Don't drink and drive

[made in china]

I sent you a photo of what's left of my truck by message. I've been told by a couple people that we should talk to an attorney to deal with the insurance company, so I think I'll hold off on posting anything more about it here, just out of caution. Everything I've posted has been completely factual, and with all the evidence, what happened and who's at fault is beyond question, but just to be careful I'm scheduled to talk to an attorney tomorrow. I wouldn't think I'd need one to deal with the insurance company, since this is so blatantly cut and dried, but I'm a complete novice with this kind of thing. In almost four decades of driving, I've never been involved in anything remotely like this.

I did obtain the video of the collision and once everything is settled maybe I'll post it here. It's pretty amazing that they got such good video of it, and scary to realize that it could have happened to absolutely anyone. I'm sure glad that a school bus wasn't driving along at that moment.

I'm not usually one to say "lawyer up" but in this case you want to be sure the insurance company does right by y'all.

Even in clear cut cases, they'll try to limit their losses.

 

[CLT65]

We've decided to sign with an attorney in Salem. This is a world that I know nothing about, so it seems wise to have someone in our corner who knows what they're doing.

It's so strange that I have no memory of the collision. Memory of the day before that point has slowly come back to me, but the incident and immediate aftermath is a complete blank. The video of it is a godsend. I called to get the video and the guy was really nice, sent me a bunch of photos of the accident scene too. Everyone that we've dealt with has been very kind and helpful.

We're still in a little shock over it all. We had almost taken my wife's little car instead, changed our minds at the last moment. Our 12yo daughter had almost come along, changed her mind at the last moment. I doubt we would have survived if we had been in a small car. As horrible as this has been, it could have easily been a lot worse. I think we're lucky to be alive.

 

[64MercurysRule]

I was in a car accident that had my car go in a ditch and hit a colvert at 30mph and I went to a Chiropractor frequently for 3 months and maintenance for over a year . Symptoms didn't show up for 5 days ...... stay alert to any issues and don't cut yourself short on anything . The other drivers insurance will want to settle quickly and sweep any future issues under . They will be looking to save money and time .

 

[Xaevian]

The 2 times I had soft tissue injuries from accidents, physical therapy got me back to 100%. But it was 3 hours a day (flex and electro stimulation, IR massage, and exercise)3 days a week, for 6 weeks.

 

[MikeInOr]

We've decided to sign with an attorney in Salem. This is a world that I know nothing about, so it seems wise to have someone in our corner who knows what they're doing.

The insurance company will do all they can to minimize their loss. It is a good thing you got an attorney, even though attorneys are their own flavor of slime. You probably signed off a percentage of the settlement when you signed with the attorney. But the attorney will/should make a huge difference in the settlement you receive.

Going back to work can signify that your injuries are less severe than they actually are. Try to put work out of your mind. But you might find that you are stressing about work to distract yourself from the accident and pain.

You will probably find that this incident will be in the back of your head every time you get in a car for the rest of your life. A form of PTSD.

It is probably best to not post any more details online. I would suggest that you might want to edit your last post to remove details you have posted.

Take it easy. Stressing on the accident or work will only slow your recovery.

Best wishes!
What is your favorite firearm? Why?

 

[made in china]

Next truck for CLT65: Ford F-350

 

[NeoBlackdog]

Next truck for CLT65: Ford F-350

Strong, like bull.

 

[MikeInOr]

Next truck for CLT65: Ford F-350

Insurance companies are very adept at totaling vehicles and giving the owner practically nothing for them!

But his lawyer should get him plenty in pain, suffering, missed work, medical bills, PTSD, etc. that he should be able to afford something quite nice... so there is no reason he should have to settle for a Ford.

#CTL65 don't accept a "structured settlement" that creates an annuity that pays you over time. This is just insurance company BS to lower their actual payout. Your lawyer probably will frown on this because it usually lowers their cut... but sometimes lawyers just recommend what ever make the maximum return for them with minimal time and hassle on their part. I would highly recommend putting a good part of the settlement in an investment that pays you interest over time (no, guns aren't really an investment).

In Oregon, if you're hit by a drunk driver, the amount you can potentially recover from insurance depends on several factors, including the at-fault driver's policy limits and the severity of your injuries. Oregon law requires minimum liability insurance of $25,000 per person for bodily injury and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury. However, the actual settlement amount could be higher, potentially reaching $50,000 or even $400,000 in some cases, depending on the specifics of your situation.

... So your lawyer starts at demanding $400K for the accident which will mean possibly $350K out of pocket for the perpetrator which encourages the perp to encourage their insurance company to settle for the policy max so the perp has no out of pocket. So you are looking at a minimum of $50K (do not accept a structured settlement) of which the lawyer will probably take half... Plus what ever their insurance company will give you for your vehicle. Your lawyer will find out if the perps policy max is above minimums or if the perp has umbrella insurance. Your lawyer has the perps insurance company nuts in a vice and he will twist as hard as he can.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Wishing for a full recovery to you both!

Be careful, if you do have a bad concussion or "Brain Trauma" things might seem normal for a while, but then out of the blue, you start having issues!

It's been close to 18 years, but I had a really bad one, everything seemed fine after about a month, but I started having dizzy spells, and loosing my balance, I got pulled from the teams and sent to Germany for lots of brain scans and all that, turns out I had a pretty good blockage from tissue damage that was causing blood flow issues, mostly elevated pressure that was causing me to have these spells, so I had to have surgery to resolve the tissue damage and get the pressure down. I got my wings back, and went back to work 4 months later, but I still get episodes, usually double vision, or a sort of crossed eye, one seems fine and the other is off plane, usually only lasts a few seconds, 30 at most, but it's very disorienting for that time! Don't ignore your brain, and now that you have an attorney, you want to speak to them about long term conditions and how you would be covered should you find your having issues, even after the insurance settles, you still have the right to full treatment and coverage, so make sure to speak up about that!

 

[FourTeeFive]

To what has previously been said, and I'm sure your attorney will recommend this, but DO NOT sign off that you're fine and well at any point. Unfortunately you could have complications from this in the future and the paying insurance company is going to try to get you to say you're fine at some point.

I wish you and your wife a speedy recovery.

 

[1911Fanatic]

Yes, I talked to them this afternoon to start the process. The other driver was an older lady in a nice car, had evidently been out wine tasting all day.

Older lady? Nice car? Wine Tasting? Sounds like she's gonna be paying for your next Caribbean cruise on top of everything else.

Get well soon!

 

[CLT65]

Thank you everyone. Right now all I'm worried about is our health in the long run. I thought I'd be getting better, but as the adrenaline and medication wears off, we're both hurting much worse.

I do want my truck replaced with something equivalent at least, but that's the least of my worries right now.

 

[Xaevian]

Thank you everyone. Right now all I'm worried about is our health in the long run. I thought I'd be getting better, but as the adrenaline and medication wears off, we're both hurting much worse.

I do want my truck replaced with something equivalent at least, but that's the least of my worries right now.

That is all you need to worry about.

 

[P7M13]

My worry at this point, as reality sinks in, is the long term health affects of our injuries.

From the three serious accidents that I was in, plus crushing my L5 vertebra, I can tell you that yoga, specifically Iyengar type, will help you avoid long term debilitation from the skeletal and and soft tissue damage caused by the accident.
They teach it at Jewel Yoga in downtown Portland. There may be other places too. A lot of people think of yoga like it's fruitcakes in tutus, but I can tell you it's hard work when you really get into it.
Secondly, a great PT is worth their weight in gold.
With both, if you invest your pain, sweat and tears, you will reap much more health and agility in return.

 

[made in china]

Insurance companies are very adept at totaling vehicles and giving the owner practically nothing for them!

But his lawyer should get him plenty in pain, suffering, missed work, medical bills, PTSD, etc. that he should be able to afford something quite nice... so there is no reason he should have to settle for a Ford.

I've never owned a Ford, nor do I plan to. But, a F-350 weighs between 7200-8200 pounds. That's probably about 2500-3000 pounds more than the Tacoma. That means less force imparted to the occupants in this kind of DUI hit. Physics, makes the offending driver eat more of the impact, he'd very likely not have been knocked out in this case. I'm just saying, I'd probably be compelled to go bigger if the same thing happened to me.

 

[Joe13]

I'm lying in a hospital bed, lots of drugs and pain. They're telling me my wife is fine, just in another hospital without her phone. My last memory was driving with her, and now I'm here. They're telling me that a drunk driver drove through a stop sign and plowed into us. My kids were here, but now my drug-addled mind wonders if they told me the whole story. Kind of freaked out a little bit. The last thing I remember was getting ready to go out for a drive with my wife.

My Tacoma that I've been driving for the last 25 years is apparently totaled, but that's the least of my worries.

I'm so sorry to hear that man!

I hope you and your wife recover quickly and prayers for you.

In an age of Uber and Lift I just don't see any reason not to take something like that over driving drunk.

And they say guns are a problem….

 

[MannyGlocks]

Drunk drivers...when caught, ought to serve a minimum of 10 years without any 'early release' nonsense.

DD's keep on being DD's, unless in prison...

 

[MikeInOr]

I've never owned a Ford, nor do I plan to. But, a F-350 weighs between 7200-8200 pounds. That's probably about 2500-3000 pounds more than the Tacoma. That means less force imparted to the occupants in this kind of DUI hit. Physics, makes the offending driver eat more of the impact, he'd very likely not have been knocked out in this case. I'm just saying, I'd probably be compelled to go bigger if the same thing happened to me.

The wink after that sentence meant I was messing with you and that you should not take offence. I have owned a Ford pickup. It was a 67 F100 with a 300 straight six.

 

[VinnieBoomBah]

The wink after that sentence meant I was messing with you and that you should not take offence. I have owned a Ford pickup. It was a 67 F100 with a 300 straight six.

 

[64MercurysRule]

So you can take an air conditioned nap at the dragstrip after winning your heat ....... First On Race Day .....