Last September 2015, we bought Cheesecake to the vet for another shot of her vaccinations. Unfortunately, on our way home, we got involved in a road accident with multiple collisions. A 10-wheeler truck driving through the Circumferential Road in Bacolod had a brake malfunction that led to a major road mishap involving a total of 7 vehicles.
Though we are still very thankful that there are no casualties involved. Damage to property was extensive since the truck which carried a heavy equipment/ backhoe had hit a Kia Avanza, Nissan Pathfinder whose tires blew up, a 2-month-old Mitsubishi Montero, a 6-wheeler truck carrying sacks of cement, a motorcycle with a sidecar and our Nissan Sentra.
It was our first time to be involved in an accident and I had a mix of emotions. There was shock, fear, anxiety, and anger. I composed myself and went down the car. I saw the driver and just looked at him with the facial expression "What the hell did just happen?" He was apologetic and was explaining about the brakes. So, I just let go. We checked on the other cars if anyone was injured then found a way to contact my dad.
Since I have always believed that everything happens for a reason, let me share some life lessons and realizations I have because of the accident.
1. Always wear your seat belt. I know a lot of us are guilty of not wearing seat belts all the time. Most drivers and passengers only wear them because of the fear of getting apprehended. But I tell you, it makes a difference. I was lucky to be wearing a seat belt during the accident. The impact was strong and without it, I could have hit my head on the dashboard.
2. Accidents happen in a blink of an eye. Yes, accidents happen very fast and at a time you least expect it. Val and I were happy having a conversation and boom! The damage has been done. It is the same reason why we should never text and drive because your eyes and focus should always be on the road.
3. Always check your brakes. Driving your car is not all about getting your car to move without problems. It is also very important that we check our cars for our own safety, Make sure that the brakes are working, tires are good and the steering wheel is moving freely, etc. I know that accidents can't be controlled (that's why they are called accidents) but that only gives us enough reason not to drive very fast because the faster you are, the harder for you to control your vehicle in cases of brake malfunction or accidents.
4. Never drive without your valid driver's license and registration papers. In case of accidents, there would be a traffic investigator who would make an incident report. They would be asking for these documents.
5. Make sure to charge your phones, I was in a hurry when we left home and forgot to charge my home. I have a measly 20% battery. So, after a few calls and messages, my phone died. Val also did not bring his phone because he said he was with me and wouldn't need to text anyone. Well, during the accident, I did not have a way to contact my dad for help. We ended up asking a stranger to text my dad for me. We also did not have a way to take pictures as evidence that we had to rely on the ones taken by the police.
It took some time for our car to get fixed. Apparently, the truck who hit us did not have on-damage insurance. So, negotiating with them was a bit hard. Will post updates about our case. The only thing that we are certain is that they are the ones responsible for the damages. How we wished to have owned a dashboard camera so that the negotiations should have been faster with more evidence. On the other hand, I have also realized how important it is to have a comprehensive insurance and not just the TPL required by LTO because once you're at fault, the stress and liability is so extensive.
The truck lost its brakes, my ass. That's an overused alibi to make it sound like the accident the truck driver caused was beyond his control. Cargo trucks or delivery trucks have strict ETA's to meet and out of frustration for the high likelihood of not meeting the ETA (because of heavy traffic), they just end up driving recklessly. A delivery truck is owned by a company and should most likely be financially capable of shouldering the damages, with or without insurance. I'd rather have my car get hit by a truck (but not fatally, ha) or a bus than a jeepney whose owner is also the driver.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, they were asking if we had our on-damage insurance and if yes,they wanted us to use that instead. It was a chaos when we met for settlement. The representative they sent couldn't answer questions. My dad will be going to the their office directly to talk to the owner. If all else fails, we may have to resort to filing civil charges which I think would be such a hassle. I just hope there is something that could be done to regulate this un-roadworthy vehicles and reckless drivers.
DeleteThe truck lost its brakes, my ass. That's an overused alibi to make it sound like the accident the truck driver caused was beyond his control. Cargo trucks or delivery trucks have strict ETA's to meet and out of frustration for the high likelihood of not meeting the ETA (because of heavy traffic), they just end up driving recklessly. A cargo/delivery truck is owned by a company and should most likely be financially capable of shouldering the damages, with or without insurance. I'd rather have my car get hit by a truck (but not fatally, ha) or a bus than a jeepney whose owner is also the driver.
ReplyDeleteThey are trying to talk you in to using your own insurance so that all they have to pay is the participation fee. In the photo, I can see that your car is the old 1989-90-ish Nissan Sentra, the one long before the ECCS series was released. At the age of your car, I don't think it can still be insured. But if it is insured, I don't see any problem if you use that as long as they pay the participation fee. As the inconvenienced ones, you should be calling the shots. Don't ever give in if they tell you where to have the car fixed. Have your trusted restoration shop do the fixing kasi if you bring it to the shop where they tell you to bring it to, chances are, the quality of the repair will just be substandard with the "pwede na yan" or "hindi na halata yan" mentality. Bring it to a shop of your choice that the trucking company doesn't know the owner of para walang inside job na tipirin ang pag ayos.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Patrick. Will keep that in mind. :) Honestly, I do not have any idea how to handle a situation like this.
DeleteI was once rear ended by a private SUV. I hit the brakes and after 2 seconds, a 2013 Chevrolet hit my rear. I was at a total rage because for one, my then 6 year old son and the flow of traffic wasn't really complicated, just the usual stop and go, which led me to believe that he might be using his phone. I went down and went straight to the driver (without looking at the damage) and pushed the driver against his SUV. When we became calm, he was telling me that he knows this "great shop" who can fix the damage like nothing happened. Hindi ako pumayag. I told him that only someone I can trust can fix my car. Wala siyang nagawa but to give me the amount stated in the quote of my trusted shop.
ReplyDeleteWhen we met for settlement, the owners of the Montero and Nissan Pathfinder were really fuming mad because of the same reason as yours. Unfortunately, the representative isn't helpful. It already took us several hours and still no agreement reached. Thus, we decided to just leave and talk to the owner directly instead since their office is near our place. Will meet them tomorrow and hopefully, it gets resolved.
DeleteLet me know how it goes. I'm sure they will do everything to delay the process. Just bear with it but DO NOT let them impose anything because you are the victim. If they don't agree with what you want, sue them to kingdom come. It will be a headache to you but it will be more than just a headache to them because the truck will be impounded as it will be used as evidence. So not only will the process be time consuming to them, it will also impact them financially kasi kulang na ang mga trucks nila.
DeleteThank you, Patrick!
DeleteYou're welcome, Clarice. Just remember that you are the victims so DO NOT let them impose anything. If they dare you to just go to court, do it. It will be a headache for you but it will be a headache for them too because the truck will be impounded as it will be used as evidence. Let me know how it goes.
ReplyDelete