So I'm in Brentwood calmly driving down San Vicente. The car in front of me slams on the brakes due to a pedestrian, I slam on my brakes and I stop fine, but then I hear tire screeching and the BANG, I get rear ended. I'm just happy that my girlfriend and I are ok and even though it was a hard hit I was completely calm.

We both pull over and I get out expecting the bumper to be indented a good 6 inches. I see nothing but scratches, stuff that can probably be buffed out. Then I see that the passenger in the other car went to my high school (we graduated together 4 years ago), her brother was driving and her dad was a P.E coach at my high school. I never had him, but I heard he was a *****.

I decide that there's no need to get insurance involved because it probably won't cost more than $100 to fix. I get her number and we part ways, I figured I know where she lives if she tries to screw me, so she wouldn't try.

This morning I realize that there might be structural damage so I decided to go to Paulee Auto Body near my house to get the car checked out. I get someone to come outside to check it out. After 30 seconds he says that my bumper was pushed in. I can't see the difference, but that's because I can't remember exactly what it's supposed to look like. Then he says that it can't just be pushed out and that it needs to be replaced, then he hands me an estimate for $3333.32. I figure that's ridiculous so I call Serg at Hyevon to get a price from him and he said he'll get a price for me by tomorrow but it should be much cheaper than that. At this point I decided to go with Serg so the girl wouldn't have to spend as much. I thought I was being nice.

I call the girl and give her the info and she says OK and she still doesn't want to go through insurance. 2 hours later her dad calls and says he wants to come over to check out the car because the price seems high, and I even told him that I was gonna go somewhere cheaper to help out. I give him my address and he came by and checked it out and took pictures (didn't call me till he got back home). He called and basically called me a thief saying that I'm screwing him and that there's nothing wrong with the bumper.

Now, I'll admit that it's not a big dent, but why the hell should I have to drive around with a bent bumper because his son was probably tailgating me? I explain that I'm trying to help out and then he says that he wants to go through insurance, which is fine by me. Then he starts saying that it's going to raise my insurance too (I don't see why). Then he says that he's going to get Beverly Hills Police involved to investigate because he doesn't see any damage and that he has friends on the force. Can BHPD even get involved if the initial crash happened in Los Angeles? And he says that if there is a dent it's from before because he other scratches on my bumper that weren't from his son's car, and that's complete BS. I've never put one scratch on this car.

We ended the call with him saying that he was going to call his insurance company to contact me. *****. I don't actually have anything to worry about do I? Oh, and after he called me a thief I'm gonna get the car worked on at the most expensive body shop I can find. Is that wrong?

 

Sorry to hear this, Danny.

Wow, what a jerk.

Firstly, how does a P.E. teacher live in BH?

Don't let him threaten you with the "I'm going to get BHPD on you." Fine, let his buddy risk his job over a fender bender.

Investigate what? His son hit you from behind and your rear bumper is bent in. It's not like he hit a Honda, of course the price is going to be high!

Also, you're right, how does BHPD even have jurisdiction in Brentwood? The guy is simply trying to intimidate you--don't give in.

Sure, your rates may go up slightly, but is saving a few bucks worth going through all the hassle and putting up with that *****? The insurance route is the best way to go. I think Serge is awesome and I would definitely take it to him, but there's no need to try to save these people money and inconvenience yourself. Take your car to Beverly Coachcraft or Paulee and have them look it over and deal with the *****'s insurance.

Talk to the guy's insurance company and provide them with your story. It'll be a he said, she said ordeal with you and your gf's word against the driver and the passenger.

Also, if they're going through the insurance route, I would also suggest seeing a doctor, because the impact may have caused an injury, even if it was merely soft tissue damage. Plus, you'll also need compensation for your lost time and effort dealing with these jerks and getting your car back on the road.

People like that are scum and should be taught a lesson.

Good luck.

 

Thanks a lot for the info bro, I feel good that a lawyer just told me I don't have anything to worry about. lol. Honestly when I got out of the car I was as nice as anyone could be expected to be. I had a smile on my face, and when I saw the car (and thought there wasn't any body damage) I threw my hands up and said "YES!". Lol. I was even nice enough to just get her number instead of her insurance, and then this guy basically threatens me over the phone, instead of being a man and calling me to come outside when he was here. Should I see a chiropractor (sp?) or a normal doctor? My borther has a few friends that are different kinds, I can probably schedule something for this week.

How can I go about getting compensation for my lost time? Normally I wouldn't even think of doing that, but I was as nice as could be and this guy was a complete jerk, I want to make him regret what he's doing.

And another thing, I have a hunch that when he calls the insurance company he's going to say that he was driving... I'm going to triple check and make sure that his son's name is on it, I'm sure he'll regret that. This guy brought out the $%^hole in me. His fault.

 

What lawyer?

I don't doubt that you handled it well, you're a good guy, so the fact that this guy was a ***** to you calls for some action.

Here's some background on my advice. I've been rear-ended twice in my life. The first time was when I was driving my mom's old Lexus years back with her in it. We were stopped at a light and just sitting at the intersection. A woman SLAMS into us. It was pretty hard, but it looked like the car or bumper didn't get messed up too badly. We got out of the car and the woman who hit us was freaking out. She said she just got off of work at Home Depot and that her brakes didn't work. She begged that we didn't go through insurance and that she would take care of it. She seemed nice enough. Well, when we got home, her husband called us and *****ed us out. He was a ghetto piece of ****. So, we immediately called our insurance company and they handled it. It was a 100% at fault accident for her because she admitted it. I'm not sure if my rates went up, but I suspect they did. The car was fully restored and even the old scratches were patched up.

About two years ago, my M3 was rear-ended by a drunk driver on Century Park East and Olympic. I was stopped at the light and he rammed into me. He basically admitted all fault and took responsibility. I didn't think the damage was bad, but when I took it in for repair, they found that the frame had also been bent and I then noticed my CF CSL diffuser had been cracked. Well, about $9k in repairs to my M3 and a month, I also got a small settlement from his insurance company. He was 100% at fault. I handled everything by myself and went through his insurance company without ever involving mine.

You remember my M3, I was PISSED about that accident. I loved that car. I hated the guy because he was drunk and hit me, but I didn't have the right mindset to call the cops at the moment. (I'm 100% sure he was drunk, he was Asian, not responding very quickly, said that he just didn't react in time AND he had the Asian glow/red face.) So, I figured I'd squeeze him and his insurance company HARD to make him learn a lesson. I took it to Beverly Coachcraft and had them repair it. I even had his insurance company pay for my rental (which was a new Infiniti G37) the entire time the car was in the shop.

I also didn't like the fact that I had to waste my time going to the repair shop and dealing with the insurance company. I also had some pain I wanted to have checked out. So, I went to my normal doctor and a chiropractor. My doctor didn't say much but offer me pain meds (which I declined) and the chiropractor said he thought that I should have at least 2 months worth of therapy.

I expressed the above to the insurance company. I told them that this guy had wasted my time and that I'm losing money going to the doctor and as a result, I should be compensated. They asked me if I was going to sue him/them. I stated that I was reviewing my options. So, they said to tell them how much I make an hour and itemize all the time I spent. Well, how many of us get paid hourly? I had my firm write something up and I presented it to the insurance company. They interviewed me and I had them meet me in my office and I took them to a conference room and negotiated with them. All in all, I got a decent settlement without having to hire an ambulance chaser. I signed off a settlement agreement that I wouldn't sue the guy in exchange for repairs, medical bills and compensation.

So, the moral is, you can see any type of doctor you like and make sure you stay on top of it. I see that you already are...

 

Awesome, I'll call the chiropractor tomorrow. Thanks for all the good info. I'm just scared that this is going to turn into a nightmare.

 

I hope this works out for you. Two rules in accidents:

1. Always call the police to report.
2. Let insurance sort it out.

Think about it...at this point you have no proof that you were even in an accident with them. I hope they step up with the insurance info.

 

NP. You'll be good dude. Don't be scared. Just stay on top of things and don't let them intimidate you!

Make sure that they compensate you and repair your car so that you're 100% whole after the accident.

He thinks that since he's some P.E. instructor that he can intimidate kids and you. Well, there's a reason why he's only a P.E. instructor, keep that in mind.

 

You're definitely right, and in almost any other case I would've called the cops, but I knew her from back in the day so I was ok with just the number, but now I'm regretting that.

 

seems like you were trying to help them out by going with a place that costs less. Forget about that after the dad's comments.

My wife got rear ended last Monday when it was raining(hit/run). She was making a left and a 96 Toy Camry hit her and took off to the right. She chased the guy and at the next intersection he tried to turn left quick. Spun out and did a 180. Luckily she got the tag # and color, make of vehicle. Call 911 and deputy showed up. But here is the catch, wife was more focused on the car/tags (taught her to get the tag #/make/ model) and not who drove it. So Sheriff's office found the car but cant charge the owner with hit/run. Owner said he didn't drive but maybe a friend LOL. But since the guy is the owner, has to pay for the damages and give his insurance info to my wife.

 

I'm sorry this happened!

I wouldn't waste any brain damage or even is a post on this. If there is ANY difficulty at all with the other guy or his insurance company, turn it into your insurance company. They will cover the damage, subrogate (insurance speak for rip the other guy a new one), and return your deductible if you are found to not be at fault.

Average people (even one with expensive cars) have no idea what it really costs to repair and replace even simple damage to a nearly $100K automobile. The bumper on my M6 just got backed into resulting in only a scrape to the plastic in the paint so very minor. The bill will be $800 as it is big with lots of body lines and details and there are many parts that must be removed off the back of it. If it was rear ended, $3K would be cheap, even if the damage was contained to the bumper and supports.

Best of luck getting this resolved.

 

+1 on sorry for this crap. Almost wish it was a total stranger now eh?

Anyways, most people (like the person's dad that rearended you} don't understand the 5mph bumper design. It's designed to take some of the force of a fender bender to protect the car for just a situation like this.

The bumper may be near perfect on the outside, but inside there can be major damage to the 5mph bumper that needs to be replaced or you will be accused of selling a wrecked vehicle when you go to sell it.

Wish he could read this link

Then this one. Looks like when it comes to 5mph fender benders, the E scored pretty bad in terms of damage done to the bumper and cost of repair. Don't forget to include parktronic!!! Maybe that is what brought you up to 3K +.

 

What Phil said!

When it comes to these things he might know just a little.

To Danny i don't think your insurance would go up if the fault wasn't yours. Hope you get this resolved quickly bro.

 

Sorry to hear about the accident Danny, another thing to think about it is if you dont want to deal with the crap, you can always call your own insurance and let them battle it out on your behalf. Since its not your fault, your deductible will be credited back to.

You gotta love how people try to bully you around when its there fault.

3k sounds about right... considering your rear bumper bra is mostly likely damaged, you'll need to repair the rear bumper, then paint and blend into your rear quarters and trunk.

 

Always let the insurance handle this ****, thats why you pay for it, let it be their headache not yours you have other thing to do.
The guy does sound like a *****, i say you check with doctors even a small hit like that can cause your spinal disc to shift.

 

Wow what a douche, lesson learned always call the cops and let them determine who is at fault. Let them argue with that report. When they say leave insurance out of it, it means they are a cheap a$$ minimum wage PE teachers kid, it's what the FBI calls a clue. My insurance is great and they don't raise my rates because of an accident, they take everything into account over the life of your account with them.

If he wants to try and strong arm you like mentioned before, sue for damages. You can't get mental stress, just doctor bills which you have a right to see to make sure but also you can get depreciation of the vehicle for the fact that the accident will lower the value of the vehicle. Stick it back to them and then when it's all said and done, ask if you could be shown some stretching techniques to get your wallet out of your back pocket now that it's loaded with his kids cash!

 

This. +1

 

Man that really sucks. I guess look on the bright side. Your rear bumper (hopefully) will be like new again once they get done. I wouldn't waste time or energy getting to mad at the guy bug definitely don't be Mr. Nice Guy anymore.

But yeah, for anyone else reading this, always always get insurance info. Even if it's your fault. You don't want the person coming back later making it sound way worse then it was. You need a police report to make things official then let the insurance companies deal with it. That's what the heck I pay for right?

 

As other people have pointed out, this is why you call the police each and every time you are involved in an accident!! As another poster pointed out, the 5mph bumpers are designed with crush zones (I have never seen the inside of a MB bumper, but I would guess it is a plastic honeycomb just like other companies use). You may not see damage to the bumper cover (the piece on the oustide) [less scratches], but there is definitely internal damage (which is how it is designed). This brings memories of a time I was rear-ended by an FBI agent (I was living in Washington, D.C. at the time). The FBI agent (driving an SUV) slammed into my car (which was a 1995 Chevrolet Cavalier with a body kit on it including an aftermarket bumper cover). Visibly, I only had three big screw indentations from the front license plate of the agent's SUV in my rear bumper but there was a lot of internal damage that was revealed later (which I should have suspected because the front of the agent's SUV was MESSED up). When I took it to the shop for an estimate, I was expecting only like a $500 paint estimate. It turned out to be like $2000 worth of repairs and this didn't even include a new rear bumper cover (as they were unsure who made the one that I had) or the paint, because it was a custom color)... On a side not, the FBI agent's name shared a name with a pretty famous NASCAR driver back in the day and when the FBI called my house that night to speak with me about the accident, my roommate (who answered the phone) started freaking out and asking what I did to have the FBI call me :-)

Back on topic... Since the person rear-ended you, they are 100% at fault. Your insurance should NOT go up, as it is the other person's fault and the other person's insurance company is paying for the damages, not yours. If you need a rental to drive during the time your car is being repaired, make sure the other person's insurance is paying for it... not yours! They are obligated to cover 100% of the charges. And you DO NOT have to settle for some little Geo Metro/Chevy Cavalier either. You have a full-sized sedan, get a comparable full-sized sedan as a rental... I would go to an urgent care (at the very least) to get x-rays of your neck, as whiplash injuries can show up many days later (trust me, I know... in my case my neck/back didn't start hurting until about four days later.. I woke up and could barely move) and make sure they pay for that as well...

Getting the police and insurance companies involved may seem like an inconvenience, but it will save you a lot of time/frustration later down the road if the repair bill continues to increase and/or you are injured.. It may suck to do this in your case seeing that the person's daughter was an acquaintance, but trust me... It sounds like you will be sorry if you don't...

 

Sorry to hear about the accident Danny..... it's so frustrating when you try to do a nice thing by not going through insurance and trying to save them some money by finding a cheaper place to do the repairs, then the guy lashes out like that and accuses you of being a thief

You should go through your insurance and let them battle it out with his insurance. Because this is a rear-end type accident, it is easy to prove that he was at fault; in which case, all your repairs and doctor bills will be covered, and his insurance will be going up not yours. If you want to inflict even more damage, you can hire a lawyer, and they'll chase down every penny you lost during this

 

In LA, cops won't respond unless you say there are injuries.

The best thing (after you make sure everybody is okay) is to take out your cell phone and take pics. I happen to carry a small digital point and shoot camera in the car (just to have for fun.) You take pics of license plates, damage, the driver, passengers, etc..

fwiw, I was hit by a motorcycle while I was stopped at a red light (he was trying to split the lanes and fell over into me ) Cops wouldn't come unless somebody was hurt. He was okay and I photographed everything. Ended up no biggie, his insurance paid for it all (I went to the most expensive body shop in town, too.)

If they know you have photos, it's hard to deny anything.

 

That's actually the problem, the damage isn't that visible, you definitely won't be able to see it in a picture.

 

When my wife was rear-ended a few times in our old GL, the police came each time (2) without any injuries.

 

Some of this won't help you now but in the future:

- If you can.... find a witness at the scene immediately.
- Always exchange insurance if he/she wants to pay out of pocket and avoid insurance premiums they can always make that call with their insurance company. But it's not your obligation to dick around with it.
- Snap pics of the accident immediately, camera phone or whatever....
- Always call the police unless your on private property then they might not come.... Did I say find a 3rd party witness who is willing to give you their number and back up the facts.

* I personally call their insurance company on the spot to verify they have the insurance they say they have. I've been in a few no-fault accidents. I've learned my lesson. The last time the guy hit me from behind and then tried to outrun the E55 in his Olds AGX... A-Hole.

 

Does P.E. in this case mean Pr1ck Everytime?

 

It ****ing seems like it doesn't it?

I have an appointment with a chiropractor for either tomorrow or Friday. I'm about to call him right now to get all of his insurance info so I can start the process.