Accident Prone?

This is not bragging: I’ve been in five car accidents in my life. I can’t believe it! Three were collisions with other cars. The worst one was when I ran a red light. I didn’t see it and I smashed into a huge SUV. The SUV barely had a dent, but my minivan was absolutely totaled (so they said). I had recently bought the van (used), too, and it was SWEET. I was shocked that my van was totaled– it was only crumpled in the front, by the fender. I’ve always wondered if the insurance company or their mechanic just wanted the van for themselves (it was a newer van with lots of sporty extras). The whole thing seemed so suspicious. I lost all that money I’d put into the van.

The other accident was when we were in a funeral procession on Erie Boulevard in Syracuse (my husband driving). It was my step-dad’s funeral, which was terrible enough. The procession was moving at a pretty fast pace (like everything else on Erie Boulevard) and the traffic light turned red. My husband thought, with all the cars with flags and flashing lights, that other traffic would stop and let us through. Nope. we slammed right into the side of a car barreling down the road. It was a disaster. The seat belt saved my life– I would have gone through the windshield if it hadn’t stopped me. The plastic seat belt buckle snapped in half, but the belt kept me in place. I had a wicked bruise across my chest for weeks.

The only car accident I was in where it was the other driver’s fault was when a lady pulled out in front of me. I was in two-lane traffic going north, and she was pulling out of a store driveway– right into my way. She said that a guy in a truck was blocking the way and she didn;t see me– the guy had waved her on, signaling to her that the lanes were clear. But they weren’t– cuz I was there! The lady then tried to blame me for the accident! It was a really weird experience. She has a sparkling brand-new luxury car, too, and smashed it. My Dodge minivan had some severe scratches, but no crumples. I was shocked when I got a check for $450 in the mail to cover the damages to my van. :D The van did rust later. I didn’t know a thing about something called “diminished value” and that I should have taken my vehicle to an auto body shop to get the damaged assessed properly.

There’s a website called Advocate Auto Claims that has loads of information about such things. Insurance companies WANT to keep us in the dark! The website explains diminished value and other things, and shows you how you can get the money you are owed if you are in an accident.

I wish I’d known about these guys when my sporty minivan had been declared “totaled” by the insurance company. They pretty much gave me what was due me according to the policy, and nothing more. I had put a lot of money into that van with new parts, so I incurred a loss. I feel I was taken advantage of.

Don’t let that happen to you! Do your research and check out websites like Advocate Auto Claims! They give free estimates. They have lots of articles and the information is explained so simply that even an auto-challenged person like me can understand it! <