Got hit head on while waiting in turn lane, what can I expect?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why were you sitting in the center turning lanes if "both directions were clear"? (I understand the bad guy from the strip mall is liable, just trying to figure out what you were doing)

It’s a very fast and busy 4 lane street and that’s just how it’s done. Thank God I was because had I plowed forward it would have been catastrophic. And please stop grilling me on it, it’s been determined on every single level including him admitting fault. He has no insurance and a record. This guy has a history of this.

all agreed - except it's not necessarily legal to use the center turning lanes as a merge lane.
also, this is why we carry uninsured motorist policies.
there are tons of un- and under insured and unlicensed drivers on the road.

It’s legal as long as you aren’t driving in it and you’re stopped. You’re not allowed to drive in and drive over 200 feet in it. If you stop it is legal.

it's legal to hang out stopped in a center turning lane? hmm, did not know that

I wasn’t hanging out, it was seconds. Legally you are allowed to stop there but you’re not allowed to drive longer than 200 feet. What do you want? It was admitted fault by the driver himself. Why can’t you just accept I wasn’t at fault? What is the obsession with this.

It's not legal in Virginia. https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter8/section46.2-804/

Where the middle lane of a highway is marked on both sides with a solid line immediately adjacent to a broken line, such middle lane shall be considered a left-turn or holding lane and it shall be lawful to drive to the left of such line if the solid line is on the right of the broken line for the purpose of turning left into any road or entrance, provided that the vehicle may not travel in such lane further than 150 feet

It wasn’t in VA

Where then? DP here.

Your being entitled doesn't make you right, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why were you sitting in the center turning lanes if "both directions were clear"? (I understand the bad guy from the strip mall is liable, just trying to figure out what you were doing)

It’s a very fast and busy 4 lane street and that’s just how it’s done. Thank God I was because had I plowed forward it would have been catastrophic. And please stop grilling me on it, it’s been determined on every single level including him admitting fault. He has no insurance and a record. This guy has a history of this.

all agreed - except it's not necessarily legal to use the center turning lanes as a merge lane.
also, this is why we carry uninsured motorist policies.
there are tons of un- and under insured and unlicensed drivers on the road.

It’s legal as long as you aren’t driving in it and you’re stopped. You’re not allowed to drive in and drive over 200 feet in it. If you stop it is legal.

it's legal to hang out stopped in a center turning lane? hmm, did not know that

I wasn’t hanging out, it was seconds. Legally you are allowed to stop there but you’re not allowed to drive longer than 200 feet. What do you want? It was admitted fault by the driver himself. Why can’t you just accept I wasn’t at fault? What is the obsession with this.

It's not legal in Virginia. https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter8/section46.2-804/

Where the middle lane of a highway is marked on both sides with a solid line immediately adjacent to a broken line, such middle lane shall be considered a left-turn or holding lane and it shall be lawful to drive to the left of such line if the solid line is on the right of the broken line for the purpose of turning left into any road or entrance, provided that the vehicle may not travel in such lane further than 150 feet

It wasn’t in VA

Where then? DP here.

Your being entitled doesn't make you right, OP.

Plus, the other guy can change his story at any time, and it won't matter one bit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op no need to call anyone a loser. You know very little about this person. I realize this is very frustrating and obviously the guy is not in the best place generally but just really not a good look or necessary.

I think you just have to exercise some patience. This is why you have uninsured motorist insurance. Your insurance will handle everything and they will either 1) completely fix the car and it will be a nonissue or 2) total the car and reimburse you. You may need to make sure you get a decent price given the car issues right now, and it would be better if it never happened but will still be mostly made whole

I know that his driving record was so bad that he was uninsurable. Yes that is a loser. Sorry if you disagree. I have kids and don’t want people like this on the road.

Okay, well too bad, you can’t always get what you want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Police determined from photos that bc I was stopped and my tires were straight and in the line, I was not at fault and had the right of way.

No one is disputing that the strip mall guy was at fault. There is some question if it's legal to use the center turning lanes for something other than turning (like merging as you were planning to do).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP all of this doesn't really matter since he doesn't have insurance. Are you going to sue him? Sure he was at fault but that doesn't matter unless you are going to sue him directly.

There is no way for any of us to know what your insurance will do with your car. If they total it you will now have a new car payment which will suck because even getting a new car is going to cost you more than what your insurance will pay. Or they will fix your car and you will have to pay your deductible.

Either way you could sue the guy but will get 0 on a totaled car because your insurance has paid you for it or the cost of your deductible that you had to pay to get your car fixed. Courts don't allow you to double dip and have both your insurance and other driver pay you.

Why would she have a car payment? She can pay cash outright for an equivalent used car. Insurance takes market value into account. Why does OP need a new car?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP all of this doesn't really matter since he doesn't have insurance. Are you going to sue him? Sure he was at fault but that doesn't matter unless you are going to sue him directly.

There is no way for any of us to know what your insurance will do with your car. If they total it you will now have a new car payment which will suck because even getting a new car is going to cost you more than what your insurance will pay. Or they will fix your car and you will have to pay your deductible.

Either way you could sue the guy but will get 0 on a totaled car because your insurance has paid you for it or the cost of your deductible that you had to pay to get your car fixed. Courts don't allow you to double dip and have both your insurance and other driver pay you.

Why would she have a car payment? She can pay cash outright for an equivalent used car. Insurance takes market value into account. Why does OP need a new car?

+1. You don’t have to accept your insurance’s initial offer. Find out what you need to buy the same vehicle with similar miles using KBB, Craigslist, etc. Present your market research and ask them for that.

I was able to buy a better car when they totaled mine out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why were you sitting in the center turning lanes if "both directions were clear"? (I understand the bad guy from the strip mall is liable, just trying to figure out what you were doing)

It’s a very fast and busy 4 lane street and that’s just how it’s done. Thank God I was because had I plowed forward it would have been catastrophic. And please stop grilling me on it, it’s been determined on every single level including him admitting fault. He has no insurance and a record. This guy has a history of this.

all agreed - except it's not necessarily legal to use the center turning lanes as a merge lane.
also, this is why we carry uninsured motorist policies.
there are tons of un- and under insured and unlicensed drivers on the road.

It’s legal as long as you aren’t driving in it and you’re stopped. You’re not allowed to drive in and drive over 200 feet in it. If you stop it is legal.

it's legal to hang out stopped in a center turning lane? hmm, did not know that

You dont stop and wait for an opening to turn ? You just barge out when you f'ing feel like it? I didn't know that. Very sad. Are you the culprit in the OP story?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why were you sitting in the center turning lanes if "both directions were clear"? (I understand the bad guy from the strip mall is liable, just trying to figure out what you were doing)

It’s a very fast and busy 4 lane street and that’s just how it’s done. Thank God I was because had I plowed forward it would have been catastrophic. And please stop grilling me on it, it’s been determined on every single level including him admitting fault. He has no insurance and a record. This guy has a history of this.

all agreed - except it's not necessarily legal to use the center turning lanes as a merge lane.
also, this is why we carry uninsured motorist policies.
there are tons of un- and under insured and unlicensed drivers on the road.

It’s legal as long as you aren’t driving in it and you’re stopped. You’re not allowed to drive in and drive over 200 feet in it. If you stop it is legal.

it's legal to hang out stopped in a center turning lane? hmm, did not know that

You dont stop and wait for an opening to turn ? You just barge out when you f'ing feel like it? I didn't know that. Very sad. Are you the culprit in the OP story?

The center turning lane is for turning. Look it up. Report back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So you were not turning into the strip mall, but using the turn lane to merge? I was always taught that was illegal?

The center lane (has arrows right and left) is where you stay to safety get across a road. So if you turn left, you wait in the center lane until traffic is clear to get back on the highway. It’s not illegal. It’s so you don’t cross 3 lanes at once. It was also clear to begin with. He wasn’t looking. There was zero obstruction of my car from either direction.

Our local police instructed us that this is illegal (I haven't researched it myself - but our neighborhood exits onto a main road with a center turning lane so I make this turn multiple times daily). You only make your turn onto the main road when it's clear to get to your travel lane -- police specifically said you could not use the middle lane as an in-between/half-way stopping point to wait until it's clear to get into your travel lane.

What state/locality are you in, if you don’t mind sharing? I’m curious now

- PP who also thought this was illegal

McLean, VA (note that police went to great lengths to explain that this was illegal - basically every driver exiting the neighborhood would do this maneuver daily)

Oh yeah I see what you mean (not PP). I’ve done this before too. Good to know it’s not legal.

the police did NOT in fact explain this to the OP... just in random passing when PP bumped into them and explained the story. (Also something that didn't happen)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why were you sitting in the center turning lanes if "both directions were clear"? (I understand the bad guy from the strip mall is liable, just trying to figure out what you were doing)

It’s a very fast and busy 4 lane street and that’s just how it’s done. Thank God I was because had I plowed forward it would have been catastrophic. And please stop grilling me on it, it’s been determined on every single level including him admitting fault. He has no insurance and a record. This guy has a history of this.

all agreed - except it's not necessarily legal to use the center turning lanes as a merge lane.
also, this is why we carry uninsured motorist policies.
there are tons of un- and under insured and unlicensed drivers on the road.

It’s legal as long as you aren’t driving in it and you’re stopped. You’re not allowed to drive in and drive over 200 feet in it. If you stop it is legal.

it's legal to hang out stopped in a center turning lane? hmm, did not know that

You dont stop and wait for an opening to turn ? You just barge out when you f'ing feel like it? I didn't know that. Very sad. Are you the culprit in the OP story?

The center turning lane is for turning. Look it up. Report back.

OP wasn't turning from the center turning lanes. She was stopped and waiting to merge.

[Anonymous]

Also, the Federal Highway Administration's "Read Your Road" guidelines indicate that, when turning from a side street or driveway onto the main road, you may also use this lane as a temporary refuge to wait for traffic to clear, as long as you pull into the lane and wait and don't use the center-turn lane as an acceleration lane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Police report, my insurance and the insurance he had (that dropped him, he gave policy # at the scene knowing he didn’t have insurance) all determined he was at fault. He admitted fault in his statement. Can I get some advice on navigating the actual insurance to make sure it’s determined totaled and they don’t give me back a car that’s been in a serious accident, it’s not really in question who was at fault in this situation.

There’s nothing wrong with a strip mall, it’s not some nefarious comment as someone mentioned, it’s a very nice “strip” mall with fancy restaurants. It’s just to point out he entered from a side parking lot and you have to yield to current traffic in the road when you come in (boulevard rule) especially when there is not light and you don’t have the right of way.

You need a lawyer

Why? They will take at least 1/3 of the recovery and won’t get you an additional 1/3 more than the insurer will pay voluntarily.

[Anonymous]

The police officer said because I was using it as a refuge in my state and not accelerating and I was fully in the line I was not at fault. He asked were you already stopped and checked the photos showing all tires were straight and in the line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op no need to call anyone a loser. You know very little about this person. I realize this is very frustrating and obviously the guy is not in the best place generally but just really not a good look or necessary.

I think you just have to exercise some patience. This is why you have uninsured motorist insurance. Your insurance will handle everything and they will either 1) completely fix the car and it will be a nonissue or 2) total the car and reimburse you. You may need to make sure you get a decent price given the car issues right now, and it would be better if it never happened but will still be mostly made whole

I know that his driving record was so bad that he was uninsurable. Yes that is a loser. Sorry if you disagree. I have kids and don’t want people like this on the road.

Everybody is insurable if you can pay the bill. How do you know he has a bad driving record.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op no need to call anyone a loser. You know very little about this person. I realize this is very frustrating and obviously the guy is not in the best place generally but just really not a good look or necessary.

I think you just have to exercise some patience. This is why you have uninsured motorist insurance. Your insurance will handle everything and they will either 1) completely fix the car and it will be a nonissue or 2) total the car and reimburse you. You may need to make sure you get a decent price given the car issues right now, and it would be better if it never happened but will still be mostly made whole

I know that his driving record was so bad that he was uninsurable. Yes that is a loser. Sorry if you disagree. I have kids and don’t want people like this on the road.

Everybody is insurable if you can pay the bill. How do you know he has a bad driving record.

Geico said they dropped him and was not insurable and it was not due to missed payments. I found this out because he gave his old policy and she checked if it was a payment issue that could possibly be worked with to show he had coverage and she said no he was dropped from Geico due to his record. No, some carriers will absolutely not carry a high risk person.