I think vehicles I drive should have a big honking bulls eye on the bumper as yesterday evening (Tuesday), I got rear ended again! This time by a distracted driver. Perhaps even as a passenger I should have bulls eye on the rear bumper as a vehicle my father drove got rear ended on our way from church when I was 5. Over a decade later, I got rear ended in driving lessons when braking for a dog. Back then, the 80's, drivers actually looked where they are going, just some of them drove too close and did not give enough room for drivers that brake for dogs or children crossing the road. But in this decade, unlike the 80's, way too many don't practise common sense and don't "look where they are going". Looking at a rear camera, cropped - for a full three seconds she was moving forward without looking where she was going. Looking at the same cropped video, but in slow motion, it seems when her vehicle bounced off our vehicle, she hit us three additional times as she had her hands on her face in shock and I am guessing foot on the gas and not the brake. This after staring at something to her right hand stand, while moving
Like my 2015 accident, not going to rush to upload it youtube, if ever. But its open to debate. It clearly shows the dangers of distracted driving. Unlike 2015, I am getting the insurance involved. When I had an interesting conversation with the driver regarding her lack of my papers, my wife had already called the insurance company. A tow truck driver offered to take us to regional collision centre, but it was about 15 km and it was 8:40 and it closes at 9 and we had groceries. I have uploaded the videos to my box.net account and spoke to several insurance reps. We drove to collision reporting centre in a rental.
My wife had problems going upstairs this morning. We are going to get assessed. I have a little neck pain unlike 2015.
So on the return trip from Costco, with several frozen meals and items that needed refrigeration, we got off the highway a few exits earlier than we normally do on our way home to get a Little Caesar's pizza as we wanted something fairly fast. Approached a red light. We were the first car in that lane waiting. It was Red for about 16 seconds before we stopped. For the north bound lanes at the light, there were 3 straight lanes and one left hand turning lane. I was going to turn left later on, so I was on the lane next to the left lane. After waiting another 38 seconds, the adjacent lanes had red lights and I move a few feet anticipating a green light, but there was a left only signal, for the lane to my left, but also in the opposing direction. In Toronto, the dedicated left lanes don't always get activated on busy streets, but I was in Pickering. So I stopped after moving close to two feet, but was still behind the cross walk. The cars to my left were moving. Two seconds after I moved a foot, the car behind me crashed into my rear. It was so hard, I though she travelling for some distance and never noticed the red light and never stopped. I usually look at my rear mirror a fair bit when stopped, but I think the conversation with wife obstructed me from that practise.
As the car behinds me plows into us, I yell, we both scream about driver behind us, my wife then runs (Adrenalin) out to the car behind us (something not recommended). While my wife is gone and I am trying to collect my wits after being nailed, the car next to our right asks if we need a witness or ambulance. I mention about the camera, something I should have done and they move on. My wife mentions about camera, the driver admits fault and we go to a gas station at the intersection.
We take photos, a tow truck shows up. Tow truck driver says its debatable if my Rav can be driven, but the other car has damaged hood which may fly open.
Other driver doesn't have all of the necessary papers on her but some of them on her phone and we can follow her. We get her phone number and tell her to send photos. We leave the scene but become suspicious and go to the police which was just up the street.
The other party, sends her documentation but requests we NOT get insurance or the collision centre involved.
We go home and my wife calls the insurance before I can even look at the videos. We are told we don't need to go the collision reporting centre as someone will be towing our vehicle to a repair shop where an adjuster will look at. While on hold, I look at the rear video and become aware of things I didn't know at the time of the collision. Like instant replay. I look at the front and side and notice more stuff. We got hit so hard, the wipers got active. I have seen a few crash videos where that happens.
My wife and I suspected she was distracted. Not the clearest video I have shot of someones cabin ... there was late evening glare and I really should have cleaned my windows, but it was apparent she was distracted. Also she was stopped behind us. Got there 23 seconds after got the red light and 17 seconds before she nailed us. Seems she saw noticed the cars to the left moving or myself moving a little and she assumed she could move while looking down and to her right hand side. She moved a car length, and hit us never touching the brake. When she hit us, her right hand was on something other than the steering wheel and during the second hit, she moved her hand over her face. I thought she slammed from a greater distance and asked if she ever noticed the light was red for a considerable time when stopped.
So the late evening insurance person said we didn't need to take the car to collision centre as one of their adjusters will look at it. First call I get today is from someone telling me will be there in an hour to tow it. Second call is from the person who hits us to see how we were doing and if we going to the collision centre. I mention the CRC needs to get involved for repairs over $1000, she says $2000. Ours alone will be well above that and hers is going to be worse.
We had planned the day off, weeks ago and go to a med apt for her. We get a rental from insurance. Get a call from my dad on the way to a med appt that the rav was towed from the driveway. My wife, unable to answer the phone as she is getting her eyes examined, gets a call from a police officer, while I was at timmies speaking to an injury adjuster. Wife calls before I can finish my large double double and the call with agent. Injury adjustor calls when we are back in the rental and we make arrangements to see an injury specialist. I hear the msg from the police officer requesting we need to show up before the end of the day - WITH OUR VEHICLE which was towed hours ago.
Go to our other planned event, getting my passport as we are going to England soon. While waiting in line, we try to sort out the towed car and collision centre mess. The other insurance reps says the whole skipping the collision reporting centre thing was ill advised. Finally after, we get the police to allow an extension to our reporting period, the tow truck company arranges to have it delivered to CRC.
We do our report at the collision centre.