Hit By a Drunk Driver Tonight

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I was driving to the hospital to visit my father-in-law and had my 2 year old daughter in the back. We were going about 40 mph and this guy drove right out in front of us. We are both okay. I immediately got her out of the carseat and she was smiling and laughing. We both got checked out in the ER and cleared.

The Altima is totaled. The front end is destroyed, radiator is busted, hood is smashed up, windshield spiderwebbed, and airbags deployed.

The person that pulled out in front of me drove away with his driver side wheel angled in, fender and hood smashed, and headlight hanging. His car died on him a few streets down and the police got him. He's being charged with a DUI and hit and run. He did have insurance though, fortunately.

In 17 years of driving, this is my first major accident.
 
Glad you and your precious daughter are ok. Hope the guy will get what he deserves.
 
The most important thing is you all are OK.

Second, anyone who is drinking and driving deserves to be behind bars a long, long time so I hope he likes the view of steel bars as he'll be seeing them soon enough.

49.gif
 
Originally Posted by RazorsEdge
The most important thing is you all are OK.

Second, anyone who is drinking and driving deserves to be behind bars a long, long time so I hope he likes the view of steel bars as he'll be seeing them soon enough.

49.gif



I am certainly not defending the guy, but tossing anyone in jail who drinks & drives is not the solution. Treatment for their addiction is a much better way forward.
 
Wow.... Glad you and your daughter are in very good shape given that hit... That's the main thing... Cars can be easily replaced. Glad your car did ok keeping your legs all right in that hit.
 
Originally Posted by Donald
Originally Posted by RazorsEdge
The most important thing is you all are OK.

Second, anyone who is drinking and driving deserves to be behind bars a long, long time so I hope he likes the view of steel bars as he'll be seeing them soon enough.

49.gif



I am certainly not defending the guy, but tossing anyone in jail who drinks & drives is not the solution. Treatment for their addiction is a much better way forward.


Easy to say that.... It all does not matter until that individual kills someone. . .

This coming from me who had my dad drive drunk many, many, many, many, many, many times... He was so drunk when I was 5 years old and I was in the back seat I asked him if he was ok.... We were going into the ditch a number of times... And I was too young to know why...
 
Thank the Big Guy you and your daughter are OK... That's all that counts.
Now you know why I don't drink. 33 years sober.
Before that, let's just say it was a different story.

Again, glad you and your daughter are OK.
 
Originally Posted by Donald
Originally Posted by RazorsEdge
The most important thing is you all are OK.

Second, anyone who is drinking and driving deserves to be behind bars a long, long time so I hope he likes the view of steel bars as he'll be seeing them soon enough.

49.gif



I am certainly not defending the guy, but tossing anyone in jail who drinks & drives is not the solution. Treatment for their addiction is a much better way forward.


They won't be drinking in jail, they can receive treatment for their addiction there, and they will have a long time to think about why they shouldn't drink and drive. I am not seeing a problem here.

Further, I have lost too many friends and acquaintances to people who have "successfully completed treatment" yet continued to drive while intoxicated to buy your line of reasoning. One of them had multiple DUIs, multiple "court-ordered addiction treatment completions"... and one Easter Sunday morning, she decided to get soused (not from the previous night, but 'hair of the dog') and drive. She killed my friend on his way to meet his parents in church on his classic motorcycle and had zero remorse - blamed the booze. According to witnesses, there was almost no traffic, she gravitated to him like a moth to a flame as drunks do to lights or shiny moving objects and hit him.

I have seen people that "completed treatment" in the current era bypass their interlocks and drive drunk anyway.

I have zero tolerance for that crap. In fact, I would support summary execution of drunk drivers that have caused injury or death, right there at the scene. Problem solved, they won't be doing that again.
 
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Does his insurance pay if he's drunk? Is it legally possible they could use this as grounds to deny a claim, much like not paying off if a a car they cover kills someone when used to flee a bank robbery?

A bullet in the head cures all addictions...just saying.
 
My family and I almost got killed by a drunk semi-driver when I was 9. I acknowledge that substance abuse is a mental health issue however when a loved one is killed/injured/permanently handicapped because of someone being under the influence, I have no sympathy for the impaired driver.
 
Originally Posted by Donald
Originally Posted by RazorsEdge
The most important thing is you all are OK.

Second, anyone who is drinking and driving deserves to be behind bars a long, long time so I hope he likes the view of steel bars as he'll be seeing them soon enough.

49.gif



I am certainly not defending the guy, but tossing anyone in jail who drinks & drives is not the solution. Treatment for their addiction is a much better way forward.


Actually it is a solution, if they are in jail they cant drink and drive. There are programs in jail to help if someone wants help. The problem is drunk drivers get a slap on the wrist, put them in jail for a couple years the first time they are caught and you would see a decrease real quick.

Put them in jail for 10 years on thier second offense bet you would see alot less repeat offenders.

Jails are already full you say? Well raise my taxes. Worth every penny to keep them where they belong.
 
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Alcoholism is a disease; I did not ask for it.
Drunk driving is a crime and stupid and horribly dangerous.
If I do it I should pay. Innocent people should not suffer and worse...
Alcohol is poison.
 
Originally Posted by Elkins45
Does his insurance pay if he's drunk? Is it legally possible they could use this as grounds to deny a claim, much like not paying off if a a car they cover kills someone when used to flee a bank robbery?

A bullet in the head cures all addictions...just saying.


I *think* that the way it works is that they will pay the original poster's claim off but will not pay for the DUI [censored]'s car, or at least that's the way I've seen it work before. They classify it as "deliberate damage caused by owner" or some such.

And yes, if an addiction has gotten to the point that the afflicted is killing or injuring people, a bullet will indeed solve the problem. "But I needed to get home" is especially not a valid excuse in the era of Uber, Lyft and similar services.
 
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Originally Posted by Spktyr
Originally Posted by Elkins45
Does his insurance pay if he's drunk? Is it legally possible they could use this as grounds to deny a claim, much like not paying off if a a car they cover kills someone when used to flee a bank robbery?

A bullet in the head cures all addictions...just saying.


I *think* that the way it works is that they will pay the original poster's claim off but will not pay for the DUI [censored]'s car, or at least that's the way I've seen it work before. They classify it as "deliberate damage caused by owner" or some such.

And yes, if an addiction has gotten to the point that the afflicted is killing or injuring people, a bullet will indeed solve the problem. "But I needed to get home" is especially not a valid excuse in the era of Uber, Lyft and similar services.


On our auto policy it does not cover you if you are driving drunk or in the commission of certain crimes. I assume that the offenders insurance will pay out and try to recover the money from them if that's the case?

Ultimately in a wreck where I am not at fault my insurance pays me and then attempts to recover the money from their insurance, at least that's what happened when I got rear ended.
 
Originally Posted by 5AcresAndAFool


On our auto policy it does not cover you if you are driving drunk or in the commission of certain crimes. I assume that the offenders insurance will pay out and try to recover the money from them if that's the case?

Ultimately in a wreck where I am not at fault my insurance pays me and then attempts to recover the money from their insurance, at least that's what happened when I got rear ended.


Yeah, if you have comprehensive, your insurance will pay your claim and then try to recover from the other party. If you don't, you claim against the other guy's insurance.
 
Originally Posted by RDY4WAR

The person that pulled out in front of me drove away with his driver side wheel angled in, fender and hood smashed, and headlight hanging. His car died on him a few streets down and the police got him. He's being charged with a DUI and hit and run. He did have insurance though, fortunately.


It's so unreal.... With DD such common knowledge that it's a bad thing, it STILL HAPPENS?? And he drove away!!!!
 
My daughter and I got checked out in the ER and are now home. She's knocked out. I don't think I'll be going to sleep anytime soon. I'm sitting here in her room, watching her sleep, like I don't want to leave her side even though I know the accident hardly even phased her.

In Georgia, insurance will pay out for a drunk driver's damages to other property, but not to their own. I'll be calling his insurance in a couple days when the police report comes out.

There were two witnesses to the crash and the camera at the nearby gas station caught the whole thing.
 
Very grateful you and your daughter are okay. I would see how you both feel in the morning. Having been hit a few times, I felt fine at first, the next day after the adrenaline wore off, I was so stiff I could barely move. Also, I'd be inclined to call his insurance right now, regardless of the time of day, and let them know their insured hit you while driving drunk, and you will be monitoring how you and your daughter are doing, to see if there are any effects that weren't immediately apparent.

To the comment that alcoholism is a disease. Please. Cancer is a disease. Alcoholism is simply an addiction.

Signed, sober since 3/23/04...
 
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