Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Finally but....


After two months of patient waiting, my new car finally arrived. Much to my children's delight they now can once more be driven to and from school and to all their various activities. Car prices when down over the last few months and so it was a timely decision. However the event leading toward that decision had not been pleasant. For the first time in my 23 years of driving I had a traffic accident. A car crossed onto my path at the major traffic junction. I had the right of way while he was making a right turn at his discretion. So shaken was I after the incident when I found myself smack at the middle of the junction. With the engine still running, I trottled off to the nearest road kerb!!! I was not thinking?? Yes, panic gripped me, I wanted to get away from the maddening rush of the cars went the lights turn to favour the opposite direction. My daughter was in the car with me. My thoughts were only on her safety.
The traffic police arrived, the driver had it all orchestrated. Insisting that he felt nausea. Sent to the hospital. All this while I could not speak or think sensibly. I was in silence. The driver started accusing me of running the lights. Running the green light??
Must I be raving mad screaming to justified that I was not wrong??
It is now my words against his.
How can I let it be known that I had done no wrong?

6 comments:

gus said...

Oh man! That is a bummer. It sucks! I have no idea how you'll do it but you have to figure out how to make your case. I hate to know that he got off that easily.

Dr Oz bloke said...

If you knocked into him, then the usual verdict is that you were at fault regardless of whether he cut into you or not.

That's unfortunately just the way it is.

Sounds bad. For one thing, the guy may report he had an injury and claim for personal/medical damages from your insurance too.

I was rear ended 2 years ago and the pay out to me was in excess of $20,000.

Good luck!

iml said...

dr oz bloke:You are absolutely right. He is taking a 3rd party claim. Met my insurance's lawyer on mon. Being a naive 1st time victim, no malice thought until he reminded me, that he'll most likely claim whiplash!! S$20,000!!!among the many many other claims. Though insurance is paying all this but it's all about justice. Guess, it's the only way everyone gets a cut of other's misfortune. A dog eat dog bone out there!!
I think I should join in the madness and claim for inconvience caused for the loss of the usage of the car. Trauma suffered yeah?
Txs for stopping by.

iml said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Dr Oz bloke said...

Err...

If you claim, doesn't that just add to your subsequent insurance premiums?

I'm not sure about this, but I have the impression that if I am involved in a lawsuit or claim from my insurance large sums of money, my premiums will go up?

Maybe for cars it's different. But medical malpractice works that way.

Well if it doesn't affect you premium, then claim as much as you can too!

But the bad thing of course is that the law would state that you are at fault just based on the way the cars are arranged, who hit who and which parts of the cars were damaged etc.

iml said...

Dr oz:Will update you as and when my lawyer contacts me. Meanwhile, I really would like to get on with life