got into a car accident

[amazingswayze]

my first accident. i need help guys.

there was a flash flood today and i was driving home from school at roughly 6pm. traffic was backed up on the expressway so i took the service road. truthfully, i was going a little faster than i should have for the most part.

i'm approaching a yellow light. there is one car ahead of me with his left signal turned on. i sped up to make the light thinking he would turn, but he didn't. once i recognized this, i braked as hard as possible. i wasnt fast enough. i even pulled the e-brake. no luck. so i collide into his right rear. i dont think the damage is too bad, all i see is paint chips on his rear. he gets out of his car and approaches mine. he is an indian man and he goes, "what are you doing, my friend? do you not see the light?" i respond by saying my breaks didnt respond fast enough. he goes, "you're just like my son" then i insist that we should pull over and he tells me to just leave. i say again we should pull over and he tells me just to leave and be safe. no information exchanged.

i thought i got away scott-free until i got home. i checked the damage and i already know its costing me a **** ton. my left front is like a crater with someone else's paint in it. my car is only worth ~$3000. i have been in and out of the mechanic these last few months and racked up ~$2000 in expenses already. this car will be almost impossible to sell and now i cant even report it to my insurance. i am so lost.

my mom is telling me i just have to ride with it like that because i didn't report it. i am so mad at myself. i don't know what to do. is it too late to make a claim? i don't even know what to do.

i know i messed up. that's not what i need to hear right now. does anybody have any ideas?

 

[ERB]

You have nothing to worry about. He told you to leave, multiple times. Basically he was not worried about his vehicle. If this ever happens again and other driver said to leave or not worried, leave.

 

[Young OG]

Your lucky the guy let you go without exchanging info. The cops would have came and you would have received a ticket. Your insurance then would find out and the cost would go up. What I would do is start searching craigslist. People are always parting out cars. Also check junk yards. Look for parts the same color as your car. Buy the parts and replace them yourself. If you don't know how, then learn. There are plenty of videos on YouTube and how to articles online.

 

[Atom Smasher]

In a rear-end incident, you're lucky if the person lets you go. What could easily happen is later on the guy talks to his friends, and they tell him how he needs to claim an injury even if at first he says he wasn't injured. A settlement is a sure thing in a rear-end incident. Consider yourself VERY fortunate.

Like Young OG says, see if you can scavenge up some parts. You should be thanking God tonight that you got off as easy as you did. It could have been really, really bad for you. Consider it an expensive life lesson which is a lot less expensive than it would have been had he brought the police into it.

 

[Bible_Belt]

I agree with the above advice. You were lucky. The Indian dude did you a big favor.

 

[amazingswayze]

great insight guys. i still feel pretty crappy. i don't know how to fix cars at all but maybe if i put my mind to it i can do something about it. my front bumper is like a crater. i think it needs to be buffed. it was dark when i saw the damage. i'll have to check back tomorrow. arggghhhh.

 

[Young OG]

great insight guys. i still feel pretty crappy. i don't know how to fix cars at all but maybe if i put my mind to it i can do something about it. my front bumper is like a crater. i think it needs to be buffed. it was dark when i saw the damage. i'll have to check back tomorrow. arggghhhh.

If its dented in, buffing is pointless. Just find a used bumper like I told you to in my other comment. They aren't that hard to swap out. Just look online like I told you.

 

[PrettyBoyAJ]

If you called the cops they would have gave you a ticket that would cost a couple hundred dollars. Your insurance would also go up every month. You came out better, If there is a dent use one of those suction cups and get it back to shape. Search google for it.

 

[amazingswayze]

If its dented in, buffing is pointless. Just find a used bumper like I told you to in my other comment. They aren't that hard to swap out. Just look online like I told you.

i said 'buff' for lack of a better word. what i meant to say was, i dont know what i meant to say. lol. i just want to somehow raise the dent and i've seen a few videos on youtube as simple as using a heat gun and a hammer. only thing i don't know is if my car has a plastic bumper or metal. it feels metal, but it might be hard plastic.

this would be my first step at minimal cost and this will end up being quite the DIY project for me but i do have to count my blessings because i did get lucky and now i have to pay for my mistakes. thanks guys

 

[Young OG]

i said 'buff' for lack of a better word. what i meant to say was, i dont know what i meant to say. lol. i just want to somehow raise the dent and i've seen a few videos on youtube as simple as using a heat gun and a hammer. only thing i don't know is if my car has a plastic bumper or metal. it feels metal, but it might be hard plastic.

this would be my first step at minimal cost and this will end up being quite the DIY project for me but i do have to count my blessings because i did get lucky and now i have to pay for my mistakes. thanks guys

Most likely the bumper is plastic, unless it's from the early 90s or older. Depending on the dent, it could be heated up and pushed out. But, the spot where it was will be filled with hair line cracks in the paint and the paint will continue to get worse. Your best bet is to find a used bumper the same color and replace it. Feel free to pm me if you have a lot of questions. I have a show car and have been in the car scene since I was 16.

 

[backseatjuan]

You are at fault, so fix it. You got no ticket, and your insurance will not go up because you doing it yourself out of your pocket.

 

[amazingswayze]

that's just the way it goes. gotta be thankful for all the things that went right. i speed every single day. this is just karma finally catching up to me. its not so bad man.

edit:

never been pulled over in my life either. i break the law every day and i'm black. im lucky af to not have had a bad run-in with a cop. count your blessings.

 

[logicallefty]

Same, except I'm white. You just have to know when it's okay to speed. And where. The worst thing about that accident was that I had bud in the car with me, and it stunk my whole car up. I was tripping so hard because I thought the cops were going to show up and I'd be arrested for possession. So it really worked out well for me.

Speaking as a cop, if you want to speed don't go any more than 9 mph over and MOST cops will leave you alone. Of course there are no guarantees. I don't touch anyone for anything less than 13 over unless it's like really icy or maybe a school zone. And even at 13 up to about 17 over I write written warnings almost always.

Also, only break 1 law at a time. If you are like me who hates to wear a seatbelt, don't speed while not wearing the seat belt. Break one law or the other but don't break both at the same time.

As far as the OP's accident goes, I concur with other comments. It almost always always always the rear car's fault because the rear car is supposed to pay attention and never be close enough on the front car's tail to hit them. If it's icy, for example, then it's up to the rear car to adjust for said ice. It's very extringent circumstances where the rear car would not be at fault in an accident such as the OP described.

 

[NSX-R]

One tip, when you are driving asume that every other driver is going to do the opposite of what they are suppose to do.
ex: You are approaching a traffic light and it goes yellow while in front of you there is another car. What you have to think about is that the car in front of you is not going to speed up but to stop , that way you will be prepared with the unexpected.

And last but not least , never go too much over the speed limit. The chances of you getting into an accident is increasing. If you want to get rid of this "i want to go fast" feeling, go into a safe track and drive as fast as never before. After on the public road you will never be eager to speed. Trust me it works. Once a month i drive as fast as i want in the highway ( i live in Germany) and for the rest of the month im not impatient behind the wheel.

 

[Bible_Belt]

You can eat the bud before the cops come. It won't even make you high. (edibles are baked first) Don't choke. And don't try to swallow the plastic bag, too. People die that way all the time.

And by the way, just for anyone else reading this, swallowing your drugs before the cops show up is only a good idea with weed. If it's crack or coke, swallowing just a little bit will kill you. People also die that way all the time.

 

[Young OG]

Question though: as far as weed goes, will most cops arrest you for a gram or two?

It probably depends on the cop. I know a guy who got arrested for a quarter of a gram.