Dash cam saved me from high insurance rates!

[SoCalDriver]

Back in April I was driving down the freeway on my way to meet some friends for dinner. While changing lanes preparing to exit the freeway I put on my signal and started merging. Some auto parts fell off a truck (which is visible to the right parked on the shoulder) and in the middle of my merge while checking my blind spot I struck a disc brake with my driver side front tire.

This ended up causing about $3,000 in damage to my car as the brake destroyed the rocker panel behind the tire and actually dented the bottom of the driver side fender. I explained the situation to my insurance company and they said it would fall under collision, which meant higher insurance rates down the line. Then I showed them the video and upon review they decided it would still fall under collision but there really wasn't anything I could do as I was driving safely and the debris came up so quickly it was impossible to avoid without possibly hitting more debris or cars and causing an accident. Therefore they ruled it was not my fault and my rates would not increase.

I actually didn't see the debris I hit as I was focused on the junky truck parked on the shoulder and the upcoming debris to the right of my car which I avoided.

This is just one example of the stuff you run into in LA. About a week after this a ladder fell off a truck in front of me and hit the front of my car. That fell under my comprehensive insurance. Also, not my fault.

 

[Gibson99]

i saw someone hit an extension ladder about 5 cars in front of me once... it wrapped itself around the front of the car then went flying up and landed on the pickup 2 cars ahead of me. luckily it didn't go through anyone's windshield so it was just a bunch of bent metal and broken plastic, but still a scary situation.

 

[S P]

Wow, good saves! I could feel the hit from that right in the video.

 

[SoCalDriver]

Wow, good saves! I could feel the hit from that right in the video.

LOL Yeah I don't know what it was but I didn't want to hit the thing on the right.

 

[SoCalDriver]

i saw someone hit an extension ladder about 5 cars in front of me once... it wrapped itself around the front of the car then went flying up and landed on the pickup 2 cars ahead of me. luckily it didn't go through anyone's windshield so it was just a bunch of bent metal and broken plastic, but still a scary situation.

Ladders are so dangerous and a lot of people around here don't secure them properly.

 

[DT MI]

Ladders are so dangerous and a lot of people around here don't secure them properly.

Yeah, I just saw one the other day on a rack on a pickup truck that was only secured with a single bungee cord. Damn thing was sliding back and forth and bounding like a golf ball on concrete.