My First Accident in the US

[the_wildthing]

Just venting... this is my first accident here.

Had to brake hard as the lane I was in stopped suddenly. I stopped maybe an inch away from the next car. And I almost sensed that the person behind me will not make it. (I felt the ABS kick in, which is rare.)

True enough nabangga ako. Her damage was visibly much worse, I suppose her 99 MB C230 went under my bumper momentarily. I think tinamaan ko rin very slightly yung nasa harap ko kaso umabante na siya.

It was so cold out, dagdag pa yung kaba. We waited for a cop. Both of us, first timers, didn't know what to do. While waiting for the cop we exchanged insurance and license information. Finally tinabi na namin yung mga kotse.

Nakaka-takbo pa naman yung kotse ko, yung sa kanya mukhang nag leak na ng tubig. I'm assessing my damage as rear bumper plus disaligned / damaged muffler, obvious from the sound, and I'm hoping yun lang. Meron pa ba akong dapat i-check? Naka preno ako ng matigas nung tumama, is there possible damage on the brakes?

My insurance co also tells me I can try claiming through the other party, who seems to be responsible based on my account of how it happened. Otherwise, I can claim through them, but I have to pay the participation first, then they will claim from the other person's insurance, which may take months.

Haay... ngayon medyo masakit likod ko pero mukhang na banat lang. Di naman ako tumama sa steering wheel and wala namang marks ng seatbelt so mukhang mawawala rin.

Sorry mahaba salamat sa pag-basa... Dami nating masama ang pasok ng taon.

[niwde11]

buti naman cliff at walang nangyari sa yo. ingat lang dyan.

[empy]

i actually had no idea that you lived in the US. kala ko sa pinas ka.

did the police make a report? that would be very useful when dealing with the insurance companies. the best way for you is to have the other party claim it through their insurance (to avoid the participation fee). kung may police report ka clearly stating it's their fault, and you have their insurance information, that should be pretty ironclad.

[BoEinG_747]

sana wala ka pang ibang injury
ganon din sa ride mo wala na sana ibang damage pa

ingat ingat na lang mga kapwa natin driver

[MXFX]

sorry about your situation. this sounds like ours last november. wife driving the car, got hit on the back during stop and go on the freeway. at first the other party was willing to deal with us since things look minor, then communication stopped.

our insurance comp recommended us to try and file a claim directly to the other party's insurance. after one call, they sent an adjuster to inspect and estimate, sent us paperwork to fill in, and a few days ago just sent us a check even before we mailed any document to them! i was told big companies (21st in their case) are easier to work with.

they are right about filing it on your insurance. you have to pay upfront, and no guarantee that they will be able to recover it. this happened to us long time ago.

just be ready with all the info when you contact their insurance. in my case, i had my wife write down all the details of the incident. make sure you mention that you are having some body pains so it will be on record right away. a visit to the doctor may be ideal here, just to be sure you are ok. if you feel your brakes are affected, mention it to their insurance too.

because our experience is similar, i think you should be able to recover all costs from their insurance.

[dennis powell]

at importante rin na nakuha mo yung name ng officer at kung anong county sya,para pag nerequire ka ng police report,puede ka lang tumawag to get one,.at puede mo rin eclaim yung sakit sa likod,and tma sila na huwag mong gamitin ang insurance mo,makipag usap ka dun sa nakabangga sa iyo na ipaayos nya yung kotse mo,responsibilidad nila yun,kasi kung gamitin mo yung insurance mo,sigurado after renewal tataas yung premium mo,ano ba insurance mo?liability or comprehensive?

[carlocaraddict]

kuya cliff, buti safe kayo.

[mbeige]

You said mukhang nabanat likod mo. Have your back checked immediately. It may not seem big now but it may escalate in a few years, especially kung na-whiplash ka.

[wren]

sorry to hear about the accident. i wish you a speedy recovery. go with M54's advice.

[j_avonni]

It's good you're OK and you've insurance.

[torque2006]

pa-tignan mo ren yung chassis and suspension mo. malamang misaligned na yung rear end mo (no pun intended. hehe ). available naman ang computerized body pullers/aligners sa states. kelangan kase mai-balik yan para yung crash points mo gumana ulet next time.

as for the brakes, may undue stress na tinanggap yan. your ABS kicked in right before the collision dba? better have it scanned too. just to make sure walang error codes ang ABS sa computer box mo.

lastly, have your back x-rayed. i was involved in a car accident before (kalayaan ave. fort boni (street going to safety college) intersection. middle of the road nako dahil green ang lane ko, eh may sedan na biglang sumulpot. binangga ako sa right front fender. mejo tumagilid katawan ko: g-force dahil dahil sa impact, buti na lang naka-seatbelt ako. nung bumaba ako ayun, "emergency" daw, merong may sakit (meron silang sakay na may asthma, pero mali paren yung ginawa nila, di naman sila ambulansya eh).

anyway, binayaran naman nila ako, pero nung nagpa-check ako ng likod meron daw konti hairline crack/slippage ng disc ata, pero di na lang daw gagalawin dahil mas delikado pa. maghi-heal lang naman daw yun.

pero eto ako ngayon. it's been more than a year. paminsan nararamdaman ko masakit pa ren likod ko.

[bhongskie]

hmmmm, iba iba pala ang rulings ng insurance sa ibat ibang bansa...

[HyBrideVo]

Here in FL we have the so called "florida no fault".. i dont know about any traffic laws in your state but AFAIK anyone who hits you in the back is automatically liable/responsible. What is your car anyway?

[rothmanns]

yup ...have your back checked.... buti na yung sigurado....sad to hear what happened.. sana yan na yung last accident mo....

[empy]

Here in FL we have the so called "florida no fault".. i dont know about any traffic laws in your state...

this is a very good point. the best thing to do may depend on your state laws. san state ka ba bro?

[the_wildthing]

Salamat sa mga reply.

I did not get the officer's name unfortunately. The woman seemed more shaken than me.

My back seems ok now after a good rest, I think it's not really that bad. I will have everything checked on the car Monday. Now that I have seen it in daylight, the spare tire well is damaged, some muffler/pipe mounts are disconnected, apart from the bent muffler. But it's not that bad.

SOme pics:
http://tsikot.yehey.com/gallery/data.../RearEnded.jpg
http://tsikot.yehey.com/gallery/data...MoreDamage.jpg

Car still runs, but since the muffler / pipe got disconnected and probably damaged, it now sounds like those el cheapo racing mufflers. Di na kami lalayo this weekend.

[karlbo]

cliff,

buti walang gaanu damage sa kotse mo and siyempre injuries..

medyo mangilan ngilan tayong naaksidente na tsikoteer and buti nalang ok tayong lahat....

keep us posted kung panung patakaran sa claims and processes ng insurance diyan sa US.

[low_profile2]

buti bro hindi ka naman na saktan.yup medyo matagal yung pag claim nang participation fee kasi imbestigahan pa yun bumannga sayo, kaya for the meantime ikaw muna magbayad 250dlrs or 500dlrs ba ang syo,then ibalik din naman yan..perwisyo lang nga..anyway ingat bro

[empy]

pics of the damage don't look too bad...pero parang dented yata yung gas tank (if that's what it is)? pano nangyari yun? umilalim ba siya sayo?

[the_wildthing]

M54, I'm assuming that is the spare tire basin, kasi may drain plugs. Umilalim talaga, kasi ramdam ko umangat yung likod. Medyo mataas yung Camry, tapos C230 parang mababa.

Kaya ang napuruhan is the lower part of the bumper, that spare tire basin, and the muffler.

Nakausap ko na yung adjuster nung insurance niya kanina, may appointment na rin ako sa body shop. Sagot rin yung rental habang ginagawa. Sana ok gumawa. Siguro naman palit bumper na yun kasi butas na, e plastic lang yun. Ang problema na lang yung metal sa likod kailangan pukpok o hila. Nakatago naman siya, so kahit hindi ganon kaayos, basta hindi sisimulan ng kalawang.