My 2007 Mazda 6 Hatch got trashed this Friday

[CyberNick]

Those of you that have been on this board for a while may remember my Show 'n Shine post My 2007 Mazda 6 Hatch AKA "Sport" GT I4.

It's a sad day that I'm on to Moan 'n Whine now...

In moderate traffic which was moving at the limit, this asswipe in a GMC Envoy SUV was tailgating us for a while. I had noticed him sitting on my ass for a few minutes, but I wanted to keep my cool, so my only response was to slightly and very slowly increase my distance away from the SUV ahead of me. The swerver behind got closer and then he started talking on his phone... Then we had to come to a stop at a stop light and got rear ended. We stopped ok and gave the asswipe as much room as possible but the hit was hard. Hard enough that we were thrown ahead about 4 meters and lightly nicked the SUV in front.

We got an ambulance ride to the near by Hospital emergency room spend a long time in the waiting to get checked out. At first I was feeling OK, but now I have a stiff neck, my wife had a head ache right after the collision and now on top of that she has a stiff back and neck. We were told that "It will be worse before it gets better, you can expect to be stiffer and achier tomorrow morning when you get up. Take some pain killers, you should be OK by Monday, but if you start vomiting and do so more then twice, come back right away."

Our car was looking pretty bad... the higher bumper of the SUV connected almost clear with the hatch lid. The hatch & the rear fenders folded in about 15 inches, amazingly the hatch glass, and plastic light housings seemed to be intact, the rear right door and was a little hard to open and when closed, it was overlapping the fender by about 1/3 inch and the rear right wheel was jammed. On the front, we have lightly scratched up the bumper. I'll take a few pics on Monday when I visit the collision repair shop. 

The guy that hit us had little damage. His license plate came off, his bumper was a little pushed in but looked mostly OK. The guy in front had no damage that I can see. I think we connected with his hitch receiver.

So, I got pretty upset about this  and I said to the guy that this was the result of his following too close and being on the phone while I also got in his face a little bit. He denied having been behind me for several minutes and denied being on the phone. Since his car had almost no damage, he pulled into a parking lot off the road. After I got off the phone with the cops, he came to me and after we exchanged some more "pleasantries" he said to me "this is only a fender bender and I'm not sticking around for it". I told him to stay because the damage to my car is pretty bad and we may be injured, he said it was my fault for buying a "shitty import", he gave me his phone number and name and then left. 

The cop who showed up about 15 minutes after was not pleased about him leaving... he wanted a detailed description of the guy and the vehicle along with the name and number he left with me. When the cop was almost done the paperwork, he said the asswipe called in and fessed up about hitting someone, so because of it he will only be charged with "failing to remain" and not "hit and run" which the cop alluded to before.

Anyway, we seem to be OK in terms of injuries, but we'll see how tomorrow is. I am a little concerned about my ride however. Clearly, the crumple zones worked pretty well because we’re not too badly injured but now our car is, well, crumpled and to my untrained eye, perhaps not crumpled enough to be a write-off. I am concerned about how it would perform after a repair in terms of driving feel and also if it gets hit again would the crumple zones work correctly after having been repaired?! I’m also concerned about taking a big financial hit when I go to trade this in for something else. I am wondering if any future problem I might have would likely be blamed on this collision and I would not get anything serviced under the standard and extended warranties?! What a mess! What a mess!

[UmroAyyar]

  What a jerk! he saved his skin by calling in.

Sorry about your ride, you are done at the time of trade-in though. 

Hopefully, both of you stay healthy and its just temporary injury.

[quadzilla]

Glad to here you are (somewhat) ok. Don't worry about the car, insurance will take care of that.

People like that I hate as they have no respect for anybody else. I hope they throw the book at him. 

If they write off the car, are you going to try and find another Mz6-Hatch or something else?

[ovr50]

Nick - very sorry to hear of your really bad luck. Glad it seems you and your wife are OK, but be watchful as neck/back injuries can manafest themselves later.

As to your car, although it is a major hassle, insurance will remedy things; and cars can be replaced. It's just such a huge mess to deal with everything and get it fixed to your satisfaction.

As to the fool in the truck, sounds to be typical of so many on the roads today, and one can only hope that when he gets rear-ended, it will be by a semi driver who is on the phone also. Having been rear-ended myself in Feb 06 by a woman on the phone (but only minor damage), I can attest to the feelings of anger and frustration it causes.

Good luck.

[2hondas1BMW]

Damn, I am so sorry to hear about this. I hope you and your wife don't suffer too much pain from now on. 

I got rear ended last Friday too. We were in heavy traffic in the P5, and I stopped at a stop light...then a dude in a low, 90's Civic hatch rear ended me at a very low speed, but enough to jerk the car and startling everyone inside. I only 2 small dents on the bumper, from his front license plate screws. We exchanged info, and he gave me $100 on the spot. Very nice guy...another $200 soon.

I feel EXTREMELY lucky, after hearing about your accident. I am sure if I got hit by an SUV, my whole rear hatch would be up right now.

Good luck with the car, insurance, and of course, your health.

[articsteve]

Based on your description it appears that the car is repairable.     Most unfortunate for you.  I have always maintained that in cases such as yours victims should be compensated for the devaluation of the vehicle.

As for the leaving the scene charge I doubt that will stick.  Under the rules he must give his personal information at the scene and then report to a "reporting centre".  Seems like he did that. There were no obvious injuries to ppl involved at the time which is a key point.  I think it will end up being "following to close".  Doesn't really matter.  Bad ppl run amok everwhere.

Don't blow your top when you get a bill for $45. for the ambulance.  Your insurance company will pay that.

Sorry about your ride and your neck/back(s) which can be serious.

[CyberNick]

Thanks guys... Somehow venting about this here makes me feel a little better.

I got my rental today, a craptastic 2009 Chrysler Sebring.

Today, other then feeling stiff in the neck and forearms, I’m ok… My wife’s headache is not as bad as before & she’s got the stiffness in the neck and back…
 

[Sir Osis of Liver]

That absolutely sucks. But, you and your wife are OK and cars can be replaced. Did any airbags go off?

I'm sure he thought his driving skills were "above average" and not affected by cell phone use. Just like every other moron that does this.

[dr_spock]

Sorry to hear about your ride.  Hope no lasting bodily injuries.   I was rearended last year, a major pain in the butt.  

[safristi]

..Condolences Nick........get those neck injuries checked out by your reg health prof.....chiro/dr./physio....and have some treatments and documentation too (if U need them later..hopefully not).....do U think the car is repareable to your satisfaction...suppose that decision is out of your hands..and did U have replacement (i.e FULL VALUE) as an insurance rider..........??


   Yes Dr Spock being rear ended is by definition a "Pain in the BUTT"... ...call me when the swelling goes down....

[EV Dan]

Sorry to hear about all this. I'm glad you are ok, well , at least got away in one piece.
As for the trade in depreciation I wonder if one can get the paperwork showing the difference in value btw a normal car and the accident vehicle, so that later on you could file a claim to a small claim court against the a-hole. We really need Mitlov's expertise here 

[vdk]

Oh man, sorry to hear about this...
Unfortunately getting your car fixed will be a major hassle, it's good you're pretty okay though, it could've been alot worse.

Does the Mazda have whiplash protection?

[The Fuzz]

As for the leaving the scene charge I doubt that will stick.  Under the rules he must give his personal information at the scene and then report to a "reporting centre".  Seems like he did that. There were no obvious injuries to ppl involved at the time which is a key point.  I think it will end up being "following to close".  Doesn't really matter.  Bad ppl run amok everwhere.

For once...

Technically he did what he was required to do. According to the HTA he has to stop or return, provide any assistance required and only has to provide all his info "on request". I suspect that during your "pleasantries" you didn't request it. Under the Criminal Code it's even more of a pain in the ass to prove. Besides that, there's no such thing as "hit and run" in Ontario. "Failing to Remain" is the charge here. I don't know if you misunderstood the cop or he screwed up or what.

The good thing for you is that being hit from behind is, almost always, the guy's fault that is in the back. Ultimately your insurance company doesn't care what he gets charged with as they use their own rules. The less charges he gets, the less chance you'll end up in court (that's a good thing, believe me).

[CyberNick]

I admit that my own reaction of being angry was not good. I just lost it... I suppose I should call the guy and appigise for it. No, I didn't ask him for the info, I just assumed that he'd wait arround and give it to the cop because I was too angry at him to talk to him...

Is the alternative to not let this type of thing upset me to go out and buy a big and inexpensive POS SUV, only do the bare esntials for maintenance, never wash it? Maybe then I might be able not to get mad if someone happens to plow into it just because they are too distracted to and don't care.

Perhaps the guy that plowed into me used to have a nice car...

I might be wrong about the "hit & run" coming from the cop. There were some bystanders around & the driver from the SUV in front of me... It's all kind of blury...

[The Fuzz]

Sorry, I just saw you were from Quebec so it might be different. I'll check.

[The Fuzz]

The word "on request" doesn't appear in the Quebec Highway Safety Code however the rest still applies. He has to supply all his info to the officer on scene or to the person that sustained the damage. Looks like he covered his ass by calling the cop on scene.

[CyberNick]

The incident happened in Ontario. Yep, I'm one of those that moved to Quebec to get a better price on a home and I spend virtually all my time in Ontario. I don't even speak French that well, and I refuse to learn it, so both sides can hate my guts. 

[stodge]

Don't apologise to him - he doesn't deserve it. I get nervous when I see people behind me on their phones. I hope his insurance rates skyrocket. It should be illegal here to you drive while using a cellphone. Glad you're ok.

[dr_spock]

Since you're from Quebec, your bodily injuries may be covered under the Quebec public plan of the SAAQ.    http://www.saaq.gouv.qc.ca/en/faq/accident_victim.php

I suppose the guy can say he had to flee the scene because he feared for his life from the angry victim. 

[articsteve]

As for the leaving the scene charge I doubt that will stick.  Under the rules he must give his personal information at the scene and then report to a "reporting centre".  Seems like he did that. There were no obvious injuries to ppl involved at the time which is a key point.  I think it will end up being "following to close".  Doesn't really matter.  Bad ppl run amok everwhere.

For once...

Your memory is failing you.  It was actually the second time