I'm in Upstate New York.
I'll try to be brief, but I have quite a few questions, and want to give you all the details, so bear with me, please.....
I was in a car accident last night. I thought I had enough time to make a left hand turn, but did not. I do not know how fast the other driver was going, but it had to have been over the speed limit (30 mph)...I was going less than 5 mph...the impact was hard (this is the first time I've ever been in anything more than a minor fender bender in a parking lot, so it was the hardest impact I've ever felt - my airbags deployed - that was scary). Police, fire and ambulance were at the scene. Damage to my car was significant...when I spoke to the ins company, she said it might be a total loss!
Damage to the other vehicle did not seem too bad....front end damage, but nothing that seemed irreparable. Both vehicles had to be towed (his was probably drivable, mine definitely was not).
There were injuries, and we all went to the hospital. I hit my knee on the steering column, and have a chemical burn on my face from the airbag. The other driver hit his knees on the dash (at the hospital, we were in curtains next to each other, and I overheard the doctor ask him if his chronic back and neck pain was worse than normal (he said it was hard to tell) and she mentioned something about him being on divorstat (sp?) for the pain (which he said he hadn't taken any since Monday). His passenger was complaining of leg and chest pain at the scene (she did not appear to have been wearing a seatbelt). I do not know her condition - just before I left the ER, I heard one of the nurses tell him that she was going to x-ray and was doing "just fine."
Should I be concerned about them suing me? I don't really have anything they can sue me for....my car still had $16k left on the loan. My husband's SUV is only a year old and still has $26k on it. We just bought a house in April, and did a first-time buyer deal, where we pretty much just paid closing costs, so we have less than $2k in equity on the house. We also have around $13k in student loans and $27k in credit card debt. We both have good jobs, and can make ends meet, but we live VERY close to "paycheck-to-paycheck" - we have about a grand in savings. So what could they sue me for??? We don't HAVE anything (that we own outright - except some furniture and our clothes! I'm sure my insurance is enough to cover the property damage and hospital bills.....but I'm concerned about them suing me (the guy seemed like a real piece of work). If my insurance covers everything, can they still sue me???
I was ticketed for failure to yield right of way while making a left hand turn (I will not get the police report for 5-7 days - the officer just gave me a little slip with the other driver's info). So, in light of my concern about them suing me, should I get a lawyer and try to fight the ticket to at least get it reduced (I'm SURE the other driver was going over the speed limit - everyone speeds down that hill)?? Or should I just mail it in and plead guilty?
Sorry this was so long, I know how you guys don't like that...I just wanted to make sure I gave all the details and asked all my questions (though I'm sure there'll be more ?'s later.....). Thanks in advance for your understanding and your advice!
I'll try to be brief, but I have quite a few questions, and want to give you all the details, so bear with me, please.....
I was in a car accident last night. I thought I had enough time to make a left hand turn, but did not. I do not know how fast the other driver was going, but it had to have been over the speed limit (30 mph)...I was going less than 5 mph...the impact was hard (this is the first time I've ever been in anything more than a minor fender bender in a parking lot, so it was the hardest impact I've ever felt - my airbags deployed - that was scary). Police, fire and ambulance were at the scene. Damage to my car was significant...when I spoke to the ins company, she said it might be a total loss!
Damage to the other vehicle did not seem too bad....front end damage, but nothing that seemed irreparable. Both vehicles had to be towed (his was probably drivable, mine definitely was not).There were injuries, and we all went to the hospital. I hit my knee on the steering column, and have a chemical burn on my face from the airbag. The other driver hit his knees on the dash (at the hospital, we were in curtains next to each other, and I overheard the doctor ask him if his chronic back and neck pain was worse than normal (he said it was hard to tell) and she mentioned something about him being on divorstat (sp?) for the pain (which he said he hadn't taken any since Monday). His passenger was complaining of leg and chest pain at the scene (she did not appear to have been wearing a seatbelt). I do not know her condition - just before I left the ER, I heard one of the nurses tell him that she was going to x-ray and was doing "just fine."
Should I be concerned about them suing me? I don't really have anything they can sue me for....my car still had $16k left on the loan. My husband's SUV is only a year old and still has $26k on it. We just bought a house in April, and did a first-time buyer deal, where we pretty much just paid closing costs, so we have less than $2k in equity on the house. We also have around $13k in student loans and $27k in credit card debt. We both have good jobs, and can make ends meet, but we live VERY close to "paycheck-to-paycheck" - we have about a grand in savings. So what could they sue me for??? We don't HAVE anything (that we own outright - except some furniture and our clothes!
I'm sure my insurance is enough to cover the property damage and hospital bills.....but I'm concerned about them suing me (the guy seemed like a real piece of work). If my insurance covers everything, can they still sue me??? I was ticketed for failure to yield right of way while making a left hand turn (I will not get the police report for 5-7 days - the officer just gave me a little slip with the other driver's info). So, in light of my concern about them suing me, should I get a lawyer and try to fight the ticket to at least get it reduced (I'm SURE the other driver was going over the speed limit - everyone speeds down that hill)?? Or should I just mail it in and plead guilty?
Sorry this was so long, I know how you guys don't like that...I just wanted to make sure I gave all the details and asked all my questions (though I'm sure there'll be more ?'s later.....). Thanks in advance for your understanding and your advice!