Feeelax

So the story was, I was coming home from New Jersey going towards the Lincoln Tunnel. I went through the toll and right as soon as I entered the tunnel I heard a loud thud from this big ass freight truck(12 wheeler) that hit me. I'm surprised the TL held its position so well. It shook a bit but didn't swerve out. I didn't wanna pull over inside the tunnel so as I exited the tunnel I pulled over and blocked him but he swerved around me so I went on to follow him. We were at a big street with about 4 lanes. He gave me a hand gesture to come closer ( we were driving parallel at this point, i was on the left side). As I tried to roll down the passenger windows to tried to talk to this idiot he swerved his truck to 90 degrees towards my lane and came inches to hitting me and I had to swerved away and went over the curb. I saw his fking tires inches away from my car if I didnt swerve away I honestly believe my car would've went underneath his truck. he sped off and I followed. I was on the phone with the cops and after running multiple redlights, i was told to just pull over and let the truck go. The chase stopped at 7th ave 34th st and NYPD came late as usual but only to tell me i gotta go back to New Jersey because the incident started there. I pulled over at the lincoln tunnel toll booths and filed my report with the port authority over there. I got the license plates and the company of the truck (Apex Xpress) I called the company this morning to explain what happened and was told to fax the estimate for the damages to them. Anyone recommend any further procedures? thanks

03tLsNBP

iTrader: (9)

crazy story.

i dont think theres much else you can do. hopefully they find out who the truck driver was and book him for leaving the scene of an accident. just go get a quote an fax it to the truck company as you were told.

and be glad youre okay and no serious damage was done.

02TL4ATL

iTrader: (1)

damn crazy drivers these day, at least you werent harm

xtremex626

iTrader: (1)

hit and run? he should be fired.

DLCU2

Damn, that is crazy. Hope that truck driver gets what he deserves.

Flipster23

iTrader: (15)

damn that sucks!

jomama

make sure you file it as a hit and run (if you haven't), and make sure you record as much information as you can. i would even go as far as emailing (or snail mailing) this information to yourself so that there's a time stamp on when you recorded the information. since you witnessed this incident yourself, you shouldn't have any legal issues with hearsay. but like i said, make sure you have the information recorded properly. that will help you out in the long run.
additionally, i believe you can file charges against him in ny. whichever nypd you spoke to was probably a lazy ass. if the guy made an attempt to hit your car, it's a criminal offense (maybe a minor one). sorry, but i don't remember all the ny crim law i learned when i was back in school, so you'll need to look that up. you could file a civil suit as well, but you'll need to hire a lawyer for that one. it all depends on how far you would like to take this.
if you're in nyc, it prob wouldn't hurt to report this incident to the precinct next to where this occurred. make sure you emphasize that the trucker intentionally tried to ram into you. hope this helps somewhat.

HAZEY*NYC

dammmm. at least youll get some fresh paint and maybee a lil extra $$$ for a lip kit

01tl4tl

chances are that little tap went unoticed by the driver--a mere bump in the road
You didnt swerve or seem out of control for them to know- in fact you could be sideways in front of the truck,, being pushed down the road by it- and they would never see you
below the windshield level (just saw that example on tv)

all they knew was: you are in their way--some insane 4 wheeler--
hence the `c'mere and let me express my opinion of your driving skills!!`
and you did !!! lol moron

You were able to get the needed info- thats great! and the company probably gets 5 calls a day like yours- (like a fast food place and broken tooth complaint forms)

send an estimate (get a few for yourself to choose from~) and they will send a check- its no big deal to them,,part of doing business

note from UNinsured motorist coverage standpoint, if someone almost takes you out, make sure there is contact between the cars before you go off course-evasive
Otherwise no proof of an accident on their part..just you went off the road for no reason..tough luck,, without witnesses getting other car info for you

01tl4tl

his excuse for swerving towards you? suddenly saw debris in the road and tried to avoid it!

Feeelax

He was 2 lanes away from my car when he swerved towards me.. so that would be a big ass swerve and I don't know wtf he was dodging and I'm sure there were cameras over there to confirm that considering it was right outside the tunnel.
And he definitely knew he hit me. My passengers stuck their heads outs to check the damage while inside the tunnel and he continued to tailgate me. When he gave me the "c'mere gesture" I was already next to him. meaning i didn't pull up next to him b/c of that gesture. instantly after he gave me the gesture he swerved. Trust me this guy was twisted other wise he wouldn't speed down manhattan while running past red lights in a traffic jammed city.

01tl4tl

I didnt mean anything by my comments- A small percentage of truth (5%) and reality involved, mostly substanciated by fiction = a good story
Was trying to give a truck drivers eye view --and its a rather limited view of the road around them - what they actually feel on contact, what the truck will do..

perhaps was he from Jersey?~ isnt that a welcome to Jersey signal he gave,,or is that NYs official greeting

be lucky you were not on the wrong end of a gun as a result of this,,
In Ca. you would have been roadkill as soon as you got next to him
young buddies hanging out the car..waving at him- gesturing
could have looked menacing to the average person,,(not saying thats what happened at all)

If you ever drive a big truck- I want you to try a fast lane change and back-
without rolling the truck is the trick
Its going to be 2-3 lanes trying to get the truck going straight in 1 direction-then stop that and go in the desired direction
If pulling a trailer or semi/trailer, the excitement level rises for the driver in tunnels and traffic- the lanes often narrow slightly right there, trucks drift on corners..

Can we all get along a little better on the road???
Yes the other guy probably is crazy.. or worse
So give them extra room, let them go first, wave them into line

and congratulate yourself for being the more aware and more advanced being,
and more skillfull driver- able to see situations arising
it takes a lot of focus to keep your car dent free these days!!

In the words of the late George Carlin:
Ever notice how anyone going slower than you is an idiot
And everyone going faster is insane!!

01tl4tl

I wonder if the company uses unlicensed- out of the country drivers
those type guys tend to run!

the company doesnt give you their insurance info -
just send an estimate and here is your check,,please dont ask about our drivers status... on anything

finalcross

iTrader: (3)

Damn man. I'm surprised there wasn't even one cop around while you were chasing him. At least you got his license plate, so good luck with all this.

I don't know if your brother told you, but I was actually in the same class as him in BMCC. Kind of a funny story how we met and what a small world man.

silvertl510

iTrader: (1)

damn that sucks man atleast u any u passengers are safe.

i would say get a bunch of quotes and send them the biggest one.

Lil'One

iTrader: (-1)

Glad you’re OK.... Make sure that particular driver gets "FIRED", that’s some serious bullshit, call that company back and ask them how they could allow some asshole like represent their company... That’s craziness...

I hope they don't give you a run around when it comes to payment, and REMEMBER to add the price of a lip kit and rims in the QUOTE before faxing it in.... All the best

Feeelax

^ haha yeah I'll remember to have the lip kit in mind before I give them the estimate.

Spoilaz

This happens all the time in NYC/NJ... nothing new and the company the driver works for is aware of this as well... get the biggest estimate you can and send it to them... they will send you a check right away for the damages.... since it happened after the toll booth, it WILL be on video (since 9/11) so call the Port Authority and get the video if needed... it is cheaper for the company to pay you off then for them to go thru their ins... you are lucky that nothing happened when you were chasing him... the police would have blamed you!!

01tl4tl

spoilaz is right
once you have their info off the truck--stop chasing or the resultant accident will be your fault

and seriously - the younger crowd doesnt seem to understand the very real danger of armed, drugged, crazed people on the road
that truck could have been stolen for all you know,,,does that person care if they kill you - or will it be a video game become real for them??

Look at the age 30s and older members advice,,its usually: slow down- breathe, relax,

Do look in the phone book for the full page size ads- the expensive shops
get estimates there and submit the highest one
get check - use cheaper shop and upgrade the nose with the rest
Consider that a little something for scaring you

It's Clutch

iTrader: (6)

Feeelax

Thanks for the tips guys. I'll keep that in mind god forbid something like this happens again.
So i got an estimate for around 400 from my dad's mechanic that I should pay but he wrote $820 for me. Does this seem alright or should i push for a higher estimate?

01tl4tl

go to a few legit BODY SHOPS for your WRITTEN estimate, not your dads mechanic
find places in phone book with full page ads--they will charge a lot more for their repairs

tell the shop person you need estimate for a `company truck` hit you and their office needs one. They hear this every day

Among those 3 you will get the right person who knows how to realllllllllly inspect the car~~~~ and find $1200
Were the wheels tested for damage?, the sway bar system etc could have been damaged in a side hit, must be put on the lift and ck'd

get professional body shop opinions!
You wouldnt have surgury on one doctors say so would you??

Feeelax

So after I get the jacked up estimate from these big shots should I actually have the car repaired by them?
edit:
or bring it back to my mechanic?

Gfaze

If your mechanic does great work, then sure. If his work is meh, you won't be happy and will end up having to pay extra for a professional to fix it. It doesn't have to be the most expensive shop but find one that's reputable. It's your call but I'd rather have someone who does bodywork everyday fix my car instead of someone who occasionally does body/paint jobs on the side.

acutee

So 'hit and run' got away and the law didn't do anything; good thing he didn't kill anyone. So, the guy got away with DUI.

Feeelax

The manager called me back today. The driver said he denied hitting me at all but the manager said he can meet me halfway with the estimate. Only if I can provide a video of what actually happened,which I don't, then he'll give me the full amount. I'm still waiting for the police report to come in would that do any good? I'm about to call port authority to see if they can provide the video.

acutee

I hope you could get them pay. you could have just followed him and call 911 for help.

Feeelax

Thats exactly what I did I followed him as he ran reds but he continued to run multiple red lights that had massive cars and traffic. The police told me to leave him and pull over.

Just got off the phone with port authority they said the video can only be provided I have a lawyer. The lawyer has to personally go ask for it.

jomama

i think that's total bs. i'd ask them why you need a lawyer. perhaps they meant that a video will only be provided by court order - i don't imagine that they would provide videos to just anyone.
have you talked to your insurance company yet? they prob run into this issue from time to time. i think your best bet is to file it as a hit and run and let them go after the other party. you can also consider hiring an attorney to file a civil suit on a contingency basis (he gets X% of whatever settlement/money you may win).

mallyboi3

wat is it with trucks hittin acuras??????? this is the 4th post i read in that relation. best of luck to u