I had a car Accident! What is going to happen to me?

[RavishingEddie]

Well last night or should I early this morning at 2:30 a.m. I was driving on the freeway coming back from dancing. I was going about 65 mph when all of a sudden the car in front of me makes a complete stop. I hit the brakes but kept sliding till I hit him pretty hard. I was about 3 car spaces away.
The biggest problem is that I recently had applied for Wawanesa insurance which requires you to mail in a check and signed the application. I still haven't received any notice from them so I am almost certain I am not covered. The car I hit was a 2001 Lexus GS300.

Fortunately the lexus seemed to have minor damaged on the lower bumper only, My car has a caved in hood and bumper and does not turn on.

Oh and the cops had arrived but they didn't seem to have written a report all they did is had us exchange numbers and they didn't say anything to me about not having the insurance papers. They just pushed me off the road and left, I guess they were in a hurry or something.

Does anyone know what will most likely happen? Is their any chance of my fighting this in court? Will I lose my license? Today is Sunday and everything seems to be closed.

[punkncat]

You should have gotten a ticket for following too close. It also wouls have been a good idea to verify your insurance before driving the vehicle.

Since you didn't get the ticket, they may not be able to charge you in court for the following too close. Probably all you have to worry about at this point is the other car owner suing you for damages. Hope their neck is ok....

[DevilMan]

If it's just a jacked up bumper for them you may be able to settle off the record as alot of folks do that.

Your vehicle didn't start because it's got a kill switch in it that prevents it from running after impact. Grab the owners manual or look it up on line as to where the switch is. My brothers ranger had it on the passenger side of the engine compartment. Just look up your vehicle and find out where it's at. It's basically a Fuel Shutoff or Disconnect switch....

Good luck and glad it wasn't worse.

DM

[MoeMag]

[RavishingEddie]

Thanks for the reply guys. Well, I definitely was not following too close I was at some distance and eventhough I hit the brakes there was a long skid mark. Id say I was 100 feet away.

[devildog]

if you didnt stop in time, then you were following too close. when you drive, you need to stay far enough away from the person infront of you to avoid this situation. the accident was your fault.

[p8ntbal4me]

Just so you know,.... at 65mph,... 100 feet IS NOT the correct following distance per say in drivers education based on the normal stopping conditions for non-inclement weather.

The gap should be from the back bumper of their vehicle to your front bumper.

Walk an aisle in a Home Depot,... thats about 100-150 feet. (in NH)

That gap is (approx) the distance for a 35mph zone following.

You said you were doing 65mph? Per that scale,... you should have been somewhere between 300 feet (if you had your left foot hovering over the break), or more like 400 feet.

Supposedly, when your not drunk and are alert,.. you react as fast as 4/10th of a second from your right foot going from the right peddle to the left.

I dont drive these gaps on local roads. Ill be the first to admit that,.. but the highway is something else.

If your lucky,.. the owner of the car will settle it by you paying for the damages after a repair has been done. If your not,... myabe your insurance company will take care of it after you pay the deductable.

One good thing of all this,... you are still able to tell us about it on the AO instead of not.

Just be more careful next time around

[Thordic]

You said you were doing 65mph? Per that scale,... you should have been somewhere between 300 feet (if you had your left foot hovering over the break), or more like 400 feet.

Ha, in Jersey if you are more than 50 feet behind someone on the highway everyone is going to be cutting you off.

[rkjunior303]

Ha, in Jersey if you are more than 50 feet behind someone on the highway everyone is going to be cutting you off.

In MA, it's like 20 ft. If you're not riding the bumper in front of you, you're getting headlights flashed at you and people cutting you off when they go around you.

[TnDeathInc]

I like the DOT certified answers of following too close. LMAO

How in the world do you get to work in the city, ride the horses on dirt roads. GET REAL<

Unfortunately no matter how wrong someone is by coming to a complete stop like say on a freeway or an entrance ramp that has a mile of additional lane (that one happened to me) if you rear end someone 99.999998% its your fault.

[rkjunior303]

Unfortunately no matter how wrong someone is by coming to a complete stop like say on a freeway or an entrance ramp that has a mile of additional lane (that one happened to me) if you rear end someone 99.999998% its your fault.

although, you CAN prove you were no more than 50% at fault if road conditions played into the crash. I rear-ended someone on the highway during the winter after I hit a patch of black ice... While technically it's no excuse, it's a way to fight a surcharge. (it worked for me).

[Thordic]

I just wanted to throw out there that driving uninsured is beyond stupid. You have to be like, living-out-of-a-cardboard-box poor to have an excuse for doing that.

You're lucky no one got hurt, or you'd be neck deep.

[devildog]

In MA, it's like 20 ft. If you're not riding the bumper in front of you, you're getting headlights flashed at you and people cutting you off when they go around you.

one time on the mass pike i was doing 95 on the way to an AC/DC concert, and a cop pulled up next to me and flipped me off. then he cut me off and sped away. no joke.

[bornl33t]

That's why I have a 2 ball rusted steel hitch in my receiver. I'll be laughing until the tow pulls my hitch out of your radiator. On an additional note. I can't understand why someone would drive a smart car? That's a death sentence on American roads.....

[bleachit]

Well last night or should I early this morning at 2:30 a.m. I was driving on the freeway coming back from dancing. I was going about 65 mph when all of a sudden the car in front of me makes a complete stop.

so this guy was going about 65mph also and just randomly stopped in the midle of the freeway? wtf. dont you have any of those signs that say "emergency stopping only"? Do you know why he stopped?