My freeway crash

[Scruit]

 

[nir]

such an idiot! it seems like he did it on purpose - breaking right after he cut you off. like some kind of insurance fraud.
what he claimed? that you are the responsible?

 

[reverend]

What a donkey - glad you're alright. Did that just happen or is it a case that's been sorted in your favour already?

 

[Scruit]

What a donkey - glad you're alright. Did that just happen or is it a case that's been sorted in your favour already?

Both. Happened last Tuesday, and he already took the blame. My car is in the body shop right now, on his dime.

I did learn a couple of things:

- As always, with no video we simply do not assuming that anyone did anything wrong unless there is evidence to the contrary. When you video record your driving you shine a bright spotlight on your decisions second-to-second, that would never have been examined in that detail without the video. Some people see this video and say the truck is at fault, whereas other see it and say; "You had over a second to brake, why did you not brake?"
- Having the speed display on the video image is a cool feature, but is another thing that they can nitpick you on.
- The camera is not on YOUR side. It is impartial. Lucky for me the video showed I did nothing wrong, but if I *had* done something stupid then the video would show it. Don't assume that you can throw away footage that proves you did something wrong, also, or that you can omit certain sections of footage. Even by the roadside the cop demanded to see the minutes leading up to the accident, not just the accident itself. It was lucky for me that the pre-accident footage also showed I was innocent too.
- In this case I chose to let all parties know the footage existed very early on, right there at the accident scene. Cops watched it, so did the other driver. At that point the rest of how this would transpire was set in stone. In a previous accident many years ago I didn't mention the footage tot he other driver, so when it appeared a week later I might have had to prove I didn't fake it, if not for the fact the other driver already accepted liability.
- A couple folks asked me why I didn't let the other driver dig his grave with a fake story on his official report then drop the video on him, possibly get him a charge of lying on a police report. I assume the police have better things to do so that's not something I'd think was a worthwhile use of anyone's time.

- Drivers are crazy
- 6000 lbs of truck versus a 4-cylinder Subaru might sound like like an unfair fight on paper, but physics has final say. In this case, he managed to PIT himself against me, so I had a little cosmetic damage and he ate the barrier at 75mph. He was not hurt, but definitely humbled as I continued my day once the police cut me loose whereas his truck had to be towed.

 

[Street Guardian USA]

Your DashCam more than paid for itself it seems. Wild how the truck was pitt kicked over the way it did from a corner impact.

 

[GJHS]

Thank God, you're alright. I think it would be difficult to argue since he cut you off and hit the brakes. I think with out the video he would have made some false claims.

 

[Nigel]

Wild how the truck was pitt kicked over the way it did from a corner impact.

Did a better job of that than the cops do on those police chase videos!

 

[BobDiaz]

WOW !!! What was he thinking? Glad you are OK.

 

[ezuser]

No turn signal either from I can see in the vid.

Glad you're safe.

 

[BobDiaz]

I showed the video to someone at work. After reviewing it several times, the only logical conclusion we could come to was insurance fraud. It's a common practice to cut someone off and hit the brakes causing the accident, then say that you didn't stop in time and after that claim all sorts of fake medical problems. I'm sure glad you have it on video, it shows what really happened!!!!!

 

[liveinxs]

He definitely was attempting insurance fraud, what pisses me off, is his obvious disregard for the fact, that you might of had children in the vehicle, lets just say, had that happened to me, and my littles ones were in the truck, that guy would of caught a bat, to the back of the head...

 

[Dionic90]

I don't get it. Why pick your car out of a crowd? Did you flash money out the window? Is your car some super fancy expensive vehicle?

Did you piss off the truck driver a ways back?

Did he admit on the scene he was trying insurance fraud?

Just seems like road rage gone bad. Maybe he didn't see how close he was to your car and cut in too soon.

Here in LA I lose count to how many times I see someone move from behind a driver, only to race in front of them, cut in front and then slow down. That's not insurance fraud in my uneducated opinion.

Maybe this can be seen to some as insurance fraud but it doesn't look that way to me. If I were an attorney for the defense I'd want to see what happened a minute or so prior.

Regardless, accidents suck. I'm pleased all parties involved are safe. You both have loved ones who would be devastated if something happened to either.

I'm very grateful for dashcam technology, however I'd like to add that video does and can lie. If one has time to take the footage home first before showing it, video can be doctored.

In my vehicle, there is "black box" technology that records steering wheel angle, speed, G forces at a given point, if airbags deployed, when /if brakes were applied (and how long plus the strength /duration of pressing the pedal), when the accelerator pedal was released if at all, headlamps on, and many other sensors. Most new cars with can bus computer network systems in them have this standard from the factory.

In some cases this data can be requested from law enforcement and tested against dashcam video and/or verbal testimony...

 

[throrope]

Truck's too nice for fraud. Looks like you were in his blind spot and he never knew you where there until he hit the median. From what I see, his corner hit yours. If you caught his back and inside of the corner, an argument for avoidance could be made against you. You had no way out.

You actually had a good day. Money will make all damage go away. Last week my neighbor's younger brother didn't get home and all the money on the planet won't change that.

 

[liveinxs]

I don't get it. Why pick your car out of a crowd? Did you flash money out the window? Is your car some super fancy expensive vehicle?

Did you piss off the truck driver a ways back?

Did he admit on the scene he was trying insurance fraud?

Just seems like road rage gone bad. Maybe he didn't see how close he was to your car and cut in too soon.

Here in LA I lose count to how many times I see someone move from behind a driver, only to race in front of them, cut in front and then slow down. That's not insurance fraud in my uneducated opinion.

Maybe this can be seen to some as insurance fraud but it doesn't look that way to me. If I were an attorney for the defense I'd want to see what happened a minute or so prior.

Regardless, accidents suck. I'm pleased all parties involved are safe. You both have loved ones who would be devastated if something happened to either.

I'm very grateful for dashcam technology, however I'd like to add that video does and can lie. If one has time to take the footage home first before showing it, video can be doctored.

In my vehicle, there is "black box" technology that records steering wheel angle, speed, G forces at a given point, if airbags deployed, when /if brakes were applied (and how long plus the strength /duration of pressing the pedal), when the accelerator pedal was released if at all, headlamps on, and many other sensors. Most new cars with can bus computer network systems in them have this standard from the factory.

In some cases this data can be requested from law enforcement and tested against dashcam video and/or verbal testimony...

By any chance, were you the driver of the truck, sounds like you are defending the truck driver...

If you bothered to look at the video, there was no reason to brake, the closest car in front of the truck, was many car lenghts away, clearly an attempt at insurance fraud...

 

[jokiin]

clearly an attempt at insurance fraud...

to me it just looked like someone that changed lanes without looking

 

[Nigel]

to me it just looked like someone that changed lanes without looking

Agree, probably on the phone not concentrating on the driving and didn't see the little Subaru down beside him!

Trying to make an insurance fraud claim for whiplash or whatever when driving that into a relatively tiny Subaru would be stupid, almost killing yourself in the process by loosing to the Subaru would be...

 

[Trypt]

Good for you. I love the smell of justice in the evening.

 

[M---]

Good job! No idea what the truck driver was thinking-- careless driving? Poor attempt at insurance fraud? Who knows. If he was trying for insurance fraud, he braked too early. Even without the DC footage, it would pretty clear he clipped your front right...

 

[Rick77]

Looks like he thought you were a left lane hog, and was trying to express his disapproval.

 

[DT MI]

... If I were an attorney for the defense I'd want to see what happened a minute or so prior.
...

What happened prior to this incident is irrelevant to the incident itself. Even if the OP had previously cut him off it in no way gives license to the truck driver to take retaliatory action.

That's an argument a desperate, second rate, out of work, shyster lawyer would make.