I wish hit by an 18 wheeler yesterday afternoon!

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Thankfully I am still alive to be posting here but it was one terrifying experience.

No one at the accident scene quite understood it but I was in tears because my poor little truck is most probably totaled and it was the last thing my dad ever gave me. Its all I have left from him, it has all the stickers on the back window from his time in WWII. I am devastated. Its was also my only form of transportation and we dont have public.

What happened was really stupid. The two of us....this big white transfer truck and I were traveling down 5th street which is a 4 lane road in town but its speed limit is only 35 mph. I had been in the right hand lane the entire time since I got onto 5th street. He had been in the left hand lane the whole time. He was going about the same speed as me...roughly the speed limit. Maybe we were going a tad bit slower to be honest....33 to 35. My odometer doesnt read exactly correctly so I always tend to err on the side of caution. You know, if it reads 35, I am probably going about 33.

As I got about 5 feet from the back of his truck I noticed his brake lights come on. I figured he was slowing down to cross the train tracks that were about 100 feet in front of us. Makes sense right? Oh no, At that exact moment he started turning right from the left lane with no blinker on and I jammed on my brakes. I couldnt avoid him and the cab of his truck ate the front of my car. His front wheels pushed my little truck about 10 feet sideways. I thought he was going to just roll right over my car! The whole drivers side of my little truck was almost welded to his side. It is toast.

The road he was trying to turn onto was a tiny residential road. No way he could have maneuvered around down in there. He was from out of town. He drives for a major national trucking company. We think he was lost.

I did go to the ER but the didnt do any xrays and just dxd me with whiplash in my neck and back. I have bruises all over. Some of the major problems are now I have no way to get around. I am supposed to be at my psychiatrist's office at noon today but I cant get there. Supposedly they wont fax scrips or mail them but they are going to have to make an exception for emergencies. I am a few days from being out of my psychiatric medications and I cannot go off of them cold turkey because that can cause seizures.

No way this was anything other than the other drivers fault. He was telling everyone how he didnt see me. I had been in my lane for the last two and a half miles. If he had put on his blinker I would have stopped for him but he didnt. He admitted he never put his blinker on to everyone at the accident scene.

Billy says his insurance company should provide me with a rental vehicle. I hope so because I need to be able to get to doctor's and such. This just sucks. I havent been involved in an accident in over 25 years. In my whole life I have only been in 4. None my fault.

everyone, please where your seat belts. Honestly if I hadnt been wearing it and if i hadnt been in that older truck actually made of steel I would have been hurt much worse.

Im still in shock and still so upset over my dad's truck. We were planning on keeping that thing until it died and then we were going to keep it in my yard. I always said i was going to get it bronzed like you do baby shoes. I miss my dad.
 

cubsgirl

Well-Known Member
Janet; I'm so glad that you are ok. I'm sorry about your Dad's truck - I understand the sentimental value but this could have been a whole lot worse - you are lucky to be alive.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
I know I wasnt ticketed but I dont know about him. I just got this green paper with his name, address, insurance information and name of the company he works for. Supposedly the police report will be ready next wed or so. Im pretty sure I should have about a million letters in my mailbox by then from lawyers.

Im irritated though for two reasons right now. His insurance company is based out of AZ so there is no one I can talk to until 9 their time. I need to get a rental car. Also, thankfully my psychiatrist agreed to fax most of my prescriptions to my pharmacy but I still cant get there and they close at 5. Cory was supposed to go with me to the doctor but they wont fax his and he is all ticked off. He doesnt seem to give a damn that the reason I cant take him is I got hit by a TRUCK! The psychiatrist told him he can walk in on Monday so I told him he just better get Mandy to take him. I cant do everything. Besides that, I feel like a Mac truck hit me...oh wait...it did!
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
OWIEEE! I'm so sorry. I hope you heal quickly.
I know that the scare can last days and even weeks.
And now you have to deal with phone calls and dr appointments. And insurance. Gah!

Besides that, I feel like a Mac truck hit me...oh wait...it did! :boxing::ohmygod::love_heart::love_heart::love_heart:
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
I tell ya, the visions wont leave my mind of what it looked like. I thought the truck was going to roll over on me. I had to climb out of my seat belt and crawl over the passenger seat to get out of the cab. Tony is so upset. He has always wanted a truck. We waited all these years for my dad to pass it on to us...since 1990! And now its gone.
 
S

Signorina

Guest
Your description of your dad and the way you miss him so always reminds me of my own dad - who I miss beyond words. My dad was my rock.

I am going to say (write) to you what he would have said - "the only thing that matters is that you are ok."

Mind you - this was my father who got ticked off if someone wrinkled the newspaper before he had a chance to read it. His feathers were easily ruffled and he did not suffer fools easily. He was not known for calm or understated reactions to just about anything.

All of us had assorted serious and not so serious accidents while still living at home, In fact, 2 of 3 of us (guilty) totaled cars and in both cases; it was us at fault. He would have been completely justified in being furious.

Instead - he said "no one got hurt, nothing else matters..." and then "let's go see the car" at which point he tossed us HIS keys and made US drive him in HIS car to see the damage (or fill out the police report or stop for milk, whatever) He'd look at the messed up bumper or bashed in rear or completely obliterated car and say "cars can be fixed or replaced."

And then never say another word.

Of course, we were always sick about it and my mom would be wringing her hands and might carry on a bit and he'd actually say "Marie, I am handling it" to shut her down. I think my dad was the one who handled it because he knew that our mom would make us miserable & in turn - him miserable - for weeks or months afterward.

But he was so very right. As a mom of kids who drive, I can't even imagine what went thru his mind when he saw those two totaled cars that his kids had been in.

The only thing that matters is that you are ok. The details will sort themselves out. I know that Tony & your kids and especially those grandbabies feel exactly the same way.

So glad you are ok
 

Nomad

Well-Known Member
Staff member
So sorry. My hubby was in an accident and it was clearly the other person's fault. He called our insurance company and asked if they could arrange for their insurance company to pay for a car rental and somehow, it was arranged this way. We do know the other driver got a ticket.
 

Scent of Cedar *

Well-Known Member
Janet, I am so pleased you are still here with us where you belong.

All those other things, the pills or missed appointments, even the truck -- that will all work itself out in time.

Life, just being here, is such a precious, priceless thing.

Just today? I was taking a shower, and found myself wondering whether hazelnut would make a good soap scent for you to try.

How awful it would have been, to have heard that we'd lost you, and how lucky we are that we didn't!

:0)


Cedar
 

MyHeartHisLife

New Member
Oh wow, glad you are ok! Those 18 wheelers scare me to death! I'm so sorry about your dad's truck. Was the back window shattered? If not, Maybe they can preserve it and give it to you. Best wishes on a speedy recovery!
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
I know he wouldnt be upset. I wasnt upset last year when Tony totaled out my Focus. I was just glad everyone was okay. I am upset. We honestly did plan to keep that car at our house even past when it no longer ran. In fact, we are going to have it towed back to our place. It actually might be fixable but I know the insurance company will want to total it out because of how old it is. To me the truck is priceless. To others, not so much.

Im more sore today and dont expect it to get better anytime soon. The insurance company for the trucking company says an adjuster will call me Monday or Tuesday. Hopefully they can get me into a rental car on one of those days. I need one to get to a doctor to see about any more injuries. The ER was basically useless. They didnt even take xrays. I will go see my regular doctor's and then get a referral to a chiro that can handle someone with my physical issues. Not all can.
 

CrazyinVA

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Oh wow, I can only imagine how terrifying that must have been! I'm so glad you're ok -- but I understand your heartbreak about the truck :(

His insurance should definitely provide you with a rental -- although the days allowed may be limited (when a woman totalled my car years ago, they only provided me with 5 days of a rental.. ugh). I'd get a decent lawyer on this one.
 

susiestar

Roll With It
I am SO SORRY! I am so glad you are alive! PLEASE contact your pain mgmt doctor and speak to them about increasing your medications for a week or two - you NEED it! Just don't agree to anything the ins co says while you are on medications.

It will take time for the trauma of the accident to heal. Give yourself that time, know that your emotions will be very raw for quite some time. It will take as long as it takes, and if ANY of those men in your life try to say that you 'should be over it' by now, you send them to ME. I will shut that koi down right fast, because it may take longer than you might expect for the memories to stop interfering with your life.

That, sadly, is one of the after effects of trauma, and generally is called PTSD.

Do ask your insurance co to help you get a rental out of his ins co. Just do NOT NOT NOT let them push you into settling to get that rental car. Call and put some guilt on your 3 kids to take you to the pharmacy, the docs, etc... If nothing else, borrow Billy's car while he is at work - drop him off at work and then do what you must and pick him up after work. It is a nuisance but better than losing thousands by settling early, esp as you have some health issues that won't show up for quite some time after the accident - whiplash can be nasty that way.

Get an atty to help you with the ins co. back when gfgbro had a bad accident, it took an atty to get even enough $$ to cover his medical expenses, not to mention the cost of my mom's car that he was driving.

I am just so thankful that you are okay. Sue this company because no way should this guy have been unable to see you.

(((((very gentle hugs)))))
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Janet I am so GLAD that you were able to walk away from that accident.

I know you're upset about the truck and I understand why............but hon, it's just a truck regardless. You are irreplaceable.

I hope this whole deal goes smoothly for you.

(((hugs)))
 
Top