so, as you recall my 2012 focus was lightly rear-ended last spring...about a month after i got it. .....2nd car i ever bought brand new. tonight i was on my way home... and as i was comming into ellwood an 87yr old woman shot out of a side street through a stop sign and right out in front of me... im moving at 25-30mph down a main road and saw her at about 1...maybe 2 car-lengths. I STOOD on my brakes and cocked the wheel to the right. i litterally juuuusssst grazed her. (there is a scuff down to the bare plastic on my bumper.. and a a good scrape down her pass side) she just kept driving! i took off after her and cut her off about a block away. she then proceeded to get belligerent with me and insist that i should call my own insurance co. so i called the police. the officer showed up and took a report and said he was going to make her retest because when he talked to her she wasnt "all there". i swear....2 wrecks 2 years....my old focus...3 wrecks in 3 years.....nothing in between. she is lucky i didnt have my comanche....that old truck doesnt stop as good as a new car....i would have creamed her!
Seems like you need to re-FOCUS. I had a few close calls this yacation too. One was my fault. Stinkin "A" pillar in my Dodge truck is big as a telephone pole. There was a small car hiding behind it. We need those cars that think for us and stop on a dime. As for old ladies. Many I know are not "all there."
hmmm Have had cars that got so "bad off", I was hoping something like that would happen... AND, it either wouldn't and my car would die it's horrible death,,, OR, my survival reflex would kick in(damn military training)and I'd do what you did--- but miss them all together. Or, worserest of all,,, I'd be in a car that was just fine--- and I really didn't want anyone at all to run into it---AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WOULD HAPPEN !!! Also, live in L.A., there's stupid people like her all over the place here... They seem to think having insurance means; not being good at driving and ramming into people is okay.
I can really relate to your poor Focus. Our Sonic was the first car we ever bought a new car, all be it a small purchase(). He was first rearended in out driveway by a friend of mom's. Then after having the repairs completed, hubby was trimming the grass with a Wiper Sniper and a rock flew about 15' and smashed out the back window... Sorry to hear about this accident, glad you weren't hurt. It really ticks you off when folks don't take responsiblity for their actions, doesn't it.
Ian - go back to the scene right away and take photos of any evidence you see there - skid marks or anything. Just in case she changes some of the facts to suit making herself look good to her insurance company. Although, with ABS, your Focus may not have made any marks. Check anyway. I don't trust anybody when it comes to an accident - even 87 yr old ladies. I've seen too much.
Dude, man, that sucks! I'm sorry! I have to agree. I think the universe is telling you to get a different kind of car, for sure. I've been in one car accident where I was the driver. I got rear-ended by an 83 year old man in an 80s model Plymouth van at about 40-45 mph when we were stopped... Basically, Take KK's advice!
i am 1 step ahead of you Marshal.... already done. you can clearly see that she had a stop sign and i did not. her insurance co is allstate. so we will see if i am in good hands...i trust no one! The old woman insists i should have yielded to her simply because she DID stop at the stop sign (i think she is bat**** nuts). I however did not have one and was on a main road. allstate's adjuster just left. but they have yet to accept liability. Nick.....we are a Ford household....going back generations...i will always have fords. i do love me some "full size" GM though... tiki wasnt my last B Body!
so i got the focus back on wednesday.....good as new! marshall was right....the elderly lady tried saying I blew the stop sign but the claim handler said her story didnt match the police report or the statement that they got from the witness. (they reiterated that maybe she shouldnt be driving) so they immediately accepted liability. i had a chebby cruze turbo as a rental car. leather heated seats...the XM wasnt activated but it had pandora controls. it didnt have quite the snot my focus does....but..it was a nice car.
elderly lady tried saying I blew the stop sign but the claim handler said her story didnt match the police report or the statement that they got from the witness. It's sad when we can't believe little ole ladies. Just be careful driving your Focus. Try to stay focused!
When you work insurance claims, you start to get a bit jaded. I would guess that most of the world (well, the U.S. anyway) is composed of basically honest people - maybe a 95 to 5 ratio. From the insurance side of things, that ratio seems to be more like 75 - 25.......... Ian's case proves my point. Don't take anything for granted after being involved in a not-at-fault accident. Protect yourself - document everything. Keep a cheap camera in your car, or remember to take some cell-phone pics. Take pics of all the vehicles involved, the people in the vehicles, any important fixed objects (like a stop sign obscured by shrubbery or a setting sun causing blindness for one driver). After everything is done at the accident scene and you've calmed your nerves a bit, write down a narrative of what happened, while it's still clear in your head. Keep it simple - who/what/where, etc. Note down visibility, weather, condition of roadway (any construction in the area?). Note down any old damage you may have observed on the other vehicle(s), even if it was the opposite end of the vehicle from where you contacted it. Insurance companies want statements that tell some of this: - What speed were you driving - Lane - Where was the other vehicle(s) when you you first noticed it? - Speed of other vehicle - Direction of both vehicles - Traffic controls - If signal change was involved, approximate positions when the light changed? - Avoidance maneuvers? - Parts of vehicles that collided (Don't just say "The other car hit mine, so they were at fault." If you run a red light and another car T-bones you, technically you got hit, but you're at fault.) - Any secondary impacts (like cars spinning around and hitting other objects or vehicles)?
All great tips KK. It's hard to stay focused when these this happen. Glad your car is good as new A1.
