thaynebates
New Member
My jurisdiction is: Tennessee
Ok, so 2 weeks ago I went to visit my girlfriend at work. I waited for her to get out and we left, going to my house. It was raining really hard and it was completely dark. I couldn't see more than 20 feet in front of me. I was driving really slow and being very cautious. I pulled up to a stop sign. I stopped completely. I looked both ways and didn't see anything. I was ABOUT to pull out.(this is a big part that I will explain later.) I released the brakes. My car has a manual transmission and I was on a hill so when I released the brakes, I was technically rolling backwards. All of a sudden I feel a huge bang into my car. I was stunned for a second and looked. It was a nissan xterra. My car is a little acura integra. I look and he speeds off. He had no headlights on!!!!!! My girlfriend was right behind me. She saw everything. So, I didn't want to stay on the hill so I pulled up and off to the right. My car immediately shut down and I had no power to anything. I called 911 immediately and they dispatched an officer.
When the officer got there, I told him exactly what happened. He was very nice and acted like I had nothing to worry about. He wrote up the report, called a tow-truck, and sent me home. As soon as I got home, I was shaking and freaking out. This was the first accident I have ever been in. I called my insurance company (GEICO) and told them what happened. The guy started asking me a bunch of questions I really didn't know the answers to. He said it was fine. He asked me if I started to pull out. I said yes.(BIG MISTAKE) He said he would process the claim and he apologized for my mishap. The next day I get a call from my claim's adjuster. I told her everything, yet again, and this time, she recorded it. This time, however, I didn't state that I started to pull out.(because I didn't) She said she would look over it and call me back.
The next day, she calls me. She said because in my first statement I stated that I started to pull out, and therefore, I was 60% at fault in the accident. I have emailed them and tried to explain the mistake. They don't want to listen. I have emailed the supervisor several times and he hasn't asnwered me in the past week. I also told them that my girlfriend was right behind me and she saw everything but they said they can't use her as a witness because for 1, she was not in the police report, and 2, she is my girlfriend and therefore would lie. I am a college student with no job and no money. I have spent over $1000 in insurance in the past 6 months. I have never been in an accident or been pulled over. EVER!!!!!!!!!
Can they hold me to this? Is there anything I can do? How is it that I was hit, at a stop sign, while completely stopped, by a driver, with no headlights, in the dead of night, while in a thunderstorm, and I am, in any way, at fault? I just can't understand this. Plus, with that $1000 I have already payed for insurance, I could have payed for the repairs myself. It makes me sick that they would rather pay employees to find loop holes in claims to shimmy their way out of paying instead of using the money to help me in a time of need. Hence the purpose of insurance companies.
Ok, so 2 weeks ago I went to visit my girlfriend at work. I waited for her to get out and we left, going to my house. It was raining really hard and it was completely dark. I couldn't see more than 20 feet in front of me. I was driving really slow and being very cautious. I pulled up to a stop sign. I stopped completely. I looked both ways and didn't see anything. I was ABOUT to pull out.(this is a big part that I will explain later.) I released the brakes. My car has a manual transmission and I was on a hill so when I released the brakes, I was technically rolling backwards. All of a sudden I feel a huge bang into my car. I was stunned for a second and looked. It was a nissan xterra. My car is a little acura integra. I look and he speeds off. He had no headlights on!!!!!! My girlfriend was right behind me. She saw everything. So, I didn't want to stay on the hill so I pulled up and off to the right. My car immediately shut down and I had no power to anything. I called 911 immediately and they dispatched an officer.
When the officer got there, I told him exactly what happened. He was very nice and acted like I had nothing to worry about. He wrote up the report, called a tow-truck, and sent me home. As soon as I got home, I was shaking and freaking out. This was the first accident I have ever been in. I called my insurance company (GEICO) and told them what happened. The guy started asking me a bunch of questions I really didn't know the answers to. He said it was fine. He asked me if I started to pull out. I said yes.(BIG MISTAKE) He said he would process the claim and he apologized for my mishap. The next day I get a call from my claim's adjuster. I told her everything, yet again, and this time, she recorded it. This time, however, I didn't state that I started to pull out.(because I didn't) She said she would look over it and call me back.
The next day, she calls me. She said because in my first statement I stated that I started to pull out, and therefore, I was 60% at fault in the accident. I have emailed them and tried to explain the mistake. They don't want to listen. I have emailed the supervisor several times and he hasn't asnwered me in the past week. I also told them that my girlfriend was right behind me and she saw everything but they said they can't use her as a witness because for 1, she was not in the police report, and 2, she is my girlfriend and therefore would lie. I am a college student with no job and no money. I have spent over $1000 in insurance in the past 6 months. I have never been in an accident or been pulled over. EVER!!!!!!!!!
Can they hold me to this? Is there anything I can do? How is it that I was hit, at a stop sign, while completely stopped, by a driver, with no headlights, in the dead of night, while in a thunderstorm, and I am, in any way, at fault? I just can't understand this. Plus, with that $1000 I have already payed for insurance, I could have payed for the repairs myself. It makes me sick that they would rather pay employees to find loop holes in claims to shimmy their way out of paying instead of using the money to help me in a time of need. Hence the purpose of insurance companies.
