(800) 853-2651
SHOP NOW

Distracted Driver.

Geo-TH,In

Geo-TH,In

Well-known Member
I was at a stop light. Lady behind bumps into my dump trailer. No damage to the trailer. Just messed up her hood, radiator is good.

She asked if my trailer was damaged. She said good. Did want to look at her damage. Bet she didn't have insurance.

I snapped pic before I left.

She said it was her fault, getting something from the back seat.
a224380.jpg
 
Sometimes these things will come back and bite you. Good to have a police report stating she was at fault. Of coarse different states have different laws.
 
Mike, good advice in my opinion "Good to have a police report stating she was at fault"

I told my family in such cases take pics of the car and license plate and get drivers ID and call the police and ask for a "POLICE REPORT" which is the first thing an insurance agent may ask about. After such an incident peoples stories have a tendancy to change especially if they talk to an insurance agent or an attorney lol. Next thing is you will get a letter from an ambulance chaser claiming the driver suffered severe whiplash and may be permanently disabled and you're liable IT HAPPENS

However, yall feel free to do as you please and not get info or not call the police or do or don't do anything.

John T Country Lawyer
 
Every state I've lived in required, while I lived there, reporting an accident that resulted in a certain amount or damage. What I never understood is how a person who isn't familiar with repairing that type of damage is supposed to be able to look at a vehicle and knowing what it's going to cost to repair. Say a Doctor, lawyer, housewife?

That type of thing happened to a friend. Lady bumped the back of his boat on his way back from fishing. Neither one noticed any damage and went their separate ways. Later when he was cleaning his boat he found that his transom was cracked.

Just be happy no one was injured.

Rick
 

I will go with the others. Not to beat the horse but you should have gotten a report. My grandfather really go a heck of a bill from the blood suckers. Guy hit him and then a month latter the guy said he got hit. I wish you could shoot vermin like that.
 
Bingo, John.

A damage claim may show up in a few days or weeks, claiming that the driver in front backed into her stopped car. At this point it will be difficult or impossible to prove that he did not.

Folks at fault, especially those without insurance or with other reasons to avoid encounters with the cops, tend to be very, very cooperative at the scene but stories can soon change.

Dean
 
My understanding is that in a rear-end type accident, whoever did the rear-ending is at fault, period.

Something about those Hondas. Both times I got rear-ended were by Hondas too.
 
You should have called police. She could come back and say you backed into her. She had enough damage that it has to be reported to state police in the state Of Indiana.
 
Just to add another. Here in south Jersey a couple of days ago there was an early morning accident. High school superintendent or some such was out jogging with his dog and a girl that went to the school hit him and the dog and killed both. She was going on a school trip that morning. Haven't heard anymore but you can bet there is a cell phone in this mix somewhere.
 
Well, Lets just hope it all ends well. The lady is honest and takes care of her car that she messed up, and you never hear another thing about it. Butttt take all advice that has been given and know better next time. Call the police, get witness statements names and numbers immediately. Fill out the accident report form probably required by your state. Unfortuneately everyone is not honest, and could try to snooker you. Protect yourself. gobble
 
What happens later goes something like this:
Lady returns home. Her husband returns home from work and sees the damage. Asks wife what happened. Wife makes up a story about how this guy with a trailer rolled back into her. So, the husband calls a lawyer and decides to collect on it so that his own insurance won't go up. In the meantime, he starts a claim with his own insurance company claiming his wife was not at fault. Insurance adjuster decides that since it is her word against George's, fault could go either way. So, the adjuster decides equal fault on both parts since it cannot be proved either way without corroborating evidence.

The bottom line is that you need to protect yourself from unwarranted liability. Many police departments will no longer take reports on minor collisions unless you insist upon it. I ran into that some years ago. A lady totaled her SUV on my ICC bar. Police did not want to get involved because both vehicles were drivable. I insisted because of the commercial status of my vehicle. Police came, report made, end of story. Without the report, the lady could have said that I rolled back into her or backed out of an intersection. Better cover yourself than leave it to strangers to do the right thing.
 
I couple of years ago I had heard there were parts of the country that it didnt matter if you call the police or not. The police's "excuse" was that if no one was injured it didnt matter if you had a police report as the insurance companies didnt pay attention to it anyway and since the police werent there when it happened they wouldnt know what really happened.....? That was always the first thing to do years ago.
 
I'd say, CALL THE LAW!

Then the onus is on them to decide whether it needs a police report or not.

As someone else said, the gal that hit you could change her story and then it would be your word against hers.
 
Most smart phones or tablets have voice recorder apps, they can be kinda handy to have running if one thinks of such things at a time like that. Is it legal, is it not, well at least your lawyer can hear the conversation......

Just saying.

Paul
 
Fella went through a red light, around a semi, and hit my 3 month old pickup with his $500 station wagon. I couldnr see him coming because of the semi, my reaction time was do I hit the brakes and ram him in the driver door or do I speed up and get hit in my rear panel. I didn't want to kill him I sped up.

He told me his brakes went out.

By the time the police got there, his story was he slipped on the ice and couldn't stop, but it was his fault tho he just couldn't stop.

I thought that over and didnt say anything, he was taking fault either way, but in sure it sounded better to his insurance co. He drove his wreck away, they had to haul my pickup away the driveline seperated.

Stories change a little as one has tome to think it over - what's in it for me......

Paul
 
Others are right about getting a police report. A couple years ago my wife was on way home, and was "broadsided" by someone pulling out of a private driveway (driveway to a local bar). She called me, and I drove there, and she had called the law. After waiting for about an hour, the guy said he had called his insurance and all was good, and gave us insurance info, etc, and asked if we could give up on waiting that his insurance would take care of it. We had all the info, so reluctantly we left. Later on my wife received a call that he had since decided it was my wifes fault, and that she had left the roadway, and hit his vehicle, and refusing to take fault. It took about 2-3 months to finally get things straightened out - mostly because he refused to even let his own insurance company (or ours) view the damage to his vehicle. Once they saw his damage and ours, there was no doubt that it was his fault, but things could have gotten ugly. ALWAYS get a police report - regardless of who the other driver is or what the circumstances are, and take photos, and gather as much info as you can quickly. As others have said, stories change quickly when $$ are involved, insurance rates are going to go up, etc.
 
Just likely averages because Honda sells more cars than anyone else except Toyota. They go back and forth on number one being sold.
I worked at a Buick & Cadillac dealer and our body shop had plenty of them in it too ! Lots of mirror replacements and dings from hitting things. You know the type of old people who drive by feel. Those cars did hold up well in major wrecks.
 
I agree, and it's a sorry state of affairs.

There are too many donuts to eat and too much coffee to drink.

Dean
 
John in LA,
Ditto here in Michigan. If there are no injuries, both cars driveable, 911 will tell you to go to a police station and fill out a report. No car coming out. It's a little different, I think, on the Interstates. The Michigan State Police cruises those regularly and will usually have a car in the area. Without flashing lights on the scene in rush hour, a fender bender can cause lots of other accidents. In any case, pix of damage and other persons info is a necessity.
 
In Oregon if the total damage exceed a $1,200.00 (think that's the amount) your drivers license will be pulled if you don't file an accident report.
 
John, you are on the money. A long time ago I had that happen to me. A Cadillac hit me slightly from the rear. We agreed to pay our own damages and go on our ways. About a year later my insurance was cancelled because over $10,000 was paid out for a bogus back and neck injury.
 
Unfortunatly all distracted driver collisions don't end with only property damage. Two weeks ago near Wylie Tx a distracted driver crossed into oncoming lane and killed a fireman and his two children. Want to guess what kind of insurance,driver's license and legal status the at fault driver has? None,none and none. The world has far too few people in the caliber of firefighters so this is an exceptionally large lose. 90% of collisions are not accidents,they are the result of stupid driving.
 
Speaking of distracted driving. I took a survey yesterday while driving our DM Mack in traffic yesterday. About 50% of the people I passed were busy texting and the rest weren't that good looking.
Ron
 
Get the police report if possible. If not possible, get the other driver to state who was at fault and their wishes on video. Then get photos of their license, insurance, and license plate. They could have borrowed the car and returned it to the owner claiming you hit them and ran. If you drive off and they call the law with a picture of your license plate they can tell any story they want.
 
I guess the good thing is she hit you in the rear. Pretty hard to loose anything when you are hit in the rear as it is 99% automatically the fault of the person who hit you in the rear. I would have left too, but sure not saying that is the correct thing to do. I wouldn't worry. Good luck - Bob
 
Unfortunately in wisc even though she hit you and plainly it's here fault the insurance company well say it's partially your fault because your on the road . Picture was a good idea because latter she can come back at you I like video because if she said something it's recorded
 
Over 30 years ago a girl rear-ended my 70 Elcamino at a stop light with her Toyota. Pretty much destroyed her car with my trailer hitch through the radiator, my hitch and bumper were turned down and a big oil can dent in the tailgate. The girl was crying her eyes out begging me not to call the cops, she'd do anything, anything, don't call the cops. She was starting to soften me up when fortunately some guy ran out of a liquor store and said he called the law on her. I pulled the inner cover off the tailgate and popped the dent out, loosened the bumper bolts and jacked the hitch and bumper back in place, just left a little dent in the bumper and scratch in the woodgrain strip in the taiigate, got 700 bucks from her insurance.
 
I would have called the police but in my community if no one was injured the town or county deputy won't come. They say they don't want to be involved if there is a lawsuit. If it's on a state highway the state police will come.
 
Probably about fifteen years ago, I was on the way into town when a guy in a pickup drifted across the centerline. I steered to the right, but he still hit my mirror, flipping it around rather violently, which shattered the drivers side window. The guy stopped, and since no one was injured, we exchanged license and insurance information, and went on our way. WRONG!! I called my insurance company, gave them the information, and they said they'd take care of things. I got a call a few says later that they couldn't find anything out about this guy. The registration he gave me didn't match the truck, the license was bogus and there was no such address. The tags were stolen and the VIN didn't match the registration. Even the State Police couldn't find the guy. My truck was fixed by uninsured motorist's fund, but I learned a lesson. Get a report.....the cops would still like to talk to this clown!!
 
I'm a believer in Police reports, but I used to live in Wisconsin, cops wouldn't come...too busy protesting the governor down in Madison. Last few times I needed a report I was only able to get someone to come out because I knew the Sheriff. The police, city council (and the county board for that matter) all felt they were "spending too much money" doing accident reports and if you got them out they wanted to charge you for the report. When I worked for the county I was responsible for the county motor pool let me tell you Unionized Social Workers (MSW) are pretty adamant that they're above rules and laws and used to beat up the equipment pretty bad, one car came in with about $900 dollars of unreported damage but due to the social workers bad luck we knew she did it (it was in for an oil change Monday, she had it Tuesday and her buddy she set up to take the fall Wednesday reported the damage before it was driven off the lot) The HHS Director was useless in the matter as he didn't want to tangle with the union. When I got the estimate back I made some discreet inquiries, the cops came to "investigate" the same time HR informed her that having a Driver's License was a requirement of her job, and since she was in the "professional union" there was no re-posting. Seems in good old Wisconsin if you have an accident with property damage of more than $500 you have to report it or risk losing your license. Then it was explained to her that if there was any claims made by property owners for damage she might of caused she'd be in really big trouble.

That's about the same time I really questioned living in Wisconsin, you're going to loose your license and be fined for not reporting an accident BUT they won't come and fill out the accident report if you call. Although some municipalities in routine accidents like a car/deer you call them and they take the report over the phone. I just got to wonder what happens if someone hits a person or other vehicle and then calls in a car/deer, does the phone in thing then pays the $3.00 for the report and uses the report to defend themselves on the real incident. Yes I worked with unionized municipal union workers it really changed the way I think about my fellow man, if there's a way to skate responsibility they'll do it.
 
I probably would have called the cops, but that's just me. Here's why:
Quite a few years ago, I had a co-worker who was involved in an accident on the way to work. He was in his lane, a 16 y.o. female driver crossed over the center of the street and hit his car.
The 16 y.o. gets out, says its her fault, promises to pay for everything, but says: "Please don't call the cops!".
My co-worker called the cops, an accident was filed and the cops wrote a ticket for a "left of center" violation against the 16 y.o. driver.
About a month later, my co-worker got hit with a lawsuit because the legal document said that it was his fault that he caused the accident.
It turns out that the 16 y.o. driver had a mom who was an ambulance-chasing attorney. Because of the police report, the attorney lost the court case.
But, hey, it's your choice.
 
To decline an accident report with damage done to a vehicle like that, either she didn't have insurance, or a valid drivers license....
 
(quoted from post at 18:44:37 04/21/16) To decline an accident report with damage done to a vehicle like that, either she didn't have insurance, or a valid drivers license....
Click to expand...

Or was a ticket away from losing her license or on the verge of really having her insurance jacked up. Couple of years ago a local lady had 4 or 5 claims against here auto insurance company in the past year. She was making payments on the car and had to have full coverage. She wound up going with a 2K deductible to keep her insurance low enough for her to afford it. That could make someone hesitant to call the cops too.

Rick
 
I agree and would have too, but only because something similar happened to a former co-coworker of a friend of mine. Got rear ended like here, and the person that rear ended him said "Oh no, my fault, I'll pay for any damages, don't call the cops" and the sort. My buddy's co-worker friend wrote it off and went on his way. Later the cops came to visit him for fleeing an accident because the person that hit him reported that it happened the other way around, that he backed into them and then took off. The guy ended up with fines, revoked license, and ended up losing his job because his job required him to drive around. The guy's whole world got turned upside down and he was the victim. I met the guy and he was a real good guy, but got drug through the wringers and he was the victim.

Mark
 
In event of collision with another vehicle, pictures and video can prove fault and liability.

I have installed a dash camera in my farm pick-up and my wife's (the family) car.I do not use a cell phone (don't need nor want one), so I would not have a camera with me.

Dash cameras will record continuous video with sound while driving. In event of collision the impact will lock the last minutes of video so it cannot be over written, should that video be needed for legal proof of the incident. Dash camera units can be removed easily from vehicle to make video recording of damage, the other operator, plate numbers, location, etc. Dash cams also have still snapshot capability so still shots can be made if desired.

Dash cameras are inexpensive. Camera in cell phone is nice but would not be practical to use it as a traffic video recording device.
Why a dashcam?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

3
Flat tire on my Dodge 3500
Replies
12
Views
1K
MARK ROBKE
M
W
Intersection trail Cam
Replies
15
Views
589
Wheat47
W
jon f mn
Update on pig litter
2
Replies
20
Views
1K
Texasmark
T
Ultradog MN
Mrs. Gustufson
2
Replies
21
Views
2K
steve_in_mo
S
D
Allis model D grader refurbishment
Replies
5
Views
396
docmirror
D
Tractor Parts Tractor Manuals

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy

Back
Top