uhcoug

The other day I was in stop and go traffic on Branch Ave just off the Wilson bridge in Maryland. I notice a police car behind me and saw that she was paying more attention to what ever was going on to her right than the road in front of her. I joked with my friend that with my luck she would zone out and run into me. I've been really carfull with my new TL, jJust broke 3000 miles the other day, picked it up in March. Well need less to say as I'm watching her in my rear view she is still looking to the right and when that lane moves she pressed the gas. NOT GOOD.

Went outside and saw that all of the numbers from her plate were impacted into my bumper and the two holes from the screws on her plate. After all was said and done...nearly 2 hours b/c it was a police vehical, (sorry everyone that got stuck on the wilson birdge/branch ave area on the 2nd) I got into my car and notice my iced tea has splashed everywhere, including the headliner.

Where should I take it to get fixed? My first guess would be Pohanka Collision in Chantilly. I bought the car from Pohanka Acrua and had really great service, I'm hoping the body shop would be the same. Since they are liable, cost is not a concern. I want to go to the best place to fix my new car.

Thanks

SweetJazz

So who is paying for the damage? I sure hope the county/city is.......

levon1830

That sucks man. Was the police officer at least apologetic about hitting you?

bluenoise

You should've written her a ticket.

That sucks having your brand new car smacked like that. I hope you're able to get it fixed back to perfect condition.

Rpappi

a car that was in an accident will never be the same.

bluenoise

I'm hoping, for the OP's sake, the impact was very light and did nothing but blemish the plastic.

divxz

I used to think that, but I've been pleantly surprised after a recent accident I had.
I got hit on the front drivers side of my car.

$7000 worth of damage. Got the car back and it is great.

cM3go

shouldn't have been drinking anything in your new TL!

jupitersolo

PG County Cops are the worst drivers the worst Police period. They don't care one bit for any law that they expect you to follow or will give you a ticket.

I had one tailgating me for a few miles on 301, I couldn't get over and traffic was going about 45 mph (speed limit is 55). When I was able to get over I put down my window and yelled at him for it. Then fearing for my life ( PG county cops are trigger happy) and told him I was sorry that I couldn't get out FAST ENOUGH.

I hate that FLIPPING place, I had to live there when I was 6-8 years old.

I live in Northern Va, but for 14 years had an office in PG, Lanham and the Upper Marlboro.

TSXmeister

Or better yet she should have written herself a ticket for being a bonehead and for not keeping attention to traffic!!

JerZDevil

iTrader: (1)

Geez... I'm sorry to hear that. Similar happend to me when my car was not even a month old as well.

Well... Was the chick cop hot?

CL Platano

That sucks man..sorry to hear that. ....Hopefully they take care of their business quickly. Jersey State Cops go down the highway with their lights off at night trying to sneak up on speeders. I couldnt believe it when I saw one do that the other night.

mr.motoring

Whoever gets busted should go to court and tell the judge about this. Considering the cops could just as well put other innocent drivers in danger because they might not be able to see them, I'll bet the judge tosses the ticket. Or maybe your courts are just as corrupt as ours down here.

F23A4

It is not uncommon for the NJSP to almost takeout a motorist when they are in pursuit of another motorist (usually a speeder). In general, I have had a few near accidents with PDs here in NJ.

IMHO, police tend to have tunnelvision when on patrol: they are either locked in on you OR you do not exist at all.

1995hoo

To go back to the original question, I recommend Quality Auto Body on Draper Drive in Fairfax. They do outstanding work. Draper Drive is the next traffic light west of Fairfax Circle on Lee Highway—going west, make a right when you come to the Harley shop and then the auto body will be a low brown brick building about halfway up the road on your left.

fergiedsp

when i got rear ended a couple of years ago Tischer Acura in Laurel, MD recommended Walker Mill Auto Collision in Capitol Heights MD. they did a great job and you could not tell that anything was wrong

8472 Walker Mill Road
Capitol Heights, MD 20743
(301) 336-1140
www.walkermillcollision.com

urbaita1

Police, EMTs and the like are classified as "Professional Drivers" which means that they are highly trained and highly skilled (supposedly ). You could have a nice little lawsuit if you wanted, especially if you were hurt. You might consult an attorney.

Disclaimer - I am not a letigous person, nor do I advocate using the legal system as the lottery, I would just love to see the police take in the ass once.

bigsley18

you should call d&v autobody out in chantilly. their work is outstanding and i believe they offer a lifetime warranty. they are a bit pricey. but you know how it goes...you get what you pay for.

JERU

The sad part is the police are not paying for anything, the taxpayers are. As a matter of fact, the guy that got hit is going to help pay for the accident through his taxes. Talk about getting it in the rear twice

stunnaTL

take ur car back to the dealership...

willieesco420

Hows that neck feel NOW?????

drdamian

you should have got out of the car and started screaming at her... thats what i would have done... what is she gonna do, lock you up???? I HATE COPS....

fatalglitch

I got rear-ended 3 weeks after buying my 06 TL....so I feel your pain. They only had to replace my rear bumper and some of the metal bumper holders, but all bolt on thank god.

The MAJOR thing that pissed me off, is that your original bumper with the car has a sticker with your VIN number on it......the replacements do not. I fought hardcore for this fact, especially since the insurance company of the person who hit me would not pay out for loss of value on the car.....

Just FYI

Topher707

lol... i would have walked over to her car... leaned in, took her ticket book, and written her one! HAHAHA, but then again she minght have felt her life was in danger and shot u!

uhcoug

Thanks for everyone's sympathy.

How would I claim and have them pay out for loss of value on the car?

I really want to take it to the dealer and the closest thing would be Pohanka Collision. Has any one had experience with them?

How can I be sure they use original parts?

No, she never said sorry. Didn't even bother getting out of the car to see what happened!

I'd love to sue them for gross negligence...any lawyers in the house?

I'll post some pics when I get back into town.

Think that answers everyone’s questions. This just proves my theory that Marylander's don't know how to drive....that is except Maryland TL owners.

1995hoo

No, he's not. Miss Piggy is a Prince George's County cop, and that's in Maryland. His profile identifies him as being from Virginia. People in Maryland evidently like paying taxes, as they keep voting for people who impose high taxes on them.

CL Platano

In NJ from what I understand we cannot sue the PD for accidents.

Ka0tik

thats lame

joe80055

This is MD.. not NJ.. he may have a chance.. hopefully.

uhcoug

Talked to the adjuster today about the rental car. At first they were going to put me in a chevy cobalt. They saw all they owe me is "reliable transportation". It doesn't need to be the equivelent of my car. After argueing with her she "upgraded" me to a rental class that includes the Nissan Sentra. What kind of upgrade is that? With all the BS they have put me through I am going to talk to a lawyer tomorrow to see if I have any sort of claim against them.

Also talked to her about compensation for loss of value since it is such a new car. All she said is that they are resposible for repairing the car and that's it. The rental is a courtesy that they are doing.

CL Platano

that is such a shame..another strike again the police.

TBnDFW

A month ago a Fort Worth cop bent over to pick up his sunglasses after they had fallen off the seat. He crossed the center line and had a head-on with a car with a 7-month pregnant teenager in it.

The baby lived about 2 days.

Of course, since the baby wasn't a person at the time of the accident, I wouldn't be surprised if there are no charges over the death.

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/local/14507920.htm

F23A4

Unless that teenaged mother to be intended to have an abortion, the baby was a person and was the victim of negligent homicide. (That said, baby=person.)

1995hoo

Ouch, I feel a political flamewar coming on......let's not go down this road!

(I have an opinion but will keep my fingers off the keyboard so as to practice what I preached.)

F23A4

I have been trying to keep my posts as apolitical as possible (even avoiding R&P forums). Back on topic, this is another example of police negligence.

Irony: A coworker of mine just came into work (today) stating that a Hoboken cruiser went through a stop sign and almost t-boned his car. No lights on nor even going that fast.....I guess he felt that his badge precluded him from obeying traffic laws.

cambo

Pohanka Collision center does great work. They're like 2 minutes from my house. I've had them work on a few of my cars, not to mention getting misc. stuff painted by them. They do use orignal parts.

banelba

Sorry for ur lost. Do not rush and take ur car to just any body shop. For the rental, they should put you in a deecent car, I doubt that u'll find a Tl at the rental Cie but they should at less if u go to Hertz at the airport get a G35 or simular.
Make sure you will be compensate for the lost of value. Whenever you'll try to sell it, it will show on the Carfax report and you'll never get the full value.
If u try to deal with them and can get what u deserve, call ur insurance Cie, pay the deductable, after repair, they will go after them and reimburse you. Just make sure to mention the lost of valued.
Or TAKE A LAYWER AND GO AFTER THEM. IF NOT YOU , SOMEONE ELSE WOULD.
Just do not let them STRESS YOU OUT

tzakiel

somebody call the spelling and grammar SWAT team.

banelba

No need, you're here for that. Hope that you understood what I meant

gqchicago

Go and google for the term "diminished value" which is what insurance companies call it when your car is worth less after an accident repair. What's interesting, is many insurance companies have snuck riders into their auto insurance policies allowing them to tell you they are no longer responsible for it and won't pay it. A co-worker of mine who is very knowlegable about insurance since he worked for a large insurance company for many years successfully sued an insurance company and won diminished value claim after somone hit him.