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18-wheeler clipped me on the highway and kept going — I have no idea what to do

I'm still shaking a little as I write this, honestly.

I was driving on the interstate last week, totally normal commute, when an 18-wheeler in the lane next to me just... drifted over. No signal, no warning. I laid on my horn, hit my brakes, and before I could do anything useful I was getting pushed sideways. I managed to keep it off the guardrail but my car spun out, hopped the right shoulder, and ended up nose-down in a drainage ditch on the side of the highway.

The truck never slowed down. Just gone.

I didn't get the plates — I was a little busy trying not to die, you know? State troopers were actually pretty decent when they showed up, but they basically said without a plate number or a witness who stopped, there's not a lot to work with. No dashcam. No nearby traffic cameras they were aware of.

Here's the gut punch: I only carry liability coverage. I'm 20, I'm broke, I work two part-time jobs and I just started taking community college classes. Full coverage felt like a luxury I couldn't afford. Now my car is completely undriveable — the front axle is bent, airbags deployed, and the whole front end looks like a crushed soda can.

I've got a bus pass and a friend who's been giving me rides to work but that can't last forever. I feel so stuck and so angry. I did nothing wrong and now I'm the one sitting here figuring out how to get to work.

I'm not even sure what I'm asking. I just needed to say it somewhere.

10replies

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10 replies

  • 8
    patient-newt-275

    I'm so sorry. You did everything right and still ended up in a ditch because some driver couldn't be bothered to stay in their lane or even stop. That's infuriating and it's completely unfair. I hope you're at least physically okay.

    • 14
      gentle-marmot-925

      Did the trooper say whether there are any witnesses at all? Even someone who didn't stop might have called 911 from the road — dispatch records sometimes catch stuff like that. Also, do you remember roughly what time of day it was and which direction the truck was heading? Details matter if anyone tries to trace this.

  • 15
    sharp-mole-383

    I know this feels like a disaster right now — and honestly it kind of is — but you got out of a ditch on the interstate after getting clipped by an 18-wheeler. That's not nothing. Start with the steps people are mentioning here and take it one piece at a time. You've already survived the hardest part.

  • 4
    cool-newt-957

    Former adjuster here. A few things worth knowing: if you have uninsured motorist (UM) coverage on your policy — even a basic version — a hit-and-run can sometimes qualify under that. A lot of young drivers don't realize they have it, or don't realize it applies to hit-and-runs. Pull out your policy documents tonight and look specifically for 'uninsured motorist' or 'UMBI/UMPD.' Also — your parents' policy, if you're still sometimes listed as a household resident, might be worth checking too.

    • 14
      daring-hare-675

      Just want to add to what the former adjuster said — if there's any chance of identifying the trucking company, that changes everything. Big rigs are usually operated by carriers with serious insurance requirements. If you can remember anything about the truck's markings, colors, any logo, even a partial plate letter, write it down now while it's fresher than it'll be next month. Some PI attorneys will actually do the investigative legwork on hit-and-runs as part of a free consultation to see if it's worth pursuing. Not legal advice, just process stuff I've seen.

  • 3
    quiet-badger-921

    This happened to me with a dump truck a couple of years ago and I felt that exact same helpless rage. The thing that actually helped me was calling the state DOT — they have traffic monitoring footage on a lot of highway stretches that the troopers don't always think to pull. Worth a shot before any footage gets overwritten. I found my truck that way.

    • 9
      swift-wolf-190

      Even with liability-only, don't let your insurer brush you off completely. Some policies have provisions people don't know about. Read your declarations page word for word, and if you don't understand something, ask someone who does before you accept any 'there's nothing we can do' answer from an adjuster. They are not on your side.

    • 12
      quick-vole-755

      Please make sure you've been seen by a doctor if you haven't already. Adrenaline is wild — I've had patients who walked away from serious crashes feeling fine and then woke up two days later barely able to move their neck. Even if you feel okay right now, soft tissue stuff can take days to surface. If cost is the issue, community health centers usually have sliding-scale fees.

  • 10
    tidy-swift-976

    Not legal advice, but I'd encourage you to at least talk to a personal injury attorney before deciding there's 'nothing to do.' Hit-and-run commercial vehicle cases are genuinely difficult, but they're not automatically dead ends. Trucking companies have GPS logs, dispatch records, and fuel receipts — sometimes a stretch of highway can be narrowed down to a handful of carriers running that route at that time. Most PI attorneys work on contingency so there's no upfront cost to you. One free consult doesn't obligate you to anything.

  • 5
    hearty-hare-436

    Three things you should do this week: 1) Request the full police report and read every word. 2) Call your insurance company and specifically ask if you have any uninsured motorist coverage — don't assume you don't. 3) Talk to a PI lawyer, free consult, no commitment. After that you'll have a clearer picture. Right now you're just guessing at what's possible.