Exercised accident forgiveness today...stupid idea

[tornadog]

I got into a minor accident going to work. I was driving through an intersection with my end having a green light. A guy in the opposite lane took a left turn and I braked and nudged the side of his car. We checked and there was no visible damage. Over that the guy was an army major working at the nearby training camp, so I told him all is good and let him go. Got to office, checked the front one more time and noticed the fog light was loose, checked it and the bracket was broken. have to replace the whole unit. sucks for me, but at least I learned that I need to take the other driver's info no matter what.

 

[Hellotalkie]

Oh I thought you were talking about the "accident forgiveness" some auto insurance companies have.

Nvm...that sucks :/

 

[Arkaign]

Ah well, live and learn. Good karma at least for ya there, and it doesn't sound too catastrophic in the big picture, though I can relate to the annoyance of having crap happen to your car that's out of your control.

 

[ViviTheMage]

I got into a minor accident going to work. I was driving through an intersection with my end having a green light. A guy in the opposite lane took a left turn and I braked and nudged the side of his car. We checked and there was no visible damage. Over that the guy was an army major working at the nearby training camp, so I told him all is good and let him go. Got to office, checked the front one more time and noticed the fog light was loose, checked it and the bracket was broken. have to replace the whole unit. sucks for me, but at least I learned that I need to take the other driver's info no matter what.

Always, always, always...even if it's a mom and her 5 kids.

 

[Via]

Yup. I rememeber when I was a kid sitting in the back seat and my mom's brand new Audi got hit during a rainstorm.

The other vehicle swerved enough to avoid making full contact but it's back bumper pulled the front bumper of the Audi slightly out of place. The guy from the other car was pretty big, and I remember him saying over and over that it was a very minor thing, and calling the police would be a waste. I think my mom was kind of intimidated and let him go.

Minor thing my ass - it turned out to be a huge repair for thousands of dollars, and iirc because my mom let the guy go the insurance wouldn't pay for it. My dad was furious. The atmosphere in our household was very cold for a few months after that.

Always get the info even when there's no visible damage.

 

[thescreensavers]

You know what easy? As soon as you get into any accident, call the police immediately. And dont get out of the car if you feel you might be intimidated by the other person, if the person comes up say the police have been called and to sit tight.

When I got rear ended, I called the police immediately. 30 sec convo later I hung up and they were on their way.

 

[Onita]

Meh, I've been in several minor accidents and didn't call the police. No need to get them involved most of the time.

 

[Pulsar]

Meh, I've been in several minor accidents and didn't call the police. No need to get them involved most of the time.

Be careful. What looks minor may have done internal damage. The plastic under those bumpers is fragile, and fairly expensive things can be screwed up without you realizing.

Do the police report. It's the safe way to go.

I didn't about 7 years ago when I bumped a fellow. Insurance wouldn't cover it, and it turned out the air-bag deployment sensors had been damaged. That was not cheap to repair. The problem only showed up on wet days - the air bag light would blink then switch to "off".

In this environment, do the report. Think how you'd feel if the other guy waits a day then sues for whiplash or the like.