Gender:
FemaleLocation:
MassachusettsOccupation:
Full-time studentAge:
37Member Since:
January 5, 2009Answers:
367Last Update:
January 23, 2013Visitors:
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advice
I got my NY learner's permit a week ago. I'm 16. I've been doing pretty good with driving so far. The other day I was driving down a main street with a licensed adult (my mother) in the car, I was going about 10mph. The person in front of me, like all of the other cars, stopped short, causing me to hit the car in front of me in the rear because I wasn't able to break fast enough. My mom's car got the most damage (only a slightly bent hood and cracked grille)..the car in front of me got minor scratches on the rear of her car. We went to go apologize to the lady, she wasn't too thrilled with us (understandable), but overall wasn't a very kind person..you could just tell. Overall, it was nothing big. I called the cops, and they came...no one was hurt at all. They told me not to worry because "she has no major damages". Of course being the emotional person that I am, I start crying because #1) this was my first car accident, that I caused!, #2) I didnt want to be sewed. #3) it was my mom's new car! :(. And #4)I don't want my mother's insurance rates to go too high; she has State Farm (never had an accident that "she" caused before). The cops were very nice and then we got the car towed away and it's being fixed currently. The insurance won't cover it because my mother doesn't have collission, so I feel bad enough about that! When we called State Farm they said not to worry about it right now because no claim was filed by the other party. Well, just my luck, the lady who I bumped into put in a claim. A very weird one actually. She claimed that when I hit her she hit the car in front of her. Now, I found this weird because on the Police Report it states word for word "ONLY two cars involved" and "the person who was hit had ONLY minor damages to the rear of her car". Nothing on the front of the car! There's no mention whatsoever of a third party. The cops who I talked to didn't even mention it, even the paramedics who showed up told me not to worry because there was no major damage and no one was hurt. So, what the heck?! When we told State Farm that there was no mention of this third car, the guy laughed and said "not surprised" I'm guessing he figures that she may be lying. When the whole accident occurred, she was the only one who was being talked to along with my mom and I. So, why is she doing this? If she's lying, won't she be caught for fraud? There were witnesses around, and the police even recorded on the police report what happend and that only two cars were involved. The lady has State Farm too. So, I guess my major questions are: Has this ever happend to anybody you know or yourself? What do you think about this? Will my mother's rates go up? Will I still be able to get my license in 6 months like New York law says I can, even though I got in a minor accident? And, does this lady have anything to even fight about? She can claim the scratches I guess if she really wanted to but her car has barely any damage at all! and she's claiming she has damage in the front (I was only going 10 mph, so she must have been really close to the car in front of her to get any damage at all..)..meanwhile no one mentioned it to us and, again, the police report even states there were only two cars involved and that she only had rear end damage! Keep in mind, if there really is this "third car", it must have left (so obviously they weren't worried about there damage, if any),or it doesn't exist. It would've been mentioned don't you think? Ughh. Please answer, Thankyou!
you have absolutely nothing to worry about. I wish all teenagers gave the consequences of driving as much thought as you do. If I were you, I would sit back and watch how my mother handles it so I could learn.
(Rating: 5) Thankyou! Yeah, I guess I'm a little more mature than most teenagers in this type of situation. I just felt so bad for my mother. So far the lady claimed that this "third car" left before the cops came...and that her "neck hurts a little bit"...yeah right. I love how she mentions all of this after the fact. I really hope I never cause an accident again because this lady (who is a 48 year old, btw; so I thought she'd be more mature about this) is just causing me more stress. But thankyou for your kind answer!