HELP! Got in an accident, car's a write off :(

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Jar

Maybe in America! The deathtrap spirit lives strong in other countries. lol @ 0:38

Or imported in at any rate!
Canada, Australia and many European countries requirements are even more stringent than the U.S..
I have actually got too see many crash tests in person at one of our facilities and the videos never do the real event justice. Takes 12 or more hours prep for a microsecond long test that shakes the whole (very large) building right to the foundation.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by torqdork

IIHS has rated all years FR-S/BRZ as a Top Safety Pick. What I'm curious about is why the 2013 is rated better than other years for moderate overlap front, what @sechs experienced. Did something change in the car or test methods become more stringent?

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/veh...cion/fr-s/2013

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/veh...cion/fr-s/2014

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/veh...cion/fr-s/2015

I did read someplace that there were some minor changes in the criteria that would likely account for the different results.
Like how they used Lava and Fire as the test vehicles


"hey Kazue the test institute wants some vehicles to crash"
"send em orange and red nobody wants them anyway"

[G-awesome]

Originally Posted by sechs

r


I couldn't even get out of the car in time to grab someone. My doors were jammed shut. Police officer said there was a witness saying I ran a red but he said it sounds like from what everyone is saying is it just turned red but even if he ran it, it would still be my fault? He basically told me to just make rights all the way around until I got where I needed to go ....... soo idk, I haven't scheduled a court date yet - I have to decide within the week :/

Even if I could prove 50-50 it'd probably be better than me being pinned at 100%? idk. I'm looking around to see if I can find someone who's previously won a similar case.

The cop told you to make right turns from now on?!? That's a stupid comment coming from a cop after you been through a car accident...

So I'm guessing you weren't waiting at the intersection ready to make the left turn? But in this situation, the left turner will be at fault for failing to yield to oncoming traffic. If that driver clearly sped and ran a red, then it would be 50-50 because both parties made mistakes. Regardless, if you're 50-50 or 100%, your insurance rate will still go up. I'm not an expert and this is just based on what I been through. Definitely consult with a traffic lawyer and get his opinion. It'll definitely be tough since the cop issued you at fault and handed you the ticket.

[Zozr]

I love how on the internet no one ever accepts an accident is their fault.

"he came out of nowhere" is such a stupid excuse.

You turned in front of him. YOUR FAULT.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Zozr

I love how on the internet no one ever accepts an accident is their fault.

"he came out of nowhere" is such a stupid excuse.

You turned in front of him. YOUR FAULT.

Not sure that is a fair statement regaurding "no one accepts".
Seen plenty of threads on here that start with "well I did something really stupid".


Not just the internet anyway, just human nature in general. I have been working in safety for 25 years and have investigated hundreds of accidents. The vast majority of people can find the most creative ways that the incident was "not my fault".

[Zozr]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Not sure that is a fair statement regaurding "no one accepts".
Seen plenty of threads on here that start with "well I did something really stupid".


Not just the internet anyway, just human nature in general. I have been working in safety for 25 years and have investigated hundreds of accidents. The vast majority of people can find the most creative ways that the incident was "not my fault".

Fine, not no one, but most. Talk to almost anyone who was just in an accident and it's always something that takes the blame away from them. Either because they don't want an at fault accident or because they just can't accept to themselves they screwed up.

OP is a classic one of those people, but he used the lamest of all excuses "he came out of nowhere". As if that makes any difference to why it wasn't your fault. Classic bs from him. The guy obviously was there the whole time as this is isn't Narnia, but he chooses to lie and make up some story about how the light was red, when in actuality it was probably just yellow and the guy was going through as he should because he couldn't safely stop.

OP sees light go yellow, assumes he can turn. Assumed wrong. 100% posters fault but he continues to argue.

[Zozr]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

I hate to kick you when you're down, but this kind of thing sorta irritates me after having been hit twice in the past couple of years by people not paying attention to the world around them. It bugs me that you're trying to blame someone else for your mistake.



I thought you said it was yellow:



Your story just isn't making sense. First he's coming out of nowhere, then you can see him coming from a long way off. The light is apparently yellow for you but red for him. Apparently it's okay in Canada to turn left in front of oncoming traffic if you think the other guy is speeding. You know, the guy who was speeding from out of nowhere a long way off through the red light that was yellow?

I think you just need to own this. Take your lumps, pay your ticket and higher premiums and be more careful.

Bugs me too.

[sechs]

Originally Posted by Zozr

I love how on the internet no one ever accepts an accident is their fault.

"he came out of nowhere" is such a stupid excuse.

You turned in front of him. YOUR FAULT.

In hindsight, either party in this scenario could have done differently and this accident would not have happened. Next time I'll just sit in the intersection until it goes green for the other side so I can know for certain no one is going to rush the light .

Hope you're lucky enough to never have to deal with the after math of other drivers doing something completely unexpected.

[Zozr]

Originally Posted by sechs

In hindsight, either party in this scenario could have done differently and this accident would not have happened. Next time I'll just sit in the intersection until it goes green for the other side so I can know for certain no one is going to rush the light .

Hope you're lucky enough to never have to deal with the after math of other drivers doing something completely unexpected.

In driving school you are taught to never assume someone will be stopping. It is for this exact reason. Legally he is allowed to go through if he thinks he can not stop so it is the turning persons responsibility to know this and not turn until you know 100% he is stopping for the yellow.

[stonenewt]

Originally Posted by torqdork

IIHS has rated all years FR-S/BRZ as a Top Safety Pick. What I'm curious about is why the 2013 is rated better than other years for moderate overlap front, what @sechs experienced. Did something change in the car or test methods become more stringent?

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/veh...cion/fr-s/2013

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/veh...cion/fr-s/2014

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/veh...cion/fr-s/2015

Am I being stupid here but I can't see a difference between the moderate overlap? However they introduce a small overlap criteria which the FR-S shows adequate in

[sechs]

Originally Posted by Jar

I'm completely floored at what good shape the cabin is in.

Subaru kind of owns about how they re-enforce the area surrounding the driver, not sure if they do this same thing in the 86 platform, but it wouldn't surprise me:




Basically, they build things so strong, extraction teams had to stop attempting to cut through the b-pillar.

I was surprised too. I think if I had been driving my 97 Acura EL I would have died :/

[Muaddib]

Yes it sucks that you just lost a great car and your insurance will go up. But at least you are still alive.

[LXXXV1]

Originally Posted by Ammunition

When I'm in that sort of situation I just pull out into the intersection while I'm waiting to turn - during rush hour traffic there is usually always 2 - 4 cars that run the light on yellow, but that way you can turn when the light goes red because at that point you're stuck in the intersection, and everyone waiting at it can see you at that point, and knows what you need to do - it isn't your fault if you're sitting there respecting the rules of the road, and waiting to make your turn and several asshats run the light instead of stopping.

This is correct but to clarify: it is illegal to enter an intersection on a red does not mean illegal to be in an intersection in a red, in certain circumstances, that hopefully you can prove which I will try to explain. Also for the record, traffic in all directions do not have the right of way just because it's green. You are only allowed to cross an intersection provided it is safe to do so. Pedestrian jay walking is still breaking the law, but if you hit them, you're still at some fault.

Now on to your circumstance. It is illegal to accelerate when you see a yellow. So if you can safely get in to the intersection without accelerating before it turns red, you legally still have the right of way. So to summarize, if you can prove that other car entered the intersection on a red, you should not be at fault, provided you did not falsify what you said about being in the intersection on a yellow, assuming you mean yellow when you say amber.

FTR This is at least valid in the most congested city in America, Los Angeles. I can see that you're from Canada and I'm not aware of the differences in traffic laws, but the rules I stated are pretty fundamental to most driving situations. I study traffic signal timing for a living so I look at intersection accidents and left turn studies almost every day. Left turn accidents are almost ALWAYS at fault. Which is why I highly recommend a dash cam.

Someone in a FRS/BRZ group posted this and I got it immediately. Working flawlessly so far. Good price for a front and rear cam imo.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331268517813...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Originally Posted by G-awesome

Fighting it in court would be insanely difficult and expensive unless you can 100% prove that the car was speeding and/or blasted through a red light. Pinning 100% fault on the other driver would be near impossible so at most it would be 50-50 but it would still take a hit on your insurance. I'm guessing early in the morning, you couldn't get witnesses to corroborate with your story?

True. Unless you have a dash cam or witness to prove the other driver entered the intersection at a red, this will be damn near impossible to prove based off word of mouth.

Originally Posted by RFB

A car waiting to turn left at a light, changes to amber, starts to turn, an oncoming car sees the amber speeds up to make it through the intersection and hits the car turning left in front of it ?

A common accident, the charge used to be called left turn fail to afford reasonable opportunity to avoid collision, now probably simplified to fail to yield, and the other driver charged with D.A.T.S. amber.
Both drivers were always charged and the judge picked one.
The judges were always pissed off because the cop couldn't figure out who was at fault and neither could the judge.
Turn not in safety is generally a catch all charge and was not meant to be used at A.T.S. intersections.

No matter how it happened, don't describe it on a public forum for the insurance co. to use against you.

Don't listen to legal advice from motorheads, get a traffic lawyer.

Beware of the POINTS guys, good deal makers, lousy courtroom lawyers .
CERBERUS

Everything this guy just said.^ Especially the public forum and traffic lawyer. But if you've already been ruled at fault by the cop, very likely no lawyer will be willing to help you past the initial consultation. You're essentially asking a lawyer to waste their time trying to fight a losing case.

[sechs]

Originally Posted by F4ith

This is correct but to clarify: it is illegal to enter an intersection on a red does not mean illegal to be in an intersection in a red, in certain circumstances, that hopefully you can prove which I will try to explain. Also for the record, traffic in all directions do not have the right of way just because it's green. You are only allowed to cross an intersection provided it is safe to do so. Pedestrian jay walking is still breaking the law, but if you hit them, you're still at some fault.

Now on to your circumstance. It is illegal to accelerate when you see a yellow. So if you can safely get in to the intersection without accelerating before it turns red, you legally still have the right of way. So to summarize, if you can prove that other car entered the intersection on a red, you should not be at fault, provided you did not falsify what you said about being in the intersection on a yellow, assuming you mean yellow when you say amber.

FTR This is at least valid in the most congested city in America, Los Angeles. I can see that you're from Canada and I'm not aware of the differences in traffic laws, but the rules I stated are pretty fundamental to most driving situations. I study traffic signal timing for a living so I look at intersection accidents and left turn studies almost every day. Left turn accidents are almost ALWAYS at fault. Which is why I highly recommend a dash cam.

Someone in a FRS/BRZ group posted this and I got it immediately. Working flawlessly so far. Good price for a front and rear cam imo.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331268517813...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT



True. Unless you have a dash cam or witness to prove the other driver entered the intersection at a red, this will be damn near impossible to prove based off word of mouth.



Everything this guy just said.^ Especially the public forum and traffic lawyer. But if you've already been ruled at fault by the cop, very likely no lawyer will be willing to help you past the initial consultation. You're essentially asking a lawyer to waste their time trying to fight a losing case.

Thanks for the link to the dashcam and I really appreciate the honest advice.