Let me preface by saying that I'm not angry, pissed, upset, or any other synonym to describe that emotion. I am only slightly inconvenienced. A car is physical property, nothing more, nothing less... no one died, no one got injured. This is no tragedy, and certainly nothing to grieve and dwell upon. If anything, this is an event to remember when I need a good laugh

I was on my way to get to my piano lesson by 6:30PM, so I left the house at 6:00PM and at 6:14PM I hit a bit of traffic. The cars in front of me rolled to a stop, so naturally I followed suit. The guy behind me ('05 Nissan Pathfinder) tried to change lanes to get around me, didn't realize that traffic had stopped, and ended up reaming me in the back right corner of my car which launched me into the car in front of me. I've never been in an accident before, so that was quite a shocking experience! Needless to say, I didn't make it to my piano lesson.

Thankfully no one was hurt, that was the first thing I asked about.... A tow truck drove by within seconds and pulled over to help us out. The car in front of me recieved no damage, and the front of my car was fine, so that guy drove off. Now it was down to me, the Pathfinder dude, and the tow truck guy. Pathfinder dude and I exchanged info, I got his insurance card and copied down every word, I got his license and copied down every word, and I got his phone # too (I made sure it was his... he put my # in his phone and then called me so that I could get his #).

I got pictures with my cell phone, and I took some videos with my cell phone which started off filming his license plate, then walked forward to show that his car is behind mine, then filmed my license plate and the damage to the back of my car.

The damage to my car is fairly significant. The back right side is caved in, the trunk won't fully close, and when you open the trunk, the cargo space is smaller and the floor of the trunk has been raised. I would be very surprised if there is no damage to the frame. The car is still driveable as I drove it back all the way home (~15 miles), but the exhaust is damaged so it sounds like a little rice rocket when I'm driving around

Here are some pics I took in my driveway once I got home where I had my digital camera.

 

Glad youre ok.

Youve got the perfect attitude, its only a car and can always be replaced with something better.

 

Time to do some car shopping.

Sorry to hear about the reason why though.

 

Davtown my NorCal buddy glad you're okay. If you need anything please let me know. You've got a great attutide and your car can always be fixed.

 

good to hear u came alright since, in the end, thats all that matters.

soo, do u feel a GS/IS/LS coming on

 

Oh man, Dav, you have an awesome attitude as always, but it still sucks and will be time-consuming to resolve which might be a challenge with all the other things you've got going on. But I know you can handle it!

If the ES doesn't make it then it's time you got something less boring to go with your spirit.

 

I was talking to my mom earlier - she said that she knew I was going to get into an accident either last week or this week on my way to piano lessons, for what reason I don't know.... creepy I have been driving almost 4 years without an accident, and as you can see, this one was not my fault.

Time will tell what the future brings... for now I just need to wait and let the insurance and body shop deal with it Thankfully my mom is letting me borrow her car so I can get to school!

Yeah, it wasn't a very great reason to get into an accident. The dude just wanted to change lanes so he could save 2.3 seconds of his time. The ES just got paid off too.... oh well, life goes on!

Thank you Trexus, I am very happy to be OK, and I'm glad the other guy was too.

Hmmm... I've only begun to think about possible replacements. A GS might not be a bad choice if I can find a good one in my price range. I still need to see if the car will be totalled and how much $$$ my insurance will shell out. Maybe they'll be nice and give me enough $$ to by a 911 Porsche

About the attitude, it's the only sensible thing to do. There's nothing I can do to reverse the events, so I might as well find the next best course of action.... it all begins with a positive attitude. There's a few rules I like to live by, one is if you can't change an event, simply tell yourself "CAN'T CHANGE IT!" and move on! The second is called the 5 minute rule. It means you can be negative about something for 5 minutes, but that's it. After the 5 minutes are up, you need to stop being negative and start figuring out how to positively move forth towards the next step in life. These 2 ways of living have been lifesavers for me

Yeah, it will be a hassle. Thankfully my parent's are my insurance agents (they own an insurance business togehter), so I will have no trouble dealing with insurance... or should I say I will have no trouble because my parents will be taking care of it I may not even have to do much other than make a statement considering the insurance is in the family... that would be nice, because as you noted I am quite busy for the next few months of my life!

The biggest hassle will be getting to and from school everyday, but I'm sure I can figure out a way.

Perhaps a Miata is in order?

In defense of the ES, it was a great car. Never gave me trouble, smooth comfy ride, good sound system, decent on gas, nice trunk space, and protected me in an accident.

 

I have been driving almost 4 years without an accident, and as you can see, this one was not my fault.


Good boy! Glad you are ok. You probably won't feel the ache until 2~3 days after. Take good care of yourself buddy

 

Glad you are OK & nobody got hurt, hope all things go well for you in the repair/replacement of your ride, & better luck in the future.

 

I'm happy to hear that no one was hurt.

It's unfortunate that you have to go through the hassle of insurance and car repairs (or car shopping) and all the time lost to deal with the matter.

I wish you the best in handling the situation. Hopefully, all goes well.

 

Ouch Dav! Glad to hear you're alright...and that's what really matters.

 

Sorry to hear the news Dav!!!!

That damage will buff right out!

Seriously though, I would doubt that the car will be totalled. I would also be surprised if they said there WAS frame damage. Looks to me like the crumple zones did their job. The damage appears to me to look more serious due to the angle in which the driver behind you hit at.

You attitude is to be commended!!! I agree with the "5 minute rule", except mine tends to be closer to the "5 day rule"!

Good luck!

 

yes your attitude is something to be admired- i know i wouldnt be as calm or understanding as you- but im glad your alright and gl in college dave - peace

 

Glad that you are ok Dav!

Btw, do you have cloth seat on ur lexus?? just curious.

 

Dav, glad to hear you're alright! The car did its' job.

I was bummed when my GS was hit, but I made lemonade from lemon -
I turned the incident into an opportunity to re-do the entire car.

On the first-gen ES, my guess is it'll be cheaper to replace rather than repair
the car. The crumpled quarter panel is a good indicator of what lurks beneath.

My GS needed "only" a fender, bumper, headlight, and fog light and the repair bill was $5K...