Member-only story
Car Accidents Happen Fast
Recovery takes a lot more time
I have been driving since I was 16 without ever causing an accident, or even so much as dinging another vehicle. Then I pulled out of a parking space, a car sped around a corner, and we collided.
It was really just a fender bender. No one was hurt. We exchanged information. Then we went our separate ways to call our insurance companies.
My coworkers were sympathetic. Two of them confessed that they’d hit cars in parking lots — and the cars had been sitting still. They knew the pain of admitting fault and coughing up cash.
Although the other car was speeding, since I was pulling out of a space, I got pinned for the fault. If I wanted my bumper to stay attached, I had to pay a $500 deductible.
My insurance company wouldn’t give me a list of repair shops, and asking for recommendations was tougher than I thought. No one walks out of a repair place delighted after not having their car for awhile. It’s not the most fun activity in the world.
The last, and previously only, accident I was involved in happened when I was a teenager. On a Saturday afternoon, I was on my way to work, and another driver ran a red light and T-boned me.
