hi everyone,
first time poster but been a long time guest... first of all, want to say thanks for all the great information that i've gained from visiting! today i decided to join in order to share my bad luck... i was in a head on collision with my Civic EX '07. [>:] i'm pretty sure my car is completely totalled....

here's the story. i'm in the left turning lane and facing the guy in front of me (in a '97 dodge ram) also in his left turn lane. (so he's going to be turning to my right) both lanes had designated left turning lanes but no left turn light. when the cars are clear for me to make my left turn, i proceed into my turn probably at like 10/15 mph... and the moron in front of me at the last minute decides to go straight instead of going left as originally intended, so he guns his car and slams into me head-on (more toward my passenger front side and pretty much his front center). my car spins due to his weight and speed. the los angeles cops do not take a report because there are no bodily harm or injuries. i have the dodge ram's insurance, and the ID of the guy who was driving but the cop mentions to me on the side that the driver of the dodge ram is possibly an illegal alien! the cop tells me his driver's license is from Oregon - and he mentions that in OR, they apparently issue licenses w/o much proof of identification? UGH. [:@] the thing is, the cop then tells me that I could take him to court if he is indeed an illegal alien and then i'd win - however it won't help me much if he has no money right? after talking to the insurance company, they tell me that worst case scenario this dodge ram driver makes a statement about how he was going straight which means now that i'm at fault!!!! please help me and tell me what kinds of options i've got or what you guys would do if you were in my situation.... i'm so GRRRRR right now... such BAD luck!!

Thanks for listening to my rant. Appreciate it very much guys.... i've posted two photos for you all to see the damage....


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If you have full coverage don't worry. Your insurance will deal with it. If the other guy wasn't insured or his company won't pay for your car, yours will. As long as your insurance remains convinced it wasn't your fault they won't raise your rate.

The guy did break the law by changing lanes in an intersection. A ticket should've been written. (I assume that if he had gone straight ahead, there'd be no lane on the other side, so he had to go a lane to the right to get thru.) I mean if a cop saw you going straight from the left turn lane, you'd get a ticket or at least a warning even if you didn't hit anyone.

Now if it does turn out to be totaled, if you have a loan on the car hopefully it is not "upside down." In other words the value of your car was more than the amount to pay it off, so the loan will get paid off fully and you can start over with another car.

 

...thats a bad situation, but at least you werent hurt...what the above poster said about fault and insurance...^...

 

unfortunately i don't have full coverage - only liability... i know, i know... stupid stupid.... what were the chances?!?! i never thought i'd need it.

 

****, thats really bad luck...[:@]...a beautiful new car like an 07 EX I wouldnt even touch without full insurance...

 

Ouch. You may be in for a fight. It would really help to get the guy convicted of a traffic offense to make it undeniably his fault. But I'm not sure how you can do that now since the officer didn't cite him at the scene.

Definitely full coverage is worth it unless your record is so bad that the rates are outrageous. Or your car is worth so little you're willing to take a chance on having to just say "F it" and walk away. Because it could come to that.

 

soory to hear about that.....i hope you win

 

i feel your pain brother.... good luck

 

thanks guys...

by the way - can anyone tell me what my options are now regarding what to do with my car? Should I sell the parts? or try selling the wreckage? i've called a few junk yards but they will only buy fender benders... the car is definitely not driveable and the key is stuck in the ignition and the battery is slowly dying out......

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Disconnect the battery so it won't run down more. If you can, remove the battery entirely and charge it up with a battery charger then set it aside.

Next thing to do would be to get an estimate on repairing it, so you know where you stand.

Lots of sellable parts there. Some junkyard should offer you a few hundred for it. Did the air bags deploy? That'll be a big factor in both repair cost and salvage value.