AcesandEights
29-Dec-2007, 06:11 PM
So a week ago this last Wednesday, I was on my way over to my girlfriend's for dinner. I was sitting at a light when I got a green arrow to make a turn. I give my Cherokee a little gas and pull forward and start to spin the wheel to turn right up this steep hill (actually an overpass that crosses over the train tracks). I look up the hill and see, emerging from the dark of the night, a truck barreling down towards me in my lane! It's lights were off and I had only a moment to register how wrong it was that a truck was bearing down on me in the lane I was supposed to be turning into.
Anyway, the truck plows into passenger side by the front wheel and prangs me into the intersection a bit. When things stop moving, I look to see if I'm about to get hit by anyone else, now that I'm knocked a bit into the intersection and check to see if I'm okay. Physically I feel okay aside from my knee and a twinge in my back. I get out and proceed around to the truck to have a word with the driver, fully expecting the person to be having a heart attack or maybe just a complete imbecile. People are coming up and asking if I'm alright and I notice the toyota tacoma that hit me isn't in park yet and then I notice it...no one is in the vehicle that hit me! The door is still closed and the windows are intact. People start to ask me where the other driver is. I promise to let them know if they return the favor.
In any event, before I could get a 911 dispatcher to pick up, the EMS and police arrive (I would later find out that the police chief saw the whole thing from an unmarked car at the intersection). The responding officers and Emergency Service folks want to know what happened and were the other driver is and I share my surprising realization that there seems to not have been any driver. A minute later, the apparent operator of the truck that hit me comes jogging down the hill, snadwhich and cofee in hand. The cop next to me puts his hand on my shoulder and tells one of his fellow officers to go talk to the guy, assuring me that I didn't want to and shouldn't get involved in their conversation. So it turns out the cocksucker parked his car obn a hill, didn't use an e-brake, ran into a deli and either forgot to put his vehicle in park (which is my bet) or the vehicle mysteriously got knocked out of park and proceeded to roll down the hill, cross out of one lane of traffic, across my lane, missing a few cars and bouncing off of a guard rail which angled it back on target with my lane and *bam*.
So, now my car is likely totaled (body/frame, some engine damage and possible front axle), my back is tweaked and I have a story that Geico seemed to think was incredulous. On the positive, this car will get paid off, it would seem, I'm not horribly hurt and I have high caliber witnesses and was found to be not at fault in any way.
****! Anyway, just thought I'd vent. I'm wondering how screwed I'll be if I have to go through my insurance company (which I'm trying not to do to avoid a deductible)...
Anyway, the truck plows into passenger side by the front wheel and prangs me into the intersection a bit. When things stop moving, I look to see if I'm about to get hit by anyone else, now that I'm knocked a bit into the intersection and check to see if I'm okay. Physically I feel okay aside from my knee and a twinge in my back. I get out and proceed around to the truck to have a word with the driver, fully expecting the person to be having a heart attack or maybe just a complete imbecile. People are coming up and asking if I'm alright and I notice the toyota tacoma that hit me isn't in park yet and then I notice it...no one is in the vehicle that hit me! The door is still closed and the windows are intact. People start to ask me where the other driver is. I promise to let them know if they return the favor.
In any event, before I could get a 911 dispatcher to pick up, the EMS and police arrive (I would later find out that the police chief saw the whole thing from an unmarked car at the intersection). The responding officers and Emergency Service folks want to know what happened and were the other driver is and I share my surprising realization that there seems to not have been any driver. A minute later, the apparent operator of the truck that hit me comes jogging down the hill, snadwhich and cofee in hand. The cop next to me puts his hand on my shoulder and tells one of his fellow officers to go talk to the guy, assuring me that I didn't want to and shouldn't get involved in their conversation. So it turns out the cocksucker parked his car obn a hill, didn't use an e-brake, ran into a deli and either forgot to put his vehicle in park (which is my bet) or the vehicle mysteriously got knocked out of park and proceeded to roll down the hill, cross out of one lane of traffic, across my lane, missing a few cars and bouncing off of a guard rail which angled it back on target with my lane and *bam*.
So, now my car is likely totaled (body/frame, some engine damage and possible front axle), my back is tweaked and I have a story that Geico seemed to think was incredulous. On the positive, this car will get paid off, it would seem, I'm not horribly hurt and I have high caliber witnesses and was found to be not at fault in any way.
****! Anyway, just thought I'd vent. I'm wondering how screwed I'll be if I have to go through my insurance company (which I'm trying not to do to avoid a deductible)...