Not at fault and accident prone
Posted Mar 5, 2010 By Kimberly Lochhead
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Tweet ThisYet again I find my route to work interrupted by a major car accident after the city received a few centimeters of snow over night. The blue and white pulsing lights are all too familiar and as I crawl past pylons, analyzing the scene with other rubberneckers,
I see six firemen crowding around the driver's door. Orange cords lying on the ground connect to the Jaws of Life and soon I can see the vehicle's roof begin to buckle and warp. The accident is a mere one hundred feet from where I had my own a few weeks ago and I am still driving a rental car, waiting for repairs to be complete on my own vehicle.
It was the second accident I've ever had throughout a decade of driving. Last year, around the same time (which just so happened to be my birthday), I had rear-ended someone's vehicle after skidding across the icy Highway 417 during a snowstorm. This time, I was thinking about how I had been accident-free for a full year and that my bank account had recovered well after I had paid out-of-pocket for the damages. Driving home from work along one of the city's busy arterial roads, littered with traffic at many intersections, I was side-swiped. My car was in the right lane and a vehicle beside me in the left lane had slammed on his brakes to avoid hitting the vehicle in front of him. Seemingly forgetting I was beside him, he swerved into my lane, damaging the entire driver's side of my vehicle. We quickly pulled over at a nearby bus stop to assess the damages. I couldn't open my door to get out as it was completely mangled.
Apologizing profusely, the driver who hit me asked if I was alright. I kept thinking how this had literally put a dent in my plans for the rest of the day and dollar figures flashed through my mind. I didn't care that I wasn't hurt or anyone else for that matter, I just thought about the frustration and annoyance that would lie ahead for the rest of the week. After the police arrived and charged the other driver, I returned home, leaving my car parked on my residential street and vowing to never drive again. Although the accident was not my fault, I didn't realize the hassle would extend over three weeks.
The next morning, I dealt with my insurance company who assured me I would pay nothing and they would set me up with a rental car. Realizing I had left my car on the street instead of in my parking spot,
I peered out my living room window to find a parking ticket stuck to my banged up car. At the collision centre I was told both doors and the front fender would have to be replaced. They estimated the damage to be more than half of my vehicle's worth. The rental car company promptly picked me up and I signed more documents while waiting for a new car to continue my week. The next night driving home, I made a left turn as a traffic light turned red and soon, I heard sirens as a police car came out of its hiding spot to nab me. Strapped with a $325 fine and a warning for not having my rental agreement papers with me, I vowed to be a better driver, unsure as to why car karma was punishing me.
A few days later, the rental company phoned me saying I must return their car by the end of the day because my insurance had not sent them authorization for me to keep the car until my own was finished. I would also have to pay for the rental, they told me. After playing mediator between my insurance company (who assured me they had sent authorization) and the rental company for a few hours while trying to work in the office, the situation was clarified to my relief. The collision centre had told me my car would be ready the day after Family Day.
Excited to finally end the whole ordeal, I called the centre to confirm pick-up of my vehicle but was told it would take another week. Now, all I can do is wait and pray I do not get into an accident with the rental car.
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