It's NOT Bumper Cars, Dude!
I was rear-ended yesterday, as I was lost and looking for the business to which I was about to make application for a job. Sigh. Fortunately, I was not hurt, and the car isn't overly damaged ~ in fact, it looks fine. However, the assembly of lights that light the rear tag was smashed and according to the body shop, the bumper is actually broken beneath. I'm not surprised as the hit was hardly gentle. You can imagine my amazement when I got out of my car to see that it looked mostly fine though. That bouncy rear bumper is a wonderful bit of safety engineering.
Okay, so here's what happened:
I was trying to locate BMW which is on the frontage road of a the main thoroughfare (Kellogg) through Wichita. I should have left the thoroughfare one exit (at Rock Rd.) before I did. There is no access to the frontage road, where I exited (Webb). The main roads were mostly snow-free, but I turned down a residential snow-packed street to retrace my steps. Street was deserted. Pulled into a driveway, got turned and with intermittently spinning wheels, headed back to the stoplight. As I was approaching, the light turned yellow, and since there was no way I could gun it in the snow with my rear-wheel drive, I stopped. The light turned red. Then I hear this horn behind me, and BOOM! Rear-ended by a 4 wheel drive pick up truck. Young 20-something man.
I guess I appreciated the warning of the horn, but dude, the same reason you cannot stop is the same reason I cannot go. Do you see the god-damned snow?
Nice guy though. After he gave me his information, he gave me a push so I could get going again. Yeah, I had zero traction.
So I've called his insurance company, and am waiting for a call back from a local representative to take my case ~ which should happen today. Also called mine just to verify the procedure. I was told by the young man's company that it was not necessary to contact my insurance agent, but I'm always leery of taking advice from the other guy's representative. Turns out the information was accurate, unless there proves to be a problem, like the guy denies how the accident happened. I don't expect that to happen. He lamely inferred he thought I was going through light. Really?
Interestingly enough when I chatted with my insurance agent, and I explained that the young man had a four-wheel drive, the agent said that is a common contributor to accidents ~ those with a 4 wheel drive often make the mistake of thinking the other cars on the road are capable of doing what they can do.
Okay, so here's what happened:
I was trying to locate BMW which is on the frontage road of a the main thoroughfare (Kellogg) through Wichita. I should have left the thoroughfare one exit (at Rock Rd.) before I did. There is no access to the frontage road, where I exited (Webb). The main roads were mostly snow-free, but I turned down a residential snow-packed street to retrace my steps. Street was deserted. Pulled into a driveway, got turned and with intermittently spinning wheels, headed back to the stoplight. As I was approaching, the light turned yellow, and since there was no way I could gun it in the snow with my rear-wheel drive, I stopped. The light turned red. Then I hear this horn behind me, and BOOM! Rear-ended by a 4 wheel drive pick up truck. Young 20-something man.
I guess I appreciated the warning of the horn, but dude, the same reason you cannot stop is the same reason I cannot go. Do you see the god-damned snow?
Nice guy though. After he gave me his information, he gave me a push so I could get going again. Yeah, I had zero traction.
So I've called his insurance company, and am waiting for a call back from a local representative to take my case ~ which should happen today. Also called mine just to verify the procedure. I was told by the young man's company that it was not necessary to contact my insurance agent, but I'm always leery of taking advice from the other guy's representative. Turns out the information was accurate, unless there proves to be a problem, like the guy denies how the accident happened. I don't expect that to happen. He lamely inferred he thought I was going through light. Really?
Interestingly enough when I chatted with my insurance agent, and I explained that the young man had a four-wheel drive, the agent said that is a common contributor to accidents ~ those with a 4 wheel drive often make the mistake of thinking the other cars on the road are capable of doing what they can do.