Shitty day for Bacpacker

[bacpacker]

Worst day I've had in a long time! Woke up early this morning and took off for work. Stopped at a redlight about 4 miles from work, dark as can be out and the redlight glaring in the darkness. Right as the light changed to green SLAM, Some lady came flying down the road behind me and was paying no attention to what she was doing. Ran flush into the back of my truck. I had stopped around 20 feet or so back from the car in front of me and the impact pushed me up into him. It happened so fast I didn't realize I hit him. Broke my sunvisor with my head, and threw shit everywhere in the truck. When I got out, the lady climbed out of her jeep and came up asking if I was alright. Obviously I was dazed, but generally felt ok other than a pounding headache. Walked around the truck to get out of the road. The guy I hit walked up wanting to figure out what happened. He called the cops who showed up in 5 minutes or so and started assessing everything and doing her report. Finally finished off with the paperwork and released us and I headed on to work.
I find that I have a small cut on my forehead and blood all over my face. We have a medical department at work, so I head there and right away they send me to the ER. Spent most of the day going thru that crap. CT scan and x_rays all came back negative, thankfully. Tonight still got a headache and pretty sore neck and back, plus I realized I banged a knee and hand on something. I'm betting tomorrow will feel even better. Worst part is the wife was all freaked out all day till she heard the results of the test. After what she's been thru herself in the past I can understand.
Truck is most likely toast. The bed will certainly have to be replaced, as will the bumper which is turned down 90 degrees and pushed up under the bed, spare tire carrier which is laying on the rear axle, the bed was shoved into the cab, and looks like the frame is bent. Front bumper and hood has minor damage. Not sure what else yet, haven't felt like looking that much.
Bottom line, even with plenty of get home gear, none of it other than a pair of warm gloves did me any good. Sometimes nothing is gonna help you.

[helomech]

Damn, sorry to hear.

[Sniper-T]

You can't fix stupid!

Really glad you're ok bud!

Break out the ice packs, and take it easy tonight!

[bacpacker]

Been on one mostly since I got home. Pain killer and anti inflammatories as well.
Thanks guys

[Domeguy]

Backpacker, that plan sucks, and I'm sorry to hear that. But I'm gonna give you the same advice I gave Mr. Sniper. Milk it for all you can. Get their insurance to get you a new truck, and you can never know what kind of injuries you will feel next week, next month, or even next year. And as the same advice I gave Sniper, don't forget how enjoyable those bed baths can be.

[bacpacker]

LOL. Dg you are too funny. I had a dyke for a nurse. Don't want no bath from her. (Major shivers)

You are right about future injuries. Never be in a hurry to settle an insurance claim.

[Domeguy]

Well then, you should have told her you refuse to have your temperature taken orally, as you have no idea where the thermometer has been.

[robsdak]

sorry to hear about your accident. glad too hear that your sort of OK. ( i hope this comes out right ) the truck is a minor thing in life, it can be replaced. just worry about you. it is true, all the preps in the world can't prepare you for something you have no control over.

[jamesneuen]

Sorry to hear bacpacker. Hope the other two were alright as well. Did the lady downright admit that she just wasn't paying attention?

[bacpacker]

I'm sure both are probably sore today, but no one seemed to have any major injuries. Her airbags deployed which saved her.
She didn't really say much other than to say she was sorry and to ask if I was alright. Not sure what she told the cops.

[ElevenBravo]

L*A*W*Y*E*R

People with zero care for your safety and property DESERVE to get there ass sued off.. But thats just my thinking..


Speedy recovery (would not need to be said if Murica wasnt so up it's own ass, she was probably texting for FBing)..

EB

[bacpacker]

The lawyer we used when my wife got hit has retired, so we will have to find a new one, if need be. And yeah my bet is she was on her phone. No way she could have missed the light and traffic otherwise, unless she was putting on some makeup :)

[AlphaTea]

bummer dude

[bacpacker]

Went down to clean my stuff out of the truck and got to looking it over. The bed is flex corner to corner. The bed is also buckled about a foot from the tailgate. Front bumper and valance both have minor damage. Not sure if the frame is bent or not, may just be total bed damage.

[Sniper-T]

pics?

[bacpacker]

I haven't taken any yet. trying to get it emptied before the adjuster shows up. I can't believe how much stuff I had in there. I'll try and take some tomorrow. Need to do that for my own use.
I forgot to add in the last post, the upper part of the seat looks to be broken in the middle. It also will not raise up all the way (electric control). Also I was trying to empty the CD changer and it will not eject. Keep finding more wrong.

[ak474u]

I haven't taken any yet. trying to get it emptied before the adjuster shows up. I can't believe how much stuff I had in there. I'll try and take some tomorrow. Need to do that for my own use.
I forgot to add in the last post, the upper part of the seat looks to be broken in the middle. It also will not raise up all the way (electric control). Also I was trying to empty the CD changer and it will not eject. Keep finding more wrong.

Buddy of mine got hit from behind in a ford ranger recently. He had his iPhone in one,of those dash mounted holders so he could use gps hands free. The hit was so hard, the phone went thru the back window and flew 20 feet. He wasn't able to even get the keys out of the ignition it was so bad. Airbag didn't go off, he got a face full of steering wheel and gets to have a little plastic surgery on his forehead soon. Chick that hit him called her cop husband and tried to have my buddy arrested for threatening her which didn't happen, so it could have been worse.

[realist]

Hey just saw this and it sucks. The thing which bothers me the most is why did you leave the scene?? What I mean by this is why didn't someone or the cop call for an ambulance? With blood on your face it is a no brainer you hit something so you should have been checked out. It may not have been safe for you to drive. Don't worry about the lawyer there are more than enough to go around. DON'T get one until you have done your due diligence on them. It never sees to amaze me after a couple of days the spots you are sore from which you did not realize you hit the first day. One other thing regarding your truck, if the bed is shot then the frame is probably shot so make sure they make it right, either your insurance or their insurance.

[bacpacker]

Yeah no rush on a lawyer. By law we have a full year to file if need be.

The cop ask if we needed medical care. All reufused. That was my call. I have a couple shops, including a dealer that I can get to check it out if it's not totaled. I need a long bed which is hard to find in the truck I have. I will hold out for a equivalent replacement.

[realist]

That is one time you need to bite the bullet and get checked out, just in case. You would have insisted for the wife you should also do it for yourself. I'm glad you are alright.

I guess a new truck is out???

[bacpacker]

I really didn't feel the need for medical care. The cut is very minor, no depth at all. Using Neosporin on it, it has already scabbed over and mostly healed. I knew our work facility has a medical department and fully intended to go there once I got to work. They suggested I go on to the ER, which I did. All test were negative.

Yeah, now is not the time for us to purchase a new truck. Other financial stuff to deal with. I don't think Toyota even sells long beds now. I have found 3 very similar trucks online that would work, so I am not out of options if mine is toast.

[Metrocruiser]

Oh man, sorry to hear about your incident. I hope you do not have any hidden after effects pop up. *X's fingers*

I hope they can check the time of the accident and check her cell phone log to see if she was on the phone at the moment of impact.
These people need to get fu#@ed over bad so that others can see that it is not worth it to talk/text and drive.

[bacpacker]

I will be requesting the cell log, if the police haven't already.

[Stormfeather]

Sorry to hear this brother, count your blessings that you are uninjured, and have your wits still. Objects can be replaced, you cannot. Lets the lawyers do what lawyers do best, thats the way I see it. You take it easy in the meantime!

[Sniper-T]

Toy does still make long boxes... but they are special order. may take 6 months or more to get it.

[bacpacker]

I saw that while ago. I just don't want to spend the funds on a new one. I may just do without for a while and keep my eyes open. Something I do want will pop up at some point. It did for my current one.

[ak474u]

I sW that while ago. I just don't want to spend the funds on a new one. I may just do without for a while and keep my eyes open. Something I do want will pop up at some point. It did for my current o e.


Just buy one of these. Lol

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landmaster

[bacpacker]

Oh shit AK, that is awesome. Crazy, paying no attention to nothing lady won't be totalling that with a jeep!

Down side is, I don't see her insurance Co forking over 350K for my truck.

[ak474u]

Oh shit AK, that is awesome. Crazy, paying no attention to nothing lady won't be totalling that with a jeep!

Down side is, I don't see her insurance Co forking over 350K for my truck.

Just tell them you had a Picasso and a summer sausage in the bed of the truck.

[Stg1swret]

That sucks, make sure you get the accident reporters report. Sounds like she never hit the brakes. Probably on the phone so cell records. Put everything including your medical reports in a file. Find a good accident lawyer.
Keep a daily log of how you feel, including pain. Rear end collisions have a habit of causing injuries that don't show right away.

[bacpacker]

Hadn't considered a daily log. Good call on that. Already doing the other stuff

[ElevenBravo]

Keep a daily log of how you feel, including pain.
If it had been myself, my daily log would be an entertaining read.. Quite a read it would be! Blood in my urine, unable to get out of bed.. loss of consciousness, list goes on.. and on.. and on... Im sure for the right amount of money my symptoms may subside.

But seriously, once you "cash the check", your DONE. No more going back (AFAIK), so make SURE you have enough to cover an unexpected consequence that may develop LATER.

EB

[Gunfixr]

Glad to hear you're OK. You should always get checked out after something that big. You could've had internal injuries you couldn't feel yet, as evidenced by the much increased pain I know you have felt days after by now.
Don't know about where you are, but here, a rear end collision results in one of two charges: following too closely, or reckless driving. Since you can't follow a vehicle that's not moving......
Her insurance should cover everything, any medical bills, the vehicle, and something for pain and suffering.
She will never admit to using phone, if she was.
I was a witness in a trial where a woman ran over a guy in a wheelchair, killing him. She kept going. In court, she claimed she never saw him, and while she knew she hit something, she didn't think it was anything of note. It was a compact car. He was trying to cross the road. For her not to have seen him, she had to not be paying attention at all.

[bacpacker]

Spoke with her insurance yesterday and they did accept responsibility. That's first step. Getting a rental today and the adjuster is suppose to be out tomorrow to look at my truck. We'll see where that goes.
I've started a daily journal that includes everything pertaining to the wreck from pain, to phone calls, to anything I have to do that I wouldn't otherwise have had to do.

[ak474u]

If it had been myself, my daily log would be an entertaining read.. Quite a read it would be! Blood in my urine, unable to get out of bed.. loss of consciousness, list goes on.. and on.. and on... Im sure for the right amount of money my symptoms may subside.

But seriously, once you "cash the check", your DONE. No more going back (AFAIK), so make SURE you have enough to cover an unexpected consequence that may develop LATER.

EB

Tell them... "I just want the nightmares to stop". The insurance people love that. Lol

[robsdak]

my favorite is... 'my neck, my back, my dick! my neck, my back, my dick!' get's them every time.

[bacpacker]

For some wrecks nightmares are part of it. After the wife's first wreck, she was diagnosed with PTSD. Suffered from dreams, flashbacks, just general freakouts while riding down the road (cars gonna cross the line, pull out in front, etc) and dealt with that for several years regularly. 20+ years later she still has a small episode every now and then.

[ElevenBravo]

Tell them... "I just want the nightmares to stop". The insurance people love that. Lol

Damn AK, I laughed my ass off on that one!!

EB

[Sniper-T]

^
I laughed too, but be careful with that!

A co-workers wife had a traumatic incident not unlike yours bp... she mentioned her nightmares and flashbacks, and they pulled her licence and made her go to therapy for over 2 years. They covered the therapy, but not the taxi's and buses and bummed rides; nor the time he had to take off work to drive her around.

[jamesneuen]

Worst case of nervous driving I ever got was right after I took our offensive drivers school followed immediately by explosive handling. I learned how to handle large vehicles great but I was super paranoid for the longest time.

[Gunfixr]

I had a front tire blow out on a tractor/dump trailer.
I heard the tire blow, looked around, thought it was a drive tire, so I just kept going, headed for the next exit. Never made it. It just started drifting off to the right, no matter what I did. I broke the cruise control (set at 68), and it all went south. Took out 1/10 mile of guardrail, down a 15ft embankment, and went right through 6 trees.
Coming up hard and fast on a hickory, about 2 1/2ft in diameter. Looked like that was the end of the ride, the truck would hit that and stop, and fully loaded trailer would keep going, and squash me like a bug. Something happened, and when I woke up, a few minutes later, that tree was about 20ft away, I had stopped.
Turned out, the fifth wheel had ripped off the frame, trailer fell to the side, the truck alone, much lighter, couldn't keep going. The front axle had been pushed back to the fuel tanks.
That's where my back got trashed.
About 3-4 months later, taking that first Drive in a truck again, was real nerve wracking.

[realist]

Angels watching over you.....

[Sniper-T]

good on you for jumping back on the horse. Musta been tough!

[jamesneuen]

Now a feel like a pansy for my back problems, lol

[Gunfixr]

It happened late fall, wife wasn't working, young kid at home. Spent thanksgiving and Christmas trying to survive on med comp pay, which is the same as unemployment.
Then, once released, the company wouldn't bring me back, ended up having to file unemployment. They fought, I won. So, they brought me back. Worked a week or so, was fired, something about a new policy they couldn't keep anybody that had had an accident in the previous year.
Ended up on unemployment through the summer, had to file bankruptcy.
This was about 18yrs ago.
Really, only one good thing came out of it, well, maybe two. We still don't have credit cards, we either can buy something, or we can't (kinda nice). Wife was so happy I survived (should've seen the truck, son saw and started screaming "daddy's dead" over and over, he hadn't seen or talked to me yet), she ended up pregnant with our daughter (the better part).
Never underestimate the power of the female to get what she wants. I hurt so bad, all over, I figured it wasn't happening, and didn't much care. Told her if she could make it work, she could have it.
Our daughter graduates high school next summer.

Probably didn't do my injured back any good. Now, I wake up with it hurting pretty solidly most mornings.

[Domeguy]

See Sniper...I told you those bed baths could be enjoyable.:)

[bacpacker]

WOW Fixer, amazing you made it out of that. Grateful you did.

[mitunnelrat]

Well, I'm damn glad to have both of you to talk to. Sucks about your truck, bp, it was a nice one. I still have cringe over that fumbled mag bouncing off it!

Gf... just how many near death experiences have you had!? I seem to recall something with a fast food restaurant as well.

[Gunfixr]

Yeah, Arby's gave me food poisoning so bad I ended up with a hernia, the kind where your intestines are pinched in the rip. Woke up puking shit. They said I had about 12hrs, if I elected to skip surgery.

Several years later, had an endoscopy, I have barretts disease, so I must have them every two years. They nicked a vein taking a sample. Later that day, I was pretty trashed, puking blood, lots of it, crapping blood, I'd pass out just standing up. They think I lost between 2 and 3 liters of blood. You only have 5 or 6. I was only minutes from death that day. In the er, they would not leave me unattended. All my limbs and head was gray, only my torso had any color. My heart was pounding, trying to supply the body with nothing, my BP was 250 over 190.
I was in and out of consciousness, really felt like shit.
They had 2 ivs going. Took months to get over it.

[Sniper-T]

Yep... that would suck a lot too!

I spent most of a week after I died the first time, slipping and sliding around on a sheet of plastic, while bleeding freely from every orifice and pore. Every part of me hurt so bad I wished I stayed dead...

After a straight week on morphine, and another week on codeine, once again, I wished I stayed dead, rather than trying to pass #10 can sized rock solid poops. :eek:

I still think I would choose that over puking shit!

[Gunfixr]

Puked shit 4 separate times that morning, before they got me into surgery.
Since then, I have yet to say that anything I've eaten "tasted like shit", since nothing I have ever eaten has.
And I sincerely hope it doesn't...............