Rearended by a Neon

[Slonaker]

A kid driving a new little red Neon was following too close on my way home Monday night. He hit my big step bumper just as I was slowing down to take a turnaroud. It is a heavy chrome bumper that bolts to the frame and the receiver hitch. Very stout.

His new little car has a broken headlight, a bent hood, a broken grille, and a scratched up bumper cover. My bumper got a little streak of red paint on it, and a very shallow dent that you can only see if the light shines just right on it and you know what to look for. No other damage that I can find.

At the time, I decided to just let him go. He said he was willing to call the police, but that he really did not want to. Since I could find no real damage on the truck, and I was not willing to wait the 2 hours or so it would take to wait for the police and file an accident report, I was not too worried.

In retrospect, I should have filed a report. With my luck he will call the police and say I backed into him at a high rate of speed and left the scene of the accident...

Truck 1
Neon 0

Slonaker

[86 GMG]

this story just shows the true heartbeat of america or it kive a hole new meaning to kiss my a$$ hahahahahaha

[gldevall]

Originally Posted by Slonaker

In retrospect, I should have filed a report. With my luck he will call the police and say I backed into him at a high rate of speed and left the scene of the accident...

Slonaker

I hope yoru wrong about this, but I would not put it past anyone. He may see $$$ from it.

[Slonaker]

Originally Posted by gldevall

I hope yoru wrong about this, but I would not put it past anyone. He may see $$$ from it.

Yeah, that was my thought. He will have to explain it to his parents somehow, right?

He did tell me that he was sorry, that he was driving too fast, and that he should have been paying more attention to his driving. I am hoping that he is actually an honest kid.

Slonaker

[86swb]

I really can not see how he could say you were backing up at a high rate of speed on a road, then hit him and then left the scean. But I do think I would have got the police report to be safe. How is he going to explane this to his insurance agent? Sounds like you are like me-trusting. But I learned over the years when you have a wreck and it is not your falt or even if it is, get it down on paper so you are covered. As I said, it would really be hard for him to say you hit him backing up at a high rate of speed. It is more believable that he ran into you at a high rate of speed. I would like to think he will be honest. He might say someone hit him while he was not in the car. This would also not be good. He has to come up with some reason for all his damage to his car. Hope he tries the truth.

[SSC's76]

It's always a good idea to at least swap insurance information and phone numbers in an accident. This way you could have made up somthing togather to cover both your butt's like " it happend on private property" So no one gets a ticket but repairs are payed for.

My truck got slamed a few months back by a toyota 4x4, hit the same spot as yours. The toyota was wrecked my bumper got tweaked and unfortunetly he was going with enough force to push the right side of the box into the cab a little bit.

You should double check the cab area just to be safe, I dident see it at first.

[Slonaker]

Originally Posted by 86swb

I really can not see how he could say you were backing up at a high rate of speed on a road, then hit him and then left the scean.

Yes, that is why I chose to let him go. I could not find any damage, and could not really think of any way he could twist the story to be my fault. I began to regret it after I wondered how he planned to explain it to his parents/insurance.

Regarding damage...he did not hit it that hard, and he hit it with a very soft part of his car. The bumper has not even moved.

Slonaker

[bodydropped]

i had that happened but i rearend one only damage it done to hers was it threw the stuff of the dash back but it bent my frame horns all the bumper brackets a brand new bumper the filler,the center support for the grill but turn around 3 months later i got rearend by a dodge it hit me so hard it threw my dash back threw my cdplayer on the ground moved my radiator thrw my battery around shaved the bed into the cab and killed a new rear bumper and tailgate so i guess that dodge's hate me

[87 STEPPER]

First of all did you give him any of your personal info?

If not dont worry about it what's he gonna say to the cops he got your tag number as you left.

You can tell the cops this guy could of just got the first truck tag number he saw.(Yours)

All you have to do is say show me the damage on my truck!

Like you said you can only see it if you know where to look and the cop wont know that!

I say dont sweat it!

Just make shure next time you do the report thing no matter how long it takes.

[FLAGG]

Funny, I had nearly the exact same thing happen to me a few years back. Traffic was all snarled up and I was happily minding my own business waiting to get into a turning lane when I felt a bit of a thump. I look back and there's this early 90's Dodge Colt behind me with tinted glass (can't see the driver). I actually sat there for a bit and wasn't going to get out because the driver of the other vehicle wasn't getting out and traffic was already screwed up. But then I figured I had better talk to the guy.

What it looks like happened was this kid was in behind me waiting when he finally had enough and decided to get into the other lane. I figure he was shoulder checking to get into the lane and let it rip, not realizing he didn't have enough room to get past me. In any event, he mashed up his driverside headlight, driver side fender, and his hood pretty good. He left white paint on my bumper.

I asked him if he wanted to swap info, he said no, and that was that. Never heard about it again.

[screwballl]

if you ever leave from the scene liek that, at least get their contact info and then file a report with that information. A friend had the same thing happen to him where they just let it be then a month later he gets a subpoena for court because he was being sued... the case was dropped due to lack of evidence so the kid ended up (well his parents) paid for it out of their own pockets.
I would rather wait the hour for the report than have to deal with lawers and court costs and possbility of it looking like your fault. Unfortunately FL is a no-fault state so even in the case of my major accident where a 17 yr old kid in a ford ranger pulled in front of me and we T-boned him doing 55mph, his insurance paid for most of the stuff but there wasn't any fault filed or admitted.

[us111]

sound's to me like he wasn't in no BIG hurry for police to come around for whatever reason...no insurance,something in car,not supposed to be driving etc...wouldn't loose no sleep over it but wouldn't do it again...

[Hoods69BadBowTie]

Damn, glad you did not get any more damamge then that little ding. They sure don't make nothing like they used to. Hopefully that kid won't come after you or lie about what happened.
-Later

[Scrubby]

Yeah, I would not sweat it.

I had an old lady rear end my 77 burb. She hit the hitch receiver and it tore the crap out of here car's grill. I jumped out, saw there was no damage on my truck and saw that she had had previous accidents because the car's front end was trashed. Duct tape holding on one headlight. Told her there was no damage to my truck, and she said sorry about that and we both drove off. No need to involve the police.

[old Rusty C10]

if theres a speck of red paint on your bumper maybe get some thinner or somehting and remove that so theres even less proof that it was your truck that was hit... im told that there is checmical in paint that goes in upon mixing to determine what year the car is by the level of the chemical in the paint. I read that years ago and am not certain if that is truly the case but for the sake of cleaning the scar up it may be worth doin it

[AspecialZ]

Over the last 3 years I have gotten into the habbit of keeping a flash-matic camera in the glove box, cause ya never know when you may need to prove something, ..."or take a picture of that for sale sign with the phone number in the window!!"

[Slonaker]

Originally Posted by AspecialZ

Over the last 3 years I have gotten into the habbit of keeping a flash-matic camera in the glove box, cause ya never know when you may need to prove something, ..."or take a picture of that for sale sign with the phone number in the window!!"

I keep saying I am going to buy a disposable 35mm camera or a $20 digital camera for that. Now I really need to...

Slonaker

[FLAGG]

...just get a cell phone with a camera built in. Problem solved. Until you forget the phone at home anyway.

[bodydropped]

heres a pic from when i got rear ended

[86swb]

Originally Posted by bodydropped

heres a pic from when i got rear ended

OUCH

[Prerunner1982]

oh thats not too bad....
http://hometown.aol.com/__121b_E8ykD...3nKAbV5Bzn6hmI

[bodydropped]

dang i though my cab was hurt i got a car at work who thought he could out run a train

[spitfirenut]

Originally Posted by Slonaker

His new little car has a broken headlight, a bent hood, a broken grille, and a scratched up bumper cover. My bumper got a little streak of red paint on it, and a very shallow dent that you can only see if the light shines just right on it and you know what to look for. No other damage that I can find.

You gotta love these tough old trucks. I hit a guy a year ago in a late model Explorer. Shifted the bumper sideways and in on the Explorer. Damage on my 83- Moved the bumper about 1/4" and cracked a 1" section out of the headlight bezel. Didn't even look like they'd been in the same accident.

Don