What is the name of your state? California
Three weeks ago, my partner and I were t-boned in an intersection. We were turning left through a green light, coming off a freeway exit. The other driver ran her red light and collided with us on the driver's side. She was going about 45-50mph. You can all but read her license plate in our driver's side door.
After several minutes of collecting ourselves, we all removed our cars from the road. My partner and the other driver exchanged contact and insurance information. The other driver apologized profusely. There was no immediate sign of serious injuries - adrenaline was running very high.
The other driver attempted to drive away when a nearby cop on duty arrived at the scene. She doubled back and pulled over. The cop took statements from all three of us. Several other cops, an ambulance, and a firetruck arrived at the scene, but we required no additional attention at the time. Our car wasn't drivable, and had to be towed from the scene. Later that day, my partner and I both visited a doctor for a consultation and x-rays. Naturally, after the adrenaline had worn off, we were feeling pain in our necks/shoulders/backs. X-rays confirmed that there were no broken or fractured bones, just some bruising and muscle straining. We both missed work for this.
Directly after the accident, my partner filed a claim with her own insurance. We explained the circumstances of the accident and sent photos of both cars. The adjuster assigned to our case has been unsympathetic and extremely uncommunicative from the start. Days went by without news or updates. The following Friday (nine days after the accident), we went to the police station and picked up the police report ourselves. It very clearly states that the other driver was at fault. She admitted to running the red light and the officer stated that she was at fault for the accident. We promptly faxed a copy of the police report to our adjuster.
It wasn't until two weeks after the accident that our adjuster reached out to me, the passenger, to get my official statement. We still hadn't heard anything from the other driver's insurance (which is AAA).
We are now three weeks after the accident and still no movement whatsoever. My partner received a letter from AAA stating that they are still investigating the accident. Our adjuster never reaches out to us, and it is always my partner who is calling to ask her for updates. She continuously claims that she can't reach AAA and that she hasn't heard from them. We have every reason to believe that the other driver hasn't even filed a claim with her insurance. This was a pretty serious accident wherein the other driver was clearly at fault, which has a police report proving so, and literally nothing has happened. My partner and I have done all the footwork so far, and it feels as though her insurance company is doing NOTHING to fight for her. She is still suffering from neck pain, while the accident has contributed significantly to my own struggles with anxiety. Our car is just sitting in the auto body shop waiting for the green light from AAA. The shop has estimated approximately $10,000 in damages, and that's not including what may be amiss on the inside due to water damage.
On top of all of this, the tow company who took our car from the scene rolled down both driver's side windows and left them down for the 24 hours they had the car. It POURED all night and all morning, soaking the interior and possibly damaging electronics (we won't know for sure until the shop starts taking it apart further). Because the impact was directly into the driver's side door, the tow company employees crawled in and out over the center console. There is very clear damage from this as well.
This stalemate is seriously wearing on us. Both my partner and I have gotten physically ill from the stress, which has resulted in even further loss of wages from missing work. Both insurance companies are uncommunicative and dragging their feet. The other driver is obviously being uncooperative. We're considering looking for an attorney to help us move things along, but we're not sure if it's worth pursuing legal action and can't necessarily afford to pay a lawyer upfront.
Any advice, or simply hearing someone has been through a similar situation, would be helpful. We are at our wit's end with this mess
Three weeks ago, my partner and I were t-boned in an intersection. We were turning left through a green light, coming off a freeway exit. The other driver ran her red light and collided with us on the driver's side. She was going about 45-50mph. You can all but read her license plate in our driver's side door.
After several minutes of collecting ourselves, we all removed our cars from the road. My partner and the other driver exchanged contact and insurance information. The other driver apologized profusely. There was no immediate sign of serious injuries - adrenaline was running very high.
The other driver attempted to drive away when a nearby cop on duty arrived at the scene. She doubled back and pulled over. The cop took statements from all three of us. Several other cops, an ambulance, and a firetruck arrived at the scene, but we required no additional attention at the time. Our car wasn't drivable, and had to be towed from the scene. Later that day, my partner and I both visited a doctor for a consultation and x-rays. Naturally, after the adrenaline had worn off, we were feeling pain in our necks/shoulders/backs. X-rays confirmed that there were no broken or fractured bones, just some bruising and muscle straining. We both missed work for this.
Directly after the accident, my partner filed a claim with her own insurance. We explained the circumstances of the accident and sent photos of both cars. The adjuster assigned to our case has been unsympathetic and extremely uncommunicative from the start. Days went by without news or updates. The following Friday (nine days after the accident), we went to the police station and picked up the police report ourselves. It very clearly states that the other driver was at fault. She admitted to running the red light and the officer stated that she was at fault for the accident. We promptly faxed a copy of the police report to our adjuster.
It wasn't until two weeks after the accident that our adjuster reached out to me, the passenger, to get my official statement. We still hadn't heard anything from the other driver's insurance (which is AAA).
We are now three weeks after the accident and still no movement whatsoever. My partner received a letter from AAA stating that they are still investigating the accident. Our adjuster never reaches out to us, and it is always my partner who is calling to ask her for updates. She continuously claims that she can't reach AAA and that she hasn't heard from them. We have every reason to believe that the other driver hasn't even filed a claim with her insurance. This was a pretty serious accident wherein the other driver was clearly at fault, which has a police report proving so, and literally nothing has happened. My partner and I have done all the footwork so far, and it feels as though her insurance company is doing NOTHING to fight for her. She is still suffering from neck pain, while the accident has contributed significantly to my own struggles with anxiety. Our car is just sitting in the auto body shop waiting for the green light from AAA. The shop has estimated approximately $10,000 in damages, and that's not including what may be amiss on the inside due to water damage.
On top of all of this, the tow company who took our car from the scene rolled down both driver's side windows and left them down for the 24 hours they had the car. It POURED all night and all morning, soaking the interior and possibly damaging electronics (we won't know for sure until the shop starts taking it apart further). Because the impact was directly into the driver's side door, the tow company employees crawled in and out over the center console. There is very clear damage from this as well.
This stalemate is seriously wearing on us. Both my partner and I have gotten physically ill from the stress, which has resulted in even further loss of wages from missing work. Both insurance companies are uncommunicative and dragging their feet. The other driver is obviously being uncooperative. We're considering looking for an attorney to help us move things along, but we're not sure if it's worth pursuing legal action and can't necessarily afford to pay a lawyer upfront.
Any advice, or simply hearing someone has been through a similar situation, would be helpful. We are at our wit's end with this mess
