowed into the side of my car. Super clear-cut fault situation — there's a traffic cam, witnesses, the whole thing. The other driver admitted it on the scene too. Their insurance has accepted liability, no dispute there. Here's the problem: the damage to my car is significant. Like, it may be totaled significant. And apparently the at-fault driver only carries the bare minimum property damage coverage their state requires. That limit is nowhere near enough to cover what my car…
9 replies - daring-beaver-08420h ago
My daily driver is a high-end sports car — does the at-fault insurance owe me a comparable rental?
So I'm in a weird spot and honestly have no idea how this works. I drive a pretty expensive sports car as my everyday vehicle — not a show-off thing, it's just what I bought a few years back and I love driving it. Last week some guy blew through a stop sign and T-boned me. Police came, filed a report, and the fault was clearly documented as his. My car is going to be in the shop for at least six weeks, maybe longer depending on parts availability. Here's my issue: the at-fault driver's insurance is offering me a rental, but it's like... a basic economy sedan. I get that it's *a* car, but my…
8 replies - brave-marten-12620h ago
Got sandwiched at a red light — my sister was on the phone and heard everything
This happened three days ago and I'm still kind of processing it. I was sitting at a red light on my way to an early shift when someone plowed into the back of me. The impact shoved me forward into the pickup truck stopped in front of me. So now I've got damage on both ends. The guy who hit me was immediately apologetic — said he glanced down at his phone and didn't even touch the brakes. I could tell he felt awful, which honestly made the whole scene even more surreal. The part that's been eating at me though — my sister and I were in the middle of a conversation (Bluetooth, both hands on…
10 replies - spry-tern-06820h ago
Chain reaction crash — semi pushed a car into me. Now I'm getting the runaround on claims. Help?
This happened four days ago and my head is still spinning, so bear with me. I was heading to work on the highway, cruising in the left lane, totally normal commute. Traffic ahead seized up out of nowhere — like five cars all braked hard at once. I managed to stop in time, no contact with anyone in front of me. The SUV behind me also stopped. I actually thought *okay, we're good.* Then a semi barreled into that SUV at what felt like full speed. The impact shoved the SUV straight into my rear bumper. My car got pushed forward pretty hard. Trunk is destroyed, bumper's hanging off, and my neck…
8 replies - brave-tern-74720h ago
Two years ago today my life got flipped upside down. Still processing it honestly.
I don't really know why I'm writing this. I just woke up this morning and the date hit me like a wall and I needed to put it somewhere. Two years ago I was driving home from an overnight shift when a pickup ran a red light at full speed and took out the whole passenger side of my car. I spent weeks in the hospital, had two surgeries, and didn't get back to any kind of real work routine for over a year. The other driver didn't make it. I still have nerve damage in my left arm that flares up whenever the weather changes or I overdo it. Most days I manage. Some days I really don't. The hardes…
8 replies - sharp-bison-28320h ago
Other driver's suing my son even though BOTH insurers said he wasn't at fault??
I'm honestly floored right now and could use some perspective from people who've been through something like this. My son — he's 24, still on our family policy — was in an accident back in the spring. Both insurance companies did their investigations and landed in the same place: he was **not at fault**. The other driver's insurer has been actively working with us on some leftover expenses, and we've already been reimbursed our deductible. Things felt like they were winding down. Then yesterday a process server showed up at our door. The other driver is suing my son personally. The complai…
10 replies - careful-fox-01420h ago
Walked away from a bad wreck last night but my brain won't stop looping — is this normal?
So this happened less than 24 hours ago and I'm still trying to process it. I was driving home from a late shift, totally routine, when a truck a few car lengths ahead of me suddenly lost something off its flatbed. I swerved hard to avoid it and my car went sideways across two lanes before I ended up spinning into a guardrail and finally stopping in a ditch. Airbags went off, windows gone, whole nine yards. Here's the thing — I walked out. Scratches on my arm, a bruise forming on my collarbone from the seatbelt, but otherwise physically I feel almost *too* okay? Like my body is humming at so…
8 replies - calm-marmot-95120h ago
Other driver had literally NO insurance at the time of the crash — what do I even do now?
Still kind of in shock about this whole situation so bear with me. About two weeks ago I was heading through a green light on my way to work and a pickup blew through the intersection from the cross street and clipped my rear quarter panel hard enough to spin me into a curb. Airbags didn't deploy but my car is pretty banged up and my neck has been killing me ever since. The guy pulled over, we exchanged info, cops came, wrote up a report. He handed me an insurance card and everything seemed normal. I was shaken up but figured okay, at least we have each other's info, this should be straight…
9 replies - genuine-dove-74521h ago
Months after my crash and my brain won't let me forget a single second of it
I don't even know how to start this so I'll just say it — I was in a really bad accident back in the spring and physically I've been grinding through recovery, but lately the *mental* side is hitting me way harder than I expected. The crash itself happened fast. A pickup hydroplaned into my lane on the highway and there was nowhere to go. I remember the exact sound, the exact way the light looked, every single detail. I never blacked out. I was awake for all of it and I think that's the problem — my brain recorded it in high definition. I ended up with a badly fractured pelvis, several brok…
8 replies - calm-beaver-00721h ago
Other driver's passenger flung their door open into us — now their insurer says WE were speeding??
Still kind of in disbelief writing this out, but here goes. My brother was driving my SUV yesterday and I was riding shotgun. We pulled into a busy parking lot to grab some food, and there was a sedan already settled into a spot to our left. We were creeping in — I'm talking barely moving, because the lot was packed and people were walking everywhere. We were maybe halfway into the space when the rear passenger door of that sedan FLEW open and slammed right into the side of my truck. The bang was loud enough that my brother and I both flinched. The woman who opened the door immediately said…
9 replies - cool-otter-46921h ago
Just pulled a piece of windshield out of my own forehead two months after my crash… I'm shaking
I don't even know where to start. I was rear-ended pretty hard back in the spring — bad enough that my airbags deployed and I ended up in the ER with a concussion and some lacerations on my face and scalp. They cleaned me up, stapled a cut near my hairline, and sent me on my way after a night of observation. Fast forward to tonight. I've had this spot near my temple that I kept assuming was just a slow-healing scab or maybe a stubborn ingrown hair. It's been slightly raised and every now and then it would get a little red and tender. I figured it was just scar tissue doing its thing. I was…
8 replies - plain-hare-87421h ago
Never hired a lawyer in my life — what do they actually DO after a crash?
So I'm kind of embarrassed to admit I don't really understand what a personal injury attorney actually handles. I always assumed they just showed up when things went to court, but a friend told me that's not really how it works? Background: I got rear-ended about three weeks ago at a red light. The other driver admitted fault at the scene, I have the police report, and I've been dealing with some pretty annoying neck and shoulder pain since. My own insurance has been fine but the *other* driver's insurance keeps calling me and asking me to give recorded statements and sign stuff. It's making…
8 replies - silent-swift-30721h ago
Husband T-boned, $200k+ in bills, both policies maxed — are we just stuck with the rest?
I'm still kind of in shock writing this out. My husband was hit broadside at an intersection about four months ago — the other driver ran a red light going pretty fast and slammed into the driver's side. Our SUV got pushed into a guardrail. The other car was totaled, ours was totaled, and my husband ended up airlifted to a trauma center. He had a shattered hip, internal bleeding, and nerve damage in his left leg. We're talking two major surgeries, a 10-day hospital stay, and he's still doing outpatient PT twice a week. The bills are absolutely staggering — we're well north of $200k and more…
9 replies - sharp-mole-13721h ago
TBI from my accident cost me my career and now my employer is making it worse
I don't even know where to start with this. About 18 months ago I was rear-ended by a commercial truck on the interstate — hit hard enough that I was airlifted. I had a pretty severe traumatic brain injury, spent weeks inpatient, and have been fighting through cognitive rehab ever since. The stuff that's *permanent* is what nobody warned me about. Word retrieval problems, short-term memory issues, fatigue that hits like a wall in the middle of the afternoon, sensitivity to noise and light. I look totally normal on the outside so people just think I'm scatterbrained or not trying hard enough.…
8 replies - gentle-swan-71321h ago
Stumbled across dashcam footage of my accident online and now I can't stop shaking
So this is kind of a weird one and I honestly don't know if I'm being too sensitive or what. I was in a pretty bad rear-end collision a few months back. Still dealing with the aftermath — PT twice a week, some ongoing neck stuff, the whole thing. I've been trying really hard to just move forward mentally. Then yesterday a friend tagged me in a video on social media. Somebody had posted dashcam footage from a bystander's car — and it was **my** accident. Just sitting there on the internet for anyone to scroll past. People in the comments were treating it like entertainment, making jokes, one…
9 replies - plain-tern-13821h ago
At-fault driver's coverage split 6 ways after parking lot pileup — are we just out of luck?
Still kind of in shock writing this out but here goes. My partner's SUV was parked — completely unoccupied — in a shopping center lot when some guy lost control and took out a whole row of vehicles. Six cars total, including ours. The damage to ours is significant: the rear quarter panel is crushed, the frame has visible deformation, and the shop is talking about a repair bill that's going to be pretty steep. Here's what's stressing me out the most right now: we just found out the at-fault driver's property damage liability limit is a pretty low number. When you divide that across **six dam…
9 replies - careful-stoat-30421h ago
Rental car driver hit me, not authorized on the rental — am I just stuck eating the difference?
So this happened a few months back and I'm still trying to figure out what my options are. A guy ran a red light and T-boned me at an intersection. Clear-cut fault — there's a traffic cam that caught the whole thing. Here's where it gets messy: he was driving a rental that was checked out by someone else entirely, and he was **never added as an authorized driver**. The rental company is basically washing their hands of it, and his own personal auto policy is denying the claim for the same reason. My insurance stepped in and covered my car and most of my medical bills, which I'm grateful for…
8 replies - steady-raven-44821h ago
Has anyone here actually hired a PI lawyer after a crash, or is it overkill?
So I got rear-ended about three weeks ago at a stoplight — nothing catastrophic, airbags didn't even go off, but my neck and upper back have been stiff and achey ever since. The other driver's insurance accepted liability pretty quickly, which I thought was a good sign, but now their adjuster keeps calling me every other day asking how I'm feeling and dropping hints about "wrapping things up." I've never sued anyone in my life and honestly the word "lawsuit" makes me nervous. I always assumed you only get a lawyer involved if things went really sideways. But a coworker told me she talked to…
9 replies - keen-heron-14522h ago
First accident ever — when do people actually call a lawyer? Feeling lost
So I got rear-ended at a red light about three weeks ago. Other driver was 100% at fault — admitted it on the scene, police report backs it up. My car got pretty banged up and I walked away thinking I was fine, just shaken. Fast forward to now and I've got this dull ache in my neck and upper back that won't quit. I went to urgent care once but haven't done much else because honestly I didn't think it would stick around this long. The other driver's insurance has already called me twice and they're being friendly enough, but something feels off about how eager they are to "get things wrapped…
8 replies - mellow-otter-01422h ago
Uninsured driver totaled my sister's car and the officer basically told her to pray 😤
I'm so frustrated on her behalf right now I could scream. So my sister was sitting at a red light yesterday morning, minding her business, when some guy blew through the intersection and T-boned her on the driver's side. His truck barely had a scratch. Her car? Completely done. Airbags deployed, frame bent, the works. Here's where it gets worse: the guy had **no insurance**. None. Lapsed months ago apparently. The responding officer filled out the report, got the guy's info, and then basically shrugged at my sister and said "you might want to try working something out with him directly." L…
8 replies - gentle-wolf-56922h ago
Tapped someone at 2mph in a parking lot, now there's a bodily injury lawsuit — help?
I'm kind of spiraling right now and could use some perspective from people who've been through something similar. So basically I was pulling out of a grocery store parking lot, barely moving, and the car behind me crept up without me seeing them. We made contact — I'm talking a love tap. I heard a tiny thud and immediately got out. There was a faint scuff on their bumper that honestly looked like it had been there a while, and my car had zero damage. The other driver seemed totally fine at first, joking around even. But then once they saw me grab my insurance card they suddenly started hold…
9 replies - cool-wren-32522h ago
Son's truck totaled by 18-wheeler and both insurance companies are ghosting us — what do we do?
I'm at my wit's end and could really use some perspective from people who've been through something like this. My son was driving on the highway last month when a commercial truck drifted into his lane and sideswiped him. His truck is a total loss. He's okay — shaken up, some soreness, but no hospital visit, thank God. Here's where it gets messy: **The trucking company's insurer** hasn't formally accepted liability yet. It's been over three weeks. Every time we call, we get a different rep who acts like they've never heard of us. **Our own insurer** — we went through them to try to speed…
9 replies - swift-marten-19922h ago
Doing great in PT then suddenly WAY worse — is this normal or am I panicking?
Hey everyone, just needed to vent and also genuinely want to know if anyone else has experienced this. Back in late spring I got hit from behind while waiting at a red light. The other driver barely slowed down before plowing into me — my car was pushed forward a solid 15 feet. Both vehicles were pretty messed up. I walked away thinking I got lucky with just some neck stiffness and tension headaches. Started physical therapy about two weeks later. For the first six or seven weeks, I felt like I was genuinely crushing it. My PT was happy with me, I was sleeping better, range of motion was co…
8 replies - mellow-raven-65722h ago
My teenager took my truck without asking and wrecked it — will my insurance pay out?
Still kind of in shock writing this. My 17-year-old snuck my truck out in the middle of the night while I was asleep. I had absolutely no idea he was gone until my neighbor called me at like 2am saying there'd been an accident a few blocks away. He clipped a parked car and ended up in a ditch. Thank god nobody was seriously hurt — he walked away with a scraped arm and embarrassment. He doesn't have a license yet. Not even a learner's permit. So now I'm dealing with the insurance company asking a million questions and they've opened some kind of "special investigation" on the claim. Here's w…
8 replies - quick-marten-99222h ago
2 years out from a crash that nearly killed me — partner doesn't get it and I'm struggling
**Heads up — this post talks about serious injuries and a long recovery. Skip if that's not where you're at today.** I don't really know how to start this so I'll just go. About two years ago I was driving home on the interstate when a driver ran a red light at an on-ramp and hit me at full speed. The impact sent me into the median barrier. I was airlifted out. By the time everything was tallied up I had fractures in both legs, several ribs, a couple of vertebrae, and my pelvis. I coded in the ER. I was in the hospital for almost three months, had four surgeries, and spent another six months…
8 replies - patient-sparrow-01922h ago
Hit from behind by an unlisted driver — insurer can't reach the car's owner and I'm stuck
So this happened about ten days ago and I'm already losing sleep over it. I was sitting at a red light on my way home from work when a guy plowed into the back of my car. Pretty hard hit — my neck has been stiff ever since and my trunk is crunched. The driver was cooperative at the scene, gave me his license and the insurance card for the car, and admitted he was at fault. We waited a long time for police but they never came, so we exchanged info and went our separate ways. I filed a claim the same day. The adjuster was nice enough on the phone, but then a few days later she tells me the dr…
9 replies - bold-dove-46122h ago
Minor rear-end, no police report filed — what actually happens next with insurance?
So this happened yesterday and I'm still kind of shaken up trying to figure out what to do. I was driving home from work, traffic slowed suddenly on the highway on-ramp, and I tapped the SUV in front of me. Like, genuinely a low-speed bump. The driver got out, looked at both vehicles, and honestly her car had maybe a tiny scuff on the bumper cover. Mine had a more visible crease on the hood near the front. We were both calm about it. She said she didn't want to wait around for police and neither did I honestly — it felt so minor and we were both just tired. We swapped info, took photos of e…
9 replies - hearty-dove-34122h ago
Update: insurer tried to say my commute wasn't covered — here's how it ended
Hey everyone — I posted a few weeks ago absolutely spiraling because my insurance company was telling me my accident wasn't covered. The reason they gave me? That I was "operating the vehicle for purposes beyond personal use" because I had a work laptop in my back seat and sometimes use my car to drive between job sites. I want to scream typing that out again. Quick recap: I got rear-ended pretty badly on my way into work. Not *for* work — just the normal commute literally every person with a job makes. The at-fault driver's insurance was being slow, so I went through my own carrier to get t…
8 replies - steady-mole-02123h ago
Two bad accidents before I turned 20 and now I'm terrified to drive — anyone else?
I don't even know where to start. I'm 19 and I've been in two serious crashes in the last year and a half, and I genuinely feel like my brain is broken when it comes to driving now. The first one wasn't my fault — someone ran a red light and clipped me hard enough that my car spun into a curb. Airbags, tow truck, the whole thing. I was shaken but I pushed through it and got back behind the wheel after a few weeks. Then a few months later I got sideswiped on the highway by someone who didn't check their blind spot. My car got pushed into the next lane. I walked away physically okay but somet…
8 replies - spry-badger-49423h ago
Unlicensed driver in a rental box truck T-boned us — does the rental company have any liability?
Still kind of in shock writing this out but I need some answers from people who've actually been through something similar. About two weeks ago my partner and I were driving home from a grocery run when a large rental box truck blew a red light and slammed into the passenger side of our car. Our car is a total loss — we owned it outright, no payments, just gone. My partner has a fractured wrist and I've been dealing with a pretty bad neck strain and some bruised ribs. Here's where it gets complicated: the driver of the rental truck apparently **did not have a valid license**. Like, it was s…
9 replies - plain-kestrel-53323h ago
Got rear-ended, driver gave me bogus insurance info — now what?
Still kind of in shock and honestly furious writing this. About a week ago I was stopped at a red light on my commute home and got slammed from behind. Not a tap — full on crunch. The guy who hit me seemed totally calm, got out, and we exchanged info on the side of the road. He was friendly enough, gave me what looked like a legit insurance card, his license, everything. I even took photos of it all with my phone. Felt like it was handled. Then I called his insurance company the next morning. Gave them the policy number on the card. The rep paused and told me that number doesn't exist in th…
9 replies - warm-finch-32223h ago
I was eerily calm during my crash and now I can't stop thinking about why
So this happened a few weeks ago and I'm physically recovering fine, but something keeps nagging at me mentally and I don't know who to talk to about it. I got hit pretty hard — T-bone situation, airbags deployed, the whole thing. By any measure it was a serious wreck. But the second it was over I just... switched into this weird autopilot mode. I turned off my ignition, assessed my body, checked on my passenger, and started flagging down help — all without my heart rate seeming to go above like 60 bpm. The other driver was audibly panicking. My passenger was crying. People who ran over to…
8 replies - candid-mole-21323h ago
Arbitration just ruled me 100% at fault after their driver hit ME — what now??
I'm honestly stunned and need to vent but also genuinely need some guidance here. Earlier this year a landscaping crew's flatbed truck clipped my car while I was pulling over to let a school bus pass. I was basically stopped, partially off the road, when this truck tried to squeeze past me and the metal rack bolted to its side scraped down my entire passenger door. Their truck had zero visible damage. My door was caved in, my side mirror was dangling, and there were deep gouges in the paint all the way to the rear quarter panel. At first their insurance actually wrote to us acknowledging th…
8 replies - gentle-newt-09123h ago
My sister lied to her insurance about who was driving — now it's blowing up
I'm posting this for my sister because she's freaking out and doesn't really know where to turn. So here's the situation: she let her coworker borrow her car to run a quick errand while she stayed at the office. While the coworker was parked waiting to pull out of a lot, another driver clipped the rear quarter panel pulling out of a space — pretty clearly the other driver's fault based on the lot camera footage. Here's where it gets complicated. When my sister called her insurance to report it, she panicked and just... said she was the one driving. I think she was worried her policy had som…
8 replies - humble-owl-02423h ago
Someone filed a claim saying I dented their bumper in a parking lot — my dashcam says otherwise
So I got a letter from my insurance company last week saying a claim had been filed against me. Apparently someone is saying I backed into their SUV in a grocery store parking lot and caused bumper damage. I have zero memory of this happening and I'm pretty sure I would've noticed hitting another vehicle. Here's the thing — I have a dashcam that records continuously, front and rear. I pulled the footage from that day and watched the whole parking session. I pulled in carefully, didn't move again for about 40 minutes, and pulled straight out. Nobody near me, nothing happened. I tracked down…
8 replies - plain-bison-52323h ago
Just replaced my whole brake system 2 days before getting rear-ended. Insurance offering pennies.
I'm still kind of in shock honestly. Two days before some guy blew through a red light and totaled my car, I had just finished a full brake job — new rotors, calipers, pads, brake lines, the whole thing. Quality parts, reputable shop, and I have every receipt. The car had basically zero miles on all of it. Fast forward to now — the at-fault driver's insurance is valuing my car for the total loss, and when I asked specifically about the brake components, they're acting like they don't exist. Their adjuster told me the parts are "factored into the vehicle value" which... makes no sense? The ca…
9 replies - quiet-sparrow-98723h ago
Insurer denied my UM claim because of a technicality — can they actually do this?
I'm honestly at a loss right now and could use some outside perspective from people who've been through something similar. About a week ago I got hit by someone who blew a red light and smashed into my driver's side door. The other driver had zero insurance — nothing. I was shaken up pretty bad, went to urgent care that same night, and filed a claim with my own insurance the next morning. Here's where it gets infuriating. The car I was driving is technically in my brother's name because he co-signed when I bought it — I make every single payment, I'm listed on the policy as a primary driver…
8 replies - clear-dove-66023h ago
Anyone else dealing with glass fragments still in their body years after a crash?
This might sound weird but I need to know if anyone else has gone through this. I was in a pretty bad collision about two years ago — airbags deployed, my side window shattered completely, and I ended up with cuts all over my neck and shoulder area. I got stitched up at the ER and they sent me home. Fast forward to now and I keep feeling this sharp, almost poking sensation in my upper shoulder near my neck whenever I move a certain way. I went back to my primary care doctor and after an X-ray she said she could see what looked like a small fragment — probably glass — still sitting in the ti…
8 replies - careful-finch-7011d ago
Seven years out from my crash and I'm still not 'over it' — does it ever really get easier?
I don't even know where to start, honestly. Seven years ago a pickup truck ran a red light and hit my driver's side door at full speed. I was conscious the whole time, which I actually think made it worse — I remember every second of it. The physical stuff was brutal. I had a fractured orbital socket, a broken collarbone, and the surgeons had to rebuild part of my cheekbone with a titanium plate. I was in the hospital for almost three weeks, went through two surgeries, and spent months doing physical therapy just to get basic range of motion back in my shoulder and neck. Here's the part nob…
8 replies - silent-newt-5171d ago
Survived a bad crash 6 weeks ago and I'm terrified to leave the house — anyone else?
I don't really know how to start this so I'm just going to say it: I was a passenger in a rideshare that got hit head-on by a driver who blew a red light and kept going. No plates, never caught. I walked away — well, I didn't *walk* away, I got airlifted — but compared to what it could have been, I'm alive. I fractured two ribs, broke my orbital bone, and tore some ligaments in my knee badly enough that I had to have surgery. I also have a TBI they're still monitoring. I've been staying at my sister's place since I can't really manage alone right now. Physically I'm making progress. But men…
8 replies - plain-marmot-0151d ago
My brother was killed by a driver and police have gone completely silent on us — what do we do?
I don't even know how to start this post. My older brother passed away five weeks ago after being struck by a vehicle while he was walking to his car in a parking lot. The driver hit him at what witnesses said was a really high speed, kept going for a significant distance, and my brother didn't survive his injuries two days later in the hospital. We've been trying to get answers from the detective assigned to the case and it's like hitting a wall every single time. First few weeks he'd at least pick up or send a short text back. Now? Nothing. Complete silence. My mom physically went to the p…
8 replies - keen-swift-4561d ago
Blind corner in a parking garage — other driver was way over the center line. Who's at fault?
Still kind of in shock about this so bear with me if it's a little scattered. I was leaving a parking garage last week, coming out of a side lane toward one of those internal intersections where you can't really see anything until you're halfway out. There's a big concrete pillar right at the corner that blocks your sightline completely. I've parked there a hundred times and I always creep out slow because I know it's a bad spot. So I'm inching out — like genuinely barely moving — when out of nowhere a pickup comes flying through the intersection **way over on my side of the lane**. Like, h…
8 replies - spry-sparrow-2811d ago
Driver's mom wants me to lie to insurance — says her kid wasn't on the policy. What do I do??
So this happened a few nights ago and I'm still kind of in shock about the whole thing. I was parked on my street, completely off, nobody in the car. Woke up in the morning to find my whole rear quarter panel smashed in. A neighbor knocked on my door and told me they saw a teenager lose control and clip my car, then just... drive off. Fortunately another neighbor actually got the plate number. I filed a police report, and eventually the family tracked me down through the neighborhood. The mom showed up at my door, super apologetic, gave me her insurance info. Her kid is apparently only 17 a…
8 replies - quiet-dove-4651d ago
Walked away 'fine' from my crash but now, a week later, I can't stop shaking??
I don't even know how to explain this properly but I need to put it somewhere. Last week I got hit at an intersection — broad daylight, I had the green, and a pickup just blew straight through from the cross street and slammed into my driver's side. The impact spun me into a curb. My car is a total loss. The truck barely had a scratch on the bumper, which honestly still makes me furious when I think about it. Here's the thing — I walked away. Seatbelt burn, a gnarly bruise on my hip from the door caving slightly, small laceration on my forearm from the glass. ER cleared me after a few hours…
8 replies - calm-raven-3061d ago
Wasn't my fault but I can't stop feeling guilty — anyone else deal with this?
This was my first accident ever and I honestly don't know how to process what I'm feeling. I was driving to an early morning appointment, completely sober, totally paying attention. A car blew through a stop sign and T-boned me on the driver's side. The impact spun me around and I ended up facing the wrong direction in the middle of the road. My airbag went off and I had no idea what that was actually like — the noise, the heat, the chemical dust in the air. I genuinely thought something was burning. I sat there frozen for a second before I even remembered I could just... open the door and g…
9 replies - tidy-crane-6851d ago
Can't stop replaying my crash in my head — is this normal? I keep seeing it when I try to sleep
I don't really have anywhere else to say this so I'm just going to put it out here. Three weeks ago I was driving to an early shift — maybe 5:30am, barely any traffic, light fog. The road curves gently near an overpass and I've driven it probably a thousand times. Out of nowhere my back tires let go completely. No warning. I didn't overcorrect, I didn't do anything wrong that I can figure out — the car just *went*. I crossed into the oncoming lane, clipped a guardrail, and ended up nose-down in the drainage ditch on the opposite shoulder. The whole thing took maybe four seconds. Physically…
8 replies - silent-newt-8461d ago
Spinal surgery 4 months ago and my doctor says I'm 'doing great' — I can barely shower
I don't even know where to start with this. Back in the spring I got hit head-on by a driver who ran a red light while I was on my way to pick up my kid from school. The impact was brutal — I ended up with two fractured vertebrae and a collapsed lung. Had surgery about six weeks after the crash to stabilize my spine. Four months out now and my follow-up notes literally say my recovery is "progressing well" and my pain is "adequately controlled." I want to know who they talked to, because it wasn't me. I cannot stand long enough to make a sandwich. I had to buy a shower chair because standing…
9 replies - cool-mole-4101d ago
Got rear-ended at a stoplight — anyone dealt with diminished value claims before?
Still kind of in shock honestly. I was just sitting there, completely stopped, waiting for the light to change — and then out of nowhere I get slammed from behind. Like, I did *everything* right. Hands on the wheel, foot on the brake, minding my business. And now my truck is sitting at a body shop because somebody couldn't be bothered to look up from whatever they were doing. The other driver's insurance accepted liability pretty quickly which I guess is the one silver lining here. But now I'm trying to figure out the repair situation. I've been going back and forth on whether to push hard f…
8 replies - bright-stoat-8611d ago
Does anyone else's brain turn every weird sensation into a death sentence after their crash?
It's been about eight months since a delivery van ran a red light and T-boned me on my way to work. Physically I got off "lucky" — a mild concussion, some soft tissue stuff in my shoulder and upper back, and what my doctor thinks is nerve irritation running down my left arm. Nothing broken, nothing requiring surgery. I've been doing chiro and physio consistently and I'm genuinely improving. But my *brain* is a completely different story. Every single time I feel a weird tingle in my fingers or a random muscle twitch or even just a headache — I go straight to worst-case. Like, full-on "this…
8 replies - daring-stoat-8221d ago
Still driving my wrecked car every day because I have no choice — anyone else done this?
I don't even know how to explain the feeling of getting into the same car every single morning that you had a terrifying accident in. But here I am, doing it. About three weeks ago I got rear-ended pretty hard on the highway during rush hour. The back end of my car is crumpled, my trunk barely latches, and there's a crack running halfway across my rear windshield. It *looks* bad. Like, people in parking lots do a double-take bad. But I only carried liability on it. So the other driver's insurance is moving at a glacier pace disputing fault, and I have no rental coverage, no collision covera…
10 replies - bold-finch-3961d ago
Survived a really bad crash but now I freeze up just looking at my car — anyone else?
I don't really know how to start this so I'll just say it: I was in a pretty serious accident about two months ago. T-bone collision at an intersection — other driver ran a red light at full speed. I ended up with several broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a concussion that still has me dealing with headaches and brain fog almost every day. Everyone keeps telling me how grateful I should be, and honestly? I *am*. I know it could have been so much worse. But that almost makes it harder to talk about, because I feel like I'm not allowed to be struggling when I "made it out okay." Here's the t…
8 replies - daring-dove-0621d ago
Settlement docs show one number but insurance told me something totally different — what's going on?
So I'm at the finish line of my accident case — or at least I thought I was. My attorney sent over a closing statement for me to sign digitally. It breaks everything down: attorney's cut, the hospital liens, physical therapy bills, the whole thing. The number I'm supposed to walk away with makes sense *given the total they listed*. But here's where it gets weird. I had a separate conversation with my own insurance rep about something unrelated, and she casually mentioned a payout figure that was noticeably higher than what's on my closing statement. Like, not a rounding difference — a signif…
8 replies - steady-seal-1051d ago
Got T-boned by a city utility truck running a red — what do I do while I wait?
Still kind of in shock writing this, honestly. A few days ago I was driving through an intersection on a green light when a city utility truck blew the red and slammed into my driver's side door. The responding officer cited the truck driver and there were two witnesses who stayed to give statements, so liability seems pretty clear — but I'm still just... lost on what to actually *do* right now. My car got dragged to a tow lot and I'm pretty sure it's totaled. I still owe a decent chunk on it, so I'm sweating that gap between what insurance pays out and what I actually owe the lender. I do h…
9 replies - keen-dove-1771d ago
Rear-ended at a red light, broken wrist, can't work — where do I even start?
I don't even know how to organize my thoughts right now so bear with me. About six weeks ago I was sitting at a complete stop at a red light when someone plowed into the back of my truck. Airbags didn't even deploy because the other driver hit me at an angle, but the force whipped me sideways hard. I ended up with a fractured wrist and some kind of soft tissue damage in my shoulder that the ER doc said could need surgery depending on how it heals. Here's my situation: I work a trade job. My hands are basically my entire income. I've been out of work since the crash and my short-term disabil…
9 replies - sharp-seal-6681d ago
Rear-ended at a red light, zero fault, and we're somehow drowning in bills??
I still can't wrap my head around this. My husband was sitting completely still at a red light two weeks ago when some guy plowed into the back of him. Full stop. Not even a slow roll — the guy barely touched his brakes. My husband had our two kids in the back seat (7 and 10 years old). Nobody got airlifted or anything but he had to go to urgent care that same night for neck and shoulder pain, and our younger one complained about chest soreness from the seatbelt the next day. Our car is a total loss. We got a rental but the coverage we have only goes so far and the clock is ticking on that.…
8 replies - kind-finch-1321d ago
T-boned at an intersection this morning and I can't stop shaking
I don't even really know why I'm posting this. I think I just need to feel like someone out there understands what I'm going through right now. It happened a few hours ago — I was heading through a green light on my way to work and a pickup just blew straight through the red on the cross street and slammed into my driver's side door. The impact spun my car around and I ended up halfway onto the curb. I remember the airbag hitting my face and then just... silence. The paramedics checked me out on the scene and said I seemed okay, but I'm home now and I genuinely cannot stop trembling. My han…
8 replies - warm-wolf-4491d ago
At-fault driver's insurance stonewalling for months — can I force them to pay?
I'm so frustrated I could scream, so bear with me. Back in the spring I was rear-ended at a stoplight by a guy who was clearly not paying attention. Cops showed up, did a full report, and the officer literally noted that the other driver was following too closely and caused the collision. No ambiguity. No ticket for me. The other driver even admitted fault at the scene — I have a witness who heard him say it. I filed through my own insurance because I needed my car fixed fast. They covered it, I paid my deductible, and they said they'd go after his insurance to get that money back for me (s…
8 replies - swift-crow-5321d ago
Got hit the same week I finally got my full license back. Of course I did.
I know this is going to sound like a bad joke but I promise it's real. After almost a year of only having a restricted license — work trips and that's it — I finally got my full driving privileges back last Tuesday. No more scheduling my whole life around a tiny window of legal drive times. I was so relieved. So Friday I decided to take my nephew out for the first time. Nothing fancy, just grabbing food and maybe hitting a park. We're sitting at a red light maybe four miles from my house and **bam** — somebody plows into the back of us. Hard enough that we both got thrown forward pretty goo…
8 replies - brave-wolf-2431d ago
My car got destroyed by an unlicensed driver — now my own insurance is denying my UM claim??
I'm honestly at a loss right now and could really use some outside perspective from people who've been through something similar. About three weeks ago I was rear-ended at a red light by someone who, it turns out, was driving on a suspended license and didn't have a drop of insurance on the vehicle he was operating. Police came, cited him, the whole thing. My car — which I'd had for years and was finally close to paying off — got hit hard enough that the frame is bent. Shop says it's not worth repairing. Here's where it gets maddening. I specifically added **uninsured motorist coverage** to…
9 replies - careful-crow-1301d ago
My ex intentionally wrecked my truck while I'm overseas — am I liable for the damage?
I'm currently stationed abroad with the military, about six weeks into a long rotation. Before I left, I let my then-girlfriend use my truck while I was gone — added her to my policy and everything because I thought I was being responsible. Apparently things went sideways between us while I've been away (long story, lots of arguments over the phone), and she intentionally drove my truck into another vehicle parked at a dealership. A brand new one, never even been titled. The dealership is now coming after me for damages that are way above my policy limits. She and I were never married. We'd…
8 replies - spry-finch-2871d ago
Got a handwritten demand letter from the other driver 2 years after my accident — is this legit??
I honestly don't even know where to start with this because I've been spiraling since I opened my mailbox yesterday. So about two years ago I was in an accident at an intersection — I had the right of way, the other driver ran a stop sign and clipped the front of my car pretty badly. The police report was clear: I did nothing wrong. The other driver was cited. My insurance handled everything, I got my car repaired, and I genuinely thought this chapter was closed. Fast forward to *yesterday*. I get this handwritten letter — not from a lawyer, just from the other driver personally — claiming…
8 replies - silent-vole-8851d ago
Drunk driver hit my parked truck while I slept — adjuster says take it or leave it
Still kind of in shock writing this out. Two weeks ago I woke up to a knock on my door — a neighbor telling me my truck wasn't where I parked it. Except it *was* where I parked it, it was just completely caved in on the driver's side. A drunk driver had drifted off the road and plowed straight into it sometime around 3 AM. She was arrested at the scene, blew almost three times the legal limit. Her insurance accepted liability pretty fast, I'll give them that. They sent out an appraiser, ran their valuation report, and came back with a number. The adjuster spent a long time on the phone expla…
9 replies - mellow-stoat-1381d ago
Body healed faster than my mind after my crash — anyone else stuck in replay mode?
So it's been about three weeks since a truck ran a red light and hit my driver's side door. Physically I got off relatively lucky — some bruising, a mild concussion, whiplash that's mostly faded. My car was totaled but I walked away. Here's the thing nobody warned me about: **my brain did not get the memo that it's over.** Every single night I wake up mid-dream and I'm back in that intersection. I can feel the jolt, hear the crunch of metal, smell that weird burnt chemical smell that filled my car afterward. During the day it'll just... hit me randomly. I'll be making coffee or sitting at a…
8 replies - wise-elk-5651d ago
At-fault driver's insurer says I'm 30% responsible — I was literally parked at a red light??
Still fuming about this so bear with me. About six weeks ago I was sitting at a red light — completely stopped, foot on the brake — when a teenager in a pickup ran into the back of my sedan hard enough to push me into the intersection. The kid's parent was nowhere in the car. Police showed up, the kid admitted right there on the scene that he looked down at his phone, and he got cited for distracted driving and failure to maintain lane. Fast forward to dealing with his parents' insurance and suddenly *I* am partially to blame. Their adjuster keeps hinting that my brake lights "may not have…
10 replies - quiet-seal-7341d ago
Hit and run left me shaking — is it normal to feel this wrecked even with minor damage?
This happened two days ago and I still feel like I'm losing my mind a little, so bear with me. I was pulling out of my apartment complex — a route I drive literally every single day — when a truck clipped the front corner of my car pretty hard and just... kept going. Didn't stop, didn't slow down, nothing. I managed to pull over and I just sat there hyperventilating for I don't even know how long. A stranger actually knocked on my window to check on me, which honestly made me cry harder. The damage to my car is real but not catastrophic. My neck is stiff and I've got some soreness across my…
9 replies - gentle-grouse-8471d ago
3 months post-crash and I'm losing my mind sitting at home — how do you cope?
I don't even know how to start this but I just need to vent somewhere. Back in the spring I got hit pretty bad — a truck ran a red light and slammed into the driver's side of my car. I walked away thinking I was just shaken up and sore, but after weeks of pain that wasn't going away my doctor finally ordered imaging and found compression fractures in two vertebrae. Nobody caught it at the ER because I guess the initial x-rays didn't show the full picture. Now I'm looking at months more of restricted activity. My orthopedic specialist basically told me I can't return to my job — I work in a…
9 replies - daring-crane-3771d ago
Filed small claims after liability denial — now they want to settle for less than I asked. Hold firm or take it?
So a few months back a car clipped the front corner of my vehicle while I was pulling out of a parking lot. The other driver and I exchanged info, seemed fine — then their insurance came back and basically said their policyholder wasn't at fault and denied my claim entirely. I was floored. I gathered everything I had — photos from right after, a statement from someone who saw it happen, the repair estimate from two different shops — and filed in small claims for the full amount the higher estimate came in at. Now, out of nowhere, the other driver's insurance has an attorney reaching out wan…
9 replies - clever-marten-1771d ago
Got rear-ended, other driver is flat-out lying to his insurance — what do I do?
I'm honestly so frustrated right now I don't even know where to start. About three weeks ago I was driving on a four-lane road and had to brake because a delivery truck ahead of me stopped suddenly to make a turn. I slowed down normally — nothing crazy — and the guy behind me plowed right into me. A county sheriff happened to be passing through the intersection ahead and doubled back when he saw what happened. I gave my statement: I braked for a stopped vehicle in front of me. The other driver told the officer I "brake-checked" him on purpose. The report came back with **zero violations on…
9 replies - patient-owl-6141d ago
Tried to handle my claim alone after a bad rear-end — biggest mistake I made
So I'm finally on the other side of this whole nightmare and I just want to share what I went through because I wish someone had told me earlier. About seven months ago I got rear-ended pretty hard at a red light. The other driver was on their phone. My neck and lower back took the worst of it and I ended up needing physical therapy twice a week for months. Not exactly cheap. At first I honestly thought — okay, it's obvious who was at fault, the adjuster will be reasonable, I'll just submit my bills and this will wrap up in a few weeks. **Yeah. No.** Every time I called the claims line I g…
9 replies - silent-bison-5881d ago
Shattered multiple bones in crash 6 weeks ago — when does the 'locked up' feeling start to ease?
I'm 19 and honestly still can't fully process what happened. I was on my way home from a double shift at work, broad daylight, when a pickup ran a red light and T-boned me going full speed. My little sedan got pushed across an entire intersection. The injuries are a lot. Both collarbones, three ribs, my right wrist, left forearm, and my pelvis in two places. I have rods and plates holding me together in more spots than I can keep track of. The surgeons say everything went "as well as could be expected" — which I guess is good? — but right now I feel like a tin man who hasn't been oiled in de…
9 replies - sharp-wren-3731d ago
Did I just total my car? Front end is destroyed and I'm sick about it
So I had the dumbest accident yesterday and I'm still beating myself up over it. I was pulling out of a parking garage — one of those tight spiral ramps — and I misjudged the clearance on a concrete pillar. Full speed was like 5 mph but somehow the front quarter panel, bumper, and hood all crumpled in a way that looks *way* worse than I expected for such a slow-speed hit. The kicker? I just bought this car four months ago. Like literally still have that new-car smell. I had to replace my last one after getting rear-ended on the highway last spring — that one wasn't my fault at all — and I fi…
8 replies - bold-fox-2501d ago
On workers' comp after on-duty crash — is suing the other driver even worth it?
So I work for the county highway department and last month I was out on a job site when some guy blew through a temporary traffic control zone and clipped our work truck pretty hard. I was inside the cab and got thrown around enough to crack a rib and mess up my knee ligaments pretty badly. Surgeon says I'm looking at least 4-5 months before I'm anywhere close to returning to work. Workers' comp kicked in and is covering my medical bills and a portion of my lost wages. Fine, I'm grateful for that. But a few of my coworkers keep nudging me to go after the driver who hit us — he was apparently…
8 replies - mellow-badger-7781d ago
Drunk driver totaled my parked car and now I'm upside down on my loan — what do I do?
I'm still kind of in shock over this whole situation. Last week some guy who was clearly wasted jumped a curb in a strip mall parking lot and plowed into a row of parked cars, including mine. I wasn't even in it — I was grabbing groceries. He tried to leave but got stopped by police a few blocks away and was arrested for DUI on the spot, so liability seems pretty cut and dry. Here's my problem: I still owe a decent chunk on my car loan, and the other driver's insurance is saying the repair estimate they got back makes the car a total loss. Their payout offer doesn't come close to covering wh…
8 replies - calm-bison-5171d ago
Cop ticketed my brother for swerving to avoid someone — is that even fair?
So my brother was driving home from work last Tuesday night and some guy in a pickup blew through a stop sign and cut directly into his lane. My brother jerked the wheel to avoid getting T-boned and ended up clipping a parked SUV on the side of the road. Nobody was seriously hurt thankfully, but the responding officer handed MY BROTHER a ticket — something about improper lane change or failure to maintain control, I can't remember the exact wording. I'm just… baffled? Like, the other driver caused all of this. He ran a stop sign. My brother had maybe half a second to react and he literally s…
8 replies - hearty-swift-6961d ago
Lease company wants me to pay the repair gap after at-fault driver's insurance came up short — is this legal??
Still kind of in disbelief this is happening so bear with me. My husband got rear-ended pretty badly about eight months into our car lease — completely not his fault, the other driver admitted it at the scene and their insurance accepted liability right away. Because of the lease agreement we signed, the leasing company required repairs be done at one specific certified shop. Not a dealership nearby either — the closest approved place was nearly three hours away. We had zero say in it. The repair ended up being a big job. The at-fault driver's insurance paid out what they said was their "re…
9 replies - calm-otter-7121d ago
Said the wrong thing at the scene and now insurance is using it against me — heads up y'all
This is equal parts warning and me venting into the void, so bear with me. Three weeks ago I got hit from behind while I was completely stopped at a red light waiting for traffic to clear. Pretty clear-cut, right? Wrong. Right after the impact I was shaken up and kind of in shock-mode. The other driver hopped out looking upset and I — trying to be a decent human being — said something like *"hey, you okay? I hope I didn't do anything to cause that."* I was just trying to defuse the tension. I didn't even mean it literally. Turns out the other driver had his phone propped up on his dash rec…
9 replies - wise-swan-5061d ago
Got served papers for a fender-bender that happened almost 3 years ago — totally blindsided
I honestly don't even know where to start with this. I was in a pretty minor accident back in the spring of 2022 — I rear-ended someone at a red light, low speed, maybe 10-15 mph tops. The other driver got out of her car, we exchanged info, she said she felt fine, no one called 911, no ambulance showed up. I figured that was the end of it. Fast forward to last week and I get served with a civil lawsuit. She's claiming physical injuries AND emotional distress. I'm floored. This was almost three years ago and I haven't heard a single word from her since the day it happened. Here's where I'm a…
8 replies - humble-dove-8801d ago
Driver handed me a fake insurance card — cops are now asking if I want to press charges
Still kind of in shock this is even a thing that happens. About a month ago someone ran a red light and clipped the front corner of my car pretty badly. When we pulled over and exchanged info, the guy handed me an insurance card. Seemed normal, we went our separate ways. When I went to file a claim, the insurer told me that policy had been cancelled something like six months earlier. Card was completely bogus. I ended up going through my own insurance to get the ball rolling, and they actually tracked down an active policy tied to the vehicle through the registration. So that process is mov…
8 replies - tidy-mole-2791d ago
Zero-fault accident, now my premium nearly tripled — is this even legal?
I'm still kind of in shock and honestly just need to vent and see if anyone else has been through this. About two months ago someone ran a stop sign in a shopping center and clipped the front corner of my car pretty hard. The other driver admitted fault on the scene, the responding officer documented everything, and the other driver's insurance accepted 100% liability without even putting up a fight. My car got totaled out, I got a settlement check, and I went and bought a replacement — slightly newer version of basically the same car I had before. Fast forward to this week. I call my insur…
8 replies - bold-marten-3791d ago
Parked car totaled by hit-and-run driver — owner's insurer now claiming no coverage??
I'm so frustrated I don't even know where to start. About three weeks ago my car was parked on the street in front of my house — completely unoccupied — and some guy plowed right into it and drove off. Neighbors saw it happen and actually followed him a few blocks until he stopped. Cops came, got the guy, and he ended up being charged with DUI on top of everything else. Here's where it gets maddening. The car he was driving belongs to someone else — apparently a coworker. I've seen the police report and it literally says the owner handed the guy the keys before the night started and told hi…
8 replies - clever-bison-9301d ago
My cousin took my truck without asking, got into an accident — am I on the hook for everything?
So this is a situation I never thought I'd be in and I'm honestly just trying to understand what I'm facing. I went to bed Tuesday night and woke up Wednesday morning to my truck being gone. My cousin had been crashing at my place for a few weeks between jobs — no car, no insurance of his own. I figured out pretty quickly he'd taken my keys off the counter and gone out. Turns out he rear-ended someone at a stoplight around 2am and the truck is totaled. Airbags, frame damage, the whole thing. He didn't get hurt, but I don't know yet about the other driver. Here's where my head is spinning:…
8 replies - quick-heron-3761d ago
Got served lawsuit papers 18 months after a fender bender — which insurance even covers this??
I am genuinely spiraling right now and could use some help understanding what's happening. So back in the spring of last year, I was stopped at an intersection and the car ahead of me rolled backward into my front bumper. Super minor — like barely a scratch. The driver immediately tried to say I had rear-ended her, but thankfully a nearby traffic cam caught the whole thing and the officer on scene actually noted in his report that her vehicle initiated the contact. Everyone went home, I figured it was over. Fast forward **eighteen months** and I just got served with civil lawsuit papers at…
9 replies - brave-otter-0671d ago
Hit by a city vehicle — they accepted fault but now playing games with my rental. Help?
So back in the spring a municipal utility truck ran a red light and plowed into the driver's side of my car at an intersection. Police report was clear — the driver was cited, and the city's risk management office accepted liability pretty quickly. I thought that meant things would go smoothly. I was very wrong. Fast forward almost four months and my car is *just now* scheduled for repairs at my body shop. The damage is serious — entire left quarter panel, door frame, and part of the roof structure. Shop told me I came really close to a total loss. Here's where it's getting under my skin: t…
8 replies - cool-elk-9631d ago
At-fault driver's insurance denied my claim because they 'can't locate their own customer' — legal??
I'm still kind of in shock that this is even a thing that can happen. About six weeks ago a guy ran a red light and T-boned my cargo trailer at an intersection. He pulled over, admitted straight up it was his fault, and handed me his license and insurance card without me even asking. My buddy who was with me took a solid dozen photos of both vehicles, the skid marks, the whole scene. I even got a copy of the police report that lists him as at fault. I filed a third-party claim with his insurer the same day. They told me they'd open an investigation and assigned me a claim number. Fine. I fo…
9 replies - cool-grouse-0331d ago
At-fault driver's insurance keeps stonewalling me over a technicality — is this even legal?
So I was rear-ended at a red light about three weeks ago. Pretty clear-cut situation — the other driver admitted fault on scene, and the police report backs me up completely. No injuries thank god, but my bumper and trunk area are pretty messed up. Here's where it gets frustrating. The car that hit me was being driven by someone who *borrowed* it from a family member. I have the insurance info that was in the car, the policy number, and the last name on the policy. When I called the insurance company to open a claim, they told me they couldn't do anything without the **full legal name of the…
8 replies - humble-otter-7311d ago
At-fault driver's insurance cutting off our rental before repairs are even done — what do we do?
Really frustrated right now and could use some perspective from people who've been through this. About two months ago someone ran a red light and T-boned my husband's basically brand-new car. Total wasn't our fault — police report confirms it, there's a witness, the whole thing. The other driver's insurance accepted liability pretty quickly, which we thought was a good sign. His car has been in the shop the whole time waiting on parts that keep getting backordered. Not our fault, not the shop's fault — just supply chain stuff. The at-fault driver's insurance has been covering the rental thi…
9 replies - bold-wolf-2491d ago
Totaled my late grandpa's car today and I can't stop crying — anyone else been here?
I don't even know why I'm posting this. I guess I just need to get it out somewhere. This morning I hit a patch of black ice on my way to work and lost complete control. Spun across two lanes and went hood-first into a concrete barrier. Airbags deployed, I walked away with a bruised sternum and some whiplash, but the car… it's gone. Here's the thing that's gutting me: the car was my grandfather's. He passed two years ago and left it to me specifically. It was a late-80s pickup — faded red, a little beat up, smelled like him somehow still. The cassette player only worked if you pushed on it…
8 replies - tidy-wren-9041d ago
Other driver pulled out right in front of me — now her insurer is treating ME like the bad guy??
I'm still kind of in shock about how this whole thing is playing out and honestly just need to vent and get some outside perspective. About three weeks ago I was driving through a commercial strip — you know the kind, lots of little shops and driveways everywhere — when a driver shot out of a gas station exit directly into my lane. We're talking maybe a car-length of warning, zero time to react. I hit the brakes but there was just no avoiding it. The impact crumpled my whole driver-side front end and her passenger rear got hit pretty bad too. Here's what's wild: she immediately started tell…
9 replies - quick-finch-6411d ago
Shop says I owe extra for parts the insurer won't cover — but I never agreed to this??
Still kind of in disbelief writing this out, but here's where things stand. My truck got rear-ended pretty badly a couple months ago — not my fault at all, other driver ran a red light. I took it to a specialty shop that my dealership recommended because my truck has a factory-certified repair program and they said only certain shops can work on it without voiding warranties. Fine, I went along with it. Fast forward to this week: repairs are supposedly done, but now the shop is calling me saying I owe an extra chunk on top of my deductible because the insurer only approved aftermarket or re…
9 replies - tidy-crane-0941d ago
Driver says he was 'on the clock' for a gig app — now his insurer won't pay for my car??
I'm so frustrated I don't even know where to start. About three weeks ago someone backed straight into my car while it was sitting legally parked on my street. Total freak thing — I wasn't even in it. The damage is bad enough that I can't drive it without it pulling hard to one side. Here's where it gets maddening. When I tracked down the driver (neighbor saw it happen, got his plate), he casually mentioned he *might* have been doing a grocery delivery gig at the time. Might have. No bags in the car, middle of the afternoon, zero evidence of anything work-related. I filed with his personal…
9 replies - patient-owl-0371d ago
Mom died in a crash — other driver had no insurance. Does her own policy cover anything?
I'm still in shock honestly. My mom passed away two weeks ago after being hit by another car while she was a passenger in my uncle's vehicle. The at-fault driver ran a red light and from what we've found out, he has absolutely zero insurance coverage. Nothing. My mom had her own auto insurance policy — she drove her own car, paid her premiums every month like clockwork. But obviously she wasn't in her own car when this happened. She never got around to getting life insurance, which I know, I know — we all wish she had. I'm trying to figure out if her own auto policy does *anything* here. Li…
8 replies - silent-wolf-5451d ago
Witnessed a fatal chain-reaction crash on the highway last week — still can't sleep
I don't even know why I'm posting this. I wasn't injured. I wasn't in either of the vehicles involved. But I can't stop replaying what I saw and I needed to put it somewhere. I was driving home on the interstate after a long shift. Traffic was moving normally when I noticed a flatbed hauler ahead of me had something shifting in its load — a disabled vehicle strapped on top. Before anyone could react, the strap gave way, the towed car slid off and spun sideways across two lanes, and a passenger van coming the other direction had absolutely nowhere to go. The impact was catastrophic. I pulled…
8 replies - daring-owl-9291d ago
Hit something on the highway at dawn, car is gone, and I can't stop shaking — is this normal?
I don't even know how to start this. It happened four days ago and I still feel like I'm living in a fog. It was early morning, barely light out, and I was heading to my shift on the interstate. Out of nowhere there was an animal — massive — right in the middle of my lane. No time to do anything. Hit it dead on at highway speed. Airbags everywhere. The car just... died. Wouldn't move. I managed to get it as far onto the shoulder as I could and turned on my hazards. I was shaking so bad I could barely hold my phone. Called my sister first, which I know wasn't the smart move, but I just neede…
9 replies - keen-bison-4121d ago
Insurance totaled my truck and now the AirTag says it's... in Poland??
So this is kind of blowing my mind and I need to know if anyone else has experienced this. About two months ago I got rear-ended pretty badly on the highway — the other driver came out of nowhere and hit me at full speed. My truck was declared a total loss pretty quickly. Fine, whatever, I dealt with the payout and moved on emotionally. Here's the weird part. I had a small GPS tracker wedged under the rear seat for a camping trip I took last spring and honestly forgot it was in there. The truck left the salvage yard in my state, showed up at what looked like a port facility on the Gulf Coas…
8 replies - swift-vole-5221d ago
Crash left me with multiple fractures, a totaled car, and now I might lose my apartment — where do I even start?
I don't even know how to organize this so bear with me. A few months ago I was driving back from visiting family when a pickup blew a yield sign and T-boned me at highway speed. I had the right of way — there were two witnesses who stopped and told the police exactly that. The injuries were bad. I ended up with a broken collarbone, two cracked ribs, and a pretty serious wrist fracture that needed a plate and screws. I was in the hospital for almost a week and I've been in PT ever since. I can't work my normal job right now because it's physical labor and my doctor has me on restrictions. He…
9 replies - cool-lynx-7281d ago
Hit by an uninsured driver and I don't have UM coverage — am I just stuck?
So this happened yesterday afternoon and I'm still kind of processing it. I was sitting at a red light, completely stopped, and got rear-ended by a guy driving a beat-up pickup. He pulled over, which I'll give him credit for, but when we started exchanging info things got awkward fast. Turns out he has **no insurance**. None. He was upfront about it, almost weirdly casual — like he'd had this conversation before. I checked his plate through one of those lookup tools when I got home and sure enough, no active policy showing. Here's my situation: - The damage to my bumper and trunk area is re…
9 replies - quick-swan-6751d ago
First accident ever and I can't stop replaying it in my head — is this normal?
So this happened just a few days ago and I'm still a mess about it. I was driving to work in the early morning and a patch of black ice sent me straight into a utility pole on the side of the road. Nobody else involved, no other cars, just me and a pole. I walked away with some bruising on my chest from the seatbelt and a seriously banged-up ego. The car is totaled. It was a ten-year-old hatchback that I had paid off and genuinely loved. I know that sounds dramatic but I bought it myself after years of saving and it felt like *mine* in a way I can't really explain. Now I'm borrowing a cowor…
8 replies - clear-kestrel-2851d ago
Swerved for a dog in the road, got rear-ended hard — am I the one who caused this??
Still kind of shaken up writing this so bear with me. I was driving home from work last week, totally normal Tuesday. I'm going maybe 30 mph — right at the speed limit — on a two-lane road near my neighborhood when this big dog just bolts out from between two parked cars directly in front of me. I mean *directly* in front of me, no warning whatsoever. I hit the brakes hard and managed not to hit the dog. The truck behind me did NOT manage to stop in time and slammed into my rear end pretty good. My car got pushed forward about 15 feet. The rear end is crushed, airbags didn't deploy but my n…
8 replies - steady-newt-4551d ago
Crash scenes in TV shows still wreck me 18 months later — anyone else?
I don't really know how to start this so I'll just say it. I was in a really bad accident on the highway about a year and a half ago. A truck clipped my car at high speed and we went into the median. The other driver didn't make it. The whole thing was ruled not my fault — wrong place, wrong time — but that doesn't quiet the voice in my head that replays it constantly. I've been doing therapy, EMDR actually, and it genuinely helps with a lot of it. I'm functional. I go to work. I laugh at things again. Progress is real. But here's the thing nobody warned me about: **TV shows and movies.** I…
8 replies - plain-otter-2701d ago
My daughter survived a rollover but I can't stop shaking — is this normal?
I don't even know where to start. My daughter is 20 and goes to college about three hours from where I live. Six days ago I got a text from a number I didn't recognize that just said 'there's been an accident, call me.' I almost didn't. When I did, it was one of her friends telling me she'd been airlifted to a regional trauma center after the car she was a passenger in went off an embankment and rolled. I drove those three hours alone not knowing if she was going to be alive when I got there. She was. She has a fractured collarbone, some cracked ribs, and a concussion, and the doctors say sh…
8 replies - clever-vole-2761d ago
Mom (74) hit by a delivery semi — insurance already pushing a quick settlement. Do we get a lawyer?
I'm posting on behalf of my mom because she's still not really in a shape to be dealing with any of this. About two weeks ago she was driving home from the grocery store when a commercial delivery truck ran a red light and broad-sided her driver's side door. Her car is a complete write-off. The truck driver told the responding officer he "didn't see the light change" — it's right there in the police report. She was taken by ambulance to the ER. They kept her for three days running tests — MRI, X-rays, the whole thing. She had some internal bruising, two cracked ribs, and a pretty bad concus…
8 replies - clever-sparrow-9601d ago
Semi crushed my dad's car on the highway — trucking company is already playing games
I'm posting this for my dad because he's still pretty shaken up and not really in a place to be doing research right now. About ten days ago he was driving on the interstate when a fully loaded semi drifted into his lane without any warning. He had nowhere to go — tried to brake and move right but there wasn't enough time. The cab of the truck clipped his front end and basically spun him into the guardrail. His car is totaled and he's got two herniated discs in his lower back. He's 61 years old and was already dealing with some minor arthritis, so I'm scared this is going to affect him for t…
8 replies - careful-otter-0071d ago
Accident was 6 weeks ago and I still can't merge onto a highway without panicking
I don't even know how to explain this to people who weren't there. The crash itself lasted maybe two seconds but it's like my brain recorded every single detail in slow motion and now plays it back constantly. Some guy ran a red light and hit me on the driver's side. Airbags went off, windows shattered, the whole thing. I ended up with two cracked ribs and a pretty bad shoulder sprain. Physically I'm getting there — still sore but functional. The mental part though? That's where I'm stuck. I'll be doing something totally unrelated — eating breakfast, trying to study, whatever — and suddenl…
8 replies - humble-finch-3161d ago
Can't stop white-knuckling the steering wheel since my crash — how do you get past the fear?
I don't even know how to start this but I need to talk to people who get it. About three weeks ago I got hit hard at an intersection — the other driver blew through a stop sign and slammed into my side of the car. Airbags went off, windows shattered, the whole thing. I wasn't trapped but I genuinely thought in that moment that I was going to die. My daughter was in the backseat. She wasn't hurt, thank God, but I keep replaying it over and over. Physically I'm dealing with a cervical strain and some soft tissue stuff in my hip. I'm doing PT twice a week. But honestly the *mental* part is wha…
8 replies - plain-crane-4431d ago
Driver with fake insurance plowed into 6 parked cars on my block — now what?
So this happened about two weeks ago and I'm still kind of in shock about the whole thing. Sometime around 3 AM on a Tuesday, a guy lost control and just... bulldozed through a row of cars parked along my street. Six cars total. Mine was third in the chain. I was asleep, heard this horrifying crash, looked out my window and my little hatchback — totally paid off, nothing fancy but *mine* — had a crushed rear end and a busted axle. Cops showed up, got the guy's info, didn't cite him for anything (still baffled by that), and basically told us to sort it out with insurance. Cool, thanks office…
9 replies - brave-vole-6941d ago
My car got wrecked AT the body shop — now nobody wants to pay. What do I do?
I'm honestly still in shock about this whole situation. I dropped my car off at a local body shop two weeks ago for some minor repairs after a fender-bender. Totally drivable, just cosmetic stuff. Well, while it was sitting in their lot, another vehicle lost control and plowed into it — hard enough that my car is now a crumpled mess. The shop's front office person told me what happened but I haven't seen a single piece of paperwork since. Here's where it gets messy: - The shop owner keeps saying it's *not his problem* because the other driver caused it - The other driver apparently had som…
9 replies - clear-swan-2961d ago
Insurance wants to total my car after airbag deployment — can I fight this?
So I got rear-ended pretty hard at a red light about three weeks ago. The impact pushed me into the car ahead, so I ended up in the middle of a two-car sandwich. My airbags went off — both the steering wheel and the side curtain ones — and my hood crumpled a bit, but honestly the rest of the car looks and drives fine to me. No frame damage as far as I can tell. The insurance adjuster came out, looked at it for maybe 20 minutes, and now they're telling me it's a total loss. I've had this car for four years, finally got it paid off six months ago, and I genuinely love it. The idea of losing it…
9 replies - sharp-swift-2341d ago
Rideshare passenger injury — gap between what insurance "covers" and what I actually owe is massive
Posting anonymously because I'd rather keep my financial stress off my main profile. Back in the fall I was riding in a rideshare — wasn't driving, just a passenger — when the driver blew through a yellow and got T-boned by an SUV. I walked away thinking I was fine, but about two days later my shoulder and upper back were screaming. Went to urgent care, they referred me to a chiropractor and then a physical therapist. The rideshare company has passenger injury coverage, so I figured I was in decent shape. Filed the claim, got approved, started treatment. Eight or nine weeks of PT later, I'm…
9 replies - sharp-heron-2381d ago
Driver hit me and fled — now she's claiming I backed into her in a parking lot??
I still can't believe this is happening. A few weeks ago I was merging onto the highway during my morning commute and this SUV just drifted into my lane and clipped my front quarter panel. No signal, no warning. I immediately put my hazards on and pulled onto the shoulder. The other driver? Gone. Just kept going like nothing happened. I was frustrated but honestly relieved I had my dashcam rolling. Sat there for a few minutes, took some photos of the damage and the road, then went on with my day. That night I backed up the footage to my laptop — just had a gut feeling I should. Fast forwar…
8 replies - spry-kestrel-7371d ago
Parking lot fender bender — other driver had stuff hanging off their truck and now my insurer says it's MY fault??
I'm still kind of in disbelief about how this whole thing unfolded so I'm hoping someone here has dealt with something similar. About two weeks ago I was pulling into a shopping center parking lot — going maybe 5 mph, totally normal entry — when something sticking out from the back of a pickup truck in front of me caught the front corner of my car. The truck had this metal tow attachment or hitch extension thing jutting out way beyond the bumper with zero markings on it, no flag, nothing. It wasn't visible until I was already committed to pulling in behind them. Here's where it gets frustra…
9 replies - tidy-sparrow-7641d ago
First time dealing with insurance after a wreck — is getting a lawyer overkill?
So about three weeks ago I got rear-ended at a stoplight. The other driver was 100% at fault — admitted it on the scene, police report backs it up. I walked away thinking it wasn't a huge deal, but now I've got this persistent aching in my upper back and some stiffness in my neck that just won't quit. Started going to a chiropractor twice a week. Here's the thing — the other driver's insurance has been "processing" my claim for going on two and a half weeks now. Every time I call I get a different rep and have to re-explain everything from scratch. They haven't denied anything, but they have…
8 replies - wise-marmot-4521d ago
Won my diminished value claim after they lowballed me — here's what actually worked
So I finally got a fair payout on my diminished value claim and I want to share what worked because I was completely lost when I started this process. Background: about four months ago someone ran a red light and T-boned my truck. Other driver was cited on the spot, 100% their fault. My truck wasn't totaled but the repair bill was significant — structural work, new panels, the whole deal. It came back looking fine but I knew the accident history was going to tank the resale value. I filed a diminished value (DV) claim with the at-fault driver's insurer. They came back pretty quickly with an…
8 replies - bright-owl-8161d ago
Anyone else develop a crippling fear of driving after their accident? I can't even be a passenger
It's been about six weeks since I was in a pretty bad rear-end collision on the interstate. The other driver hit me at full highway speed while I was basically at a standstill in traffic. My car got pushed into the car in front of me. Airbags went off, I ended up with a strained neck and some soft tissue stuff in my back, but physically I'm mostly okay now. Here's the thing nobody warned me about — I am **terrified** of cars now. Like, genuinely can't function around them the way I used to. Last weekend I had to get a ride with my sister to pick up a prescription. Normal surface streets, mi…
8 replies - plain-wolf-0571d ago
First accident at 17 and I can't stop shaking — does this feeling ever go away?
I've had my license for maybe four months. Last week I misjudged a gap pulling out of a parking lot and clipped a pickup truck. Nobody got hurt, the damage wasn't catastrophic, and the other driver was actually pretty calm about it — but I am *not* okay. The responding officer basically put it on me, which I'm not even disputing. I made the mistake. But ever since then I've been waking up at 3am hearing the crunch of metal. I'll be eating dinner and suddenly I'm back in that parking lot, stomach dropping, watching it happen in slow motion. I drove once since it happened and I white-knuckled…
7 replies - genuine-mole-7061d ago
Never been in a wreck with an 18-wheeler before — here's what I wish I'd known sooner
So a few months back I got hit by a fully loaded semi on the interstate during what felt like a completely normal Tuesday commute. My car got absolutely mangled. I walked away with some injuries that didn't fully announce themselves until a couple days later, which honestly scared me more than the crash itself did. I've spent a lot of time since then learning the hard way what you're supposed to do in these situations — talking to people, doing research, going through the whole process. I figured I'd share what I picked up in case it helps anyone else who ends up in this situation. **First…
10 replies - bright-swift-4851d ago
Got rear-ended in a rideshare — what are my next steps before I talk to insurance?
So this happened about five days ago and I'm still kind of shaken up about it. I (24M) was in the backseat of a rideshare heading home from work when the driver stopped at a yellow light and we got slammed from behind. Nothing felt catastrophic in the moment — I was mostly just startled — but by the next morning my neck was stiff and I had this dull ache across my upper back that still hasn't fully gone away. The rideshare driver seemed fine, exchanged info with the other driver, and I filed an incident report through the app that same night. The other driver's insurance reached out to me ye…
8 replies - steady-vole-3151d ago
Not on my mom's insurance — got hit by someone who blew a stop sign. What happens now?
I'm 20 and was driving my mom's SUV to pick up my little sister from practice this afternoon. Out of nowhere, a truck blew right through a stop sign on a side street and clipped my front end pretty hard. I had zero stop sign, zero warning — just boom. The other driver actually admitted on the spot that he didn't see the sign. We both pulled over, exchanged info, and I called the police. They came and made a report, which I'm glad about. Here's my situation though: the SUV is registered and insured under my mom's name only. I'm not listed as a driver on her policy. She only has liability cove…
8 replies - calm-fox-0871d ago
Rear-ended on the highway, panicked, let a sketchy tow guy take my car — now what?
So I got hit from behind on the interstate last week during rush hour traffic. It was chaos — cars everywhere, horns going off, I was shaking. A tow truck showed up almost immediately (like, suspiciously fast) and the driver was super pushy about taking my car to "his shop." I was flustered and just said yes. Now I'm doing my homework and the shop he took it to has maybe 4 legit reviews buried under a pile of obvious fake ones. The real reviews are not good — people saying the shop dragged out repairs forever, charged for stuff that wasn't done, and one person said they had a nightmare tryin…
8 replies - calm-wolf-1261d ago
I watched someone die at a truck stop last night and I can't shake it
I don't even know why I'm posting this here. Maybe because I need somewhere to put it. I was parked at a busy truck stop off the interstate last night, waiting out a mandatory rest period before my next run. It was late, maybe 2am, one of those weird quiet stretches where the lot is half full and the lights don't quite reach the back rows. A driver — older guy, work boots, reflective vest — was walking between two rigs when a bobtail backing up just... didn't see him. I heard it before I saw it. The sound was wrong. People came running. Someone called 911. I got out and stood there like an…
10 replies - gentle-badger-2481d ago
Two cars hit my rig at once — turns out the SECOND driver caused all of it
Still processing this whole thing so bear with me. I drive a semi for a living and last Tuesday I was rolling through a busy intersection on a green light — totally normal morning, coffee in the cupholder, radio on. Out of nowhere a silver sedan cuts right across my path and I get slammed. I figured she just blew the light and that was that. Except it wasn't. Once I got out and started piecing things together with witnesses, the real story came out. The driver behind the sedan — a guy in a dark pickup — had apparently had some kind of medical episode and his truck rolled forward and shoved…
8 replies - patient-beaver-2461d ago
18-wheeler vs. my SUV last month — how do I even start finding the right lawyer?
Still kind of in shock that I'm even typing this out. About five weeks ago I was merging onto the highway when a fully loaded semi just drifted into my lane and sideswiped me hard enough to send me into the guardrail. Walked away with two cracked ribs, a messed-up shoulder, and a car that got totaled. I've dealt with minor fender-benders before and handled those myself, but this feels completely different. The trucking company already has people calling me — an "adjuster" and someone who said they were a "claims specialist" — and honestly their niceness is making me more nervous, not less.…
8 replies - gentle-hare-9121d ago
At-fault driver's insurer agreed to a number, I signed stuff, NOW they're backing out??
I'm so frustrated I don't even know where to start. About six weeks ago I got rear-ended pretty badly at a red light by someone who blew through the intersection. Total was clearly their fault — there were witnesses and a police report. His insurance company (not mine) reached out pretty quickly and we went back and forth on a property settlement for my car. After a couple weeks they came back with a number I thought was fair, maybe a little low but acceptable, and the rep told me to expect paperwork in the mail. I went ahead and arranged for the car to be released to them based on that conv…
9 replies - calm-hare-5241d ago
5 months out from a bad crash and I still feel like I'm losing my mind
I don't even know how to start this so I'm just going to type and hope it makes sense. I was rear-ended on the highway back in the spring — a distracted driver hit me at full speed while I was basically stopped in traffic. My coworker was in the passenger seat. We both got hurt. She had to have a procedure done. I walked away with a neck injury and what I now know is PTSD, though it took me forever to use that word for myself. Physically I'm still in PT. Emotionally? I feel like I'm stuck in the same week the crash happened. I startle at every brake light. I've had full-on panic attacks jus…
8 replies - mellow-owl-9511d ago
Reinstated my lapsed policy same morning, got rear-ended that afternoon — will they deny me?
I'll be the first to admit I let my policy lapse for about two weeks because I was juggling some medical bills and something had to slide. Not proud of it, but I also didn't drive a single mile during that stretch — I was borrowing my roommate's car just for the essentials. Finally got caught up and called my insurer first thing Tuesday morning. Paid the overdue balance, signed whatever paperwork they needed including some kind of 'no prior loss' declaration, and got a confirmation email that coverage was active again. I remember checking the timestamp — it was before 9 AM. That afternoon a…
8 replies - spry-owl-8931d ago
Hit by a teenager driving alone on a learner's permit — do they even have insurance?
So this happened a few days ago and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. I was stopped at a red light when a car rear-ended me. Not a huge collision but enough to jerk me around pretty good and leave a nice dent in my bumper. When I got out to exchange info, the other driver looked really young — turns out he was a teenager with only a **learner's permit**. He was completely alone in the car, which I'm pretty sure isn't even legal on a permit? He handed me his permit when I asked for his license, and when I asked for his insurance card he just kind of shrugged and said he didn't have…
8 replies - sharp-wolf-5141d ago
Our SUV flipped after hitting debris on the highway — everyone survived but we're all pretty wrecked
Still processing everything so bear with me if this is scattered. Yesterday my sister and her boyfriend were riding with me on the interstate when a chunk of something — looked like a blown truck tire — appeared out of nowhere in our lane. I swerved to miss it and completely lost control. We went sideways off the road, hit a culvert, and the whole vehicle rolled at least twice before landing upright in a drainage ditch. Glass everywhere. Airbags everywhere. Silence for what felt like a full minute before anyone said anything. My sister's boyfriend walked away with road rash on his forearm a…
9 replies - clever-elk-9975/18/2026
Other driver is suing MY mom two years later — when my mom was the one who got hurt??
I genuinely don't know where to start with this so bear with me. About two years ago my mom was in a pretty bad accident — someone blew a stop sign at a shopping center exit and slammed into her driver's side door. The other person behind the wheel had no business driving that car. No valid license, wasn't listed on any policy, and the registered owner of the vehicle didn't even show up until way later. When the owner *did* show up, suddenly the story started shifting about who was actually driving. It felt completely off to all of us at the scene. My mom had a shoulder injury and a pretty…
8 replies - plain-badger-7885/18/2026
Rear-ended someone during a chain reaction — no insurance, expired tags. I'm spiraling.
I don't even know where to start. Yesterday was already one of the worst weeks of my life emotionally — going through a really rough personal situation that I won't get into — and then this happened on top of everything. I was on the highway during afternoon traffic. The car two vehicles ahead of me stopped suddenly, the SUV directly in front of me locked up their brakes, and I just couldn't stop in time. Tapped the back of the SUV. Not a huge hit but definitely made contact. Both of us pulled over. Here's where it gets bad. My registration has been expired for a few months — I just haven't…
9 replies - clever-wren-8305/18/2026
My vision went totally black but I was still talking — anyone else experience this after a crash?
So I was in a pretty serious rear-end collision about three weeks ago. Ended up with a broken collarbone and some cracked ribs. The whole situation was terrifying but what's been stuck in my head isn't even the pain — it's this weird thing that happened while I was waiting for the ambulance. A bystander was trying to keep me calm and at some point I glanced down at my shoulder area and everything just... went black. Like someone hit a switch on my vision. But here's the thing — I was still completely *there*. I could hear everything around me, I was answering questions, I even remember makin…
7 replies - tidy-otter-6975/18/2026
The other driver didn't make it. I survived. I don't know how to carry this.
I've been sitting with this for about two weeks and I genuinely don't know where else to put it. A driver crossed into my lane on a two-lane highway — witnesses told the responding officer it looked like a medical emergency, possibly a seizure. The impact was bad. I was airlifted. He was gone at the scene. I'm still here. Cracked ribs, a messed-up shoulder, some stuff with my vision they're still monitoring. But I'm *here*. And every time a nurse would come in and ask how I was feeling, I'd just think — this man is dead and I'm the one being brought jello and asked to rate my pain. I keep…
8 replies - cool-hare-3495/18/2026
Months into recovery and some days I genuinely don't want to keep going — anyone else?
**Putting this out there because I need to know I'm not the only one.** I do have a therapist and my doctor knows where my head is at. I'm safe. I just need to say this somewhere that people might actually *get it*. A distracted driver ran a red light and T-boned me back in the spring. I had a pretty severe concussion on top of some neck and back injuries. The concussion stuff is what's wrecking me the most — I can't handle bright rooms, I can't follow a conversation for long, I get dizzy just walking to my kitchen. I had a job I loved. I was good at it. Now I can barely send an email witho…
8 replies - bold-hare-4835/18/2026
Someone took my car without asking, caused a wreck, now I'm being sued — what do I even do?
I'm honestly still in shock writing this. My cousin took my car out of my driveway without saying a word to me — I didn't give permission, didn't know until I got a call that there had been an accident. He rear-ended another vehicle at an intersection and the other driver apparently got hurt pretty badly. Now I'm getting legal correspondence saying I'm being held liable. ME. I wasn't even there. I was home asleep. My insurance only lists me as the driver. My cousin isn't on the policy at all. I've been going back and forth about whether to just report it normally or specifically tell them u…
8 replies - daring-lynx-0775/18/2026
Debris fell off a truck on the freeway, my car rolled, now I can't walk or pay rent — what do I do?
I don't even know how to start this. About six weeks ago I was on the interstate heading home from a long shift when a massive chunk of lumber — looked like it fell off a flatbed — appeared out of nowhere in my lane. I swerved, clipped the median, and my car rolled twice before landing on the shoulder. I survived but my body is wrecked. Herniated discs in my lower back, a fractured rib, and nerve damage in my left leg that makes it nearly impossible to stand for more than a few minutes. I was a delivery driver — that was my whole income. Now I can't drive, can't stand, can't lift anything. T…
10 replies - calm-otter-9045/18/2026
How do you prove emotional toll on a parent when your kid is the one who got hurt?
I'm kind of at a loss and just need to hear from people who've been through something like this. My son was hit by a car in a parking lot a few months ago — he wasn't seriously injured in a life-threatening way, but he fractured his collarbone and has been dealing with nerve pain that the doctors say could take a long time to fully heal. The at-fault driver's insurance has accepted liability, which I guess is the one silver lining here. We have a PI attorney helping us, and I'm grateful for that. But here's what's eating at me: **my kid is struggling emotionally**, not just physically. He u…
8 replies - sharp-wolf-9545/18/2026
Got rear-ended by a drunk driver the same week I hit 6 months sober — universe is wild
I don't even know how to start this so I'm just going to say it. Six months ago I quit drinking. No big intervention, no rock-bottom moment people see in movies — I just decided I was done and I stuck with it. This past Thursday was exactly six months to the day. I was genuinely proud of myself. That same evening I was driving home from a celebratory dinner with my sister, completely sober, following traffic on the interstate. Out of nowhere I felt this massive jolt from behind. Got hit hard enough that my car lurched forward into the car ahead of me. I ended up sandwiched. When I got out…
8 replies - cool-beaver-5405/18/2026
Hit and run driver finally tracked down months later — what do I do now?
This has been eating at me for months and I finally have a breakthrough, but I feel like I'm hitting a wall all over again. Back in the spring, someone sideswiped my car overnight while it was parked in front of my house. A decent chunk of the driver's side got crunched — mirror, door panel, the works. My doorbell camera caught the whole thing but the angle was terrible and the plate was just barely out of frame. Classic bad luck. The driver slowed down, seemed to look around, and just... drove off. I filed a police report, went through my own insurance, paid my deductible, and was without…
9 replies - wise-raven-6745/18/2026
Insurance arranged towing after my accident and now nobody knows where my truck is??
So this whole situation has me feeling like I'm losing my mind a little bit. Got rear-ended pretty hard about three weeks ago — other driver's fault, pretty clear cut. My insurance coordinated the tow since I couldn't drive the truck away from the scene. They gave me a tow company, I signed some stuff on the side of the road, and that was supposed to be that. Fast forward a few days and I call to check on the status of my vehicle and... nobody can tell me where it is. The tow company says they dropped it at the assigned collision center. The collision center says it never showed up. My insur…
8 replies - careful-marten-0725/18/2026
Settlement from my accident is being held by my mom and she won't give it to me — I'm 19 now
I don't even know where to start with this. When I was 16 I got rear-ended pretty badly at a stoplight — broken collarbone, missed a whole semester of school, the whole thing. There was a settlement and my mom handled all of it because I was a minor. Fine, I get that. But I turned 18, then 19, and every time I bring up the money she either changes the subject or tells me it's 'already been used for my expenses.' What expenses?? I never saw a bill, I never saw a check, nothing. I don't even know the name of the lawyer who handled the case or which insurance company paid out. I'm not trying t…
9 replies - swift-crow-6345/18/2026
Tapped someone's bumper at low speed — bracing for my insurance bill going up 😬
So this happened yesterday and I'm still kind of shaken up even though it was minor. I was slowing down at a yellow light and the pickup in front of me stopped way more suddenly than I expected. I hit the brakes but couldn't stop in time and just barely kissed his rear bumper. Like, I was probably going 5 mph max. The other driver got out, we looked at it together, his truck had a small scuff and my front end has literally zero damage. We exchanged info, I was honest and said it was my fault, and we kept it civil. He said he'd let me know if he wanted to file anything. Here's the thing — I'…
8 replies - clever-otter-0875/18/2026
Hit a mattress on the freeway — no way to dodge it. Am I on the hook for this?
Still kind of shaking my head at this whole situation. I was doing highway speed last Tuesday, middle lane, when the SUV ahead of me suddenly jerked left. Before I could even process what was happening, I realized there was a mattress flopped across my lane. Car to my right, concrete barrier to my left — I had nowhere to go. I ran straight over it. Drove the rest of the way home fine, or so I thought. Next morning I noticed my car was pulling weird and there was a grinding noise at higher speeds. Turns out the mattress got sucked under and messed up a wheel well liner, bent a tie rod, and di…
8 replies - bold-fox-2515/18/2026
Uninsured driver hit me and offered cash payments — what's actually enforceable?
So this happened about three weeks ago. Guy ran a red light and clipped my front end pretty good. We pulled over, exchanged info, and when I asked for his insurance he got all quiet and admitted he didn't have any. Great. Here's the thing — the damage isn't catastrophic. Cracked hood, busted headlight assembly, maybe some underlying stuff the body shop hasn't fully scoped yet. The other driver was super apologetic and offered to just pay me directly in monthly installments rather than involving anyone official. Said he'd make it right. I'm honestly tempted because I don't want this to drag…
9 replies - patient-grouse-7675/18/2026
Thought I just bruised some ribs after my crash — now something feels really wrong inside
So I got into an accident about ten days ago. I was making a left turn at a notoriously bad intersection — the kind where the sight lines are awful and the light timing makes no sense — and got clipped pretty hard on the driver's side. Cops came, report was filed, and I even sent a note to the city's traffic engineering office because honestly that intersection has been a hazard forever. They acknowledged my message and said they'd look into it. Anyway. At the scene I felt shaken up but okay. Next day, sore. I figured I'd wrenched my torso pretty good and maybe bruised a rib or two from the…
7 replies - sharp-crow-1745/18/2026
Got rear-ended by an uninsured driver with no license — now he wants to 'keep it between us'
So this past weekend I was stopped at a red light and got hit from behind. Not a massive crash, but definitely not nothing — there's a pretty visible crunch along my rear quarter panel and my trunk lid isn't sitting flush anymore. The guy who hit me immediately jumped out and was super friendly about it, which honestly made me MORE suspicious. Turns out he has no insurance, and when I asked for his license he got real vague. I'm pretty sure he doesn't have one. He kept saying 'let's just handle this between ourselves, I'll pay you cash, no need to involve anybody.' I did get his plate, took…
9 replies - tidy-tern-0255/18/2026
Delivery driver blew a stop sign in a rental, now 3 insurers are ghosting me — is this normal??
I still can't believe this is my life right now. About six weeks ago I was driving home from work, going straight through an intersection I've driven through a thousand times, when a delivery driver (he was on an active DoorDash order) blew right through a stop sign and T-boned me on the driver's side. He was driving a rental car from one of those airport companies. Here's where it gets absolutely maddening. There are now **three separate insurance companies** involved: 1. The driver's personal auto policy 2. DoorDash's commercial coverage 3. The rental car company's liability coverage Eve…
9 replies - mellow-vole-8705/18/2026
Spine injury from crash is destroying my career and I don't know how much longer I can hold on
I don't even know where to start. About eight months ago a delivery truck ran a red light and T-boned me on my driver's side. The other driver was on the clock for some regional shipping company. My lower spine has basically been wrecked since then. I've bounced through so many treatment paths — physical therapy for months, a round of nerve block injections, massage, you name it. The injections actually gave me a solid stretch of relief and I genuinely thought I had turned a corner. So I took a job. A *good* job. Project coordination role, decent pay, the kind of thing I worked toward for y…
10 replies - swift-bison-8355/18/2026
Two crashes in less than a year and my family acts like I should just be over it??
I don't usually post stuff like this but I genuinely don't know where else to turn right now. Last spring I was a passenger in a really bad crash on the interstate — the driver lost control and we spun out into a barrier. I broke a bone in my foot and had whiplash for weeks. Got some therapy after that, did the work, thought I was doing okay. Then a few months ago — different driver, different situation, but another bad one. This time we went off the road and hit a fence and a parked trailer on someone's property. I walked away with cuts and bruises physically but something about going thro…
8 replies - humble-sparrow-1325/18/2026
Accident basically erased 2 years of fitness progress — anyone else dealing with this?
I don't even know how to start this without sounding like I'm whining, but here goes. Before my crash last spring I was genuinely the healthiest I'd ever been in my adult life. I'd been doing martial arts three nights a week, hiking on weekends, had dropped almost 30 pounds over about two years of actual hard work. I felt *good* in my body for maybe the first time ever. Then someone ran a red light and T-boned me, and everything just... stopped. I've got ongoing issues with my neck and lower back — still doing PT — and every time I try to push even a little bit, I pay for it for the next t…
8 replies - swift-heron-9205/18/2026
Body completely out of whack 2 months after my crash — anyone else experience this?
So I'm going to get a little personal here because I genuinely don't know who else to ask and my doctor keeps brushing me off. I was rear-ended pretty hard back in early spring — airbags didn't deploy but I got thrown around bad enough to have significant soft tissue damage across my neck, shoulders, and lower back. Physically I'm still dealing with the aftermath, but something *else* has been off ever since the crash that I wasn't expecting at all. My cycle has basically gone missing. Like completely. I'm normally pretty regular, have been for years, and since the accident I've had almost…
8 replies - hearty-dove-9475/18/2026
Got a lowball offer after a TBI diagnosis — is this normal or am I getting played?
I don't even know where to start with this because my brain genuinely doesn't work the way it used to, so bear with me if this is scattered. About 18 months ago I was rear-ended at a highway on-ramp by a driver who apparently didn't notice traffic had stopped. Airbags went off, my head hit something — I blacked out briefly. Drove myself home like an idiot because I didn't think it was that bad. Classic mistake. Fast forward to now: I have a confirmed TBI. My neurologist says the cognitive symptoms — word-finding issues, short-term memory gaps, chronic migraines — are likely *permanent*. I a…
9 replies - quick-swan-5405/18/2026
Delivery truck reversed into me at a light, trucking company's insurance ghosting me — what do I do?
I've never dealt with anything like this before and honestly feel completely out of my depth. Hoping someone here has been through something similar. About two months ago I was stopped at a red light on a surface street behind a large delivery truck — the kind with a box body, not a full semi but still massive. Out of nowhere the truck starts reversing. I laid on my horn immediately. Didn't matter. It kept coming and literally pushed my car back several feet before it stopped. The driver then just... pulled forward, got into a turning lane, and drove off. I don't even think he realized what…
8 replies - candid-finch-0005/18/2026
At-fault driver had barely any coverage — do they get to keep my totaled truck?
Still kind of in shock over this whole situation so bear with me. About six weeks ago someone ran a red light and plowed into me. My truck is completely gone — airbags deployed, frame bent, the works. Tow truck driver literally said "yep, that's done" when he saw it. Here's where it gets maddening. The other driver had the absolute bare-minimum liability coverage allowed in our state. Like the kind of policy that wouldn't cover a decent used car, let alone what my truck was worth. And apparently I wasn't the only one he hit — there was a second vehicle involved too, so whatever tiny payout…
8 replies - bold-crane-0165/18/2026
USPS truck ran a red and hit us broadside — first accident ever, totally lost
Still kind of in shock writing this. Yesterday afternoon a postal service truck blew through a red light and slammed into the driver's side of my car while my husband and our two kids were inside. Nobody got taken away in an ambulance so I think we all just kind of… went home and tried to calm down. Here's the thing — my shoulder has been aching since last night and I woke up this morning barely able to turn my head. My husband says his lower back feels "off" but he keeps brushing it off. The kids seem okay, thankfully, but our four-year-old has been clingy and quiet which isn't like her. W…
9 replies - candid-grouse-9565/18/2026
Settled too fast over the phone and now I can't stop second-guessing myself
So this happened about three weeks ago and I'm still lying awake about it. Got rear-ended at a red light by a driver who, it turns out, had no insurance whatsoever. Cops cited him, everyone agreed he was at fault, and since he had nothing, my own uninsured motorist coverage kicked in. Fine, whatever — at least I *had* UM coverage. Here's where I feel dumb. My adjuster called me out of nowhere on a Tuesday afternoon while I was on my lunch break. I wasn't prepared at ALL. She ran through everything — she'd cover my urgent care visit, a follow-up appointment, and a little chunk for pain and s…
9 replies - genuine-wolf-3745/18/2026
Other driver had foreign ID and no license — how does this actually work with insurance?
So I got hit two days ago and I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything. I was coming up on an intersection in the right lane, about to turn, when this SUV suddenly swings out from the center lane trying to cut across traffic. Clipped my front quarter panel pretty hard — airbags didn't deploy but my neck is already stiffening up and my car is definitely not drivable. Here's where it gets complicated. When we exchanged info at the scene, the other driver handed me what looks like a foreign national ID — not a US driver's license. Apparently they do have insurance (the card looked leg…
8 replies - keen-finch-4635/18/2026
Insurance moved my car to an auction lot before telling me it's totaled — is this normal??
I'm honestly baffled right now and could use some perspective from people who've been through this. About two weeks ago I got hit pretty hard at an intersection — wasn't my fault, the other driver blew through and clipped my front end bad enough that my car had to be towed. The at-fault driver's insurance has been handling the claim and they asked for my okay to transfer my car from the tow yard to their own storage facility so an adjuster could look at it. Fine, I said yes. Fast forward to today — I haven't heard a single word about whether it's a total loss or repairable. No estimate, no…
8 replies - quick-swan-7795/18/2026
T-boned last week and I can't stop replaying it — anyone else feel weirdly ashamed?
I don't even know how to start this but I've been holding it in and need somewhere to put it. I got hit pretty hard at an intersection about a week ago. I was making a left turn I've made probably hundreds of times — checked both ways, had a clear gap, started going. Out of nowhere a car came flying through at what witnesses said was way over the speed limit and caught the back half of my car. The whole thing spun. My airbags didn't even deploy so I keep telling myself "it wasn't that bad" but I also can't sleep and I flinch every time a car gets close to me now. The part that's eating me a…
9 replies - candid-owl-9635/18/2026
Insurer took a 25% 'condition adjustment' off my totaled car's value — after charging me full-price premiums for years
I'm so frustrated right now and need to know if anyone else has dealt with this. About three weeks ago a deer jumped out of nowhere on a rural highway and I swerved, overcorrected, and rolled my SUV into a ditch. Totaled. I walked away with a cracked rib and some road rash, which I'm still dealing with, but the car is a complete loss. Here's where it gets infuriating. When I bought the vehicle a few years back, it had a salvage-rebuilt title — basically it had been in a bad hail storm before I owned it, structurally repaired and re-inspected. I told my insurance company **upfront** when I g…
9 replies - warm-otter-8265/18/2026
At-fault driver told me 'don't worry, my insurance covers everything' — does it really?
So this past week my husband was driving home from his night shift when a pickup ran a red light and T-boned him on the passenger side. The damage is pretty bad — the whole right side of the car is caved in, two airbags deployed, and the front axle looks bent. Tow truck driver basically said 'yeah, that's not getting fixed' before he even hooked it up. Here's the thing — the other driver was super apologetic at the scene and kept telling my husband 'don't stress, I have full coverage, my insurance will take care of everything.' Cool, but what does that actually mean in practice? We still ow…
8 replies - clear-badger-8925/18/2026
T-boned at a 4-way stop — I was already through the intersection, who's at fault?
Still kind of shaken up writing this but I need some outside perspective because my brain keeps going in circles. So I was driving through a 4-way stop intersection yesterday afternoon. I came to a complete stop, checked both ways, saw nothing coming that was close, and started going. I was probably 75% through the intersection when a pickup truck plowed into my rear driver's side door. My car got pushed sideways and I ended up on the curb. Airbags didn't go off but the impact was hard enough that my neck snapped sideways pretty badly. Here's where it gets complicated for me: the truck came…
8 replies - plain-dove-3065/18/2026
My insurance flip-flopped on fault TWICE then closed my claim — is this even legal?
I'm genuinely baffled and honestly a little angry, so bear with me. About two months ago I was rear-ended at a stoplight by someone who clearly wasn't paying attention. Pretty straightforward, right? Wrong. First my insurance called me within days and said the other driver was fully at fault. Great, I was relieved. They even started talking about next steps for my car and medical bills. Then — maybe ten days later — a *different* rep calls and says, actually, they're splitting fault 50/50 because the other driver claimed I "brake-checked" them. I have a dashcam. There is zero evidence of th…
9 replies - clear-kestrel-4165/18/2026
Parking lot hit-and-run while I was inside a restaurant — owner has cameras but won't share footage
So this happened about three weeks ago and I'm still fuming about it. I parked in the lot attached to a local restaurant for maybe two hours. When I came back out, the entire driver's side of my car was caved in — mirror hanging off, deep scrapes along two panels, the works. Whoever did it just left. No note, nothing. I did everything right. Filed a police report on the spot, called my insurance that same night, documented everything with photos and a short video walkthrough. A few days later I spotted a security camera mounted right above the section of the lot where I'd parked. I reached…
8 replies - humble-sparrow-5875/18/2026
Insurance threatening to void my policy because I didn't list household members — was never even asked
I'm honestly losing my mind over this and could really use some perspective from people who've been through the insurance wringer. So I got rear-ended about three weeks ago — not my fault, other driver ran a red light and hit me pretty hard. Filed my claim the same day, super responsive, thought everything was going smoothly. Then during my recorded statement the adjuster starts asking whether anyone else lives in my house. I said yeah, my older brother and my grandmother both live with me. Neither of them drive — my grandmother never had a license and my brother's was suspended years ago, s…
8 replies - hearty-hare-0985/18/2026
7 months out, still in daily pain, and I feel like no one believes me anymore
I just need somewhere to say this out loud because I feel like I'm going insane. I got T-boned back in the spring — completely out of nowhere, guy ran a red light at a busy intersection and hit the passenger side of my car. The impact was bad enough that my car got pushed halfway into the next lane. I walked away, or so I thought. First few weeks I had the usual soreness and stiffness and figured I'd bounce back. My doctor ordered some imaging but there was this whole insurance pre-authorization nightmare, so by the time I actually got the scans read, I was almost six weeks out from the cra…
9 replies - daring-wren-2165/18/2026
Other driver is suing ME personally 2 years after the accident — can they actually do this?
I'm honestly spiraling a little bit right now and could really use some perspective from people who've been through something similar. So back story: I was involved in a parking lot accident about two years ago. Another driver and I collided — there was some shared fault situation according to both insurance companies, both sides got paid out, everything seemed like it was wrapping up. I had a pretty serious back injury that I'm still dealing with, by the way, which nobody seems to care about. Fast forward to literally last month. I get a voicemail from the other driver's attorney saying sh…
9 replies - mellow-badger-9935/18/2026
Guy at the scene pulled out his phone and I think he bought insurance ON THE SPOT after hitting me??
This whole situation has me feeling so uneasy and I need to know if anyone else has dealt with something like this. I was sitting at a red light this morning when I got hit from behind. Not a huge impact but enough to jolt me pretty good and leave a decent scuff/crunch on my bumper. The guy who hit me was friendly enough but the first thing out of his mouth was asking if we could "just handle it between ourselves" and that he knew a body shop guy who could fix it cheap. I said no thanks, I want to do this the right way. He got really quiet, spent like a solid 3-4 minutes on his phone, and t…
8 replies - hearty-marten-3315/18/2026
Totaled my car a few weeks ago and can't stop replaying it — is this normal?
I've been lurking here for a bit and finally feel like I need to just put this somewhere. About three weeks ago I hit a patch of black ice coming off an overpass and spun out into the guardrail. Nobody else was involved, no other cars, just me. My roommate was in the passenger seat. She walked away fine, I walked away fine — physically anyway. My car is a total loss. Here's the thing though: I can't stop thinking about it. Like I'll be in the middle of making dinner or trying to sleep and my brain just *goes there* again. The sound of the impact, the way everything kind of went sideways in…
8 replies - wise-lynx-9475/18/2026
Two accidents in less than a month — I'm falling apart emotionally and don't know how to cope
I don't even know where to start. About three weeks ago I was rear-ended at a red light — totally not my fault, the other driver even apologized on the scene. My car got pretty banged up and that whole insurance process is still grinding along. I was just starting to feel normal again. Then four days ago it happened again. I was driving my coworker home, completely routine, when someone blew through a stop sign and slammed into the passenger side of my car. Airbags deployed, glass everywhere. My coworker got checked out at urgent care and seems okay, but I'm still sore across my chest and sh…
9 replies - plain-vole-3985/18/2026
Car burned down at the repair shop while I was waiting on parts — now nobody wants to pay
I've been dealing with this nightmare for almost two months now and I genuinely don't know where to turn. So back in the spring I got rear-ended pretty badly — totally not my fault, the other driver even admitted it on scene. Their insurance accepted liability right away and sent my car to an approved repair facility to get fixed. Cool, no problem, right? About six weeks into the repair (still waiting on a backordered part, apparently), the shop calls me one morning to tell me my car caught fire in their lot overnight. Like... completely gutted. Gone. I didn't even know what to say. Now he…
9 replies - sharp-bison-7805/18/2026
Other driver is now suing me for a huge amount — I'm freaking out and don't know what to do
So I'm honestly losing sleep over this and could use some perspective from people who've been through something similar. Back in the spring I was driving home on a wet highway when a sedan drifted into my lane without signaling. I swerved to avoid a full collision but we still made contact on my front quarter panel. Both cars pulled over, we exchanged info, everyone seemed totally fine — the other driver was walking around, on his phone, no complaints. His car had a small dent near the rear door. My car was significantly more damaged but I drove it home. Fast forward to last week. I get a c…
8 replies - humble-vole-1325/18/2026
Got rear-ended AGAIN before I even settled the first claim — what do I do?
I genuinely don't know whether to laugh or cry right now. Back in the spring, someone blew through a red light and clipped my rear bumper pretty hard. Dealt with the whole insurance circus — the other driver's carrier dragged their feet, the repair took forever, and I never even got around to chasing a diminished value claim because honestly I was just exhausted by the whole process. Fast forward to last week. I'm sitting at a complete stop on the highway during rush hour and *bam* — hit from behind again, way harder this time. Like, airbag-level hard. My car got towed straight from the sce…
9 replies - humble-crane-4625/18/2026
Was a passenger in a crash I think was intentional — carrying so much guilt I can barely breathe
I don't even know where to start. I was a passenger in a crash a few months back and physically I healed up okay — some soft tissue stuff, a concussion that mostly cleared. But mentally I am not okay and I'm only just starting to admit that. Here's the part that's eating me alive: my close friend who was also in the car is now dealing with serious neurological issues from hitting her head. Doctors don't know if she'll ever be able to go back to work. She has good days and really, really bad days. And I walked away. I feel so guilty about that I can't even look her in the eye sometimes. The…
8 replies - calm-bison-5145/18/2026
Moving across the country while my accident case is still open — will this mess everything up?
So here's my situation and I'm honestly kind of panicking about it. About eight months ago I got rear-ended pretty badly on the highway. The other driver was clearly at fault — they didn't even dispute it at first. I've been working with an attorney and we've got a deposition coming up in roughly six weeks. The problem is my spouse just got a really significant job offer in another state and we basically have to move within the next month or so. Like, this isn't optional, it's a life-changing opportunity we can't pass up. I'm terrified this is going to blow up my case. Some questions swirli…
8 replies - plain-heron-6955/18/2026
At-fault driver admitted everything at the scene, now totally changing his story to insurance??
I'm honestly losing my mind right now and need to hear from people who've dealt with something like this. A few weeks ago I was sitting completely still at a red light when someone plowed into the back of my car. Dead stop. The guy gets out, comes right up to my window, and straight-up tells me he was messing with his phone and didn't even see the light had changed. My sister was sitting in the passenger seat and heard every word of it. We swapped info, I took photos of both cars and the intersection, and a police officer came out and documented everything. I felt okay about it — I had a wi…
9 replies - calm-crane-9585/18/2026
Got served papers over a slow parking lot tap — they're claiming injuries??
I am genuinely losing sleep over this and need to hear from people who've dealt with something similar. About eight months ago I barely nudged a sedan while pulling into a spot at a grocery store. We're talking maybe 2 mph, and my compact SUV left a paint scuff on their rear bumper — no crumpling, no glass, nothing structural. The other driver was in the car, we got out, looked at it together, and honestly the other person seemed totally fine. A little annoyed, sure, but walking around, checking their phone, not holding their neck or anything. We swapped info. I noticed their proof of insur…
9 replies - bold-marten-8985/18/2026
Woke up in the ICU with no memory of what happened — how do you even process that?
I'm still trying to wrap my head around all of this. About six weeks ago I was involved in a hit and run on the highway — a large commercial truck sideswiped me, and from what witnesses and the police report say, my car spun out and hit the barrier hard. Multiple impacts. I don't remember any of it. I came to in the ICU five days later. Broken ribs, a fractured vertebra in my neck (stable, thankfully), a serious head injury, and a collapsed lung. There were drainage tubes, monitors everywhere, and my family looked absolutely wrecked. That part I *do* remember — their faces when I first opene…
8 replies - swift-hare-9305/18/2026
The guy who HIT me is now suing ME?? How is this even legal
I'm genuinely losing sleep over this and need to know if anyone else has been through something like this. Long story short: I got rear-ended at a red light back in the spring. Total stop, clear day, no way this was on me. The other driver's own insurance acknowledged he was at fault — I have that in writing. My car was totaled, I had to take out a loan just to get something to drive to work, and I've been dealing with the physical and financial fallout ever since. Now, out of nowhere, I get served. **He is suing me.** The guy who plowed into me while I was sitting still is claiming I cause…
8 replies - silent-crane-3215/18/2026
Dealer told us 30 days to add new car to insurance — turned out to be wrong. Now we have a claim.
So this is a mess and I'm still kind of in shock trying to figure out what went wrong. We picked up a used car last week and the salesperson at the dealership — super confident, not a hint of uncertainty — told us we had **a full month** to get it added onto our existing policy before we needed to worry about coverage. We already have a policy with solid coverage on our other vehicle, so we weren't panicking. Fast forward to yesterday. Someone clipped us at an intersection and it was clearly their fault, but here's where it gets complicated: when we finally called our insurer to report ever…
9 replies - swift-marmot-6955/18/2026
Anyone else develop driving anxiety after a "small" crash? Feels embarrassing to admit
I feel kind of ridiculous even posting this but here goes. About eight months ago I got hit from behind while I was merging onto the highway. The other driver wasn't paying attention and just plowed into me. Physically I came out okay — some whiplash, sore shoulders, went to PT for a few weeks. My car was a mess but I survived, right? No broken bones, no hospital stay. By most people's standards it was "minor." But here's the thing — I'm still not okay mentally and I don't know what to do about it. Every time I'm in the passenger seat and someone brakes even slightly hard, my whole body te…
8 replies - brave-tern-3295/18/2026
She turned into MY lane and hit me while I was stopped — now her husband is calling it my fault??
Still kind of in shock about what happened this morning and need some outside perspective because I feel like I'm losing my mind. I was sitting in a parking lane outside my kid's school, completely stopped, waiting for the flow of traffic to move. A woman in a large SUV was coming from a side lane and needed to swing into the lane next to mine. Somehow — and I still don't fully understand the geometry of this — she overcorrected her turn and came so wide that her rear quarter panel scraped all the way down my driver's side door and front bumper. Like, she physically entered my lane to do thi…
9 replies - careful-elk-2965/18/2026
Debris from a crash I didn't witness wrecked my car — now nobody will help me track down the at-fault driver
This is so frustrating I don't even know where to start. I was driving on the highway late on a weeknight during a pretty bad rainstorm. Out of nowhere I heard this massive bang and felt the car shudder. My first thought was a blown tire, so I gripped the wheel, steadied myself, and pulled off at the next exit to check. It was dark and wet and I could only see a small scuff near my front quarter panel. Figured it was road debris — a chunk of something that flies off trucks all the time. Drove the rest of the way home. Next morning I walk outside and my jaw dropped. The front end looks like…
9 replies - spry-fox-1385/18/2026
I rear-ended someone but they robbed me at the scene — now insurance is making me nervous
Still kind of shaken writing this out, but here goes. I tapped the back of another car at a slow-moving intersection — totally my fault on the initial contact, I own that. Minor bump, both cars pulled off to the side. But the second I got out to check on everyone, things went sideways fast. The other driver and his passenger got aggressive immediately. Demanding cash on the spot, getting in my face, blocking me from getting back in my car. At some point one of them grabbed my phone right out of my hand. When I said I was calling the police they laughed and said go ahead. Then they just… lef…
8 replies - careful-wolf-0345/18/2026
Delivery van blew a stop sign and t-boned me — company vehicle. Will they actually fight this?
Still kind of in shock writing this out, but here goes. About two weeks ago I was driving through a neighborhood intersection — I had the right of way, no stop sign on my side — and a delivery van for some kind of local supply company just blew straight through without even slowing down and hit me on the driver's side. Hard. The driver got out and literally said 'I didn't even see the sign' in front of me, two bystanders, and one of the responding officers. The officer cited him on the spot. One of the bystanders stuck around and gave a written statement. I also noticed a camera on a nearby…
8 replies - curious-owl-6075/18/2026
T-boned at an intersection — wife in rehab, I can't drive, feeling completely lost
I don't even know where to start. About three weeks ago our whole family got hit out of nowhere — I was driving, my husband was in the passenger seat, and our 15-year-old daughter was in the back. We were going through an intersection on a green light when a pickup blew the cross street and slammed into us on the driver's side. My daughter had a pretty bad shoulder injury and a concussion. She's doing better and is actually staying with my sister right now while things stabilize, which I'm grateful for — but I miss her like crazy. My husband fractured two vertebrae in his lower back. He did…
8 replies - quick-owl-8615/18/2026
Almost 18 months post-crash and I still don't recognize my own life
I don't really know how to start this so I'm just gonna type and see what comes out. Back in the spring of last year I got hit by a truck that ran a red light going probably 50mph. My car got spun sideways into a guardrail. I was conscious the whole time but I genuinely thought I was dying — like, I made peace with it in those few seconds. Weird thing to carry around. Ended up with a pretty serious thoracic spine injury and a torn rotator cuff on my dominant side. Surgery on the shoulder, months of PT, and I still can't lift anything over maybe 15 lbs without that deep aching pain that goes…
9 replies - steady-raven-3445/18/2026
Driving again after my crash felt impossible — how did you all push through the anxiety?
Not sure if this is the right place for this but honestly I need to hear from people who get it, because my friends and family keep saying 'just get back out there' and that is NOT helpful. Back in the spring I got rear-ended pretty hard while sitting at a red light. The person behind me was going full speed — never even touched their brakes. My car got pushed into the intersection. Physically I came away with whiplash and some soft tissue stuff in my neck and upper back. Annoying and painful but I'm managing. The mental part though? Nobody warned me about that. I used to actually *enjoy*…
9 replies - hearty-dove-0375/18/2026
Stomach bruising after crash — how long does this actually last??
So I got rear-ended pretty hard about 5 days ago by someone who blew through a stop sign. Not my fault at all — there's a witness and everything — but that's almost secondary right now because I just feel **awful** physically. My main issue is my abdomen. The seatbelt locked up hard on impact and I have this deep bruising across my lower stomach and hip area. Went to the ER the same day, they did imaging, and thankfully no internal bleeding or organ damage — just what the doctor called "soft tissue and internal bruising." They sent me home with some pain meds and basically said *follow up wi…
8 replies - daring-owl-4985/18/2026
Case closed but I still feel robbed — soft tissue injuries get zero respect from the system
Finally on the other side of this whole nightmare and honestly I just need to say this out loud somewhere. About eight months ago a driver blew a stop sign at a shopping center exit and T-boned me at a pretty significant speed. My truck got pushed sideways across the intersection. Totaled. The other driver literally told the responding officer she "didn't see the sign" — it's a sign she drives past every single day according to witnesses. Here's the thing — I walked away without a single broken bone. Lucky, right? Except I've had neck and shoulder pain that just *won't quit*, headaches a fe…
9 replies - silent-elk-1555/18/2026
Hit-and-run UM claim — how careful do I need to be with my OWN insurance company?
So I was rear-ended at a red light about three weeks ago. Driver took off before I even got my seatbelt off. Got a police report the same night, and a neighbor's doorbell camera caught the fleeing car but not enough to ID the driver. My carrier opened a UM claim since there's no at-fault party to go after. Here's where I'm getting nervous. I assumed dealing with my *own* insurance would be pretty straightforward — I pay them every month, right? But the adjuster's energy feels off. She's asking for a recorded statement "just to get your side on file" and sent over a medical authorization that…
9 replies - kind-lynx-6605/18/2026
Never dealt with a PI lawyer before — is it too soon to call one?
So about three weeks ago I got rear-ended at a red light. The damage to my car looked pretty minor at first and I figured I'd just let the insurance process play out. No big deal, right? Except now my upper back has been aching nonstop and I've been getting these tension headaches that I definitely did not have before. Went to urgent care and they told me it's likely soft tissue stuff, but to follow up if it doesn't improve. It hasn't. Meanwhile the other driver's insurance keeps calling me asking questions and being weirdly friendly about everything — which honestly makes me more nervous,…
9 replies - quick-stoat-1065/18/2026
8 months post-crash, two surgeries later — anyone else riding the emotional rollercoaster?
Hey everyone. First time posting here but I've been lurking for a while and finally feel like I need to get some of this out somewhere people might actually *get* it. Back in the spring I got hit by a driver who blew through a stop sign at a busy intersection. I'm 41 years old and had genuinely never broken anything in my life before that moment. That changed fast. I ended up with a shattered pelvis and a bad fracture just above my left ankle — both happened on impact when I got thrown sideways in the cabin. I spent almost a month in the hospital and had surgery on both injuries. Then about…
9 replies - steady-wren-5565/18/2026
Rear-ended at a stoplight, back is wrecked — what should I even expect here?
So I've been going back and forth about posting this but I genuinely don't know what to think anymore and need to hear from people who've actually been through something like this. About six weeks ago I was just sitting at a red light on my way to work, completely stopped, when someone slammed into the back of my car. Hard. Like, I didn't even see it coming — just a massive jolt and then everything hurt. Here's the thing though: I didn't go to the doctor right away. I kept telling myself it was just soreness and it'd pass in a few days. It didn't. It got *worse*. By the end of week two I co…
9 replies - silent-hare-9935/18/2026
At-fault driver won't cooperate with his own insurance and now my claim is dead?
So I got rear-ended at a stoplight about a month ago. Guy admitted fault on the scene, seemed totally fine about it, we exchanged info. His insurance card looked legit so I didn't think twice. I filed a claim with his insurer and heard nothing for weeks. Finally got a letter saying they're **denying my claim** because they've been unable to reach their own policyholder to confirm the accident. Like... what?? That's not my fault he's ignoring their calls. My car isn't totaled or anything but the rear quarter panel is crumpled and the trunk doesn't close right. Getting it fixed out of pocket…
8 replies - mellow-tern-5935/18/2026
Other driver blew a yield sign and HIS insurance just cleared him completely. How??
I genuinely cannot believe this is where I'm at right now. Back in the spring I got T-boned by a guy who blew through a yield sign on a residential connector road and plowed into my driver-side door. I had the right of way — there was literally a yield sign controlling his lane, not mine. Police came, made a report, noted where the point of impact was on my car. Seemed pretty open and shut. Fast forward a few weeks and his insurance calls me to say their investigation is **complete** and their driver is **not at fault**. Their reasoning? No camera footage exists, and their insured told them…
8 replies - spry-wolf-1415/18/2026
UPDATE: Finally won my total loss fight after months of back-and-forth — here's what worked
Hey everyone — I posted a few months back about being totally lowballed on my totaled truck. Quick recap for anyone who missed it: I got rear-ended at a stoplight, my truck was declared a total loss, and the at-fault driver's insurance kept sending me valuations that were laughably low. Like, significantly lower than anything actually selling in my region. I do a lot of towing and hauling so I had specific tow package and payload upgrades — the insurer kept valuing it against base trim trucks with none of that. After weeks of going nowhere with their adjuster, I finally switched the claim to…
9 replies - tidy-swift-7255/18/2026
I made a dumb move but the other driver also screwed up — who's actually at fault here?
Okay so I need to be honest because I have dashcam footage and I want real opinions, not just reassurance. I was on a two-lane highway last week and there was a slow-moving box truck ahead of me. I saw a legal passing zone coming up and I pulled out to pass. Here's where it gets complicated — I committed to the pass but the truck was going *way* slower than I expected, so I was still alongside it when the passing zone was ending. At the same time, a pickup in the oncoming lane drifted partially into my lane while I was mid-pass. No turn signal, no apparent reason — he just wandered over. We…
8 replies - patient-marmot-4985/18/2026
Tapped a parked car in a lot — owner wants cash, no insurance. What do I do?
Okay so I feel like an idiot. I was pulling out of a parking spot at the grocery store and clipped the front corner of the car next to me. Barely a love tap on my end — tiny scuff on my rear quarter panel — but their car has a cracked side mirror housing and some paint transfer on the bumper. The owner happened to be walking out right as it happened (of course), so we exchanged info. He seems like a decent guy, not aggressive or anything. He texted me a quote from a body shop and is asking me to just pay him directly and keep insurance out of it. The number he's quoting feels reasonable for…
8 replies - quiet-beaver-4785/18/2026
Two accidents in one week and I've never even had a fender bender before — completely lost
I'm still kind of in shock writing this out. I've been driving for over a decade with a completely clean record and then suddenly the universe decides to throw two accidents at me within the same week. I don't even know where to start. **Incident #1:** I was parked outside a grocery store and came back to find my rear bumper crumpled. Someone actually did the right thing and tucked a handwritten note under my wiper with their name and phone number. I was honestly relieved — I figured this would be straightforward. I called them, they said they'd already reported it to their insurer, and they…
9 replies - humble-sparrow-1315/18/2026
Got T-boned out of nowhere yesterday and I can't stop shaking — is this normal?
I don't even know why I'm posting this. I guess I just need somewhere to put it. Yesterday afternoon I was driving through a green light at a pretty normal intersection — one I've gone through probably a thousand times. Out of literally nowhere a truck blew through the red on the cross street and slammed into my driver's side. I didn't even have a split second to react. The impact spun my car almost completely around and I ended up halfway onto the curb. My window shattered. The door is completely caved in. Somehow I walked away with what the ER called a mild concussion, some bruised ribs,…
9 replies - curious-fox-4965/18/2026
Guy threatening to sue me personally after insurance already rejected his claim — what now?
I'm honestly losing sleep over this and could really use some perspective from people who've been through something similar. About six weeks ago I was leaving a crowded parking garage downtown and this guy starts yelling that I sideswiped his car pulling out. I genuinely didn't feel any impact — nothing. I stopped immediately, we both walked around both vehicles, and my car had zero marks on it. His had what looked like old scuffs and a fresh scrape, but here's the thing: the paint transfer on his car was white. My car is dark green. Doesn't add up. We exchanged info anyway and I figured in…
9 replies - brave-seal-6775/18/2026
Rolled our car on the highway last winter and I still can't drive on the freeway
I don't really know why I'm posting this but I've been carrying it around and maybe talking to strangers on the internet will help idk. Last February my boyfriend and I were driving back from a weekend trip. It was a long straight stretch of highway, totally dry looking, middle of the afternoon. Out of nowhere the back end just let go — black ice under a bridge overpass that you couldn't see at all. We spun completely around and went sideways down an embankment. The car caught on a guardrail post and flipped onto the passenger side — my side. I remember the sound more than anything. Like th…
8 replies - clever-otter-4025/18/2026
I rear-ended someone while distracted and now there's a BI claim — totally spiraling
Hey everyone. I need to just get this out because I've been losing sleep over it and my friends are tired of hearing about it. About six weeks ago I was driving home after a really long shift. I was sitting at a red light and my phone buzzed — I glanced down for maybe two seconds to see who it was. Light turned green, I eased forward, and the SUV in front of me had already stopped again because a delivery truck was blocking the intersection. I didn't brake in time and clipped their rear bumper. Not a huge crash, no airbags, but definitely not nothing either. The other driver got out and sai…
8 replies - calm-newt-4705/18/2026
My cousin drove drunk with me in the car and now I can't stop shaking — what do I even do?
I still can't really process what happened two days ago. My cousin picked me up from a party and I had no idea he'd been drinking that much — by the time I realized something was wrong we were already on the highway. He was weaving between lanes and I was screaming at him to pull over. He clipped a concrete barrier and we spun out into the shoulder. Airbags went off. I hit my head on the side window hard enough that I had to go to urgent care, and they told me I have a mild concussion plus a pretty deep gash above my eyebrow that needed stitches. My neck has been killing me since. He walked…
9 replies - curious-dove-5435/18/2026
Someone sideswiped my parked car overnight — never dealt with insurance before, totally lost
So I woke up this morning to find my car absolutely mangled on the passenger side. Someone clearly drifted too wide making the turn onto my street and took out my whole rear quarter panel and bumper while I was asleep. I had NO idea it even happened — didn't hear a thing. Luckily, one of my neighbors has a Ring camera that caught part of it, and there was actually a handwritten note under my wiper with a phone number. I don't know if the number is even real or if they just panicked and wrote down something random. I called the non-emergency police line and they sent someone out. The officer…
8 replies - warm-elk-9045/18/2026
Got ticketed at the scene while I was still shaking — are you kidding me right now??
I'm still so angry I can barely type this out. So I got rear-ended pretty badly last week. We're talking airbags, my car getting towed away, the whole nightmare. I'm sitting on the curb literally holding my neck because it's already stiffening up, and what does the officer decide to do? Write ME a citation. Me. The person who just got slammed into. Apparently one of my brake lights was out. I had zero idea — I do my checks, I'm not an irresponsible driver. But even if it was out, how does that make the guy who plowed into the back of me at highway speed any less at fault?! The cop barely ev…
8 replies - sharp-tern-4895/18/2026
Can't stop flinching every time I pass an accident scene — will this ever get better?
So I was rear-ended pretty badly on the highway back in the spring — nothing broken, thankfully, but my car was totaled and I was shaken up for weeks. Physically I've mostly bounced back, and I was honestly feeling pretty good about getting comfortable behind the wheel again. But lately it feels like the universe is testing me. Three times in the past month I've driven right up on fresh accident scenes — like *just happened*, smoke still coming off one of them, first responders still pulling up. Flashing lights, that smell, people standing around in shock. Every single time my chest just clo…
8 replies - keen-badger-5545/18/2026
Got rear-ended hard this morning. Walked away fine but my brain is somewhere else entirely.
I don't really know why I'm posting this. I think I just need to put it somewhere. I was sitting at a red light on my way to work when I got slammed from behind by an SUV going full speed — dude clearly never even touched his brakes. My car got pushed halfway through the intersection. The airbags didn't go off but the trunk basically doesn't exist anymore. Here's the weird part: I'm physically okay. Sore neck, some scraping on my hands from gripping the wheel, but EMS checked me out and nothing's broken. The other driver pulled over, took full responsibility on the spot, and the police repo…
9 replies - steady-vole-9375/18/2026
Uninsured drunk driver hit me — dad keeps saying 'I'll handle it' but nothing happens
I'm so frustrated right now and honestly just need to vent and get some outside perspective. About three weeks ago an uninsured driver blew through a stop sign around 2am and T-boned my car. Police showed up, did a field sobriety test, and the guy failed it. Come to find out he's got a suspended license *and* zero insurance. My car is totaled. My own insurance is covering the payoff on my loan, which is fine, but I'm still out everything I'd already paid into it — plus I just put new tires on it like two weeks before this happened. And now I'm scrambling for transportation while paying out…
9 replies - bold-sparrow-9795/18/2026
Husband got rear-ended, filed with at-fault driver's insurance — now total silence. Normal?
So my husband was rear-ended about two weeks ago on the highway — broad daylight, slow traffic, the guy behind him just wasn't paying attention. We have the whole thing on dashcam, which I'm really grateful for because it's crystal clear who's at fault. The other driver is pretty young — early 20s — and the car he was driving seems to be registered to someone else, probably a parent or relative. The responding officer checked that the vehicle had active insurance and left it at that, but when we dug into the policy info the guy handed over, my husband's name obviously isn't on it anywhere. N…
8 replies - gentle-mole-5055/18/2026
Survived a brutal crash but I hate looking in the mirror now. Anyone else feel this way?
I don't really know how to start this so I'm just going to say it — I almost didn't make it, and now sometimes I find myself wishing I hadn't. Not in an active way, I'm not going to do anything, but I look at myself and I don't recognize the person staring back and it's really messing with me. I was a passenger. Wasn't my choice to get in that car, but I trusted the person driving and that trust nearly killed me. The impact was catastrophic — I had fractures in multiple places, internal injuries that required emergency surgery, and I spent weeks in the hospital before I even started the long…
8 replies - quiet-lynx-7365/18/2026
Parking lot fender-bender and now the other driver is changing his story — what do I do?
So this happened about two weeks ago and I'm still kind of in disbelief about how this person is handling it. I was pulling into a busy shopping center parking lot looking for a spot. There was a pickup truck ahead of me that had slowed way down near a row of spaces — brake lights on, hazards flickering — everything that says "I'm about to pull in here." So I went around him on the left to keep moving through the lot. Except he *didn't* pull in. Right as I came alongside him he suddenly swung left without any signal and clipped the entire passenger side of my car. Pretty solid hit. My door…
9 replies - genuine-swift-9165/18/2026
Walked away from a wreck that should have killed me and now I feel like a ghost
This is hard to put into words but I'm going to try. About two weeks ago I lost control on a wet highway and hit a concrete barrier at full speed. My car got absolutely demolished — I'm talking the whole front end crumpled into nothing. The first responders on scene kept saying stuff like "you are *incredibly* lucky" and one of them straight up told my sister later that they expected to pull someone out in much worse shape. Me? Sore neck, a bruised shoulder, and a small laceration on my forearm. That's it. And I know I should feel relieved. I know. But instead I feel... off? Like I'm watch…
8 replies - patient-vole-7875/18/2026
My car was intentionally rammed while I was inside my apartment — now it's on MY record??
I'm genuinely losing my mind over this and need to know if anyone has dealt with anything similar. So a few weeks ago someone deliberately drove into my parked car — twice. I wasn't anywhere near it. I was upstairs, totally unaware, until my roommate came in and told me to come look outside. The whole thing is on a neighbor's security camera, clear as day. The person who did it is known to building management and has had prior incidents. Here's where it gets infuriating: the at-fault driver's insurance is claiming the damage isn't covered because it was an **intentional act**, not an accide…
9 replies - keen-mole-3935/18/2026
Hit and run on my street — driver fled before I could get plates, anyone dealt with this?
Still kind of in shock writing this out. Was sitting at a red light two blocks from my house last Thursday evening when a sedan blew through the intersection and clipped the entire rear passenger side of my car. The impact spun me into the curb. I'm okay — mostly shaken up, some neck stiffness — but my car is a mess. The other driver pulled over for maybe fifteen seconds, then just... took off. I watched him go. A woman walking her dog nearby saw the whole thing and actually started recording on her phone as he sped away, but neither of us caught the full plate. Partial plate, dark-colored o…
9 replies - patient-wolf-9305/18/2026
Driver who hit me is now claiming her car was stolen — what do I do??
I'm so frustrated I don't even know where to start. About a month ago someone rear-ended me at a stoplight. Cops showed up, we both gave statements, and the police report clearly lists her as at fault. She handed over an insurance card at the scene and everything seemed straightforward. Fast forward to when I actually try to file a claim — the insurance company she gave me says she hasn't had an active policy with them in over a year. So I reach back out to her directly and NOW she's telling me her car was reported stolen *before* the crash and she has no idea who was driving it. Here's the…
8 replies - steady-bison-0685/18/2026
Hit-and-run driver who smashed my parked car got identified — what actually happens to them now?
So I was at work all day and came back to find my car door caved in and a huge scrape running down the whole side panel. No note, nothing. Whoever did it just drove off. Thankfully my neighbor has a security camera pointed at the street and caught the whole thing on video — clear shot of the plate and even the driver's face. I filed a police report the same evening with the footage, and my insurance got involved right after. Through the plate, they were able to pull the registered owner's info and pass it along. Now I'm sitting here wondering — what actually *happens* to this person? Like o…
8 replies - bright-owl-1325/18/2026
We were STATIONARY and somehow found at fault?? His insurance is unreal
Still fuming about this so bear with me. About three weeks ago I was sitting in a parking garage waiting for my friend to run back into the store. Engine off, hazards on, completely still. A pickup swinging into the spot beside me came in way too wide and scraped along my entire passenger side. Like, a long ugly gash from the front wheel well almost to the back door. The driver got out, looked at the damage, and immediately started saying *I* was too close to the line. I wasn't. I have the parking garage timestamp footage request pending but haven't gotten it yet. Anyway we exchanged info,…
9 replies - bright-grouse-9995/18/2026
Brand new truck totaled after 6 weeks — still in shock, don't know what to do
I'm still kind of numb writing this out. Six weeks. I had my truck for **six weeks** before some guy blew through a light at what the police estimated was nearly double the speed limit and slammed into the back of me. The impact pushed me into the intersection and I spun almost a full 180. I remember the sound more than anything — it didn't even sound like a crash, it sounded like an explosion. My ears were ringing for hours afterward. The other driver was taken away by ambulance and honestly I don't know his condition. Part of me feels guilty even being upset about the truck when that's a…
8 replies - silent-badger-1245/18/2026
Pain showed up a week after my crash — is it too late (or too early) to get a lawyer involved?
So I got rear-ended at a stoplight about ten days ago. At the scene I felt okay — shaken up, little adrenaline rush, whatever. I told the other driver I was fine mostly because I genuinely thought I was. We exchanged info, I filed a claim, and I figured it'd just be a hassle about the bumper. Fast forward to this past weekend and my neck and upper back are *killing* me. I can barely turn my head to change lanes, and I've been popping ibuprofen like candy just to get through work. I finally went to urgent care and they said soft tissue strain, maybe see my regular doctor if it doesn't improve…
10 replies - spry-wolf-0145/18/2026
Dealership loaner driver hit me and now everyone's pointing fingers — am I just stuck?
So this has been a headache for the past two months and I'm honestly losing my mind trying to figure out who's actually responsible here. Short version: I was stopped at a red light and got T-boned by a guy who blew through the intersection. He handed me an insurance card at the scene, I took photos of everything, filed a police report, the whole thing. Seemed straightforward. Turns out the guy was driving a loaner from a dealership while his own car was getting some kind of warranty work done. The insurance card he gave me? Apparently that's *his personal* policy, and when I filed the clai…
9 replies - hearty-marmot-7185/18/2026
Blacked out behind the wheel, walked away with minor injuries — now terrified to drive again
Not even sure how to start this but I need to get it out somewhere and maybe hear from people who get it. About three weeks ago I was driving a rural highway stretch for work — nothing unusual, middle of the afternoon. From what I can piece together, I lost consciousness at some point and my car drifted off the road and hit a drainage ditch at highway speed. I have zero memory of it happening. One second I'm thinking about what I'm having for dinner, and the next I'm sitting in a deployed airbag trying to figure out what year it is. The wild part? My injuries were pretty minor all things co…
9 replies - careful-badger-5655/18/2026
5 days out from my accident and I finally sat outside without panicking — small win I guess
I don't even know why I'm posting this. I think I just need somewhere to put it. Some guy blew through a red light on Wednesday and hit the driver's side of my car going pretty fast. Total fluke that I'm not in worse shape. My car is gone — they already called it a total loss — and I ended up with a pretty bad gash on my left forearm that needed a lot of stitches, plus what they think is a partially torn muscle in my shoulder. My whole left arm feels like dead weight half the time. The physical stuff is awful, but honestly? The mental side is destroying me more right now. I keep replaying t…
8 replies - curious-owl-3225/18/2026
Just got served — being sued for way more than my policy covers. Can't breathe.
I don't even know where to start with this. A few months back I was pulling out of a parking garage and clipped another car that came around the corner faster than I expected. It was one of those situations where we were both kind of at fault, but I was the one who got the citation so I just paid the fine and figured that was it. Today a process server showed up at my door and handed me a lawsuit. The number they're asking for is honestly obscene — way, WAY more than my liability coverage. Like multiple times over. I'm 23, I rent, I have maybe $4,000 in savings and a beat-up laptop. I don't…
8 replies - brave-wren-4715/18/2026
Got hit by a city bus running a red — they're claiming I'm at fault. Anyone dealt with this?
I still can't believe I'm typing this out but here goes. About four months ago I was driving through an intersection on a solid green. A municipal transit bus blew straight through the red on the cross street and slammed into my passenger side. My car got pushed halfway up onto the curb. Airbags deployed, I had a messed up shoulder and some cracked ribs — nothing that required surgery but definitely not "walk it off" injuries either. Here's where it gets infuriating. The city's risk management office just sent me a formal response basically saying their driver followed proper protocols, tha…
9 replies - quiet-elk-8495/18/2026
One year out from the worst night of my life — just needed to say something
I don't even know why I'm posting this. I stumbled onto this forum at like 2am and just started reading and felt like I wasn't alone for the first time in a while, so here goes. Almost exactly a year ago I was in a really bad crash. I was a passenger — my friend was driving, we were on a back road after a late night out, and everything went wrong so fast. I remember the sound more than anything. I replay it constantly and I genuinely wish I could just delete that audio from my brain. Physically I healed. Took months, PT, the whole thing. But nobody really warned me about the part *after* th…
8 replies - silent-grouse-8345/18/2026
Someone is suing ME personally after my son caused a minor fender-bender — is this normal??
I'm honestly in shock and could use some perspective from people who've been through something like this. Back in the spring, my son was driving my car (he's on my policy) and tapped the car in front of him at a stoplight, which then bumped the car ahead of *that* one. We're talking maybe 5–10 mph. Nobody called an ambulance, all three cars drove away, my son said everyone seemed annoyed but fine. Fast forward a few months — I get served with legal papers. The driver of the *third* car (the one my son didn't even directly hit) has hired an attorney and is now claiming serious injuries worth…
9 replies - clear-owl-0985/18/2026
Months post-accident and somehow feel WORSE than I did in week one??
I don't fully understand what's happening to my own body and mind right now and it's genuinely freaking me out. When I first got home from the hospital I was running on adrenaline or something, because I felt almost optimistic. Like, okay, this is hard but I can see the path forward. Now, three months in, that feeling is completely gone and I feel like I'm falling apart in slow motion. The sleep thing is wrecking me. I'll be exhausted, finally crash around midnight, then bolt awake at 3am with my heart absolutely hammering. Not even a nightmare I can point to — just pure dread sitting on my…
8 replies - quick-crane-3405/18/2026
Drunk driver who hit my parked car is now suing ME?? How is this even legal
I genuinely cannot believe I'm typing this right now. Back in the spring, I was sitting completely still in a parking lot waiting for a gap in traffic to pull out. Out of nowhere, a driver jumps the curb and slams into the side of my car. I wasn't moving, I wasn't in the road, I was just *sitting there*. Cops showed up, the guy failed a breathalyzer on the spot, and they hauled him away in cuffs. I got a copy of the police report — his name is listed as the at-fault driver. There's also footage from at least two different businesses nearby that clearly shows my car wasn't moving when he hit…
9 replies - warm-owl-6435/18/2026
Fell asleep driving a loaded trailer, went off an embankment. 9 years later I'm still not whole.
I've never really talked about this outside of family and my care team, but something about this community made me want to finally put it into words. Nine years ago I was hauling a trailer full of my stuff across a two-lane highway in the rural Midwest — relocating for a new job, night driving to avoid traffic. I dozed off somewhere around 2 a.m. and when I came back to consciousness the truck was already leaving the road. We dropped maybe 40 feet down a steep embankment into a culvert ditch. The trailer jackknifed and the cab crumpled. I lost basically everything I owned in that ditch. My…
10 replies - bold-kestrel-0745/18/2026
PTSD from my crash is making it hard to get back behind the wheel — anyone else?
Background: I was rear-ended pretty badly about a year and a half ago at a red light. Physically I'm mostly healed, but mentally? Still a mess in certain situations. I finally started practicing driving again last month after basically avoiding it since the accident. I can manage short trips okay, but the moment something unexpected happens — a car braking hard ahead of me, a loud truck passing close, even a speed bump I didn't see coming — I completely lock up. Hands go white-knuckle, heart races, and for a few seconds my brain just *leaves* and I'm back at that intersection. I never got p…
7 replies - steady-crow-8285/18/2026
Hit and run driver arrested but at-fault insurance stonewalling me while my car sits in limbo??
I genuinely don't know what to do at this point and I'm so frustrated I can barely think straight. Backstory: about two weeks ago someone ran a red light and slammed into my car while my brother was borrowing it. The driver took off but got caught pretty quickly — he was actually charged and is currently dealing with criminal stuff. You'd think that would make the insurance claim straightforward, right? WRONG. At-fault driver's insurance keeps telling me they need to "complete their investigation" before they'll do anything. The guy was literally cited and charged by police. What exactly ar…
8 replies - calm-wolf-3985/18/2026
other driver messaged me out of nowhere 8 months later and I'm spiraling
okay I don't even know where to start but I need to get this out because I've been sitting here shaking for the past hour. back in the spring I was in a pretty bad accident on a two-lane highway — I was heading home after a long shift, a deer jumped out, I swerved to avoid it, and I ended up clipping the guardrail and spinning into the other lane where another car caught the back end of mine. nobody went to the hospital that night, which honestly still feels like a miracle. my car was totaled, their car had some pretty visible damage to the front quarter panel. the other driver was calm abo…
9 replies - candid-elk-7275/18/2026
Roundabout crash — I messed up but did the other driver too? No insurance, now what?
So I got into an accident yesterday at a busy roundabout near a shopping center and I'm still kind of shaken up processing everything. Honestly, I'll own my part — I probably entered the roundabout a beat too early and didn't fully yield like I should have. But here's what's bugging me: the other car was in the inner lane of the roundabout, and then they swung all the way across to exit through the outer lane — with zero signal. Like, no blinker, no warning, just cut across. That's when we made contact. So yes, I made a mistake. But was theirs not also a mistake? I genuinely don't know how…
9 replies - swift-beaver-6265/18/2026
Car ran a red turning left and hit me — could I have done anything differently?
Still processing what happened last week and honestly can't stop replaying it in my head wondering if there was anything I could have done. I was heading through an intersection on a green light, going a little *under* the speed limit because traffic was a bit unpredictable that day. Out of nowhere, a car from the oncoming lanes just... swung a left turn directly into my path. No hesitation, no yield — just came right through. The turn signal was on (which somehow makes it worse? like they planned this?) but they had a red arrow, meaning they had absolutely no right to go. I braked as hard…
8 replies - clever-vole-8325/18/2026
Hit-and-run drunk driver totaled my car while I was asleep — insurance won't cover my rental yet??
I'm still kind of in shock writing this. Three nights ago someone drove through my apartment complex, jumped a curb, and absolutely demolished my car while it was sitting in my assigned parking spot. I was asleep inside my unit. Didn't even know until I went out to leave for work in the morning. Police caught the driver a few blocks away — still impaired. They were cited and their insurance has already accepted full liability, so at least I have that going for me. The damage is pretty severe and the shop is saying parts are on back order, so my car is just going to sit there for probably two…
8 replies - candid-hare-5415/18/2026
My daughter caused a bad crash — what does she actually need to do now?
We're a few days out from a really scary situation and I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything. My daughter was making a left turn and misjudged the gap — the car coming through hit her pretty hard on the passenger side. Nobody was airlifted or anything, but there were injuries on the other side and her car is totaled. She's 22, on our insurance, and we've already reported it to our insurer. The adjuster called almost immediately and was... weirdly friendly? That made me nervous honestly. Here's where I'm lost: - Her policy limits aren't super high. What happens if the other dri…
7 replies - daring-swift-5335/18/2026
Signed with an injury lawyer but now seeing ads for lower fees — can I switch?
So I got rear-ended about a week and a half ago — pretty clearly the other driver's fault, they even admitted it at the scene. Ever since then my phone has been absolutely flooded with ads from personal injury attorneys. I ended up calling one of the bigger ones and they connected me with a local firm that works on a 33% contingency. Felt overwhelmed and honestly just wanted *someone* in my corner, so I signed their retainer agreement pretty quickly. Now I'm seeing ads from other firms saying they only take 25%. That's a pretty significant difference when you actually do the math on a potent…
8 replies - careful-stoat-9165/18/2026
Two years of managing crash PTSD and a tiny fender bender just unraveled everything
I don't even know how to start this but I need to put it somewhere people might actually get it. About two years ago I was a passenger in a rideshare when we got T-boned at a busy intersection. The impact was on my side of the vehicle. I genuinely believed in those few seconds that I was going to die. Ended up with a fractured vertebra, a concussion that took months to recover from, and soft tissue damage that still flares up. Physically I've come a long way. Mentally... it's a different story. I finally started driving again about eight months ago. Took me forever to work up to it. I'm in…
8 replies - wise-crow-5295/18/2026
First time dealing with an accident — is getting a lawyer actually worth it or overkill?
So about three weeks ago I got rear-ended at a stoplight on my way home from work. The other driver admitted fault at the scene, we exchanged info, everything seemed pretty straightforward. I figured I'd just let the insurance companies sort it out. Fast forward to now and I'm still going to physical therapy twice a week, I've missed several shifts (I work hourly so that actually *hurts*), and the other driver's insurance adjuster keeps calling me asking questions that honestly feel like traps. Like she'll ask 'so you're feeling better though, right?' in this weirdly casual tone and I don't…
9 replies - sharp-wolf-8405/18/2026
Other driver's insurance ghosting us after parking lot hit — what do we do?
Really frustrated and could use some perspective from people who've been through this. About three weeks ago someone backed into my daughter's car in a grocery store parking lot. Pretty clear-cut — they left a note with their info, there's a dent in the rear quarter panel and some paint transfer. Not catastrophic, but definitely not just a scratch either. We contacted their insurance company right away, submitted all the photos they asked for, filled out their online form, the whole thing. The adjuster called once to confirm receipt and then... nothing. We've left at least four voicemails o…
9 replies - careful-wolf-1175/18/2026
Shop wrecked my car during an oil change — now the other driver is coming after ME??
I'm genuinely baffled and kind of panicking right now so bear with me. Dropped my car off at a local shop a couple months ago for a routine oil change and a brake inspection. Simple stuff. Somehow one of their technicians took my car out — I'm assuming to test the brakes after the inspection — and rear-ended somebody at an intersection not far from the shop. Here's the thing: the accident report noted no injuries at the scene. Both cars drove away. The other driver and the tech were standing there talking fine when police showed up. I wasn't even there — I was at work waiting for a call tha…
9 replies - gentle-raven-0355/18/2026
accident at 18 turned my whole world upside down — just looking for people who get it
hey everyone. i don't really know how to start this so i'll just dive in. right after my 18th birthday i got hit by another driver on my way home from my shift at the restaurant where i'd been saving up for my first semester of culinary school. never made it. the other car ran a red light and that was it — my whole future just... redirected itself without asking me. I ended up with a fractured vertebra, a shattered wrist on my dominant hand (i'm a cook — do you understand how devastating that is), and a pretty serious concussion that still messes with my memory and sleep two years later. i…
9 replies - bright-grouse-7915/18/2026
Friend got sideswiped by a delivery truck in a parking lot — now spiraling with worry 2 weeks later
Okay so this is actually about my best friend but she doesn't do forums so I'm posting for her. Hoping someone here has been through something similar. She was leaving a hardware store parking lot a couple weeks ago. There was this massive refrigerated delivery truck taking up a big chunk of the exit lane. A store employee (not even official security, just like a floor worker who had come outside) waved her through and told her she had room to squeeze by. She went *super* slowly. Felt a little bump, heard a sound, but the employee just kind of shrugged like it was nothing — she figured mayb…
8 replies - genuine-seal-5195/18/2026
First time dealing with insurance after a crash — when do you actually need a lawyer?
So I got rear-ended about three weeks ago on my way to work. The other driver was 100% at fault — there's a police report and everything. Physically I walked away with some neck stiffness and a headache that lasted a few days, nothing that sent me to the ER, but I did go to urgent care just to get checked out. The other driver's insurance has already called me twice. They've been super friendly and keep saying they want to "get this resolved quickly" for me. Part of me wants to just take whatever they offer and move on, because honestly dealing with all of this is exhausting on top of workin…
9 replies - wise-wren-0725/18/2026
Was uninsured when someone backed into me — can I still go after their insurance?
Okay so I'm genuinely embarrassed posting this but I need real talk from people who've been through something similar. I let my policy lapse. I know, I know. It was only about ten days — I was switching providers and thought the new one had kicked in. It hadn't. Of course *that's* when this happened. I was driving through a parking garage at maybe 5 mph when a pickup came flying out of a side lane without looking and clipped the entire front driver's side of my car. Dude didn't even brake. The impact wasn't catastrophic but my car is older and the frame damage alone is probably going to tot…
9 replies - curious-kestrel-1795/18/2026
Nobody warned me the mental part of recovering from a crash would be this hard
I don't even know how to start this so I'll just say it — I was in a pretty serious collision about six weeks ago. A truck ran a red light and hit the driver's side while my seven-year-old was in the back seat. He walked away with a bruised shoulder. I ended up with a shattered wrist that needed surgery and pins, and apparently I lost consciousness at the scene, though I don't remember that part at all. Here's the thing nobody talks about: the physical stuff is awful but I kind of expected that. What I did NOT expect was my brain doing whatever it's doing right now. I'll be doing something t…
9 replies - swift-owl-9115/18/2026
Other driver's family keeps texting my partner trying to get them to say it was their fault — what do I do?
Feeling really frustrated and kind of blindsided right now, so bear with me. My partner was rear-ended at a stoplight about three weeks ago. Pretty clear-cut situation — the other driver even told the responding officer she "didn't see the brake lights in time." We filed a claim with our own carrier, they took a recorded statement, everything seemed to be moving along fine. Then out of nowhere the claim status flipped from what looked like a favorable determination back to "under review" or something vague like that. No explanation, no call from the adjuster. Around the same time, the othe…
8 replies - sharp-finch-6415/18/2026
Got rear-ended TWO DAYS after driving my new car off the lot. I want to cry.
I saved up for almost two years for this car. Two. Years. And literally 48 hours after I drove it home I'm sitting here looking at photos of a crumpled rear bumper and a bent trunk lid. Here's what happened: I was on a four-lane road heading home from work, moving with traffic. Some pickup came flying out of a shopping center exit — no stop, no hesitation — and cut straight across two lanes. I had to brake hard and steer right to avoid getting T-boned. Guy behind me had no time to react and hit me pretty solid. Airbags didn't deploy but there's real visible damage. Police showed up, wrote u…
9 replies - swift-swan-6655/18/2026
At-fault driver's insurance totaled my car but the offer feels wrong — do I fight it or go through mine?
I'm so overwhelmed right now and just need to hear from people who've been through something similar. About three weeks ago someone ran a red light and slammed into us. Me, my sister, and her little one were all in the car. We're dealing with soreness, some whiplash stuff, and honestly just a lot of anxiety about getting back in a vehicle at all. The at-fault part isn't even in dispute — there's a police report and a witness. Here's where I'm stuck: **The other driver's insurance came back with a total loss offer on my car.** The number they gave me doesn't come close to covering what I st…
8 replies - clear-badger-1325/18/2026
Settled my own injury claim with zero legal experience — here's what actually worked
Long post but I want this to help someone because I was completely lost when this happened to me. Back in the spring I got rear-ended at a stoplight by a delivery van driver who was clearly not paying attention. My teenage daughter was in the passenger seat. We were both shaken up and ended up with neck and upper back pain that took weeks to calm down. I went to an urgent care the same day, then followed up with a physical therapist for about six weeks. My daughter saw her pediatrician twice. Between the two of us, medical bills stacked up fast. I honestly went into this thinking I'd just t…
9 replies - brave-wren-3325/18/2026
Rear-ended while 7 months pregnant — baby came early and I'm still a mess. Do I even have options?
I'm still trying to process everything that happened and honestly just need to hear from people who've been through something similar. About three months ago I was stopped at a red light and got hit from behind pretty hard. I was 28 weeks pregnant at the time. The impact wasn't enough to total my car but it was way more than a fender bender. I called 911, paramedics checked me out on the scene, and I went to the ER just to be safe. They monitored the baby and sent me home saying everything looked fine. Two days later I started noticing my daughter wasn't moving as much as usual. Went back i…
8 replies - clever-fox-0255/18/2026
First accident ever — cousin filed the car claim but did I also need to file separately for my injuries??
I'm so lost and honestly kind of panicking right now. I was a passenger in my cousin's car when we got rear-ended pretty hard about two weeks ago. My cousin handled everything at the scene and told me she reported the accident to her insurance already — I figured that meant I was covered too since I was in her car. I went to urgent care the next day because my neck was killing me and I had this weird headache that wouldn't go away. They did some imaging and told me to follow up with my doctor. I've been going to appointments and the bills are starting to come in and I genuinely have no idea…
8 replies - warm-lynx-8375/18/2026
Got hit and the driver just sped off — only have liability on my own car, now what??
I'm still kind of shaking writing this out. Got hit this afternoon in a parking garage exit — the other car clipped my front end pretty hard, and before I even had a chance to react the driver just floored it and disappeared down the street. Luckily there was a security camera mounted right above the exit and I flagged down the garage attendant immediately. He pulled the footage and you can clearly see the other car's rear plate. I filed a police report on the spot and the officer took the footage info down. Here's where I'm spiraling a little: I ran the plate through one of those online lo…
9 replies - steady-vole-6145/18/2026
Other driver blew a stop sign, totaled my car, now their insurer says I'm partially at fault??
I'm still kind of in shock over this whole thing so bear with me. About three weeks ago I was driving through a neighborhood intersection — one I go through literally every day on my way to work. I had no stop sign. The other driver had a stop sign and just... didn't stop. Didn't even slow down. Blew right through it and T-boned me on the passenger side. My car is a total loss. Here's the thing — I have a dashcam. It is **crystal clear** on the footage. You can see the stop sign, you can see their car not stopping, you can see the whole impact. There is zero ambiguity. My own insurance loo…
9 replies - genuine-vole-5665/18/2026
Parked car totaled by a stranger — still have a loan on it. What do I do now?
I'm still in shock honestly. Got a call this afternoon from a neighbor saying my car was completely destroyed — some driver lost control and plowed right into it while it was sitting at the curb in front of my place. I wasn't even home. I bought the car about three months ago. Put a solid chunk down, but I'm still financing the rest. Now I'm looking at what used to be my car and wondering how any of this is going to work out financially. The driver who hit it admitted fault at the scene apparently — something about overcorrecting. His insurance has already reached out to me once, which hone…
9 replies - swift-fox-9865/18/2026
My insurance paid my claim then I randomly found out the other driver HAD coverage all along??
Still kind of in shock over this and need to know if anyone else has dealt with something like this. Back in the spring, someone ran a red light and plowed into my car while it was sitting in a parking lot — I wasn't even in it. The responding officer told me at the scene that the other driver had no insurance, so I filed under my own uninsured motorist coverage. My insurance handled everything, paid out for the damage, and I moved on. Annoying, but okay, done. Fast forward to like two months later and I get a random piece of mail from an insurance company I've never heard of. Turns out it'…
7 replies - candid-heron-5145/18/2026
Almost didn't make it 8 months ago. Still processing it every single day.
I don't really know how to start this. I've been lurking here for a while and finally feel like maybe I need to just say it out loud somewhere people might actually get it. Eight months ago I was in a rollover crash on a rural highway. I was a passenger — my coworker was driving, someone I'd known for almost three years and trusted completely. From what I was told later, a tire blew and we went off the road and rolled. I genuinely don't remember any of it. My last memory is a song playing on the radio and then nothing until I woke up eleven days later in the ICU. The trauma team told my fam…
8 replies - spry-dove-6315/18/2026
Signed something at a 'free consult' before they even accepted my case — am I locked in??
Okay I need to calm down because I've been spiraling about this for two days and I just need to hear from people who've been through something similar. I got rear-ended about six weeks ago and decided to at least *explore* whether I had a case worth pursuing. Found a PI firm online, called for a free consultation. Before I even got on the phone with anyone, the receptionist emailed me a document to sign — it was some kind of combined power of attorney and contingency fee agreement. I asked if this was really necessary just to *talk* to someone and was told it was just their standard intake p…
8 replies - brave-elk-8085/18/2026
Guy blew a stop sign doing 40 and spun my car around — he just drove away??
Still kind of shaking writing this out, honestly. I was on my way home from work yesterday, taking the exact same surface road I take every single day. Nothing special about the route. It was a normal Tuesday evening, traffic was moving a little slower than usual because of some road work nearby backing things up, but nothing crazy. There's a neighborhood side street that feeds onto the road I was on. It has a big, clearly marked stop sign. Has had one for as long as I can remember. I've watched plenty of people roll up to it and do the right thing. Not this guy. A full-size pickup truck…
9 replies - clear-kestrel-4205/18/2026
Friend borrowed my car without asking on a trip and wrecked it — now what?
Still kind of in shock writing this out. So a group of us rented a cabin for a long weekend. I drove us all out there in my car. First morning, I wake up and my car is just… gone from the driveway. Turns out one of my friends decided to take it for an early errand run without asking a single person. Didn't leave a note, didn't text — nothing. An hour later I get a call. He ran off the road on a rural highway, clipped a guardrail, and the front end is pretty mangled. He's physically fine (thankfully), but my car looks rough. We had it towed to a local shop and they're still assessing whether…
8 replies - sharp-badger-6145/18/2026
Neighbor backed over my husband in our own parking area — now everything is falling apart
I don't even know where to start. About six weeks ago my husband was walking through the shared parking area behind our townhouse complex when the guy who lives two units down reversed out of his spot without checking his mirrors or anything. Hit my husband hard enough to knock him down. He ended up with a fractured pelvis and a badly torn ligament in his knee. Here's what makes it even more overwhelming: my husband has been managing a chronic autoimmune condition for years, and the trauma from this accident has sent his symptoms into a serious flare. His doctors are genuinely concerned abou…
9 replies - steady-dove-8005/18/2026
Other driver's insurance is blaming me 15% for an accident that was 100% not my fault??
I'm genuinely baffled and kind of furious right now so bear with me. About six weeks ago I was driving through a green light on a pretty busy four-lane road. I was already through most of the intersection when someone blew straight through the cross street — no slowing down, nothing — and hit me hard on the passenger side. Airbags went off, car got towed, I ended up in urgent care with a messed-up shoulder and some rib bruising. There were two people who saw the whole thing and gave statements to the responding officer. The other driver admitted to the cop that he "didn't see the light chan…
9 replies - mellow-swift-7215/18/2026
Minor fender tap — I pulled into a parking lot instead of stopping right away. Hit and run??
Okay so I'm lowkey spiraling about this and need some outside perspective. I was merging onto a surface road from a shopping center exit and another car kind of drifted into my path. Our bumpers barely kissed — like honestly I wasn't even sure contact was made at first. Super low speed, maybe 5 mph max. Here's the thing: I didn't stop *right there* because it happened right at an intersection and I didn't want to block traffic. I signaled, pulled into the gas station about half a block up, and got out to look at my car. By the time I walked back toward the road, the other driver had already…
8 replies - tidy-sparrow-0125/18/2026
Got rear-ended an hour ago. Car's driveable but I can't stop shaking — is this normal?
I'm sitting in a parking lot right now trying to calm down and I just found this forum on my phone. Got hit from behind at a red light maybe 90 minutes ago. The other driver stopped, we exchanged info, I even managed to call my insurance. Physically I think I'm okay — little sore in my neck but nothing feels broken. But my hands won't stop trembling. Like genuinely shaking. And I keep replaying the sound of the impact over and over. I started crying in front of the other driver which was mortifying. Pulled into this lot to collect myself and I just... can't. I know the practical stuff is ha…
8 replies - bright-dove-6815/18/2026
My insurance just emailed saying they're dropping their collection effort — can I still go after my deductible?
Hey everyone, long-time lurker, first time posting. Still kind of in shock about this email I got. Back story: About 14 months ago I was rear-ended at a red light by someone who blew through the intersection. No question about fault — there were two witnesses, a dashcam on the car behind me, and the responding officer put the other driver at fault in the report. My car was totaled and I had to pay my collision deductible out of pocket while my insurance handled everything. Fast forward to yesterday. I get this email from my insurer basically saying they are no longer pursuing collection or…
9 replies - keen-finch-3075/18/2026
Hit-and-run sandwiched me between two cars on the interstate — anyone see it?
Long shot, but I'm desperate so here goes. About two weeks ago I was driving home from work on a pretty busy stretch of interstate, mid-afternoon. Traffic had slowed way down because of some kind of fender-bender in the left lane. I was stopped, basically at a standstill, when I got absolutely *slammed* from behind. The force of it pushed me straight into the pickup truck stopped in front of me. The truck driver and I both pulled onto the shoulder. We're exchanging info, shaken up, trying to figure out what happened — and then it hits us: whoever rear-ended me just... kept going. Didn't sto…
9 replies - clear-beaver-3205/18/2026
Guy ran into my parked car at an auto shop — now insurance says it's totaled. I'm freaking out.
So I'm still in shock honestly. I dropped my car off at a tire place last Tuesday for a rotation and balance — totally routine. While I was sitting in the waiting room, someone in the parking lot clipped my car pulling out of a spot. Like, I wasn't even in the vehicle. It was just sitting there. The guy stuck around at least, and there were cameras, so liability isn't being disputed. His insurance has been "cooperative" — their word, not mine. But now their adjuster is telling me the damage exceeds some threshold and they're calling it a total loss. They came back with an offer that wouldn't…
9 replies - cool-owl-7265/18/2026
Head-on crash with my son in the car — we survived but I'm falling apart inside
I don't even know how to start this. Three days ago my 8-year-old and I were driving home from his soccer practice on a two-lane highway when a pickup drifted across the center line. Driver apparently dozed off. I had maybe half a second — I yanked the wheel but there wasn't enough time. We hit nearly head-on at highway speed. Both airbags deployed. My son was in his booster in the back and walked away with just a bruise on his shoulder. I have whiplash, a sprained wrist, and what the ER called 'soft tissue injuries' across my chest from the seatbelt. Our car is completely totaled — tow truc…
9 replies - bold-dove-0795/18/2026
Still processing what happened to us two summers ago — needed to share this somewhere
I don't really know why I'm typing this out tonight, but I've been thinking about it a lot lately and I just need to put it somewhere. Two summers ago my partner and I were driving back from a weekend trip with our two kids — they were 7 and 9 at the time. It was a stretch of two-lane highway, nothing crazy, middle of the afternoon. Out of absolutely nowhere my partner started having what I now know was a medical episode — went completely unresponsive and slumped forward. The car drifted across the center line and we clipped a guardrail before sliding into a shallow ditch and hitting a utili…
8 replies - bold-hare-9375/18/2026
At-fault driver had a known medical condition and my family is paying the price — what are our options?
I'm still in shock writing this so bear with me. My brother was driving home from work two nights ago when a car crossed the center line and hit him nearly head-on. Turns out the other driver has a documented neurological condition that causes episodes where she loses consciousness. She apparently had her driving privileges suspended at some point because of it, then went through some kind of appeal process and got cleared to drive again. My brother ended up in the ICU. His coworker who was in the passenger seat is still in surgery recovery. The crash also clipped two other cars that were j…
8 replies - wise-grouse-4065/18/2026
Other driver's insurer has ghosted us for 6 weeks — is this even legal??
I'm so frustrated I don't even know where to start. Back in early spring, a delivery driver clipped the rear quarter panel of my car while pulling out of a loading zone. Pretty clear-cut — there were two witnesses, and the driver admitted fault on the spot. We exchanged info, I took a ton of photos, filed everything the right way. Felt like I was on top of it. Fast forward to now: his employer's commercial insurance carrier has essentially fallen off the face of the earth. My own insurance company has made contact with them *once*, and since then — nothing. No callback, no email, no letter.…
9 replies - daring-crow-5105/18/2026
Kid on a rental e-bike blew through a yield sign and hit my car — now his dad is threatening to sue ME??
Still kind of in shock writing this. Yesterday afternoon I was pulling out of a shopping center onto a side street — I had the right of way, moving slowly, everything was clear. Out of nowhere a kid, maybe 13 or 14, comes flying down the sidewalk on one of those dockless rental e-bikes (the kind you unlock with an app), blows past the yield sign where the sidewalk crosses the exit lane, and slams right into my front quarter panel. The impact cracked my bumper, dented the fender, and the kid went down hard. I immediately stopped, put my hazards on, and went to check on him. He seemed shaken b…
9 replies - curious-grouse-0345/18/2026
First accident ever — neck is killing me and I have no idea what to do next
So this happened about ten days ago and I'm still kind of in shock that it's my life right now. I was stopped at a red light on my way home from work and got rear-ended pretty hard by a pickup truck. The guy admitted fault at the scene, cops came, report was filed — all of that. My neck and upper back have been steadily getting *worse*, not better. I finally went to urgent care yesterday and they mentioned soft tissue damage and told me to follow up with my doctor. Fun. The other driver's insurance called me basically the next morning (how do they move that fast??) and the adjuster was supe…
8 replies - calm-mole-7955/18/2026
Airbags went off, front end is a mess — will insurance call it totaled?
So I was in a pretty bad collision about a week ago — got T-boned at an intersection and the impact was enough to set off both the side curtain airbags AND the driver's airbag. I walked away shaken but physically okay, which I'm grateful for. The damage to the car is… a lot. The whole front quarter panel on the driver's side is crunched, the hood is buckled, one headlight assembly is basically hanging, and there's obvious frame distortion around the wheel well. I had the car inspected at a shop I trust and the tech mentioned the structural rails look okay from what he could see, but he said…
8 replies - sharp-bison-7525/18/2026
Got rear-ended at low speed, now being sued after insurer denied the claim — terrified
I'm honestly shaking writing this. About six months ago I was stopped at a red light when someone tapped the back of my car. I'm talking a gentle bump — we both got out, looked everything over, agreed it seemed totally fine. No visible damage on either vehicle. We swapped contact info and went on our way. I didn't call the police because it genuinely felt like nothing happened. About ten days later I get a text asking for my insurance info because this person was now having neck pain. Okay, fine — I passed it along to my insurer and let them handle it. Fast forward a few weeks: my insurer i…
8 replies - quick-fox-3135/18/2026
Driver who rear-ended me is now threatening me with insurance fraud — I'm genuinely hurt??
I don't even know where to start. About three weeks ago I got rear-ended at a stoplight. The impact wasn't massive but it wasn't nothing either. Right after it happened I was shaken up but I honestly felt okay-ish, so I didn't make a huge deal out of it at the scene. Over the next couple days my neck and upper back started tightening up BAD. By day four I could barely turn my head. I went to urgent care and they found muscle strain and sent me to a chiropractor. I've been going twice a week and I'm still in real pain. Here's where it gets wild. The other driver somehow got my number — I'm g…
8 replies - mellow-owl-2645/18/2026
First accident ever — should I already be talking to a lawyer or is it too soon?
So this whole thing is brand new to me and honestly I feel like I'm just stumbling around in the dark. About three weeks ago someone ran a red light and hit the driver's side of my car. The other driver was cited at the scene, so liability feels pretty clear-cut, but I've still got this dull ache in my neck and upper back that just won't go away. My doctor says it's soft tissue stuff and to give it time, but "give it time" doesn't really tell me how long or how bad it might get. The other driver's insurance has already called me twice. They were super friendly, asked how I was feeling, ment…
8 replies - mellow-kestrel-6355/18/2026
At-fault driver's insurance refusing to replace my kids' car seats — is this actually legal?
I'm honestly at a loss right now and could use some guidance from people who've been through something similar. My sister was a passenger in a crash last month along with her two kids (her toddler and her infant). The driver — someone she knows — was found to be at fault. Here's the problem: that driver only carries liability coverage, and his insurance company is now telling us that replacing the children's car seats isn't something they'll cover. From everything I've read, car seats that are involved in a crash are supposed to be replaced even if they look fine — manufacturers say so, saf…
8 replies - quiet-heron-3345/18/2026
18 months out and I still don't know who I am anymore — anyone else feel this way?
I don't really have anyone in my life who gets it, so I'm just going to put this here and hope someone understands. A truck ran a red light and hit my driver's side about a year and a half ago. Shattered my hip, cracked some vertebrae, spent months doing inpatient rehab. On paper I've made a "remarkable recovery" — that's literally what my physio wrote in her notes. I can drive again. I went back to my job in logistics. I even started hiking again, short trails, nothing crazy. But here's the thing nobody tells you about: grief. Like actual grief for the person you were before. I used to be…
8 replies - bold-dove-0845/18/2026
Insurance repaired my car after a crash — now it has a salvage title and I can't sell it??
I'm genuinely furious and confused right now and hoping someone here has dealt with something like this. About 18 months ago my daughter got rear-ended pretty hard at a stoplight. The other driver's insurance accepted liability no problem, and they sent us to one of their "preferred" body shops. The shop did what looked like a solid job — new bumper, trunk lid, tail lights, some panel work. No airbags deployed, no structural or frame issues, alignment was fine. Car drove perfectly after. Fast forward to last month. I'm trying to trade the car in because we need something bigger. The dealers…
8 replies - curious-marten-5645/18/2026
Fleet truck hit my parked car while I was at work — their company is ghosting me now
So this happened about a week and a half ago and I'm honestly just confused about how any of this is supposed to work. I came out of my office building after a meeting to find a note on my windshield and a pretty noticeable dent with scrape damage along my rear quarter panel. The note was from a driver saying he worked for some kind of delivery/logistics contractor and included his company's phone number. There was also a witness who stuck around and gave me their contact info — which I'm really grateful for. I called the number on the note that same evening. The person I spoke to was polit…
8 replies - silent-marmot-1685/18/2026
I caused an accident and the other driver got hurt — completely lost on what happens now
I'm still kind of in shock writing this, honestly. A few weeks ago I lost control of my car on a wet road — hydroplaned going around a curve — and slid into the oncoming lane. Another car hit me almost head-on trying to avoid me. The other driver was taken away in an ambulance. My car is done. Theirs looked really bad too. Police came, report was filed. I was cited. I only have liability coverage, so I know my own car is gone and I'm eating that loss. I've accepted it. What I *haven't* wrapped my head around is what happens with the other driver. My insurance knows about the claim. They sai…
9 replies - candid-wren-7675/18/2026
3 weeks out from a bad wreck and my brain won't let me forget it — anyone else?
Physically I'm doing okay-ish. Cracked a couple ribs, had some road rash on my arm, and I'm still dealing with headaches the doctors say are probably concussion-related. But honestly? The body stuff isn't what's keeping me up at night. It's been almost a month and I cannot stop replaying the whole thing. I was riding shotgun when we got T-boned running through a green light — totally not our fault, other driver blew a stop sign. I remember seeing it coming and having zero time to do anything. Then just... chaos. Glass, noise, spinning. I think I was out for a second or two because there's a…
9 replies - spry-sparrow-8435/18/2026
Is it too early to contact a lawyer after my accident? Feeling lost and pressured
So about three weeks ago I got rear-ended at a stoplight — totally out of nowhere. The other driver admitted fault at the scene and we exchanged info, cops came, report was filed. My car got pretty banged up but I walked away thinking I was okay. Fast forward to now and I've got this dull ache in my neck and upper back that just won't quit. I went to urgent care and they said it was soft tissue stuff, gave me some meds, told me to follow up if it gets worse. It hasn't gotten *worse* exactly but it definitely hasn't gone away either. Meanwhile the other driver's insurance keeps calling me. L…
8 replies - swift-badger-5445/18/2026
Anyone else get triggered by sounds/smells after their crash? Thought I was losing it
So I got into a pretty bad rear-end collision about two months ago. Physically I came out of it relatively okay — some whiplash, a bruised sternum from the seatbelt locking up, and a small laceration on my hand from grabbing the steering wheel so hard. Nothing that landed me in the hospital overnight. But ever since then I've been having these weird... episodes? Like last week I was at a gas station and caught a whiff of something burning — probably just someone's overheated brakes nearby — and I completely froze. Heart going crazy, hands shaking, the whole crash just played back in my head…
8 replies - warm-hare-4825/18/2026
Almost 6 months out and I feel like I'm falling apart all over again
I don't really know where to start. The accident was back in the spring and for a while I thought I was actually making progress. My shoulder and neck were finally loosening up, I was sleeping better, and I genuinely felt like I could see the end of the tunnel. Then this past week happened and I don't know what flipped, but it all crashed back down. I got a PTSD diagnosis about two months after the crash — my therapist said it made sense given how violent the impact was. I'd been doing EMDR and it seemed to be working. But the last few days I keep getting these flashes of the moment of impa…
7 replies - keen-sparrow-5815/18/2026
Insurance marked me at-fault but I just won the lawsuit — can I get that cleared?
This has been eating at me for a while and I finally need some outside perspective. About 18 months ago I got hit by someone who blew through a yield sign and clipped the front of my car pulling out of a side street. My car was pretty banged up — theirs barely had a scratch. Despite that, my insurance company did their little "investigation" and decided I was partially at fault. I was furious but I didn't have the energy to fight it at the time. Fast forward to a few months ago — the other driver actually sued me for personal injury damages. We went through the whole process and the judge s…
8 replies - hearty-newt-5495/18/2026
Health insurance denied my ambulance after they literally cut me out of my car — anyone dealt with this?
I genuinely don't know where to start with this. Got T-boned on the highway a few months back, my door was crushed so bad the fire department had to use the jaws of life to get me out. I was unconscious for part of it. First responders on scene said my vitals were unstable and they were worried about internal injuries, so they called for an air transport. An ambulance took me maybe ten minutes down the road to a landing zone where the helicopter was waiting. Fast forward to recovering at home and I get hit with this massive bill. Turns out my health insurance decided the **ambulance leg of t…
8 replies - genuine-finch-0415/18/2026
Insurance sent my settlement check and it vanished — now they're ghosting me??
I don't even know where to start with this. Back in the spring I was rear-ended pretty badly at a red light. Other driver took off. My car was declared a total loss and after weeks of back-and-forth my insurer finally said they were mailing a check for the vehicle payout. That check never arrived. I waited, called, waited some more. Eventually they looked into it and confirmed the check had already been **cashed** — by someone who is definitely not me. Like, the signature on the back isn't even close to mine. They told me their special investigations unit was looking into it and that I'd he…
8 replies - spry-seal-2405/18/2026
At-fault driver wasn't on the company policy — now I'm stuck using MY own insurance??
Still trying to wrap my head around this so bear with me. A few months back I got rear-ended pretty hard by a guy driving a landscaping company's truck. Turns out the driver had no business being behind the wheel — suspended license, not listed on the company's commercial policy, and from what I understand he wasn't even supposed to be using the vehicle that day. He was cited at the scene and the whole thing is documented. I got a lawyer pretty quickly because my neck and back were messed up and I missed a solid chunk of work. Fast forward to last week — my attorney calls me and basically s…
8 replies - kind-crane-7815/18/2026
Red light runner flipped my car — ER sent me home and I'm still a mess
I don't even know where to start, so bear with me. About three weeks ago I was heading home from work, going through a green light on a four-lane road I've driven a hundred times. Out of nowhere a pickup blows straight through the red on the cross street and slams into my driver's side. My car got spun around, hit a curb, and rolled onto its roof. I was hanging there upside down by my seatbelt, glass everywhere, just trying to figure out if I was alive. Firefighters had to pry the door open to get me out. The paramedics on scene kept saying how surprised they were I was conscious and cohere…
9 replies - brave-crane-2945/18/2026
First accident in 12 years — got tagged making a left turn and now I'm the bad guy?
Still processing this honestly. I've been driving since I was 17, zero incidents, and then last month everything changed in about two seconds. I was making a left at an intersection I've gone through probably a hundred times. Light went yellow, I checked both directions — the oncoming lane had a pickup that was clearly slowing, plenty of gap behind it. I started my turn. What I didn't count on was the sedan *behind* that pickup deciding the yellow was basically an invitation to floor it and shoot around the slower truck. No time to react. No screech of tires from either of us. Just impact.…
9 replies - sharp-finch-5615/18/2026
Got rear-ended by someone who isn't listed on the policy — what now?
So this happened to me last week and I'm still kind of spinning from it. I was stopped at a red light and felt this bump from behind — not a huge crash, more like someone wasn't paying attention and rolled into me. The other driver was apologetic, we exchanged info, and I took photos of both cars. Here's where it gets complicated: when I called the insurance number on her card, they told me she's not actually listed as a driver on that policy. The car belongs to someone else entirely. There's a small scuff and a crack in my rear bumper — nothing dramatic, but it's *there* and it wasn't there…
8 replies - kind-otter-1045/18/2026
Other driver admitted fault to my face — now her insurance is ghosting me. What do I do?
I'm honestly at my wits' end and just need to hear from people who've dealt with something similar. About six weeks ago I was driving through a parking garage exit when a woman in a pickup truck blew through the stop sign on her side and clipped the entire front quarter of my car. She got out, apologized, said it was 100% her fault, and we exchanged info right there. Fast forward to now: her insurance company has been stringing me along for weeks. First they said they needed a recorded statement from me. I gave it. Then they said they needed to 'investigate further.' Now my calls just go to…
9 replies - candid-finch-4435/18/2026
Accidentally refused certified mail from a law firm — now freaking out a little
So this happened yesterday afternoon and I can't stop thinking about it. A certified letter showed up at my house from some law firm I've never heard of. I wasn't expecting anything like that so I just... didn't accept it. Told the postal carrier I wasn't going to sign for it and sent it back. My gut said don't sign for stuff you don't recognize, right? But then I started Googling the firm name and it looks like they do personal injury work. Which is weird because I'm currently going through a whole thing after someone rear-ended me at a red light a few months back. I have my own attorney h…
7 replies - sharp-raven-3235/18/2026
Anyone ever reached out to the at-fault driver after everything was almost settled?
This might sound strange but bear with me. My crash was almost two years ago now. Rear-ended at a stoplight, multiple surgeries, the whole nightmare. My attorney says we're genuinely close to wrapping up the claim and I've been doing a lot of reflecting. I keep thinking about the other driver. From everything I could find, he's just a regular guy — works a normal job, has a family, probably felt awful about what happened. It really did seem like a genuine moment of distraction, not recklessness. I'm not angry at him anymore. I was for a long time. But I kind of want to write him a short le…
8 replies - genuine-bison-8595/18/2026
Hit-and-run in my work parking garage — no cameras, no witnesses. Now what?
Came out after a long shift last Tuesday to find my passenger side caved in. Someone absolutely *nailed* my car and just drove off. No note, nothing. I work in a big office complex and the parking garage is technically managed by a third-party company. I talked to the building manager and he basically shrugged and said the cameras on that level have been "out for maintenance" for a few weeks. Conveniently. I asked if there were any cameras at the garage entrances that might have caught plates going in and out — he said he'd "look into it" but I haven't heard back in five days. I filed a pol…
9 replies - clear-kestrel-5145/18/2026
Seatbelt bruised my chest bad — now months later something looks different. Anyone else?
So I was rear-ended pretty hard about eight months ago and the seatbelt did its job — kept me in the seat — but it also left a brutal bruise diagonally across my chest and upper abdomen. Like, deep purple for weeks. The ER did a scan and said no internal organ damage, which I was relieved about obviously. But here's the thing that's been bugging me ever since the bruising faded: the tissue along that seatbelt line looks and *feels* different now. There's a kind of raised, firm ridge in one spot, and in another area the skin looks slightly sunken or uneven compared to the other side. It's sub…
8 replies - clear-beaver-7295/18/2026
does the mental side of a crash ever actually heal? asking for myself
i don't really know how to start this so i'll just say it — i was in a bad accident about a year and a half ago and physically i'm mostly okay now. soft tissue stuff, a mild concussion, some nerve pain that comes and goes. nothing that landed me in the ICU. and i think that's part of why i feel like i'm not allowed to still be struggling. but i am still struggling. a lot. i was a passenger, which somehow makes it feel worse in a weird way — like i had zero control over what happened. one second everything was normal and then it just… wasn't. i can still hear the sounds. certain smells bring…
7 replies - kind-grouse-9525/18/2026
Other driver's insurance agent is her brother-in-law — should I be worried?
So this situation feels a little off and I can't tell if I'm overthinking it or if this is actually a problem. About three weeks ago a woman ran a stop sign and T-boned me on my driver's side. Pretty clear-cut fault situation — there's a traffic cam at that intersection, two witnesses stopped and gave statements, and the responding officer cited her on the spot. My car is totaled and I'm still dealing with neck and shoulder pain that my doctor says could take months to sort out. Here's the weird part: when I finally got the other driver's insurance info and started making calls, I found out…
8 replies - gentle-otter-7405/18/2026
Does the crash just keep playing in your head over and over? Is that normal?
I don't really know how to start this so bear with me. About a week ago I got hit at an intersection — completely out of nowhere, middle of the day, and I genuinely thought I was about to die for a second. I've driven for years and never had so much as a fender bender, so this was just... a lot. Physically I'm okay-ish. Sore neck, some bruising. But mentally I feel like I'm losing it. Every time I'm not actively doing something — watching TV, talking to someone — my brain just *snaps back* to the moment of impact. The sound, the jolt, all of it. On repeat. I wake up at night and it's the fi…
9 replies - kind-newt-0985/18/2026
Rear-ended at a dead stop and somehow *I'm* the one at fault?? Insurance is wild
Still kind of in shock writing this out. About three weeks ago I was sitting completely still in a turn lane waiting for the arrow to go green. Out of nowhere I get slammed from behind — hard enough that my head snapped back and my car got pushed a good few feet forward. The guy who hit me actually got out and admitted his brakes had been "acting up" for a couple days. Like... he *knew* and was still driving. We exchanged info at the scene. I didn't call the police because honestly I've never been in an accident before and I panicked and just didn't think to. I know, I know. Huge mistake.…
8 replies - daring-bison-6325/18/2026
Survived a crash where someone didn't make it — the thoughts just won't quit
I don't even know how to start this so I'm just going to type it out. About three months ago I was in a pretty brutal intersection collision. The other driver didn't survive. I walked away with a cracked rib and some soft tissue stuff in my neck, which honestly feels almost embarrassing to admit given what happened to them. Physically I'm mostly okay now. But mentally? There's this thing that happens where I'll just be doing something completely normal — making coffee, sitting in traffic, whatever — and it's just *there*. The whole scene. It's not like I'm crying or having a breakdown. It's…
8 replies - genuine-fox-3095/18/2026
Rear-ended a luxury car this morning — my PD coverage enough? First accident ever, freaking out
So I'm sitting here shaking a little because I just got home from the most stressful morning of my life. I was slowing down on the highway onramp and misjudged the gap — tapped the back of what turned out to be a brand new luxury SUV. Like, a really expensive one. Nobody was hurt, thankfully, and both of us pulled over fine. The other driver was actually pretty calm about it, we exchanged info, took photos, all that. My bumper has a small crack but their rear end looks worse — some body panel damage and what might be a busted sensor or camera back there (those things cost a fortune to replac…
10 replies - sharp-dove-1825/18/2026
Bird hit my windshield on the highway, I crashed, now insurance says it's not covered??
I'm still kind of in shock over this whole situation and could really use some outside perspective. About three weeks ago I was driving on the highway in the far left lane when a massive goose or something came out of nowhere and slammed right into my windshield. The impact was so startling I jerked the wheel hard and plowed into the concrete median barrier. Airbags deployed, car is totaled. Here's where I'm losing my mind: my insurance company is telling me this isn't covered. But I **specifically remember** choosing comprehensive coverage partly because the policy documents mention animal…
9 replies - humble-grouse-7715/18/2026
Two accidents in one year broke something in me — anyone else dealing with this?
Hi everyone. Long post, sorry in advance. I've been lurking here for a while and finally feel ready to share because I genuinely don't know who else to talk to about this. Earlier this year I was rear-ended pretty hard at a red light. Wasn't my fault at all — the other driver admitted they were distracted. Physically I came out of it with some whiplash and a bruised sternum, but honestly? The physical stuff healed faster than whatever happened in my head. I get anxious every single time someone pulls up behind me at a stop now. I keep checking my mirrors obsessively. My shoulders are basical…
7 replies - clever-elk-6895/18/2026
Someone staged a crash into me on the highway — dashcam saved my life (figuratively)
Still kind of shaken up writing this but I need to share because I think it could help someone. About three weeks ago I was driving on the interstate during normal traffic, not even rush hour. The SUV in front of me suddenly **brake-checked me hard** out of nowhere — no hazard, no reason, nothing. I rear-ended them. At the scene the other driver was SO aggressive immediately, like weirdly ready with a whole speech about injuries and witnesses. Set off alarm bells. Here's the thing: I bought a dashcam like six months ago and almost never thought about it. Went back and pulled the footage tha…
9 replies - daring-wren-2355/18/2026
My husband got served papers over a fender-bender from 2 years ago — is this normal??
I'm still kind of in shock and honestly just need to talk to people who've been through something like this. About two years ago my husband tapped the car in front of him while merging on a busy surface street — we're talking maybe 5 mph, barely a scratch on the other bumper. The other driver got out, said she was fine, they exchanged info, and that was it. Our insurer at the time handled a small property damage claim and we thought it was 100% done. Fast forward to last Thursday: a process server shows up at our door and my husband is being **sued**. The complaint is asking for a pretty si…
9 replies - clever-marmot-3295/18/2026
Anyone else feel like a completely different person after their accident? It's been 14 months
I'm 24 and I got hit by a semi that drifted into my lane on the interstate back in early spring of last year. My car got pushed into the median and I rolled. I walked away with a concussion, some cracked ribs, and a lot of bruising — nothing "life-threatening" according to the ER, but it doesn't feel that way inside my head. Physically I've healed up pretty well. But mentally? I feel like whoever I was before that day kind of... stayed at that accident scene. Driving is the obvious thing — I white-knuckle it every single time, and I constantly feel like I'm about to cause something terrible…
7 replies