Am I the first G37 owner to get hit by a drunk driver? I suppose the answer would be "yes". I was cruising at 55mph when a drunk driver approached with her accelerator to the floor. I thought she was going to change lanes and pass to my left but when she was about 100 feet behind me I realized I was about to be rear-ended and floored the G. I got to about 75 before she hit me. The collision catapulted me about a 1/2 car length ahead so you know it was a solid jolt. The collision slowed her a little and I looked in the rearview to see what was happening, and here she is aiming for me and accelerating. This time I dodged to the left lane and she passed. I fell in behind and she didn't stop at the next convient spot. After following through many evasive turns she finally pulled over. During this time I was calling 911. I live in a small town so it took the State Trooper 1.75 hours to arrive. The trooper had to handcuff the lady to haul her off to jail screaming.
A sad, sad story, I know. But the worst is yet to come..dealing with insurance companies, which I have little experience.
Because of my lack of experience I am asking for advise from the sage ones on the forum. If you have any suggestions on how to handle the insurance company or tips on what I can expect, it would be greatly appreciated. By the way, I live in North Carolina and her insurance is with Allstate.
Thanks in advance.
P.S. Damage to the G appears to be minimal but you never know what may be bent inside the bumper or frame.

 

Where in NC do you live...

Make sure you file the claim against her insurance co immediately- providing police report and details. This one sounds pretty cut and dry in your favor. However, since you are inexperienced, you may benefit by "subrogating". Go through your own policy- providing all of the details. BE SURE TO TELL THEM THAT YOU WANT TO FILE A SUBROGATION CLAIM. Your policy wioll cover your damages. And then let your insurance company go after the her and her insurance company. Once the claim is settled in your favor, your insurance policy will be cleared of any points of the incident.
I am not sure who your Insurance company is but if you have Nationwide- they are very good at this and you are basically removed from all the red tape.

 

Thanks Kahboom. My company is USAA.

 

Western NC, Franklin.

 

Man, that's crazy. Too bad the cop didn't let you tase her, at least a little. 75 mph is a little fast for my tastes when it comes to bumper cars.

Good luck man, sorry for your car. It really doesn't look too bad, but like you said, you never know what is beneath the skin.

 

Thanks RedHerring, I have to tell you that bump was a snap to control in the G37.

 

I know this isn't a funny story, but that's still a damn funny comment.

 

thats crazy. the damage does not look that bad. hope everything works out.

 

Just out of curiousity, what kind of car was she driving?

 

Why do you recommend subrogation? It is a lot more complicated that way than just getting her insurance company to pay for his damages since she is clearly at fault. If she is charged with DUI, they will be falling over themselves to pay whatever he asks.

 

+1
I've been watching hot pursuit on Court TV and it has me thinking how awesome this thread would be if you happened to have some of it on video! The part about hauling her off to jail screaming sounds hilarious.
Your case is clearly her fault and Allstate should treat you right, I have car insurance with them and have nothing but good experiences with them.
Good thing you at least managed to speed up a little before impact.

 

dam man these things been coming across some bad luck... good luck with the repair

 

What's interesting is - if you saw her coming straight at you from behind when she was abt 100 ft behind you and you floored the G - wouldn't your car in most cases be the faster car and from when you floored it I am sure you kept your eyes on the road ahead of you and the rear view mirror which showed she was gaining on yor car. Assuming you floored that baby right wouldn't you have "outran" her drunken bee line comin straight at U? Were you stuck behind other traffic or some obstruction?

And guys in all honesty I know he told the story with some comic detail but theres nothing comical about that drunk bicth on the road it's people like her and decisions to drive like that - that kill people. If our boy Jee III VII here was on a motorcycle that mighta been the end of him.

 

Like I mentioned earlier it is a cut and dry case. But if he is unsure how the process may work or doesn't want to have to try to negotiate with an opposing party's insurance adjuster then subrogation is the way to go. Subro is actually quite a simple process if you have the right insurance company representing you. Normally your own insurance company gives you what you ask for- oem parts, the repair shop of your choice etc. The opposing party's insurance company may try to settle it for a little as possible by cutting some of those corners. It all depends on your own coverage as well... But subro is less hassle than a difficult opposing party's adjuster. But if they are willing to work out what you ask for and you are willing to spend the time on it then dealing directly with the adjuster is the best route. There is minimal damage so that is the route I personally would chose.

 

I see. I recently had a person hit me from behind this past summer (obviously their fault) and dealt directly with their insurance company's claims adjuster and it only took about 10 minutes total with no hassle at all. I walked out with my check in hand for what I thought was a very fair settlement (Progressive Insurance). Now I also deal with this type of stuff all the time in my work so I knew what to ask for and how to go about it beforehand which helped. USAA is one of the best insurance companies out there (I have them too) so they should be more than willing to help out.