Hit by suspected drunk or drugged driver

[Jhouser]

In the early morning on July 5th my wife, daughter , and I were rear ended by a suspected drunk/drugged driver. It took the fire department almost an hour to extract me and they flew both my wife and I to the trauma center. They did this because we both had signs of head injuries and the local hospital did not have the ability to meet our needs. Good news is we were discharged about 8 hours later when no life threatening injuries were found.


Is there anything additional that I should do prior to securing a lawyer? I am not sure yet if the other driver was insured or not as I am waiting to hear back from the State Police. I did notify my insurance of the accident and told them I needed to determine if I was going to get a lawyer before moving forward with anything with them. They told me based on what I told them I was not at fault but they would need the police report for official ruling.


Below are the pictures. My understanding was the driver (maybe 17yo) had been clocked on radar going more than 130mph a few miles earlier and maybe ran from the cops. He hit me at a very high rate of speed from behind and pushed my vehicle out of control and into a tree. Not sure how we did not get killed in the accident.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

James

 

[Yawwn]

It is a wonder that you all survived that with the minimal amount of injury, considering the damage to your car. Thank goodness for your health!
It's the most important thing.

 

[phryxis]

James, I have no advice to add, but just wanted to say I got chills looking at those pics, and am extremely glad you and your family are safe. Nobody needs to tell you that you are extremely lucky. Great to hear you guys were relatively unscathed (ESPECIALLY your baby).

 

[shawn110975]

I am glad everyone was alright not really concerned about the other driver hope he gets or GOT what was coming to him.

hope things work out for you. and def get a lawyer.
dont say anything to anyone not even the police without a lawyer present.

take care of your family first.

and start writing down things you have noticed like neck pain at 11:23am
arm is numb in the morning etc. log everything it can only help you in the long run.

I am no lawyer but these are a must to do.

get well soon.

 

[NSX_PrecisionTeam]

Wow! After seeing the pictures, I'm glad to hear you're ok! Are those pictures of your vehicle or the guy that hit you?

 

[TURBO2GO]

That's nuts. A complete miracle anyone survived in that car. WOW.... Thank God.

 

[docjohn]

I would remove the specific information in your post about your condition,this is a public forum, until you have worked out the legal/insurance issues.Thankfuly you had your child properly restrained,and you all survived.That should be the only public info you need to give us.Best of luck in your recovery.Your bodies may take much longer to "feel" better after absorbing that much G force.

 

[davidf]

It is beyond me how so many drunks walk away from such aweful accidents. Grant it he may not have walked away, but he survived that which brings back my original statement. I've seen so many DWI/DUI wrecks where innocent poeple die leaving the drunk virtually unharmed. I'm glad the family is ok.

 

[condumbwerkz]

I agree with docjohn, and recommend that you write everything down regarding the incident while it is fresh in your memory, including date, time and direction. Also, I am glad that you and your family are okay.

 

[phryxis]

It is beyond me how so many drunks walk away from such aweful accidents. Grant it he may not have walked away, but he survived that which brings back my original statement. I've seen so many DWI/DUI wrecks where innocent poeple die leaving the drunk virtually unharmed. I'm glad the family is ok.

From what I have heard, it's because when drunks crash, they are in a much more relaxed state so their bodies kind of go with the flow with the accident.

Undrunk people tense up which causes things to break.

 

[NetViper]

Thats a crazy pic! OMG. Glad you are OK.

Sounds like the kid driving needs to be in jail the rest of his worthless life.

 

[Russ]

Not sure what the law is in VA but in NY there are certain insurance forms that must be filed within 30 days of an accident or your insurer can disclaim medical benefits. Find out what the requirements are in your state if any, and comply. The last thing you want is to realize there are injuries beyond the initial diagnosis and not be able to receive the coverage you paid for. Also, if the guy that hit you was on the job, there may be additional considerations and/or insurance coverage depending on who the employer is.

Pics of bodily injuries and property damage can also be helpful. Keep treating in accordance with Dr.'s orders. Don't make any statements to ANYONE until you speak to an attorney.

 

[gsr-nsx]

Glad to hear you and your family survived that horrible-looking accident. I hate to think what would've happened in a smaller car.

 

[RSO 34]

First of all, glad you all seem to have escaped more serious injuries.

Take care of your medical treatment before running to a lawyer. You have time to file suit so find out what, if any, injuries you have before thinking litigation. I skewer plaintiffs on a regular basis who retain a lawyer before getting a doctor, especially when they then starting treating with a doctor recommended by their lawyer.

But I have to admit I am curious about the photos. You say you were hit at a high rate of speed from behind but at least from these photos it doesn't appear that way. Just another reason not to post up things like this online and then ask about your legal rights.....

 

[SOURCE 1]

First, amazing you are all alive. Just take care of the family before worrying about a lawyer..

Judging by the pics I am guessing if you were hit in the rear you were grazed hard enough in the drivers rear to push you off the road and into a tree? That's the only damage I see on the rear?

 

[Swift]

I wouldn't sue him but make sure he gets whats coming in jail time. None of this sending him to juvi B.S.

Glad you survived!

 

[Jhouser]

I will watch what I say but I think this is pretty cut and dry case as far as fault goes. As far as my families injuries we are injured and getting medical care. I do not know anything about the other driver except a police officer told me he was being arrested. I do not know if he had passengers nor if any injuries were in the other vehicle.

The request for info regarding a lawyer came up when my insurance company started giving me options which made me think I should have a lawyer. I dont want to get a lawyer just to have a lawyer from the begining thus the quesition regarding is there anything I need to make sure to do until I choose a particular lawyer if i go that route? (ie keep dairy of injuries as someone suggested, etc)

I did not post a picture of the drivers side rear which was the impact point of the vehicle that hit me. I am not sure how fast he was going when he hit me but like i said in the previous post the tow truck driver told me he had heard the guy was going in excess of 130mph a few miles up the road. All the damage at the front is from the tree that we hit and the fire departments equipment used to extract us from the vehicle.

 

[sahtt]

Glad you are all okay. Considering he was 17 and no one was seriously injured he may not face that serious of crimes.

I did my fair share of reckless driving 16-18 years old but never hit anyone and certainly didn't do it while on drugs/alcohol. Thank God your family is okay (physically anyways, I'm sure the emotional toll is heavy right now).

My guess is he'll have his license taken away until 21 or 25; hopefully the later.

 

[KSXNSX]

My advice is to get an experienced attorney from the beginning just so you do everything right. You'd be surprised by how much can go wrong in terms of who you talk to, what you say, and what is documented.

The other driver may be paying out to you for years into his adulthood depending on the damages incurred.

There shouldn't be any compassion for this kid: he is old enough to be responsible for his negligence and for the damage he has caused. He could have killed you and your wife. If you had a kid in the car, he/she could have been killed. If not you, someone else could have been killed.

Don't even post anything on this forum anymore regarding what damages you have or have not suffered. Don't talk to anyone but your attorney.

 

[ANYTIME]

Glad you all walked away from that. It appears like the FD piled all the pieces over the interior after the jaws of life cut it apart?

 

[DocL]

...
But I have to admit I am curious about the photos. You say you were hit at a high rate of speed from behind but at least from these photos it doesn't appear that way. Just another reason not to post up things like this online and then ask about your legal rights.....

The drivers side rear quarter is bashed in and the side window blown out. It was probably a good off angle hit.

 

[White92]

I'm glad you guys are ok. This could have ended much differently. Just last week I buried a guy after he was hit by a 23 year old that was drunk and high. He got a call from a friend asking for a ride home because he was drunk. This is something that he has done many times and is well known for with his group of friends. Call and ask for a ride and he's there. He had just dropped him off and was heading back home. While waiting at a red light, the 23 year old plowed into him going an estimated 80mph. (it's estimated because there were no skid marks) It pushed him across a 4 lane intersection where he stayed trapped inside his car while it burned to the ground. The drunk driver walked away with a scratch on his forehead. This gentleman was a husband and father of 2. He was an assistant coach on a local highschool football team. Many players attended his funeral. I hope every one of them remember that day if they ever find themselves drinking at a party. Even if they call for a designated driver, that driver is still at risk.

 

[GT-N]

holy crap, you're a local.

glad you and your family is ok.