elude

eh.

so its been a rough start to a new year.. i was suppose to leave saturday for my 6+ month deployment with the army, but i got hit friday by a drunk driver.

basically..

i was gonna grab a bite to eat, carne asada fries before i leave SD.. so i went to robertos in convoy street.. alone, no passengers.. i usually try to park away from the crowd, especially if im in the S.. so i wait for this 2000 Lincoln Town/Country (white) to pull out so i can back in.

as he backs out and begins to drive off the light, i begin my sequence to back my S in. but i noticed as im in reverse going in, the driver turns his reverse lights on, and begins to back up.. in about 25ft, he gets up to about 20mph and reverse t-bones me on my drivers side..

first im shocked, and distraught.. he brakes as i think hes gonna get out and give me his info, but as i open my door, he makes a run for it..

now heres the dilemma.. for a split second i make that decision to do nothing, file a claim, regardless of the fact i had no info aside a slight description.. or i do what everyone "thinks they would do".. so i chased after him..

now let me tell you, it might of been not a smart idea, basically because this guy could of had a gun, could of done more damage and injury to me, etc. but the adrenaline of my "vengeance" along with my personal stresses lead me up to it..

so i chase him down south on convoy street as he attempts to elude me.. he pulls into the burger king parking lot as making me believe he gave up and its over.. but i knew he would just pull out and continue to speed away, which i didnt fall for..

then i follow him over the 163 into linda vista (where convoy turns into linda vista road), as we enter residential neighborhoods.. as he approaches the first light after the bridge, i get a slight view of him.

he turns at the light, and enters an apartment parking lot.. now during this time ive been chasing him, he knew that i was lowered car, etc.. so he went and maneuvered in ways that would deter me from following.. but luckily enough i was close enough on his ass, to where i got his plates..

as he enter the apartment complex i noticed the speed bumps and steep driveways.. so i hesitated, and waited for him to exit.. not knowing the multiple entrances/exits of the complex, im sad to say i lost him..

so i went back to the scene of the incident (along to enjoy my awaited carne asada fries), and filed a police report.. some of the witnesses said they noticed he was drunk upon leaving, which could explain his reasoning in hitting me along with attempting to elude me..

so after the police report was filed, i went home and went online to the department of consumer affairs BAR vehicle smog test history page (http://www.bar.ca.gov/applications/V...PubTstQry.aspx), and typed in his plates. it showed that for the past smog test locations hes been at.. apparently at socal smog, and convoy smog. so i know hes local..

so heres my dilemma, and maybe i just need to vent.. ive been experience neck strains in the morning, and its why i delayed my deployment to this saturday.. i was only granted a week extension, but now im gonna have a wrecked s2000 garaged for the next 6+ months while im away..

should i suck it up, sh*t happens, deal with the deductible, and hope the police deal with it? theres no way i wanna deal with the repairs right now knowing i have to leave on saturday, but again, now i have the stresses of a wreck..

btw, the damages.. i was hit on the drivers door @ 15-20mph.. luckily it wasnt the quarter-panel, but oddly enough its the same side as my last hit&run. door badly dented, paint cracked, and i hear wind-noise from my window/hardtop now.

anyhow, im probably just needing to vent about it.. but what do you guys think i should do next?

1) suppose to leave on military mobilization/deployment saturday 1/3
2) drunk driver hit me on 1/2, no info, police report filed, plates recorded
3) neck and muscle strains, causing me to leave on 1/10
4) car wrecked, insurance claim filed, but dont want to deal with until return (maybe june 09')
5) now what...? deal with, follow up with injury lawsuit, iono...

thanks for the session, and sorry for the long read.

PM me if you have info to help me, i have his plates.

gearshifter

sorry to hear about that can you give me hes plate number?

AP2

that sucks jon...hopefully your injuries are only minor

btw

theGRNapples

wow...
sorry to hear about your situation...
you got the plates though...
everything should fall into place...
good luck with everything...

NFRAP1

That's horrible man! Don't the police run his license plate, get his address, and go arrest the guy? WTF!!! Again, sorry to hear.

Millenion LTD

If you don't seek medical attention now, you will pay for it int he future, out of your own pocket. All it takes is 1 witness for you to NOT pay the deductible. You don't even have to tell your own insurance company. Deal with it all with his insurance. Claiming injuries is usually 2-3 times the amount of the medical bills. Getting xrays will help your medical claim as well.

ER > Family Doctor > Chiropractor is the order you should go regarding injuries.

Going to the ER is the difference between 5 digits and 6 digits.

Also, if you filed a legit police report, you can send him to jail for felony hit and run.....5 years if you please.

The police will be onto him but it will take awhile as they have to assign the case to a detective first.

From my POV, you're in an okay situation. Don't worry about your car being fixed now. Just worry about the # of times you show up for medical treatment. The more the better. Winning and making people believe you're injured is all about how much you can show on paper, not what you say.

Hope all is well.

bky

You got his plate, so the chances of the police catching him are very high. He will get out of the drunk driving, but fleeing the scene will stick. His insurance will pay your damages. If you have a few claims already, I don't recommend filing a claim yourself and paying the deductible. They might drop you for too many claims (happened to me), even though you are not at fault.

Let a trusted friend handle the car repair while you are gone.

Definitely go to the hospital and get checked out. It may be important to prove injuries later on.

Millenion LTD

There insurance company should send 2 adjusters out to you. One for your car claims, and the 2nd one for your medical claims. IMHO, you should rape him of his money....for drunk driving, and running.

howardtan

All I have to say is, "If you know you are right, then you are right", and since you do have his plates and >>do you have witnesses?<<, you are in good hands. Honestly I would not pay a dime out of my pocket for all this, I would look into getting ym car fixed and profit more for going through this insane moment. You had to do a cat & mouse chase just to get his plates, get hurt, and your S jacked up, you deserve more than what was internally/externally f**ked up.

elude

thanks guys for the input. its all really good stuff.. i actually have two noted witnessess on the guy, with a third being one of the staff..

as for my claim, i was followed up today, and will have to seek minor medical attention.. my only problem is that i do not want to miss my mobilization this saturday.. im sure if i informed them that my drunk-driver hit and run incident required me to seek medical attention, they would extend it, but morally i made a committment to my Soldiers and my Unit, and i can not miss this deployment.

problem is now, that even if i see medical treatment, they say that i have "blah blah muscle strain etc..", but then i still go on my military deployment, im sure my medical compensation would be null.. the strains dont feel as bad to where i would asked to be hospitalized, but the bottom line is they shouldnt be there at all..

more details to come before i leave saturday.