Hello all first off i'm just posting this cause i am looking for some insight on my current situation, and it's a pretty incredible story as well.

Here goes
I live in florida,this past friday i was enjoying a beautiful day coming back from the beach with my girl on a bridge that goes for a few miles and i look in my rear-view mirror only to see a huge Red Surbuban right up on me had to be less than a foot away and came out of nowhere,
I barely and i mean just enough to get the lights to come on, brake check him
then i just hit the cruise control and get over in the slow lane so he can pass, but he doesn't he just gets right up behind me and keeps riding my a**
Also, Before getting in the right lane he almost wrecks my friend into the guard rail when he swerves wildly.

At this point i am a little frustrated i feel its human nature to not want your cherished 350z to get hit by two drunken/who knows what else 18-21 year olds in a huge freaking firetruck red SuV that are just acting and driving like idiots, so i give them the FINGER and try to motion for them to just pass me.

They don't,
I get to the end of the bridge where there is a red light in which i stopped and watched my rear view mirror as these two idiots just slam right into me after i had been stopped for a good 3-5 seconds.

This pushes me into a 95'ish bmw convertible, and the bmw into a white Jimmy

The BMW's Hood looks like a triangle shaped heap of metal from being pushed into Jimmy so hard, His car will not start and its front end is just smashed up.

The jimmy had a decent bit of damage to the Rear End of the vehicle

My car? Well it had a less than dime sized scratch of chrome from the Suburbans Grill to the right of the tag holder, a few tiny scratches on the front bumper but nothing major at all, Is that insane or what? the doZer!

This car is insanely sturdy these guys had to be going at least 15 mph when they hit me, the car in front of me is TOTALLED and the Jimmy in front of it has a thousand times more damage than my car, I just can't believe it, But i'm very fortunate i feel it could have, and should have been way worse.

So these guys hit me into 2 other cars, I get out of my car the surbuban's driver gets out of his....then gets back in and DRIVES OFF, a witness to the accident follows him through (i quote) 6 red lights and gets his tag number
only to confirm that the tag my girl had wrote down was correct ( good citizen though thanks bud you're awesome! )

Cop shows up and says they're looking for him and gets everyones info, This all happened on friday and Monday i get a call from another officer saying she wants to have a look at my Z to check out the damage so i bring it to her and she has a look and all , then asks me if i was: Throwing stuff out the window at the guy , or giving him the finger or any other sort of "Road Rage" gestures

I said no i didn't , even though i did flip the guy off and im sure quite a few of you would have did the same in my situation after trying to get the guy to pass me and doing nothing to provoke him in the first place to ride my as*

She mentions that the whole ordeal is a big mess and how it will probably end up being my insurance company that pays for my damage and his that pays for his damage, and it will be a 'road rage' case,

I don't feel that just because i gave this guy a finger for nearly hitting me and running my other friend off the road when he was swerving on this small bridge who witnessed everything, Should be able to just get away this easily with how he was acting and how he fled a freaking accident scene!

I mean am i just getting d*cked over here or what I didn't know that if someone gave me the finger when i was driving drunk (which i don't do, of course) i could just run them into 2 other cars and leave and just be a-okay and back out driving the next day,

Sorry i don't have any pictures to make it more interesting with less text
Thanks for the long read, any suggestions?

 

dont settle it, they have no witness saying you gave them the finger....they hit you and ran off there at fault. not you dont let your insurance company pay for it!!!

 

But if i ended up having to take this to court and they did have a witness somehow that said i gave them the finger, what then?

Does that automatically take all blame off of them? cause thats just crazy. sigh

Sorry i've never been in an accident that was mine or someone elses fault so this is all really new to me, thank you for the information ahead of time, this is no "troll" post i have been registered here for a very long time when i was first considering my Z and just purchased it last year in january and i've been a bit busy since, but i would usually just read up on all the helpful information here.

 

**** that homie... sounds like a solid case of hit and run to me. Road rage or not the suburban should have stayed there and waited for the officers just like everyone else did. The fact that he drove away and left the scene of an accident he played a roled in is a FELONY. So i have a hard time believing the cop was just like "oh it's just a road rage insurance settlement" He would be going to jail for hit and run for an overnighter and losing his liscense for 12 months. So something doesn't add up... a part of your story is missing that is cancelling out the fact that he just left the scene of an accident. What is missing here?

 

It can't be your fault just because you made a hand gesture. Take that to court. It's automatically the person's fault that rear ended you because they were following you too close. Hope everything works out for you and good luck!

 

Exactly, He was a young kid and had a passenger about the same age.
I can only assume that he a) was under the influence -
b) had warrants/ no license
or c) his friend just convinced him to leave cause he just screwed up so bad
and they were just desperate and didn't stop to think at all

I don't understand it either, I might have intimidated the kid a bit when i got out of the car after even though i only had the time to say "hey man what is wrong with you are you drunk?!?... but i was not gonna get into any physical altercation he was already in deep sh*t with the cops and thats bad enough.

 

First, let me just say, these guys were morons and their insurance should foot the bill for this rear-end, multi-vehicle accident. Now, that said, I have to ask something.

In retrospect, was it worth it? Please understand, I'm NOT saying this to lay blame on you. As a guy that's older than most of you guys and has the benefit of a few years of "life experience" and the benefit of having MADE all these mistakes myself years ago, I have to tell you to ask yourself, was it worth it?

The first mistake was those idiots flying up on you. But the second mistake was you brake checking them. The sooner you realize that there are an almost UNLIMITED supply of morons out there the better off you'll be. I know it's hard for you guys in the 18-25 year old demographic to wrap your head around this (I know it was for me anyway), but most often it's just better to let crap like this go. Let it go. lol Serious.

If you had just pulled quietly to the right when they flew up on you, let them pass, and thought to yourself, "good driving you f%$king moron" none of this would've happened and you'd have forgotten about them already. Again, I'm not saying the accident is your fault. It's not. But it could've been avoided by EITHER of the parties involved.

I mean, imagine what would've happened if the (probably impaired) driver of that Suburban had hit you when you brake checked them? You could've been killed. It's possible.

My point? When people pull stupid sh*t like this on the road, let it go man, it's Just Not Worth It.

Good luck getting this all sorted out. You've probably got months of dealing with these morons and there insurance company (and your own) ahead of you. I don't wish that on anyone.

Regards,
Clark

 

No matter how light the amount of anger was involved, there was road rage involved. Giving the finger and brake checking on your side constitutes road rage in conjunction of what the driver of the other vehicle committed.


That being said, I would not settle any claim that leaves you or your insurance paying. If it has to go to court, have your insurance company take care of the case and let them handle it in your favor. You paid for insurance and that is part of the insurance plan. They have lawyers that will fight for your rights and label the other driver negligent and be responsible for all charges.

 

I can't disagree with what you're saying at all, and this situation definitely will help me in my dealing with dumb drivers in the future.

But i really did just tap my brakes just enough really to make the lights pop on for a split-second then i got in the right lane immediately after,
I was honestly scared to do anything besides that they would have definitely have smashed into me and the two of us wrecking on this bridge would have cause my friend who was behind us to wreck as well not to mention my girlfriend who is in the passenger seat with me who i would not want anything to happen to at all...
I had thought of this obviously and was being as safe as i could be, i mean the last thing i want is my car damaged in any way and having to deal with this mess, its not worth risking your life over it to know that "you were right" and the drunk guy was wrong

 

my advice is talk to your insurance company and let them deal with it. It is in their best interests to go after the hit and run driver for all hes worth.

You will have to pay your deductible upfront but you will get that back at the end of the deal if/when they get some cash out of this guy or his insurance company(assuming he had insurance)

It might not be "fair" but thats the least painful way to deal with it.

 

Flipping someone the finger while they are driving is hardly an illegal offense. a hit and run is an arrestable offense, and their insurance should and will cover it as long as you don't give in. As for the point of whether they have a witness saying you flipped them off or not is irrelevant. It is their word against yours without any third party witnesses. You could have your Girl say that you didn't flip them off to counter act their witness. So that is a moot point. But you do have witnesses to a hit and run, an accident report to that hit and run, and four vehicles that were involved in that hit and run.

The evidence/circumstances are piled in your favor. If the police refuse to do their job correctly, get a lawyer. Talk to your insurance company as zeekle suggests. They don't want to pay for someone else's dumb *** mistakes, and they don't want to unfairly raise your rates because of it... Plus the insurance company might get a lawyer for you if it goes that route. I would still talk to a lawyer to be safe.

 

the finger part I can agree with, but a brake check can be argued in court. He could say that there was a pot hole or piece of trash in the road that he was braking for to be safe. Was it his fault that the person behind him was so close to him that when he braked it almost caused an accident?

Tailgating is considered a moving violation... at least in NY it is. Braking (as far as I know), for whatever reason is not.

but i agree with everything else in this post!

 

Here is my .02.

First off, let's clear up some myths. Just because you were rearended, the person who hit you from the rear is not automatically at fault. Hit & Run is NOT a felony unless there is an injury. Lastly, unless Florida has some legistation regarding the handling of a road rage case, the officers comments/recommendations are merely an attempt to quash some paperwork or protect the Suburban driver. That being said, here is what I see.

First off, you are clearly not at fault for the collision. If you were stopped for 3-5 seconds ahead of the suburban, there is no negligence on your behalf. The finger gesture, or alledged trash being thrown at them, is no defense or reason for running into someone, possibly causing an injury and then fleeing the seen; which is in itself a misdemeanor. Even Johnny Chocran would not be able to get that one to fly. Besides, it could be argued that you were the victim of the road rage situation and that would not make you liable. If you do turn it in to your insurance company, they will pay everything over the deductible and send the Suburban's driver and vehicle owner the bill.

I would follow up with the officer and advise them that you would be willing to sign a complaint (if they do that in FL) afirming that the driver of the Suburban left the scene of an accident that he caused and you are willing to testify to that fact. If you are not willing to do so, let it go.

Lastly, think twice before you give someone the bird. You never know who they are and what they are capable of. Be the bigger man, pull out of their way and just let them go. If they stay behind you, drop a gear and drop the bastard. Unleash the 287 under the hood and get on your cell to the local police. Ask them to tell you what to do and then let the chips fall where they may. Or, pull of the roadway and go to the first fire/police station you see. Or, if you are in a place you are not familiar with, pull right up to the front of a market, park in the handicap spot and go inside. All checkers have a hot button at their register and if you tell them what's up, they can get help fast.

Good luck

 

I feel for you but u surely should of never given the finger.
More & more today this is done & more & more expect person to react!

 

The fact that the other car fled the scene of an accident means you`ll win your case hands down (at least here in Texas you would).

Expect the insurance companies to try to pull a fast one to get out of paying and/or settling for the smallest amount possible. But under NO circumstances accept any settlement that`s minuscule.



A few years back an old lady ran a stop sign and hit my 3000GT. She was driving an 80s Cavalier. It completely demolished her car while mine started right up and drove home without an issue! GT`s and Z`s are VERY safe and well built cars. Anyway what I`m leading up to,is her insurance company tried everything they could to weasel out of accepting the amount of $$ it was going to cost to repair my car and provide me with a rental. My best friend and girlfriend (who are both attorneys) fully briefed me on the laws and what and what not to accept. Plus my insurance company was going to file suit against hers if they continued to try and give me a raw deal (I was very impressed with my insurance co.). I bet hers freaked when they found out her $200 beater ran into a $40k 3000GT and it was 100% HER fault. Bet they dropped her like a bad habit.

 

"Someone hit my Z and ran"

 

I will keep this somewhat up to date over the next few weeks to let you all know what the end result is, Again thanks for all the very helpful information and support with this issue, In the end this only made me love my Z even more!