Having a run of bad luck it seems....

[Road Guy]

So Friday night we went to get our Christmas tree and got hit in a parking lot.. Called cop, he wrote a vague report, other guy didn't stop at a stop sign, apparently on private property they don't write citations..

Other guy filed a claim against my insurance saying it was my fault.. Been screwing with that all week..I googled the guy and he has been arrested 3 times since he was 19. While he spoke perfect English to me and the police officer when my insurance tried to call him he would only speak in Spanish and requested an interpreter...

Accident report does say he ran a stop sign so I hope I don't have to end up using my I insurance to get it fixed, did. A number on my front quarter panel, hook, grill and bumper are toast.. Durango KBB is only $3600 and I don't really want to buy a new car right now but I have a feeling it's gonna be close to the value of the car to get it repaired..

Tonight I had to go check on my parents house since they are out of town in floriday.. mom called wanted me to turn the water off...paranoid...while on the short drive on the interstate, a rock got picked up from a truck and slammed into the jeep windshield, and no joke it looked like a billet hole came through the windshield and within seconds the entire windshield splintered and fell into my jeep (I can't believe that's normal?). Pulled over and yanked the rest of the windshield out of my floorboard and drove the rest of the way (side roads) with the "wind in my face" started to rain like hell for 15 minutes...

Long car ride home... Top down, fun ride in the jeep, windshield down/gone not so much fun..

I hope this shit doesn't happen in three's!!!!!

 

[knight1fox3]

Sorry to hear the crappy news RG. Maybe for 2 bad things comes 2 really good things??? Hope your luck takes a turn for the better!

 

[wilheldp_PE]

within seconds the entire windshield splintered and fell into my jeep (I can't believe that's normal?).

I don't know about "normal," but my dad was driving his Astro van home from Alabama one time, and the big window on the sliding side door just exploded. He doesn't know if somebody threw something at the car or if road debris somehow hit the side window, but it sure scared the hell out of him.

 

[blybrook PE]

Ouch! Was the jeep windshield flat glass or a standard windshield?

I've only heard of this happening with flat glass windshields, hence my question.

Heres to better luck RG!

 

[Capt Worley PE]

within seconds the entire windshield splintered and fell into my jeep (I can't believe that's normal?).

I don't know about "normal," but my dad was driving his Astro van home from Alabama one time, and the big window on the sliding side door just exploded. He doesn't know if somebody threw something at the car or if road debris somehow hit the side window, but it sure scared the hell out of him.

Seems I recall GM had a similar problem with the tailgate windows in the 1970-72 A-body station wagons. happened to a a friend's mom in her Vista Cruiser back in 1974 or so.

 

[Road Guy]

im not sure what type of glass it is, waiting on insurance company to open at 8:30 so I can hopefully find some way to get a new one today...

 

[roadwreck]

within seconds the entire windshield splintered and fell into my jeep (I can't believe that's normal?).

I don't know about "normal," but my dad was driving his Astro van home from Alabama one time, and the big window on the sliding side door just exploded. He doesn't know if somebody threw something at the car or if road debris somehow hit the side window, but it sure scared the hell out of him.

Seems I recall GM had a similar problem with the tailgate windows in the 1970-72 A-body station wagons. happened to a a friend's mom in her Vista Cruiser back in 1974 or so.

My grandmother had a swan fly through her windshield. The bird ended up in the passenger seat next to her but she was fine. That was in a 1976 mini.

...other guy didn't stop at a stop sign, apparently on private property they don't write citations..

Yea, on private property those signs are really more of a loose guideline then anything regulatory

 

[Flyer_PE]

Ouch! Hopefully you're run of crumby luck will end at just the two events.

 

[Road Guy]

Im going to wait until after they deny (if they do) and then I have a friend whose going to do some free lawyer work for me (Actually were kind of bartering for it, he needs a new driveway on his house and some other stuff he needs a permit for i.e. PE Stamp) but he said he would be willing to send a nasty lawyer letter and to also depose him for as long as it takes to break him...

I just want to either get moving one way or the other on the Durango, kind of need a car with a family of 5 around the Holidays...

 

[Capt Worley PE]

Is the Durango 4WD?

 

[Road Guy]

no its 2WD,, its a 2006, 4.7L V8, 165,000 miles on it..

I scraped a tree on the other side of the car at a boy scout campout, nothing major but it just looks crappy, the roof paint is starting to peel off, and the inside has seen its better day, its been out family wagon, boat puller, camping trip vehcile for a hard 6.5 years so I was hoping to keep it through the end of this summer and then sell it and get something new...

I wont ever buy another SUV thats not 4WD though...

 

[Lumber Jim]

Things like this are such a pain when you weren't doing anything wrong.

The lawer thing is a smart move. My wife had the same thing happen about 1.5 yrs. ago on public roads in the middle of town, except she got hit in the driver door. Minimal damage but the vehicle got totaled. We got screwed on the coverage for the vehicle so we lawyered up after that and are still dealing with the back and forth with the insurance companies. Be careful with the medical side of things. Even low impacts can have significant effects...

My advice: be proactive with protecting yourself, it sounds like the other guy is already trying to do the same for himself.

Good Luck!

 

[snickerd3]

that sucks! hope things come together quickly. That same private lot = no ticket happened to my dad when I was little sounds like the same situation, the other person blew a stop sign.

 

[MA_PE]

Other guy filed a claim against my insurance saying it was my fault.. Been screwing with that all week..I googled the guy and he has been arrested 3 times since he was 19. While he spoke perfect English to me and the police officer when my insurance tried to call him he would only speak in Spanish and requested an interpreter...

It didn't take him long to file. Around here we had a group from the housing projects that would stage "accidents" with unsuspecting innocnet drivers so that they could file insurance claims. Can you get a statement from the police that this guy had no problems speaking english af the scene, since he now says "no comprende"? Seem like he's trying to invalidate the poilice report because he didn't know what was going on.

My advice: be proactive with protecting yourself, it sounds like the other guy is already trying to do the same for himself.

I suspect this guy isn't "protecting" himself, instead he's being proactive to look like a "victim" rather than the perpetrator.

RG: I hope you can get things straightened out easily.

 

[pbrme]

Wow, people suck sometimes, sorry to hear about that and about your window. With the new broken window, and another recent claim, your insurance might be a dick today. IMO, insurance can blow me. You pay into this system that never pays you back. If the lawyer friend see's your side, that's good reassurance at least.

 

[Road Guy]

well a bit of good news.. I was able to get the police officer to revise the accident report and include the missing stop sign in his diagram and added verbiage to the fact that the other drive "admitted to the police officer that he was driving too fast".. so I got a call from their insurance company to accept responsibility and pay for the repairs.. its been a load of my mind for sure.. .. now just to find out if its considered totaled or not.. wont find out till Monday...

Also got the Jeep windshield replaced today, I couldn't find anyone to fix it yesterday... for that I am just out one clean set of underwear and $100 deductible..

of course in light of today's tragedy in CT these are truly small problems