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kind-kestrel-935

County road crew truck reversed into me at a work zone — no injury but my car is messed up

So this happened yesterday morning and I'm still kind of processing it.

I was driving through a construction zone on my way to work — single lane traffic, cones everywhere, the usual slow crawl. A county public works truck was parked up ahead and I stopped behind a couple other cars waiting for a flagger. Out of nowhere the truck just starts reversing — no backup alarm, no warning, nothing. I laid on my horn but it didn't stop in time and crunched right into my front end.

The workers who came over were... not great. Kind of dismissive, acted like it was an inconvenience. One guy wrote down their vehicle unit number on a piece of paper and that was basically it. I stayed calm, took photos of everything, got the unit number, and flagged down the flagger to ask if there was a supervisor. Eventually a supervisor showed up and I gave my info. A sheriff's deputy came out and filed a report.

There was a pickup truck behind me who saw the whole thing — I got his number before he left, thankfully.

Here's my situation: my car is older and honestly not worth a ton, but the front bumper and hood are definitely damaged. No injuries that I can feel right now, though my neck was a little stiff this morning.

My questions: 1. Does a government-owned vehicle work differently for claims than a regular driver? 2. Should I report it to my own insurance even if I'm clearly not at fault? 3. Is it even worth pursuing if the car isn't worth much?

Any experience with this kind of thing would be huge right now.

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10 replies

  • 13
    keen-elk-371

    Government vehicle claims are a whole different beast — I got hit by a city utility truck a while back and quickly realized you can't just deal with it the way you would a normal fender bender. There are usually special notice requirements and shorter deadlines to file a claim against a government entity. Don't sit on this one.

    • 9
      humble-elk-181

      Not legal advice, but I'll say this: government liability claims have procedural tripwires that catch a lot of people off guard. The notice-of-claim deadline is the big one — it's separate from your statute of limitations and missing it can bar your claim entirely. The stiff neck is also worth documenting medically sooner rather than later. Might be worth at least a free consultation with a PI attorney who has handled municipal claims before.

  • 12
    keen-sparrow-316

    From what I saw working in claims, a lot of people get tripped up when a government vehicle is involved because they assume the process is the same. It's not. Government entities often have their own risk management departments that handle these instead of a standard insurance carrier. You'll likely need to file a formal notice of claim — and in most states, there's a pretty tight window to do that (sometimes as short as 60-90 days). Miss it and you could lose your right to recover anything. I'd look up your specific county's claims process today, not next week.

  • 15
    humble-newt-331

    Yes, report it to your own insurance. I know that feels counterintuitive when you didn't do anything wrong, but your insurer can go after the county on your behalf through subrogation. It also protects you if this drags out. Just do it.

    • 3
      tired-neighbor315

      Going through something similar right now. Did following up actually move the needle for you?

  • 9
    plain-kestrel-079

    Please don't ignore that neck stiffness. Soft tissue injuries from low-speed impacts often don't fully show up until 24-72 hours later. Go get checked out — even urgent care — and make sure it's documented. If you end up needing PT down the road, you'll want a paper trail starting from right after the accident, not weeks later.

  • 14
    hearty-tern-055

    Heads up: even government risk departments have adjusters whose job is to minimize what they pay out. Don't assume they'll just do the right thing because it's obvious you weren't at fault. They may drag their feet, question the damage, or try to lowball the repair estimate. Your witness is gold — keep that contact info somewhere safe.

    • 18
      bright-lynx-130

      Honestly the part about your neck being stiff would worry me more than the car right now. Please go get seen by a doctor today. Everything else can be sorted out — your health can't wait.

  • 15
    clear-elk-603

    A couple of practical things: first, pull the accident report as soon as it's available and read every word — make sure nothing is inaccurate before it becomes the official record. Second, look up your county or municipality's formal tort claim process. Most government entities require you to submit a written notice of claim before you can even file a lawsuit if it comes to that. The deadline for that notice is often much shorter than a normal statute of limitations. Not telling you what to do legally, just flagging the process.

  • 15
    kind-raven-846

    You actually did a lot of things right in a stressful moment — photos, witness contact, stayed calm with the supervisor. That documentation is going to matter. You're in a better position than a lot of people in this situation.