Wreck today

[mobilnissan1991]

Got in a fender bender on the interstate today, went to switch lanes, was clear and then wham got hit out of nowhere. Everyone is fine besides my neck was sore for about an hour. My F150 has a small scuff on the bumper, it seems to still drive straight, but should I still get the front end checked out? Below is my truck and the guys Accord. I had way less damage. He hit me at about 50 mph. Those small scuffs on my bumper are the only damage I had, I sure was surprised.

 

[mobilnissan1991]

I drove it at 80 on the way home and pulled a trailer this afternoon and it didnt miss a beat, Im probably worrying for nothing.

 

[CKN]

Cue the "Insurance Experts"......

 

[atikovi]

He hit me at about 50 mph.

Did you call out the police or your insurance agent? I can see him saying you hit HIM, and with no witnesses, your rates will go up if it's your word against his.

 

[incognito_2u]

Got in a fender bender on the interstate today, went to switch lanes, was clear and then wham got hit out of nowhere. Everyone is fine besides my neck was sore for about an hour. My F150 has a small scuff on the bumper, it seems to still drive straight, but should I still get the front end checked out? Below is my truck and the guys Accord. I had way less damage. He hit me at about 50 mph. Those small scuffs on my bumper are the only damage I had, I sure was surprised.

How’s the neck feeling now?

 

[92saturnsl2]

Did you call out the police or your insurance agent? I can see him saying you hit HIM, and with no witnesses, your rates will go up if it's your word against his.

Does it really matter if the police or insurance agent is called? It would still end up the same way. Police aren't judges, they just collect information in these types of accidents. In Louisville (only urban area around here) they won't even come visit the scene unless it's an accident involving injuries.

And OP does not make it clear whose fault it is. Finished switching lanes, fully completed maneuver and was driving unimpeded in same lane then hit? Or was hit while switching lanes? Little ambiguous the way it's worded.

 

[mobilnissan1991]

Neck is fine. The officer didnt ticket either of us but said we’ll both likely get failure to yield.

 

[Nick1994]

Reason 6459027 for everyone to have a dashcam

 

[92saturnsl2]

Reason 6459027 for everyone to have a dashcam

Two drivers attempting to occupy the same empty lane at the same time is not uncommon. A dashcam won't fix that, or change the fault distribution.

 

[xmanjeff]

i would be concerned about your neck , 8 months down the road you start having problems , then its a little to late to attribute to this accident , im not the type of person that blames anything that happens on someone else , but im sure there are many people that can chime in when something bad started just like your situation

 

[PimTac]

Get the neck checked out. That way the injury is on file.

 

[Gimpy1]

Did you call out the police or your insurance agent? I can see him saying you hit HIM, and with no witnesses, your rates will go up if it's your word against his.

Wrong try again. Unless you are a licensed adjuste that has expeience in handling claims all the info here is useless and opinion base. Unlike most of you I am a licensed adjuster with 15 years claims handling. You need to report the claim to your insurer and the other drivers insurance company. Do not fix or alter anything. The insurers will start the investigation, follow your insurance adjusters instructions and ignore the advice on forums and social media.

 

[Koainn]

Insurance company will prolly blame you since your front bumper hit him in the rear wheel well which means he was already in the lane when you crossed

 

[Owen Lucas]

I'd inspect that tire closely to see if there aren't any cuts or damage which can cause a blowout.

 

[parshisa]

my wife got into something similar this Monday: she was driving in her lane, slowed down to switch to the right lane and all of the sudden Hyundai in the left lane got in hers and hit left side front side of the Pilot with the rear right fender bumper aaaaaand....took off. hit and run. had the camera footage with the plates clear as day. police essentially said they can't charge anyone with anything since no injuries, car belongs to a leasing company. so, dash cam can help, but it's kinda useless in these type of wrecks. basically, if you get a car, hit 100 cars with no injuries and no one can see your face, you're good to go. I'm so mad I can't even describe. Not quite sure what to do with the pilot's bumper now.

 

[92saturnsl2]

Wrong try again. Unless you are a licensed adjuste that has expeience in handling claims all the info here is useless and opinion base. Unlike most of you I am a licensed adjuster with 15 years claims handling. You need to report the claim to your insurer and the other drivers insurance company. Do not fix or alter anything. The insurers will start the investigation, follow your insurance adjusters instructions and ignore the advice on forums and social media.

My experience with handling insurance claims, what to report, and what not to-- proves your advice plain wrong. Unless I'm in a serious accident and/or injury accident, I'm turning to forums or other common folks that have encountered similar situations, especially if I'm confident I'm not at fault. Call your insurance company and make a claim for a not-at-fault accident, they'll still ding you (report you to CLUE or other bureaus) for the next 5 years, just for being in an accident! Sure, a not-at-fault accident doesn't sting you as much, but it's still there. If the damage is minimal it's often cheaper to fix it yourself than suffer from 3-5 years of increased premiums.

So you call all info here useless and opinion based. What about 25+ years of driving and some errant insurance claims throughout that driving history? Does that mean nothing? My experience has lead me to believe that insurance companies are crooks, and it's up to YOU/ME to determine the best way forward, not the adjusters which are largely paid by insurance companies. See the conflict of interest?

 

[92saturnsl2]

Insurance company will prolly blame you since your front bumper hit him in the rear wheel well which means he was already in the lane when you crossed

Not true. One car has to be in its own lane driving unimpeded to be not at fault. There's too many variables that it's impossible to determine that without visual evidence, or drivers' statements. If neither align, the fault will likely be split. There's no forensics involved in these types of fender benders-- they rely on video evidence or clear-cut unambiguous statements. Remember, insurance companies are profit driven, they're looking for the quickest resolution possible.

 

[zzyzzx]

Did you call out the police or your insurance agent? I can see him saying you hit HIM, and with no witnesses, your rates will go up if it's your word against his.

If it's anything like Baltimore City, the police won't show up. Besides that, unless the police witnessed the accident, it's still your word vs theirs.

 

[JHZR2]

How did he hit you? Looks like you got hit in the front and he in the rear quarter.

 

[doitmyself]

went to switch lanes, was clear and then wham got hit out of nowhere.

LOL, reminds me of the accident report decades ago when one of my coworkers over-turned a brand new stake bed truck and trailer hauling a farm tractor.

"drove over that hill and that curve in the road just came out of nowhere" ........................ Driving today is treacherous. Sigh, good reminder to notch up my defensive driving yet again.