Glad you are ok, but your adreniline is probably clicking in...you should get checked out by a doctor within 24 hours just in case. Again, glad you are OK.... DD
So glad that you are alright. Like others have said, it is worth looking into having a doctor check you out to make sure you don't have anything wrong with you physically.
Thanks again for your concern guys. 24+ hours later I am completely fine other than my nose/forehead sore from the airbag burns and trauma. To answer everybody's question: I was driving a 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix Here's what's left of her:
glad you are okay!!! pictures do look pretty serious. i completely agree with everyone, once you are in one of those life-changing car accidents, it stays with you forever. i was 18, just graduated and in the summer, our family was coming back from austin after visiting my brother and was in a 5 car pile up on I-10 the night tyson bit holyfield's ear. we were the middle car and totalled our minivan. very scary!!!! i also completely agree....if you don't wear a seatbelt, you are an idiot.
there is good advice amidst this post. if you're at the head of the line, ALWAYS pause and look both ways when the light turns green. i know somebody who was killed the way that you almost were. i never forget to do that.
That looks like it was quite a collision. Although I don't know if 'you should be dead right now' there wasn't any damage done to the passenger compartment, it was all sustained from a lateral impact to the front end at low speeds. I'm sure it scared the hell out of you though. I imagine you suffered more dmg from the airbag then anything else. Hope your recovery goes well.
I agree, that is all part of being a good defensive driver. One has to anticipate other driver's errors instead of just solely focusing on your own driving.
I agree. I wouldn't expect a driver to be dead or even seriously injured in a car accident that did basically zero damage past the A pillar. As far as a "my life flashed before my eyes" type of thing, sure. Having an 18 wheeler hit your car is serious business as it's happening. But just judging from the damage I wouldn't assume injuries were all that bad. Looks like you were extremely lucky though.
Well, considering my dashboard was in my lap and it was an 18-wheeler going 45-50 MPH vs. a little car -- I feel pretty lucky. Had I started accelerating a second or two faster that impact would have been completely on the driver's side of the car. In other words: i'm toast.
It should be a given that the truck blew through the intersection. If an 18 wheeler had stopped, there's no way it could get up speed in such a short distance.
Looks like you were less than a second away from a much worse outcome.....sometimes Angels are on your shoulders. DD
Figured I would update you guys on all the legal technicalities.... Well, after waiting nearly a month for the police department to file an official police report they finally did. Guess who they claim is at fault? Me! As it turns out I have two witnesses: one I already mentioned that was stopped behind me that verified I came to a complete stop and one coming from the opposite direction that said the trucker was speeding. Good news, right? Not so fast! As it turns out, the trucking company went all out -- hired private investigators and had them as well as the claims adjusters and insurance companies absolutely HOUND the witnesses to the point where they both declined to give official recorded statements to my insurance company. They both complained about 2-3x daily phone calls from various people elicited on behalf of the trucking company and they had simply had enough. And understandably so. According to the police report: due to the witnesses declining to give "official" statements, everything that they told police the night of the accident is essentially disregarded. Yeah....we're talking about the word of three people vs. one and the minority wins. Unbelievable. As expected: with the trucker's job on the line, of course she lied and said she wasn't speeding and proceeded with caution as you are supposed to do on a flashing yellow. She claims she was driving in the "slow lane" -- neither of which are visible from the "stop here on red" line that I was stopped at. The speed limit was 40 MPH and it was wet. Needless to say, I looked before I started accelerating and saw NOTHING. The idea that somebody going the speed limit could come out of nowhere that quickly without speeding is preposterous -- I didn't even see headlights. Am I completely blameless? Nah, I could have creeped slowly and double checked to make sure I was clear rather than looking just once. Okay, lesson learned. But what about the malfunctioning stop light and the speeding trucker? How do you seriously try to argue that I am the ONLY one at fault and that it's as simple as that? I don't get it.
Whoa it sounds like they had a lot to lose. Is it too late to get yourself a lawyer? Could have faked some injuries, go for their balls, really hit him hard. One of those ridiculous joke lawyers would have done the trick (Adler in Houston for example), they love going after any company than can afford that kind of legal rep. Over $10,000 in a settlement isn't out of the question. Some lawyers only take your case if they think they can win and won't charge you out the ass right off the bat. If its not too late...
