phew~...

 

You know why the accident happened?
I suspect its because you have a dark color car.

People do not realize just how deadly it is to own a car that blends in with
blacktop, you can count on getting in all sorts of accidents with dark color cars.

I had a white mustang, 5 years, no accidents.
I had a black el-cameno, 3 bad accidents in 2 years,
I had a white chrysler lazer for 10 years, no accidents,
I had a very light blue Jaguar for 5 years, no accidents,
I had a white Passat for 2.5 years, no accidents.

Twice i have backed into dark color cars, I have never backed into
a light color car.

I look at accidents I see on the road, I do a lot of driving in work, and 90%
involve a dark color car getting hit.

I also ride a motorcycle, that is another thing people tend not
to notice on the road.

Think about getting a car in a color that does not blend in
and become invisible.

Rain, dark, dark road surface, your color car was not easy to see.

With the black el camino, I had a car make a left turn right in front of me
on a concrete hiway in bright sunshine, like I had the cloaking device
activated....50 mph right into the side of their car.


Brett
WHITE 6m/t

 

While I don't doubt that at all. In this case I could have had a bright red car and the kid would still have hit me. He flew by a dozen other cars that were STOPPED, brake lights on, headlights facing him, etc and he obviously didn't even slow down. The kid was busy talking to his friend who was with him (my guess two 17 year old kids in the car were not being quiet, they were talking - and not as attentive as they should have been)

 

So Vikram what have you decided on your new purchase? another TL, RL...or non-acura?

 

I picked up the RL a little over a week ago.

 

For those of you who are familiar with the medical aspect of everything - my back has been progressivly getting worse. I have 3 sessions of physical therapy left. I went to my doctor to say that it has only gotten worse and he said "well you should go for an extra month to P/T"

Now earlier in the thread it was suggested that I go for an MRI - the doctor refused this request. Anything else I can do in the meantime? Can I tell him I want to go to a specialist or can he still refuse this? Or does this vary by insurance company?

Thanks guys...

 

i would get a second opinion. i dont know your situation totally, but if your back has gotten worse, then obviously they havent found the root of your back problem and aren''t treating it correctly. an MRI will find out whats wrong. good luck with everything

 

holy mother of god!!! glad everyone's okay!!!!!

 

About 2 weeks ago I was in a serious car accident myself, some teenager or very early 20's ran a red light and I happen to be in the middle of the intersection so I got T boned. Although my accident wasnt as bad as yours, it was still pretty bad. The truck ( not my TL, thank god ) was totaled, and it was also a hit and run, once the cops caught up with him, he didnt have a licience or insurance, but I was covered by L & I. The Dr put me in Physical Therapy ( 1 month for now) and told me if it gets worse we would do an MRI and a few other tests. L & I pays for EVERYTHING, so I guess it really does matter on the Insurance. I would say you need to ask the Dr again, if he refuses ask him if its an insurance issue, if he says no, then tell him you want a second opinion, and if that fails, tell him you want to speak with his Supervisor. I know how you feel, and it sucks, but this is your health, and you only get one back, make sure you take this into your own hands, and make sure you get the care you need. Good luck bro.

 

Sorry to hear about your truck . This was virtually identical - except there was no power for the lights to work - but was my right of way, and the two people in the truck were 17 years old (that hit me).

I know it is not an insurance issue in terms of paying for it - the auto insurance pays for all medical bills, but I meant more of like..is it a matter of a referral being a problem? I don't know if you *need* referral or not for this...

I am going to call him again on monday and ask again... if not, I guess I will just call up another doctor. I just asked my mom (she's a doctor for the same hospital) and she said that I should be able to just call an ortho and go see them without any other problems because it was from an MVA.

Thanks for the advice.

 

Vik:

You need a referral to have an MRI done, unless you have PPO that covers services not authorized by a physican (Blue Cross PPO, but you will have to pay 40% of the burden). Personally, i'd find a new Orthopedic Surgeon....one that actually listens. Ask your Physical Therapist for a copy of the weekly report (the one he/she faxes to the doctor) to get an idea of where your treatment has gone and will be going.

Where is the pain at? Just remember to limit movement that exacerbates the pain....

G

 

Thanks for the info... I will get a copy of the report and contact an ortho on monday.

The pain is throughout my back - at first only my lower back, but everywhere now - as well as my neck.

 

vik, it saddens me to hear of your problems, and I hope you can find some relief or procedure that will help you.

 

Sorry to bring this back up again. But I am hoping somebody here can help me out. I had requested a referral from my primary care physician to an orthopedic surgeon. It seems that there is only one ortho that deals with back problems in the hospital system that I normally go to. I had to call in a few favors in order to get in to see the guy (3 month waiting period to see him). I got in 3 weeks later. He ordered an EMG (becuase of numbness in my arms and legs) and now three weeks after the EMG I still have not been given the results of it. I called his office yesterday and they said I had to schedule another appointment to get the results. Now, all other doctos that I have seen in the system either released the results of tests over the phone or mailed them to you. So of course there is several more weeks before I can get in to see him for teh results. I called and talked to him personally today and he basically said too bad. He refused to give me the results over the phone or mail them. Can he legally do this? refuse to give me results? Then I am frustrated because nobody told me I was supposed to schedule an appointment to get in to see him again for teh results. AHH.

Now when I originally went for the appointment, they put me in a room with a resident... not the actual doctor. Now, I don't mind residents at all, but the guy poked around at my back and the real doctor came in for all of 30 seconds and said "i want to make you feel better" and walked out.

I am sure you can understand my frustration with the issue here... I am wondering if anybody has any other suggestions as to how to get the results without waiting months? Will the auto insurance (they are secondary for my medical claims) pay for me to see an outside ortho - even though my primary insurance won't allow me outside of this particular hospital system?

Somebody help please!

 

thank you ron. i appreciate the thoughts, as well as everybody else here.

 

I'm sorry I can't answer your medical questions, but did anyone cite the speed the truck must have been traveling?

 

Estimates between 45-60

the posted speed limit was 45 - on the other hand i dont know who would travel 45 when the power is out...no street lights working...no traffic control devices working... of course that means the cameras were not working either.

 

the doctor sounds like an asshole - what's his name and/or what hospital is he at?

A couple of my buddies' dads are MD's (cardio/neuro surgeons) who work in the Metro-Detroit area... I'll ask 'em if that doc is reputable and if they know any ortho specialists they can recommend. (I realize your mom's a doc, too, but more opinions couldn't hurt)

Also, did you check out Chicago MD's?

Anyway, if you designated your health ins. as primary and AAA as secondary, then I think AAA will only pay what your primary will not cover, or whatever exceeds your primary coverage... and deductibles & out of pocket expenses. Talk to your agent about this, instead of calling the 1800 number.

You really should consider a lawsuit for this one. I hate those who sue over miniscule matters, but I think you can justify filing a lawsuit in this case.

 

i wont publically announce his name - i will PM it to you. im sure you understand

I would appreciate it if you could ask your friends dads about reputable orthos in the area. My mom, although a doctor, doesn't know anybody outside of pediatrics - and that doesn't really help me.

I have not checked out the Chicago area - with school and everything I can't exactly hop on over to chicago for a few days. Killer.

I talked to the medical claims rep for the claim, she said as long as my primary care physician gives me a referral (I spoke to him earlier and he said not a problem to give me the referral).

I spoke to a random lawyer earlier, he siad without documented xrays or mri or something that shows some sort of damage, I can't sue in michigan. So far, I have nothing. I remember you gave me the name of a lawyer earlier, do you still have the information. I am no longer in the anti-lawsuit mindset I had earlier. I am tired of this crap. I have been prevented from doing basically anything - and now it is getting irritating. I thought maybe a few weeks or a month at the most and I would be fine - but now 3 months later I am willing to file a lawsuit. Thanks for your help.

 

I'll certainly ask 'em.

Ok, that lawyer may be right, but I doubt it. The reason I say that is because I rear-ended someone back in June '04, and the damage was minimal - a damaged bumper on the Caddy SRX and my Eclipse's front end absorbed most of the impact. These people declined medical attention at the time, and said they weren't injured, 'cept for a possible whiplash.

Now, I'm getting sued by these folks for "permanent injuries, disfigurement, embarassment, loss of job, loss of joy in life" and other bullshit I can't remember.

So if they can sue, you can certainly sue.

The lawyer that represented me in traffic/auto cases (not this lawsuit, AAA is taking care of this) is John Kallabat - his office is in Bingham Farms.. look his number up in the yellowpages. I dunno if he personally does this type of lawsuit/litigation, but he'll at least tell you what's possible, and recommend a good lawyer.

PM me that doc's name when you get a chance.

 

Thanks for the info. I will keep that in mind. I willl lookup that lawyer and ask him what he thinks.

That is a bunch of BS. that is why I didn't want to sue, too much of that bullshit going on - but now, this is a little extreme for me at least. I will PM you in a minute.

 

Would you like to sell the rims?

 

Car and rims are gone. Couple months ago...

 

So uhh, I had an MRI and EMG (along with X-Rays of course). All were normal, they are now pursuing the idea that I may be having minor seizures as a result of the accident which is possibly causing the back pain (not sure how..?) as well as the numbness in my arms and legs.

Sitting in one of those nice massage chairs does wonders for my back I have to go to a friends house every once in a while to use theirs. I wish I had the 5 grand to buy one for myself.

 

[QUOTE=Brettg]You know why the accident happened?
I suspect its because you have a dark color car.
I also ride a motorcycle, that is another thing people tend not
to notice on the road.

he-he.
i swear i'll never buy another RED motorcycle. too many tickets and crashes. let's see what color thr 2006 cbr1000rr will be...

 

Glad to see your okay! Just remember...karma, what goes around comes around. Stick with what you believe is right. Sueing is not always the answer.

 

Sorry I'm like 5mths behind... yo man lucky to be largely unscathed beyond aches/pains... Your car is like impacted 1-2ft, though it held up well considering the pickup truck (Ranger) is also smashed in about the same amount. You weren't joking abt how fast the dude was going. Anyways I noticed two things; in your car beside the water bottle, there is a bottle of Tylenol Extra , I hope it was just a coincidence, I just find it bad luck to have such things around me. Also look in the dude's pickup beside the cracked CD, there is a beer bottle cap... Any ideas. Lastly, how hard was the Volvo hit; Volvos used to be known for safety, but it appears Toyota/Honda are taking over... Good luck and sorry to hear abt this whole mess. If you believe in Karma too, what goes around comes around, the dude who did this will get their day or inconvenience should I say. Keep us posted on how you are doing and if you get a car, we are car buffs, let us know... if not we still envy your bus pass with gas prices being so wild esp here in Ontario.

Rishi

 

Are you suggesting Tylenol could have had something to do with this? Maybe you used the wrong smiley... but what do you mean exactly?

 

You know what Vikram... he has a point. I mean you should consider psychotherapy due to your newfound fear of driving. Don't go out suing for no reason, do it only for the sole purpose of getting you back to the condition you were the 1u or 1 microsecond before it all unfolded.

 

The bottle cap is from a jones soda or something. My friend checked because we were curious.

I can't sue. I spoke to a lawyer and was told without an MRI or some test showing permanent injury that I can't sue under michigan law anymore (law changed a couple years ago). The neurologist said they don't know why there is the numbness - so apparently I am supposed to live like this for the rest of my life.

 

I hope they have that too where he lives NY State is the litigious capital of the USA if you ask me... they had to stop car leases in NY state for a few years. I don't live there, just for school so then I'm baack to Canada... Anyways I hope Vikram that you get this sorted out. Seriously if you still haven't give the lawyer all of the details i.e. the value you want for your car, the medical expenses and attorney fees and he will suck those out of the other insurance company. My point to emphasize is, regardless of if you can afford to pay the med. bills or whatever, the responsibility/liability really lies on the other guy as per the police report, so don't feel too guilty. Just remember, that not everybody is like the people in this forum; they aren't straight up or admit fault or what not, some ppl even try to deny fault so I lost 50% of my sympathy for people at fault.

 

Wrong smiley, I apologize... I couldn't find a "Coincidence" smiley...

 

That sucks, man...sorry to hear that. It seems likely, though (that law)...to do anything these days you need all kinds of proof of something concrete...just having pain doesn't cut it, you have to have proof of the cause: MRI, etc a couple of hours after the accident, 2nd opinions, more pictures, etc. I'm sure the purpose of this (and many other similar proof requiring laws for all sorts of things) is to cut down on fraudulent claims, which it probably does, but it will enevitably cause a few legitimate cases to fall through the cracks. Good luck with whatever you do to try to get better...hopefully you'll find something that works.

 

The good news is...nope....they are not fixing that! Next good news....you most likely get to go car shopping soon on your insurance dollar!

 

lol. This thread is several months old - I already bought the RL

 

For any of you who responded here and know about insurance. One of the multiple doctors, today, told me he wants me to go to "massage therapy" which is basicaly any person who does massages. Is AAA required to pay for this? My primary medical insurance does not pay for this....

 

they would hold him responsible for hitting the third card? that makes no sense if he was pushed into it. doesn't work that way in PA.

 

I wasn't held responsible for the 3rd car. The at fault driver in the pickup was held responsible. Not that it really matters because MI is a no fault state. Everybody pays their own deductible and their own insurance pays for everything from the car repairs to the medical bills.

 

hahaha. dude says he is fine. a lawyer on the board says to get personal injury claim. might be valid, but come on. if he's fine, that's just wrong.

 

wow, no fault state. Product of the insurance companies' lobby. well i'm glad everything worked out for you. i'm still working my way through your thread. luckily you had no passenger. doesn't look like they woulda been ok.