Reijo

Less than 3 months on the road and a fellow pulls out to go through an intersection (he had the stop sign) on 14th Ave. SW right in front of me. No where to go but hit him at about 4:30 pm yesterday.

I was southbound on 5th St. SW and thinking about heading east on 17th Ave. SW off of 5th, no one in the far east lane. The middle lane was blocked by cars as per the usual rush hour traffic and people left a gap so that cars could go through and he decided to go through with his '87 Fiero GT (another low car) and probably just never saw me coming because of the cars blocking his view. I had the right of way as far as the intersection goes (5th is 3 lanes wide there and is a one way south). I never saw him either until his white nose was past the other cars but that was simply too late.....apply the brakes, ABS kicks in and bang.....hit the driver's corner of his car and my passenger front. :^(

Bumper is torn, headlight broken, hood kinked up slightly, air bag did not go off (did not hit straight-on), and I notice my steering wheel is slightly to the left when driving.....had to bend some sheet metal/fender brace in order to drive the car home. Probably hit him at about 20 kph guesstimating??? Neck is a bit sore, had it looked at but doesn't appear to be too bad.

The plastic fender is semi-shattered on the driver's front on the Fiero and his headlight was partially popped up....don't know about his alignment or whatever...thinking that our wheels hit.....he did not appear to be hurt so that was good.

This is the second time this type of accident has occurred to me.....vehicle attempting to get across stopped traffic to a side street....right into my path with little warning and it was too late to avoid a collision.

I wonder if people simply need a bit more patience to ensure that no one is coming? Anyway, doesn't appear to be much to do except get the car repaired???

Police reporting was a bit "odd". The fellows at the Chinook station were helpful and were of the opinion that he was at fault (he left the stop sign into the intersection and I had the right of way). The Fiero driver went to another police station somewhere and the other police officer called me on my cell for the police report no. but did not offer any helpful information and mentioned that it was up to the insurance companies to fight it out. I thought that was an odd comment and not sure what that meant. Of course I do not know what was on his report so who knows. Maybe they don't voice any opinions or feelings either way...don't care???

My insurance co. did not even take police info down (800 no.) so I was left with some question marks there too.

I'm having a bit of concern with those conversations that I had......have some history of "bad luck" in the past with insurance companies so that makes me suspicious.

Had my digital camera with me so I took some photos of the scene just in case.

Where to fix the car? Recommendations?

Reijo

Woodson

I was rear-ended once in a CRX and had an attempted break-in in my S. A1 Auto Body performed the repairs both times and the repairs were perfect. They also have tons of courtesy cars.

doodlebug

I have heard that you pretty much have to fight hard to protect yourself from the insurance companies (including your own). Don't let them assign any of the fault to you (even 5%)...it will give them an excuse to increase your premiums.

xviper

Tough luck, Reijo. Hope this all comes to a happy ending for you.

Tuner 4

That sucks, I hope everything goes smooth with the insurance! If you need a bodyshop recommendation I HIGHLY suggest Exotic Cars International (Ask for Ernest) They are "slow" but do the BEST work! They have worked on a few S2000's in the past...

VTEXTC

I can offer some insight into this. When I attend any traffic collision, my duty is to complete a traffic collision report and ascertain whether or not either driver has contravened the Traffic Safety Act. If there are any contraventions of any acts, then charges are laid if warranted. It is not the Police' responsibility to determine fault. Of course, 9/10, most Police officers, or even informed civilians will know truly who was at fault, but it is the insurance companies to, as you say, fight this out. I never offer an opinion, as I don't feel it necessary to be hounded by an insurance company later on, calling me to task on something I am not "trained" to do, and falls outside my call of duty.

All your insurance company needs from you is the Police case #. This will be the # on the top right hand side of the Alberta Collision Report you completed. Once they have that, they have access to all the pertinent information to go ahead and do their thing. Don't be surprised if they don't ask too many questions; if they do, it is the exception and not the rule.

I hope that helps alleviate some of the questions/concerns you have. As for getting the car repaired; I vouch personally for Maranello autobody. They specialize mostly in high end/luxury/exotic cars but do an awesome job on any project I've ever presented them with. Gerry and his brother Silvio assuredly take pride in their work, and despite their premium pricing, you certainly get what you pay for.

Good luck!
Asif

Reijo

Thanks Asif! That is helpful. Sometimes all a person needs is some information to alleviate the questions!

Also, thanks for the advice on the shops.....no one has contacted me since and I will have to get a hold of them I guess. I do not have the other person's insurance info and such since he said he was going to go to the same station as me but did not. I guess I have to get that from the other police report.

Reijo

koala

Reijo, I'm sorry to hear about this. Accidents are not a ton of fun.

For paintwork I'd suggest Maranello or Exotic Cars Intl as tuner mentioned... and T&T Honda would be a good idea in terms of a part source as well as any mechanical work on your car.

Woodson

Actually, accidents occur very infrequently. It's usually driver error.

koala

Que?

I was just saying they're not fun... I don't think they happen frequently either