Long story short this crazed USPS driver was trying to shortcut into the turn lane, so she floored it into the opposing lane to try and get there faster at the same time I was slowly crossing the dotted line with my blinker on. She basically came out of nowhere and clipped me going at least 30. She was like 'WHY DIDN'T YOU LOOK?", ugh maybe because I don't have to look for cars coming up behind me in the opposing lane of traffic, but now I know there are idiots like you I have to look out for. Fortunately a cop was passing by and saw the whole thing happen, so I didn't even have time to pull out my phone and call the cops. He said he was already going to pull her over for cutting across before she hit me, so that pretty much worked out as well as it possibly could have. The damage isn't too bad, but my wheel took most of the impact so I know there is some possibly underlying damage like bushings, rods, wheel bearing ect, but I'm not sure what would be the most susceptible to failure in this kind of impact and was hoping you guys could help me out and shed some light on that before I take it in for an estimate. She doesn't feel much, if any different while driving. I needed new tires, rotors, pads, and alignment before the accident, so those issues might be masking any damage from the impact while driving. I have all those things (minus tires) sitting under my bed I just haven't gotten around to it because my car has been sitting around for the most part.

The negative: This happened about two months ago and I've yet to take it to a body shop or file a claim with my insurance company. I went to court and this dumb lady didn't even show up so they issued a warrant for her arrest. The courts have yet to contact me. I haven't taken it for an estimate because frankly, I am a noob with these procedures. I've never been in a wreck in my life, but most importantly I've been out of town a majority of the time and when I was in town I simply didn't have the time to take it in. Seeing as this incident was 0% my fault I don't see how that should be my problem, but I do see how not getting an estimate sooner could hurt me in court when my lawyer files a suit against USPS (soon). I don't want to deal with my insurance company because frankly they kinda suck, my deductible is 1k, and they will most likely raise my insurance even though I was not at fault. It's drive able, so I'm not in a huge rush. My car had a clean carfax before this incident so I'm also suing them for the difference in value before and after the accident if that's even possible, and I'm still deciding whether to go after them for personal injury considering I have muscle tension/pain in my shoulder and neck as well.

The positive: One of my best friends brothers runs an import shop. They specialize in german cars but I am pretty sure they would be able to tell me what got damaged behind the wheel. If push came to shove I'm almost sure we could edit the time stamp on the estimate(correct me if I'm wrong, I know this might be fraudulent but I've known this guy since 2nd grade), but they are not a body shop I don't think(I find out soon). Is it required that I get an estimate all at one place? Or can I go get an estimate from a body shop for the cosmetic damage and go to him for the suspension work? I want my bumper replaced with an aftermarket bumper and I wouldn't mind paying the difference (some are actually cheaper). How many hoops do I have to jump through to get that to happen? I personally prefer to shop for all the parts I need myself and just bring it to them because I know most shops mark up parts by absurd amounts. If I win my suit can I just demand a check? I think it's retarded that they usually pay the shop directly.

I'm curious to see how you guys think I should go about this. I'm 21 and I really don't have anyone to give me proper advice but my friends brother with the shop (works 70hrs a week hard to get a hold of) and my criminal defense lawyer (one of the most respected lawyers practicing in georgia. he recommended me to a personal injury lawyer but guy hasn't emailed me back yet). I realize I'm asking some dumb questions but I've already done my research to no avail, so I simply ask that if you decide to reply please show me the respect that an independent 21 year old who outright owns his 2007 OB G35 deserves. Thanks for any help in advance. I've been lurking on g35driver since I bought my G, but have never had to reach out for help before so I hope this is a positive experience. Attached pics below.

OH, and in case you are wondering, my wheels are dipped ;P you can totally flame me for that, but tbh they look better than stock because the finish was starting to fade.

 

You'll probably going to have to muscle up the cash to pay your deductible. Then your insurance will go after the at fault driver and repay you the $1000 plus however more expensive the repair cost will be. Basically you're going to be outta pocket about $2000 then your insurance company will reimburse you in full after the at fault driver has been rang dry.

 

Thanks for the quick response. That is pretty much what my insurance agent said, the only thing I am afraid of is I think they would give me a much, much harder time than USPS will in the end. What I'm thinking is they could end up refusing to pay for any damage to the suspension because I didn't get an estimate right away, when USPS could end up dishing out more than I need to pay for all of it and just write me a check versus forcing me to go to some shitty shop I don't want to go to if I wait it out and go through my lawyer instead. Then again I'm a noob and these are just assumptions. My impression of American Family is that they are the cheap man's auto insurance. They quoted me half of what everyone else did for my 6 month premium, which is 250$ a month with a 1k deductible. I've never been in a wreck, but I definetely have some points on my record. At this point I know I could possibly need a new wheel and tire, and I definitely need a new bumper and quarter panel

 

Wtf 250 a month w/ 1k deductible? Are you 18? cause Im 21, a wreck not at fault, and several tickets and i pay 150 with geico.

 

Where are you located?

 

in Ohio I pay 110$ per month driving the G coupe , op I was involved in an accident and the other guy didn't have enough insurance so it came back on me. I paid my deductible and then my insurance company sued him... So I was eventually given back it all.

 

Ouch..

 

You have two options here. You can file a claim, take whatever your insurance company offers you to repair the damage and do it that way, Or you can go after USPS for the money and bypass the claim. Thats what I would do. Since it is 0% your fault and the responding officer is also the main witness you have a pretty strong hand. Go after USPS for it. You will need a lawyer however and thats not cheap, but really its not much more than your deductible so its a non-point.

Your other option is to file a claim with your insurance and take what they offer you. You were not at fault so they wont raise your rates or anything like that.

But you cant do both. Since the lady was driving the USPS truck and working, the liability falls on USPS not her. So you cant file an insurance claim against USPS and then try to take them to court to pay for the damages again. I litterally just tried this with an accident I was in back in November. My check from her insurance company was "meh" at best and I tried to take the other insured to court to pay the damges for all of the aftermarket expenses and I didnt get very far.

So think it over and choose wisely.

 

What do I think? I would have had 3 estimates the next day. It took you longer to write this post that the time it would have taken to get at least one.
Then, my attorney's foot would have been so far up UPS's a$$ she would have said my name every time she coughed.
Dude, jump up and down and get those things to drop and handle this!!!! You're 21 and not a little kid anymore, handle it!!! And then shop for some better insurance.
If this truly was her fault, you should be able to find a pro-bono lawyer that will get paid handsomely in the end.

You asked
Tough love

 

Im 21. My insurance is so high because of a combination of points, my location, and the fact that my ex-gf totaled her 330ci on my insurance plan. She pretty much ruined my insurance forever. So I have jacked up insurance rates to remember her by. I thought as soon as she was off my plan that my insurance would go down a lot, but it barely dropped.

Atlanta.

I think I'm going to go ahead and go through my insurance for the repairs. I know I get the deductible back but I just didn't want to risk my rates going up since it's already more than most peoples car payments. I talked to my buddy, his shop specializes in porsches and bmw's, but he's going to make an exception for my car and fix everything including the body work. Working on a G35 is a cakewalk compared to a porsche apparently. Fortunately im also getting everything 'hooked up' so I can get whatever aftermarket bumper/lip I want. Man, it pays to know people.

I'm still going to file a suit for the damages to the 'value' of the car and pain/suffering, not actual repairs. The whole problem with going after USPS for the actual damages is that it might take forever. The bish did not show up to court, so technically they haven't even officially decided who was at fault yet (even though it is obvious), so it adds this whole grey area that I dont know about. It's not like they're gonna go to her house and arrest her, she has to get pulled over or something. My lawyer should be able to answer these questions but he just emailed me back and told me he is on vacation and will be back in two weeks. I would find a new lawyer but this guy has no minimum and he only gets paid if he wins type deal. I dont have to fork anything up front, and if my other lawyer referred me to him he's gotta be good. He said 'worst case you end up getting some dough and free chiropractors appointments for 8 months, best case you end up getting way more dough than you imagined, and free chiropractors for longer than 8 months'.

It's amazing that a borderline fender bender strained my neck & shoulder. I've been a passenger in two high speed accidents(exgf and sister lol, women drivers ftw ) in which the car was totaled and everyone walked away from both without a scratch. All it took was a quick jerk and now I have a stiff neck/tense shoulder when I wake up every day.

Thanks for any input guys. I'll keep you updated and post pics of new lip/bumper when my car gets fixed.

 

If you didn't go to a doctor within the first few days (I am assuming you didn't because you still don't even have an estimate), pain and suffering is going to be a very tough sell.
Live and learn. Chaulk it up

 

Well if I could go back I would do it differently, but you have no idea what is going on my life, or how busy I am, or even how fast I type (about 90wpm). There is a learning curve here because I didn't have anybody to tell me exactly how this **** works(like a dad for example. yeah, I ain't a kid. you're talking to a 21 year old with a mortgage, which is why I asked for people to reply respectfully and not with a condescending tone). I should have called my insurance agent right away to find out these things, but I didnt want her to even know because I was afraid of my rates getting jacked up regardless of who's fault it was. I was completely clueless to be honest, and had a million other wayyyyy more important things going on. I literally had to fly out of town the day after the incident, and had to fly back for court, then leave the same day. I've only been back in town for a week now. I shopped for better insurance when I bought the car. Geico, progressive, and about 4 other insurance companies quoted me almost DOUBLE what I am paying now. I switched to American Family from Progressive. My ex really ****ed my **** up!

Really? Things develop and get worse over time. What if I was poor and didn't have money to go to the doctor? What if I have an irrational fear of doctors or doctors offices? What if I've been working during doctors office business hours for two months straight? (which is actually the case, I sit at a desk so it's more of an annoyance than anything) I can think of a million reasons why someone would not be able to go to the doctor. I'm not trying to argue your point. I get what you're saying, but this is USPS we are talking about here. You think they'd almost pay me just to get me to shut up considering that I was slammed into by a government vehicle. To me that seems like enough evidence of potential injury. That's what chiropractors exist for isn't it? They fix stuff you can't necessarily see on an X-ray, which is most likely what I am dealing with or i'd be in extreme pain.

 

You have under $1000 damage there.
Below is a picture which happened to me a few months ago, Cost $230 for a brand new fender from Infiniti.
If you can find a fender which is already black then your gold, they take about 10 mins to take off.
My damage cost about $1000 to fix, and that included a new drivers door, fender, paint etc etc. I did it all myself though. (Ive never painted before in my life, but it came out PERFECT)

 

[/QUOTE]Really? Things develop and get worse over time. What if I was poor and didn't have money to go to the doctor? What if I have an irrational fear of doctors or doctors offices? What if I've been working during doctors office business hours for two months straight? (which is actually the case, I sit at a desk so it's more of an annoyance than anything) I can think of a million reasons why someone would not be able to go to the doctor. I'm not trying to argue your point. I get what you're saying, but this is USPS we are talking about here. You think they'd almost pay me just to get me to shut up considering that I was slammed into by a government vehicle. To me that seems like enough evidence of potential injury. That's what chiropractors exist for isn't it? They fix stuff you can't necessarily see on an X-ray, which is most likely what I am dealing with or i'd be in extreme pain.[/QUOTE]

Its different with a car accident. Your income is irrelevant because even if you didnt have health insurance, your auto insurance covers medical expenses. The fact that it's been so long will raise a flag with anyone if you try and claim injury this far down the road. Could it have been from the accident? Yes but it could have happened doing anything else since the accident. That's why they have police reports, medical reports, etc. It all goes into a file for the insurance claim. Yea you may be telling the truth, but to the insurance industy and court system youre just another punk-a$$ trying to make a quick buck off of nothing. Thats why its so important to take care of these things right away. You had to fly out for work the next day? Reschedule. Its a car accident not a fake sick day. Employers understand these things. The only thing that will hold up in the court system is Hard evidence and facts. Especially when you are dealing with an entity as large as the USPS. But if your lawyer is worth his weight in sh*t he will probably be able to pull some strings and get you something.

Not trying to say you were a dumba$$ or that you're a juvenile because everyone makes mistakes and does dumb stuff, but waiting on this really was a sh!tty idea. In the grand scheme of things I think you're still in a decent position but it's just going to be more of a PITA to get settled now. Live and Learn

 

and make sure to go to a chiropractor ^^