Two separate accidents in one month as a new driver — I feel like I'm cursed and terrified to drive

Oh my gosh, I felt this in my chest. When I was 19 I had two not-my-fault accidents within about six weeks and I was convinced I was cursed. My hands would shake every time I got behind the wheel. It does get better, I promise. The anxiety fades. You're not a bad driver — you just hit a brutal stretch of bad luck.

Please don't be so hard on yourself. A delivery van running a red light and an animal darting into the road at night are both things that could happen to literally any driver, experienced or not. You did nothing wrong. I just want you to hear that.

To answer your insurance question — yes, unfortunately some insurers will raise your rates or flag you as "high risk" even on not-at-fault claims, depending on your state and your policy. It's completely unfair but it happens. I'd call your agent before they process everything and ask them directly how each claim will be coded. Get it in writing if you can. Don't just assume "not at fault" means your premium is safe.

Former adjuster here. The animal strike is almost certainly a comprehensive claim, not a collision claim — those are treated very differently on your record and usually don't count against you the same way. The van incident depends on how it was filed and whether the other driver's liability carrier is paying out. If your own insurer had to front anything and is still pursuing subrogation, just stay patient and keep every document they send you. Don't let anything go to voicemail without following up in writing.

On the van accident specifically — if the other driver's insurance is dragging their feet, it might be worth getting a free consultation with a PI attorney just to understand your options. Not saying you need to sue anyone, but sometimes just knowing what leverage you have changes how quickly adjusters move. Most PI attorneys do free consults and don't charge unless they recover something for you.

I want to gently flag something: the anxiety and guilt spiraling you're describing, the replaying of events, the shaking — that can be the early signs of trauma response, even when you walked away physically fine. A lot of people don't realize that accidents can leave a psychological mark even without injury. If the fear of driving is starting to affect your daily life, please consider talking to someone. Even a few sessions can make a real difference.

Not legal advice, but just so you know: being a young driver does NOT mean you're automatically liable when the other party caused the incident. Insurance companies sometimes lean on inexperience as a way to dispute fault — don't let an adjuster imply you were somehow responsible for a van running a red light. If that narrative starts to creep into the conversation, that's when a legal opinion becomes worth getting. Again, not legal advice, just know your rights exist.

You walked away from both of these. That matters more than any repair bill or rate increase. I know it doesn't feel that way when you're dealing with the guilt and the stress, but you're okay. That's the thing to hold onto right now.

Practically speaking: document everything, keep copies of every police report and insurance communication, don't give any recorded statements without understanding what they're for, and look into whether your state has a "not at fault" protection law for rate increases. Some do, some don't. Do that research now before renewal sneaks up on you.

Few questions that might matter here — did you get a copy of the police report from the van accident? Was the other driver cited? And did your own insurance open a claim or did the van driver's insurer handle it directly? The answers change your options quite a bit.