[135i_TT]

Hello everyone,
As some of you may know, I'm 22 (going on 23 the 26th of Dec :smile I was involved in an accident in May 28, 2008 where my 06 VW Jetta TDI(was my pride and joy) got totaled.. I was on my way from work and some guy passed a stop sign and I had the right of way but was unable to stop and I T-Boned his car, and a cop did witness everything and helped me with his information, I was pretty badly injured, would have died if I wasn't wearing my seatbelt.. I went to therapy 4x's a wk for 2 months, my chest got smashed in from how hard I went front and the belt held me in, nothing broke but I couldnt do any hard movement or lift anything heavy, both my knees were badly bruised from hitting the bottom of the dashboard, my upper lip got cut open inside and my neck n back were hurting somewat, I was on Vicodon, Ibuprophen and Cyclobenzaprine the whole time and I had to take leave of absence from my car sales job for 2 months w/ out pay bc I couldnt walk or drive much... It took two wks for my attorneys to get me into a rental and only let me have it for 1 wk and half b/c they say that the insurance of the other guy stated my car was a total loss and culdnt let me keep the rental longer.. The other guys insurance paid off the $22k I owed on my VW but thats all thats been done, my attorneys said they were giving USAA (the other guys insurance) till Dec 11th to send them a Settlement Offer and will start to negotiate to get a good settlement amt for me if what they offer isn't good but now they said USAA requested an extension to make an offer so now they have till Dec. 22nd.. What my concern is my father and a few Best Friends are telling me it seems verrrry odd that its taking this long to settle and many people are telling me I get screwed over... I sat down on the phone with the Attorney for a long time and they said they wont screw me over, but im scared they are bc its taking very long and I've never been in any sort of accident until this and never had to deal with any of this (which is why I have an attorney otherwise I would have done everything myself), its been almost 7 months since my accident and im just not sure what to do, or expect and kind of scared I may get screwed over, that I wont get much money from my settlement since my attorneys get part of the money as well, im verrrry worried and from what everyone around me is telling me makes me worry more.... Fact is, whenever the settlement is done, the money is going towards a downpayment for the 09 135i I plan to buy... I just would like anyones opinion,advice,support, or anything bc like I said ive never been in this situation and a lot of my life has changed since the day of my accident and things have been very hard since and im quite worried.. Thank You All in Advance....

(Here are pictures from my car before and after the accident)
Before I took her home:

At home:



At the car wash:

Downtown:


After the accident (The last day I saw the V-Dub):

[Terp1]

Sorry about your VW but the most important thing is that you are ok. I don't know if your attorney's are trying to screw you over or not but I doubt it. They want to get their share of the money just as much as you do. I have used USAA for years and they're a stand up company. I've never had to file a claim against them so it may be a different story from your end. All the best on your situation.

[Midgad]

Sorry to hear of your misfortune.
Hope all turns out well.
As someone who has about 20 attorneys as well as an x judge in the family....dont hold your breath.
These things sometimes can take years till they are settled.
Stay on top of your attorney, as Terp said, the only time they get paid is when you get paid.
good luck

[135i_TT]

Thank you for the kind words... all I can do is play the waiting game and Im truly praying for the best.. bc like I said things have been so different in my life since the accident.. I'm keeping my head up =)

[ptack]

Your timing is not unusual. At least you've seen the light and will be joining the ranks of the few, the proud, the addicted.

[135i_TT]

:roundel: Thats my plan...

[Chewyjr15]

I was rear ended in may of 06, my volvo was nearly totaled see attached pics didn't get my settlement until last month. I stopped from 60-0 the person behind me did not and fled, i than went across all lanes of traffic 2 times coming to rest in the center of the road at a longitudinal angle. i hit another car while careening across traffic, but im thankful i survived. It takes time but in your case it will be worth it! Albeit my case went to arbitration, and i had to see lots of doctors and so on but in the end they payed the full policy limits. Im glad to see you are okay, and i hope everything works out for you.

pics:






good luck!

on a side note i sold the car yesterday got 5 grand for it at carmax what a waist, my car should have been totaled...

[Breville]

Good luck man, it's good to hear you're coming out the other side. In the UK (where I'm originally from) claims can take years and years so I wouldn't stress too much.

Re your post crash pics - I reckon a good body shop could have beaten those dents out :wink:.

[135i_TT]

Thanks for the support and opinions everyone! It really does mean a lot! Im sorry to hear bout your accident and situation to Chewy... at least we both made it out alive and fine now.. and yea, i know what you mean about it shulda been totaled.. I loved my VW alot since it was the last of its year (since they stopped production and resumed fall of 08) and the color was rare... it just wouldnt be the same if they fixed it all... I do miss that car very much tho.. but yea at least you got money for your volvo and a settlement even if it was a year later.. most important part is were alive Only way from here is UP! =)

[135i_TT]

=( I just got off the phone with my attorneys and they said USAA made an offer for $10,300 but I have $6,000 in medical bills from the accident and Id still have to pay the attorneys!!!! So that means id only stay with hardly anything
My attorney said hes going to try to get more but still... thats not really wat i wanted to hear before christmas eve and my birthday... =(

[BlackjackMulligan]

That doesn't seem like nearly enough.....can you take them to court?

[135i_TT]

I dont think thats enough either bc after all the medical bills and paying the lawyers ill prbly be left with nothing.. we can go to court but that would mean id have to pay court fees and pay the lawyers for taking them to court, I told them that wasnt enough to and my attorney said hes going to push for more but I dont know how long it will take..

[imported_mega]

no pain and suffering? I would take that to court

[135i_TT]

Well that was the first offer USAA made so my attorney is working on getting more so we shall see what happens, if we have to go to court we will.

[baseballbreath]

you know since it is an active case right now I would be careful what you say about it. I'm not a lawyer or anything but just thinking.

[135i_TT]

yea ive heard that before, it was mostly important for me to stay quiet when it first happened.. but i know wat u mean..

[Bdh821]

Sorry about the accident. I totalled my last pride and joy. It didn't last too long either. I drove it for aprox 900 miles before I hit a telephone pole. It was my fault which makes it more embarrassing

[135i_TT]

Thanks, everything will get solved soon im hoping... and im sorry to hear bout ur accident as well.. at least you got a 135i now right?

[Russo]

i'm not a fan of lawsuits unless negligence is involved so i wouldn't pursue civil action against the driver...

on a side note, an insurance company is only liable to pay whatever the insured buys... if he had 5k in medical payments, thats all you get, likewise if he had 100k, you would be entitled for that...

personally, i wouldn't be thinking of a new car right now..

[imported_mega]

the person has to pay the rest of the damages, that's why it's wise to up the minimum coverage if you own a house or stocks or savings, because they can go after you for most of that

[135i_TT]

Your right Mega, but im not sure what will happen were still workn on everythn, and I learned how settling works before you said that Russo, thanks for you input tho, and why no look at a new car? its the best time to buy a new car right now with how the economy is doing I would know since im a car salesman. Plus only reason I havent bought the bimmer yet is because i refuse to pay $600-800 a month for car, just waiting to get like 15k or so to put down.

[Russo]

Originally Posted by 135i_TT

Your right Mega, but im not sure what will happen were still workn on everythn, and I learned how settling works before you said that Russo, thanks for you input tho, and why no look at a new car? its the best time to buy a new car right now with how the economy is doing I would know since im a car salesman. Plus only reason I havent bought the bimmer yet is because i refuse to pay $600-800 a month for car, just waiting to get like 15k or so to put down.

because i would be looking past a car, personally i would be looking for the best way to fully recover from my injuries.... whether chiropractic, physical therapy, prayer, etc...