Thank goodness you weren't hurt bad but the pain in your back needs to be watched very closely. I was in the same situation in Aug. and it is just feeling better. Stay on top of it. I was sitting at a light and a stolen van ran into me and 4 other cars. It was doing about 50+ and my poor 2014 Hardtop took quite a hit. But I will say it held up so well and I had it fixed and all is good. But if you have good uninsured motorist coverage they should take care of everything. If your insurance company seems to get squirrelly get a lawyer to make sure your taken care of. I am not big into suing to just sue somebody but don't let this cause you to have a ton of medical bills you can't pay. Put your insurance to task and find a good adjustor you feel comfortable with that is looking out for you. They can be the difference between a good and bad experience. I had a couple and found them to be helpful. But don't hesitate if they start fighting your treatment. Don't just trust them to take care of everything, you should keep on top of your bills and what they have paid etc. Protect yourself and make sure you get the medical treatment you need to get better. This type of injury can take a while to heal and don't rush it because it can bug you from a long time. Best advise is CYA by keeping your insurance company honest.

 

Sorry about the MINI and thank god that you are ok.

We have some of the WORST drivers in Seattle. Where the accident occurred is part of my daily commute and I see all sorts of crap. Make sure the get the i-diots cell phone records & etc checked as most likely he was goofing off on his phone.

I hope you a fast recovery and sorry that you are going through this right before the holidays.

MINI did very good!

 

Get a lawyer! or at least consult with one concerning the legal gibberish/fine print in your uninsured motorist coverage, etc. Your insurance adjuster will chisel you out of every cent he possibly can, that's what he's paid for and if he doesn't do a good job of it he'll be looking for another job. This advice is based on my 20 years of experience in dealing with adjusters as the parts manager at 3 different multi-line new car dealerships (AKA within the trade as "junkyards"). (They were various combinations of BMW, Chevrolet, Datsun [early Nissan], Jeep, Saab, Toyota, etc.) AND it is based on my own experience in having a MCS totaled by a 19 year old uninsured idiot driving his father's car make an abrupt unsignaled LH turn into my path on Friday, Sept. 13, 2013. The seat belt/shoulder harness beat my wife up some & she took a trip via ambulance to the hospital where she was held for observation for a couple days. My insurance company didn't want to pay her expenses under the medical provisions because the idiot was at fault, then they didn't want to pay under the uninsured coverage I had been paying them for for 30+ years because she was covered by Blue Cross under an employee policy. Blue Cross didn't want to pay because she was no longer an active employee of the company that held the group policy (even though she had 2 or 3 days left on her 30 days of laid-off-employee extended coverage); when we straightened them out on that in no uncertain terms, they still "suggested" we try Medicare. Of course, Medicare wouldn't pay because we had auto insurance coverage.

In the mean time, I was surprised to get a fair "value" quote on the MCS from the insurance company's independent value appraiser, which they quickly adjusted upward when I pointed out a couple items they had missed (steering wheel controls, radio grade, floor mats, etc.); however, the insurance company held back $1,000 as the settlement was against my $1,000 deductible collision coverage, not the uninsured motorist coverage. That my uninsured coverage wouldn't cover the full value of my car was news to me as I had never seen this topic covered on any of my numerous personal reviews of the policy or had this ever been explained to me at any of the many verbal reviews I'd had with each of the 3 different agents I'd had over the years I had been with the company. It was always, "You need 'Uninsured Motorist Coverage' so that you don't suffer a loss in the rare event you should have an unpleasant encounter with an uninsured idiot."

In the 6 or 8 contacts I had with the insurance company, I don't remember talking to the same person twice; my wife said she did talk to the same medical adjuster 3 or 4 times. Only one person to deal with the physical damage would go a long ways! After several contacts specifically about the $1,000, I was told they would sue the guy who hit me & my $1,000 would be included. If they got 100% of what they sued for, I would receive my $1,000; if they they only got a percentage, I would receive that % of my $1,000. Fat chance they'll ever even find the guy; if he had any money, he would have been able to buy the auto liability insurance that is "mandatory" in this state. After a couple of weeks of being jerked around over the medical coverage & the $1,000 deductible I got a injury lawyer who got the medical insurance issue settled, a low 5 figure injury settlement check for my wife, & $250 for me towards the $1,000 "deductible" in a more than reasonable amount of time. The legal fees here seem to be "standardized" at 30% for "quick & dirty" settlements, 40% if it is settled "out of court", & 50% for a full blown wrestling match. My deal was worth 30% to me & resulted in more in our pocket after the lawyers fee than I ever thought we would see. But like someone mentioned previously don't expect to receive more from your insurance company under your uninsured coverage than it's written for.

Don't really want to bore you, but this wasn't the only time I've been jerked around by an insurance company: (1)- Two years ago on Christmas day (a Tuesday) the neighbor across the street backed clear across the street & caved in the LH door on the same MCS (I had a witness). Couldn't open the door, the broken door glass was an inch deep on both seats, it was snowing, & my shop was too full to get the car inside. The neighbor reported the accident to her agent on the 26th before 9 AM & took full responsibility; the agent reported it, with the pictures I provided him, to the insurance company before 11 AM. When I didn't hear from the insurance company by 10 AM on the 27th, I started calling; I needed a rental car. After 4 or 5 contacts over a period of 4 or 5 hours, I finally reached someone who would at least talk to me, but they wouldn't authorize a rental car right then; I got the impression they were trying to stall me through the weekend (would save them 3 days rental fees). The day after that the other party's agent (who I have known for years through the business's I had worked in) provided me with an unlisted phone number of a local person with the insurance company who, within 30 minutes of me finally receiving a return call from them, made themselves aware of the situation & got me a car. (2)- Ten years ago I had a 1-1/2 year tussle with one of my company's "preferred" vendors over their shoddy workmanship repairing some water damage to my house that was covered by my homeowners policy. That issue was finally resolved by a letter to the vendor from a prominent local realty lawyer I happen to know socially. The insurance companies could care less about their clients receiving acceptable results from their "preferred" vendors - it's all about the guy that will let them beat him down to the cheapest job they can get.

Sorry for the "book", just want to let you know what can happen when you're dealing with an insurance company for any reason; it's not as cut & dried as some would lead you to believe unless you have a law degree & a thorough knowledge of the insurance laws where you're at & even then I'm sure there are hassles. Insurance companies have separated us from enough of our money through their horrendous policy fees to hire enough legal staff to keep from having to give any of it back.

GOOD LUCK in dealing with your insurance company.

 

If you live in California and typically hit traffic everyday your chances of getting in an accident increases! I had a tailgater today and when the cars in front of me started moving forward I didn't move until the car in front of me was at least a half a football field away, that will get them off your tail. I kept flashing my light pulsar and didn't faze the driver. She kept looking down and was distracted so my light pulsar had no effect on someone already not looking where their going.

 

Dear Lord, paragraphs please! You do know most won't even bother reading this clutter.

 

Know where you're coming from -- Am appalled to see the paragraph indentations went away somewhere after I hit "Submit Reply"??

 

It's easy enough to put them back in. Just hit "Edit."

 

Glad you and your puppy survived with minor injuries! I'm surprised you're leaving Mini and after seeing how well it held up and protected you. I'd bow down to the Mini and buy another!

 

Hi sorry for your lost i have a original gen 1 Speed 3 41k . Abd working on a Speed 6 . You can email me ialso have a 2003 Cooper s .

 

Hey everyone, just checking in to let ya'll know that I'm slowly recovering and I have teamed up with a lawyer to get things all settled.

In other news, let me introduce you to my new ride! Its a 2011 Mazdaspeed3 in Celestrial Blue Mica (rarest color for the Speed3s) that was fully built by a company up here in the PNW known as Corksport. They specialize in Mazdas and this has just about every bolt on you could ask for. On top of that, it's got every additional feature that was available from the dealer and is fun as all heck to drive. Currently it's running a Stage 2+ tune from Cobb Tuning and is making roughly 315hp at the crank, 295hp to the wheels.



I bought this car off of a guy on Craigslist and was a bit weary about doing so since it was so heavily modded. After talking with the guy and asking questions about the parts that were installed, I figured it wouldn't hurt to go check the ride out. Well, shortly after pulling up to his place I was treated to tour of his garage that housed his other "toys" - after seeing these (along with all of the receipts for the Speed3) I felt completely safe with making the purchase.

First up - 2003 Ford Cobra "Terminator" - 570hp to the wheels and is currently going through an overhaul to push that over 600hp.






2011 Chevy Camaro SS (Wife's Car) - 610hp to the wheels.




and his son drives a 2002 VW GTi that is making 370hp but sadly he wasn't home when I came over so I didn't get a chance to snap photos.

 

Nice new ride! And awesome toys too btw! wow!

 

Glad you're recovering and I'm amazed that your pup was not killed. I think it's a good thing that he's small: less mass to hit the steering wheel. Get well and congrats on the new ride.

 

Your car if totaled would be worth buying back from the ins co - your entire power-train is probably undamaged, as well as the interior.

 

I have no interest in parting out since I don't have a garage to keep it in. :( Otherwise I totally would have bought it back from them.