[bmwexecutive]

Originally Posted by BimmerCrack

Well, you need to get yourself a Glock23, you would have the right to shoot him since he stepped out of his truck and approached you, don't you know Florida gun laws?
When folks tailgate intentionally, I switch lanes and let them pass. If it comes to a confrontation, a gun pointed at their chest will get their mind right.
Aside from that you played cat & mouse in traffic it ended up biting you in the ass real bad.
Shoulda just hauled ass with your tail between your legs.
Sorry for the damaged ride though, that sucks.

Even with a concealed weapons license I couldn't exactly step out of my car and pull the gun. However, I don't have a gun, but if I did, Florida law permits me to only brandish the gun to the guy if he were to approach me and I felt in danger. And this means, out of sight of any parties not involved. So he would have had to come up to the window to at which point I'd flash it. Then, of course, I could use it if he used force on me.

As far as hauling ass goes, as soon as he swered into my lane and I had to slam on my brakes to avoid the first collision I knew I had to get away. I was ready to gun it and try and weave past a few cars to flee but I had no where to go, other than across the median and in the other direction but sedan's don't work so well over curbs. If I had an SUV, that's what I would have done and I would have avoided the accident.

[lkraven]

Originally Posted by bmwexecutive

Do not worry my friend. I'm 90% certain the police are going to bag this guy. The two good samaritans that chased him down after the accident got his plate number, as well as just before the guy drove off I was on the phone with the 911 dispatcher and said "Remember this license plate number!" and gave her the number. Since it's recorded she got it. This means between the three of us we certainly have the right plate number. This means the police have the car owner's home address and most probably the address of the kid driving it, assuming it was the owner's son.

What exactly are they going to be charging him with? He didn't end up hitting your car-- they're going to charge him with getting out of his car and walking up to you? It's kind of your word against his, and even with witnesses, I'm not sure he DID anything "illegal". I mean, I doubt the DA is going to charge him with anything... your best bet is going to be a civil suit. Keep in mind that YOU ran into the F150.

I'm not trying to rain on your parade here, but I'm just confused about what you think the cops are going to do to him if they catch him?

[bmwexecutive]

Originally Posted by lkraven

What exactly are they going to be charging him with? He didn't end up hitting your car-- they're going to charge him with getting out of his car and walking up to you? It's kind of your word against his, and even with witnesses, I'm not sure he DID anything "illegal". I mean, I doubt the DA is going to charge him with anything... your best bet is going to be a civil suit. Keep in mind that YOU ran into the F150.

I'm not trying to rain on your parade here, but I'm just confused about what you think the cops are going to do to him if they catch him?

You do realize he left the scene of an accident, don't you? If I recall, that's a misdemeanor crime, which has a maximum punishment of up to 12 months in jail. Did you forget about that? And, as the police officer explained to me, it doesn't even matter that I ran into the F150. It was ultimately caused by the black SUV that kid was driving who fled. This will be pinned on him. Trust me, the police officier who assisted me told me most everything I needed to know, including that I have a possibility of being able to sue him. The cop booked the report under Road Rage, which clears me of any wrongdoing (my not getting a ticket reaffirms that), and put out an APB on the kid. At the time, he said they had 5 units scanning the nearby streets for his car. I imagine by the time I wake up tomorrow I'll be getting a call from the Clearwater Police department saying that I need to come in to identify this guy.

Also, the kid being charged with Reckless Endangerment/Reckless Driving is also still on the table, which can be a felony and means his license will be suspended. I'm not sure how that will play out. Bottom line is, like I said, I will be getting the last laugh because I have the support of the justice system; he doesn't. Whatever he ends up getting charged for, I'll let you guys know, but the cop said there's no question he'll be hit with "leaving the scene of an accident."

[kapoo]

Oh man sorry to hear about this.. Alteast your ok and thats what matters. Your car will be good as new in no time.

Ps. When i read the title, i thought a real bmw executive got into an accident lol

[lkraven]

Originally Posted by bmwexecutive

You do realize he left the scene of an accident, don't you? If I recall, that's a misdemeanor crime, which has a maximum punishment of up to 12 months in jail. Did you forget about that? And, as the police officer explained to me, it doesn't even matter that I ran into the F150. It was ultimately caused by the black SUV that kid was driving who fled. This will be pinned on him. Trust me, the police officier who assisted me told me most everything I needed to know, including that I have a possibility of being able to sue him. The cop booked the report under Road Rage, which clears me of any wrongdoing (my not getting a ticket reaffirms that), and put out an APB on the kid. At the time, he said they had 5 units scanning the nearby streets for his car. I imagine by the time I wake up tomorrow I'll be getting a call from the Clearwater Police department saying that I need to come in to identify this guy.

Well, I didn't realize they could pin the accident on him if he didn't hit anything. You're lucky you got the cop you did-- as you said.

Good luck.

[e90fanatic]

hahahaha...guess what? IM NOT AMERICAN! BTW, lawsuits happen everywhere. It's either you win or you lose. Choose. Do you think I/we care if that guy end up guilty (esp in this situation).

Originally Posted by Still_Deciding

This is so typically AMERICAN!!!

"oh, I'm a victim...I tried to big a bigger dink than the guy in the big black truck, but he beat me at my own game and my car got wrecked...and now I need $1.5M for all my pain and suffering"

No different than that stupid broad that put the coffee b/w her legs and burnt her pubes...dumbass, what did you expect?? Then she sues Micky D's for $5M b/c the coffee was too hot...it's coffee you retard it's supposed to be hot!

Puh-lease...you guys want to know why the Insurance industry makes billions in profits every year? Frivolous law suits drive up premiums...plain and simple.

Quit your whining, pay your deductible and be glad that the only thing that got busted up was your car. You brought this on yourself.

[BimmerCrack]

Well, all's well that ends well, easy to say but its the truth.
You were in an accident and you didnt get injured, you should be happy with that.
Fix your ride up and try to get over it, just another experience in life.
Good luck exec.

[Driv3r]

Wow logan, there was nothing you could do...in the first place i would personally be pissed off if you were calling the cops about my driving, then get in front of me to be a dick...and if i had the same level of retardation as that kid I would have gotten out and tried you...must suck to lose your car once it goes to the shop, and listen, here goes to show how impermanent things are in life, what was the point of the insane cleaning and OCD, just to have it all gone so quickly? (drunk rant sorry)

I would have loved to jump out of the car and knock his ass out...Logan, im teaching self defense classes in miami for BMW owners, lemme know if ur interested...price is one zainoing for my car! lol

Hope everything gets solved, and get that fucker for making you do that, he is a dick first of all for messing with someone smaller than he is.

[bmwexecutive]

Originally Posted by Driv3r

Wow logan, there was nothing you could do...in the first place i would personally be pissed off if you were calling the cops about my driving, then get in front of me to be a dick...and if i had the same level of retardation as that kid I would have gotten out and tried you...must suck to lose your car once it goes to the shop, and listen, here goes to show how impermanent things are in life, what was the point of the insane cleaning and OCD, just to have it all gone so quickly? (drunk rant sorry)

I would have loved to jump out of the car and knock his ass out...Logan, im teaching self defense classes in miami for BMW owners, lemme know if ur interested...price is one zainoing for my car! lol

Hope everything gets solved, and get that fucker for making you do that, he is a dick first of all for messing with someone smaller than he is.

Wow. Thanks man. I saw "Driv3r" as the last poster on this thread and figured "Oh, great, here we go. Surely Driv3r made a huge post about how I'm such an idiot and deserved it and whatnot. Nice to see a different side to you.

But as far as your statement about "what was the point of the insane cleaning and OCD, just to have it all gone so quickly?" What do you mean, all gone so quickly? Dude, it's not all gone, where'd it go? What are you talking about?

It's just the front bumper, headlight, hood and side fender that'll I have to re-zaino. The car didn't get totalled or anything.

BTW: Part of the reason I sped up so he couldn't pass right then was to slow him down so the cops would have more time to find him. You know what I mean? Who knows, maybe this whole incident happened for a reason and that kid was going to kill someone later in the day and I prevented that from happening. At least, I'd like to think so.

[Autobot]

Just saw this, sorry man, hope everything works out for the best, gld you are safe and in one piece, could have tunred out so much wosre, glad it didn't

[bmwexecutive]

Originally Posted by Autobot

Just saw this, sorry man, hope everything works out for the best, gld you are safe and in one piece, could have tunred out so much wosre, glad it didn't

Thanks man. Yeah, indeed it could have. Ideally, there wouldn't have been a car there and I could have gotten away. Worst case scenario, it would have been an 18-wheeler where that F150 was. It might have been a total at that point because the F150 was traveling at about 35MPH when I struck it. I was only going about 5MPH.

[Fraggy]

Oh damn dude, I know how you love you car, sorry to see.

[bmwexecutive]

Originally Posted by bmwexecutive

I'm seriously considering it. Although, I'd have to pay for one of the headlights which sucks because one on my car is still good and my insurance company isn't going to pay for a set when only one is damaged. The M-tech bumper sounds good but I'm not so sure I want to wait an extra week to get it. Maybe if I get a Porsche Boxster as my loaner than I won't mind the week wait.

Hehe. Just found out a new Adaptive Xenon Headlight (1) is $1,205 retail, which is what I should be receiving from my insurance company for it. Which means, a set of those Euro-spec Xenon headlights might not be so unrealistic afterall. If a set will cost me $1680 including shipping, that means for $475 I can have them. I can probably even make them free considering I'm sure I can sell my passenger side headlight on eBay for at least that $475. Cool!

[bmwexecutive]

Originally Posted by Fraggy

Oh damn dude, I know how you love you car, sorry to see.

It's tough, especially after looking at the beautiful pictures I took of my car out in the sunshine just a few days ago, but knowing that it will be fixed it what saves me from thinking too much about the negative. It will probably be fixed even better than it was before because it looks like I will be getting Euro-spec Adaptive Xenons, plus, possibily an M-tech front bumper.

[bmwexecutive]

Yikes! After looking through RealOEM.com and putting together estimate in my head of what I think the BMW Collison Center will charge to paint or repaint the hood and side fender plus front bumper, plus removal and install of those parts, plus buying all the other parts I need, I have a feeling the adjuster is going to estimate the total cost of damage at around $3,800 and I might have $130 or so left over after I buy the Euro Xenons. Plus, I still have to sell my passenger side Xenon headlight. What do you guys think I could get for it? Do you think it's save to say I could easily get $550 including shipping since it retails for $1,205? Already it's looking like I might make $675 out of this accident. LOL. Then if I end up suing this guy, who knows, I could have a nice $10,000 down payment to put on my M3 early next year.

[Kit523]

wow i am really sorry what happen to you man....
this is why always keep a steering lock beside you.....
you can protect yourself with those.....
if this happen to me....i will sure get out of the car and kick his f__king ass badly man!!!

[Robert]

I wish it's as simple as that. You have to realize the kid's insurance company isn't going to pony up the cash without a fight. Even with police report the insurance won't easily give in without a fight. Eventually the case will settle through an arbitrator or ultimately settle through court. Since the damage is minor the case will probably settle through arbitration. I was involved an accident recently with police report assigning fault to the guy behind me but the insurance companies disagreed. Eventually they worked out the case between themselves. They didn't agree with the police report and assigned the fault to the 2nd and 3rd car behind me. The 3rd car's insurance is non-responsive and would not return any calls. The accident was 4 months ago and it's still open. You won't be receiving a check for your deductable until your insurance is able to recover the amount. It might be month before you see your money back. Insurance company is a big scam if you ask for my opinion.

Police report certainly help the case but it isn't de facto fact. It's a pretty lengthy and ugly process if the other party doesn't want to play nice. Besides a good lawyer can make fiction into reality and that's why they get paid the big bucks. In your case there seem to be a lot of play room since he was not directly involved with your accident. That's assuming he's not a car thief and he owns insurance.

Not to rain on your parade. Just giving you some heads up and I hope the other's partys insurance is a stand up one.

Originally Posted by bmwexecutive

You do realize he left the scene of an accident, don't you? If I recall, that's a misdemeanor crime, which has a maximum punishment of up to 12 months in jail. Did you forget about that? And, as the police officer explained to me, it doesn't even matter that I ran into the F150. It was ultimately caused by the black SUV that kid was driving who fled. This will be pinned on him. Trust me, the police officier who assisted me told me most everything I needed to know, including that I have a possibility of being able to sue him. The cop booked the report under Road Rage, which clears me of any wrongdoing (my not getting a ticket reaffirms that), and put out an APB on the kid. At the time, he said they had 5 units scanning the nearby streets for his car. I imagine by the time I wake up tomorrow I'll be getting a call from the Clearwater Police department saying that I need to come in to identify this guy.

Also, the kid being charged with Reckless Endangerment/Reckless Driving is also still on the table, which can be a felony and means his license will be suspended. I'm not sure how that will play out. Bottom line is, like I said, I will be getting the last laugh because I have the support of the justice system; he doesn't. Whatever he ends up getting charged for, I'll let you guys know, but the cop said there's no question he'll be hit with "leaving the scene of an accident."

[shadowcoder]

Originally Posted by bmwexecutive

I have a feeling the adjuster is going to estimate the total cost of damage at around $3,800 and I might have $130 or so left over after I buy the Euro Xenons.

$3,800?

Man that's so far from what you are going to hear. Be prepared to be
shocked:

1) Your bumper off, getting new one, getting it painted and putting it on is
~$1,100.
2) Your headlight alone is $1,200 without installation. And from the looks of
it you will need the lip/support for it, which you haven't accounted for. And
of course installation. Don't forget all the light bulbs. BMW is charging an
arm and a leg for those. Are your ballasts ok? If not the complete headlight,
will run at ~$1,800. And once installed it would have to be aligned properly.
It's not a blind installation.
3) The bumper at the top as well as the headlight, sit on the radiator support.
You will be extremely lucky if it is intact. If it's not or it poses a problem for
the headlight or bumper installation, you are looking at another $1,000.
4) The fender is plastic, so I'm not sure how successful it will be to "bend
back" and repainted. And it's also bent at the point where the bumper screws
on to it with 2 screws. I wouldn't be surprised if a new one is needed.
5) The hood has good chances, but it's not going to go for under $500 to
have it fixed.
6) Depending on the impact, your reinforcement bar on the left side may be
bent. Small cost to replace - $200.

Expect your total to be near if not over $5,000 ie another 30% up from what
you already think it is.

And don't take your bumper off and drive without it. You will be pulled over
on sight and the officer has the option of arresting you. So don't do it.

Best of luck in fixing your car and try to stay cooler next time.

[danimal]

Nothing that hasn't been said already, but glad you're okay and that your car's not too severely damaged. Very scary situation.

Makes me think about what I'll do next time I get tailgated. I usually try giving whoever it is a dirty look through the mirror. That has worked surprisingly well in that past, but maybe I just got lucky. Probably best to just do what you can to get away from them. Change lanes, get off the road, whatever it takes. Definitely not worth going head to head with a thug like that.

Anyway, good luck on everything.

-Dan

[Paul330d]

Originally Posted by bmwexecutive

Does anyone know if I still have to pay the deductible on my insurance even though it wasn't my fault?

Sorry to hear about your woes. I think we could all recount similar tales of road rage Technically, though, aren't you responsible for the accident with the Ford, seeing as how you ran into the back of it? I mean, it has to be someone's fault and I don't think you could say it was the Ford driver's... I don't know how it works in the US, but I think that's what they'd say here in Europe, even if your 'self-defence' claim is morally justifiable.

[John 070]

Glad to hear you're ok. You had me worried when you mentioned .45 and rounds, because I didn't know where your story was headed.

My advice to everyone is to avoid situations with unknown people when possible--it's not a sign of weakness. This advice is coming from someone who fought 2 thugs on the NYC subway--luckily 2 others in their group were too far away to join in, and it was rush hour. I can assure you that no New Yorkers stepped-in to help me when it was a 2 v. 1, they just watched the show. Very doubtful if they couldn't figure out who was the victim and who was perpetrating the crime.

The conductor followed procedure and halted the train and blew a horn, and many cowards stepped off the train to watch. I consider myself lucky as another person, anyone, could have been beaten severely (how the thugs could not connect a punch I'll never know, but I'll take it). Would I do it again? No, because the subway is the only time I would ever come in contact with thugs, and I do my best now to avoid them altogether. I believe the same is true on the roads, someone is acting crazy, avoid them if you can. In my above situation, fight or flight had kicked-in, so I'm lucky. And it gave me a real lesson on NYC--far cry from Nicolas Cage in the movies....

Again, glad you're ok, your car will be fixed and back on the road!

[BMW320i]

wow! quite a story!!

hope everything goes well with you...

plz try to take pics when you kick that guy's ass in court!