So yesterday I got into an accident. I was turning left as a guy was going forward in the opposite direction. Needless to say I hit his front quarter panel and drivers door. We were lucky that we were so close to the police station. Literally within 10 seconds there was already police and the white SUV fire response vehicles. The guy I hit was an older gentleman. After the crash he had some cuts on his arm and was saying his head hurt. Although he was conscious and talking. Because I crushed his door frame they had to cut the top off of his car. They took him to a hospital a city over. We later called and they said he hadn't been admitted. So here's to hoping he is ok. The impact crushed in my front end. I now also know that my truck either didn't have an airbag or it malfunctioned. I don't have any pictures of the scene but here is one of the truck after it was towed.



His driver's mirror was also embedded in my grill. So I have a souvenir of the crash. Unfortunately our insurance will only pay about 800 bucks for repairs and with used parts it might be 2000 bucks to fix. I'm ok, he's ok, let's hope this all turns out good in the end.

Ouch, that really sucks. I hope that guy gets better soon. Also, you should replace or fix your airbag really soon, it's quite dangerous to have a malfunctioning airbag.

Airbags only go off in speeds excess of 35MPH, if memory serves, and it has to be a direct head on collision. I don't mess with airbag systems in cars, but that much for that old of a vehicle is true.

Yeesh, that sucks. Do you really need that big of a truck, ParkerR? Seems a bit excessive to me.

Of course he does. It's compensation for his calculator collection being so tiny

Anywho, sorry to hear, Parker. :/

I have an infinitely expanding collection of calculators from the school I work for .

But yeah, good luck getting everything straightened out. What insurance do you have that could fail so hard?

ParkerR, that is quite a hit. I am surprised your air bags didn't go off. That's an awfully large "dent." I'm afraid to see the other car D:

Depending on the coverage he or his parents pay for, his insurance will only pay 800$. If they pay a higher rate for insurance on the car, then the insurance could end up paying for the whole she-bang, if not (say) $1,500. It is pathetic that car repairs or so expensive, and the insurance companies will only pay so little.

They probably don't cover "at-fault" accidents to any major degree. It sounds like he was turning into oncoming traffic, in which case, he probably would have had to yield.

It was likely a four way stop sign, and one of the drivers wasn't paying attention, whether it was Parker's right to go or the others is unclear. But the vehicle travelling straight, does in fact of the right of way in any other circumstance - unprotected left turns at lights and onto side streets.

4-way stop? What, did they get a 500 yard head start for the collision?

If the other car's mirror was embedded in ParkerR's grille, then that implies to me that ParkerR hit the other car instead of vice versa, which would make it more likely (although certainly not a given) that ParkerR was the negligent driver rather than the other car. I could be totally off-base.

That's a good point, also KermM, another good point. At the time it sounded logical, and now it doesn't

No it was not a four way stop. I was completely in the wrong.

http://cl.ly/1R1b252Y2Y1M0r0X1v19/Screen_shot_2011-06-03_at_6.22.21_PM.png

It is a two way street with a turn lane in the middle. I got into the turn lane and made the turn.

But what insurance provider only provides $800? My parent's provider, State Farm, which I would be added to if I started driving, has always covered everything. Hell even when some lady tried to con us out of money, our insurance just went and took care of all the legal stuff, no questions asked.

There are varying degrees of coverage. Even if you have full coverage, you have to take out the costs of the deductible, which is what they normally do. And the deductible has different levels, like $500 and $750, no doubt lower amounts. These affect the monthly pricing and such.