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What might start as a road trip to freedom, a drive to work, or a holiday shopping excursion can result in unexpected accidents that have a lasting impact. Car accidents change lives, sometimes forever. The World Health Organization estimates that car accidents can cost a country as much as 3 percent of its gross domestic product annually.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), millions of people are injured in car accidents annually. Car accidents cost America as much as $871 billion every year. For anybody who has never been in an accident, being in a car and surrounded by a machine often makes us feel safe.
However, when an accident happens, life can change in an instant. At Arash Law, our car accident attorneys help individuals navigate the challenges that follow a crash. If you have been in an accident, our team can help you understand your legal options and pursue compensation for your injuries and losses. Call us at (888) 488-1391, and weโll provide a free initial case review.
Many people experience car accidents, and these incidents can affect their lives. Take a moment to look at these horror stories of car accident victims just like you.
โDrinking And Driving Gone Horribly Wrongโ
I lost my best friend to a drunk driver. I watched him die. It was the worst thing Iโve ever experienced in my life. He was gone by the time the paramedics arrived. They had estimated that I had been able to talk to him for approximately three to four minutes before he passed away.
We had gone driving on the back roads. We were driving a sedan and were going approximately 55 mph. A Ford F450 appeared, and it was being driven erratically. It hit us.
During the crash, my friend was ejected from the sedan. The sedan had OnStar, which called for help right away. While we waited for help, he was conscious and was able to talk to me for a few minutes before he died.
I would later learn that he had suffered from multiple broken bones and ruptured organs. I also learned that the F450 driver was drunk at the time of the accident. The Ford driver had fled the scene but turned himself in a few days later.
He got 15 months in prison for killing my friend. This was the first car accident horror story that changed my life. My friend was 18 and had not even graduated from high school. He already thought that he would be going to college on a full-ride scholarship.
โDonโt Ever Look Away While Youโre Movingโ
I had just gotten my driverโs license and only had it for a week after my sixteenth birthday when it happened. I was borrowing my parentsโ โ91 Civic that had 5,000 miles on it. They let me use it to drive myself to work. We lived in San Francisco, and I worked in South San Francisco at the time. It was an easy drive down 101 to get to work.
The day of the accident was a Saturday morning. I was excited to be driving myself, and I thought I would hit the McDonaldโs drive-through before work. One coffee and one McMuffin, and I was on my way. They had given me a cardboard tray for my drink, and I had put it on the passenger side floor on my way to work.
When I got to work, it was a left turn into the parking lot. That was enough to tip my coffee over, and it began spilling everywhere. Without thinking, I reached down to grab it to pick it up, and that was when I had the accident. In the second it took to look away, I plowed into a parked van. I was devastated. I left a note on the van.
When I went to work, I cried and got some support from a good friend. I was still able to drive the car home and face my folks. The only thing I could tell them was that I had washed the car the day before and had used too much Armor All on the steering wheel.
Needless to say, they werenโt too happy. The car was out of commission for three weeks, but we were able to get it back after that. In the meantime, my friend who was there the day of the accident for me was able to give me a ride to work.
โDefinitely Didnโt See That Comingโ
I really didnโt see it coming. One minute, I am off to the gym before work, with my fiancรฉ driving behind me. The next minute, my Jeep is totaled and declared a biohazard due to the amount of blood in the car. I was turning left on a road with two lanes on each side. It was a left I had been taking every day for months. I did what I always do. I looked both ways, thought I was good to go, and pulled out.
The next thing I know, I am hearing the loudest sound of crunching metal Iโve ever heard and the sound of glass breaking. I had been hit by a Tahoe on the driverโs side when I was trying to cross the intersection. I still donโt remember seeing him, even before the collision.
After it happened, I was still sitting in the car, just seeing lights from other cars zoom past me. For some reason, I just wanted to get the car off the road, but I couldnโt drive it. It wouldnโt even move. It had come to rest in the median separating the two sides of the road. I just kept thinking, โThis is a nightmare. I will wake up from this in a minute.โ It was a nightmare, but it was real.
I was lucky to have my fiancรฉ in the car behind me. He got to me right away and helped me get out of the car through the passenger seat because the driverโs side door had been completely crushed. I felt bad that he saw that it had happened to me, and I felt bad that my bloody face had scared him.
It took me some time to really realize what had happened to me. That is because of the adrenaline my body pumped during the crash. I didnโt even feel pain right away. I went to the hospital by ambulance, but was very lucky. I couldnโt walk the first day.
By the time the adrenaline wore off, I had realized how sore my left side really was. I also had five stitches put in my forehead after the glass was removed. My poor Jeep was done after $15,000 of body damage. The engine was totaled, and so was the transmission. It was a write-off.
The insurance adjuster declared it a biohazard as a result of the blood loss. CD cases in my console were also cracked. But I was okay! It is normal not to feel pain right away after a major car accident.
In such cases, motor vehicle accident attorneys urge victims to seek immediate medical help even if they donโt feel any pain.
โOh! My Deer!โ
It was a deer accident, and it still bothers me. It was 2009, I had just graduated from high school and was 3 days into my new 2009 Honda Fit that my dad had helped me to buy. I also had my first job, working at a supermarket. I was working the 5 pm-10 pm shift and didnโt have a curfew because I had my full license.
After work, on occasion, I would go to a friendโs house to hang out. This time, I was so excited because of the car. I couldnโt wait to show it off. I left work that night like it was a normal night. I took NJ RT 79, a perfectly routine route for me.
After being on it for only two miles, a deer ran in front of my car. I had no time at all to react. I was so panicked I couldnโt stop the car. It seemed the car was fine, as no airbags had deployed, but it wasnโt.
This was my first accident, and I just didnโt know what to do. I realized I was too shaken and pulled over. I called the police and my dad and sat by the side of the road, completely defeated.
It was upsetting to see that I had killed the deer. It was even more upsetting to learn that the accident had totaled my entire right front quarter panel.
Thankfully, the car was not a loss. Within two weeks, we had it back, and it looked brand new. The damage to the car was $7,500.
Still, I was traumatized. When driving at night, I can still almost imagine a deer coming in front of my car again. I worry about it happening again because it was such a random act of nature event. I just know it could happen again easily.
โCutting Classes On The Wrong Dayโ
My first car accident may not sound like a horror story, but I consider it one because it has changed me as a person. I was 17 years old. It was during the late โ70s when the drinking age was 18, and store clerks didnโt ask for ID as much as they do today.
DUIs were a big deal, but they werenโt what they are today. A friend and I thought we would have a cool day where we would skip school, knock a six-pack back, and have some fun. We had spent the day drinking, but in retrospect, I had only had about three beers.
The plan was to go back to school when school was done, so my buddy could pick up his own car and go home. When we were heading back to the school, we headed into an afternoon shower. The roads had just started to get wet and were slick.
I went into a sharp turn, one I had done many times before, even with the roads wet. Iโm not sure, but I think my speed might have been a bit higher than it should have been. When I tried to turn the wheel, the wheel did not respond.
Instead, the car crossed over the double yellow line, and I hit an oncoming car. That car was also slightly over the line. The collision stopped us both, which was dangerous. Either one or both of us could have been hit by traffic from either direction. I managed to reverse out of the position and get to the side of the road. My friend and I got out of the car and checked for injuries.
It seemed like we were acting on adrenaline alone. We were both okay, but the driver of the other vehicle had really injured her knee in the accident. This accident happened in the old school days when there were no smartphones to call for help or document the scene.
A neighbor in the area heard the accident and called the police for us. The sheriff came right away and took our statements. They took good care of us. They had trucks come to tow both cars and called the husband of the other driver to come to pick up his wife. The sheriff even gave me a ride back home.
When we got to my house, I took my momโs car to go and get my friendโs car at school. He went home. When my dad got home, we went to the lot where my car was towed, and it was horrifying to see. I thought he would be furious and thought I was done and grounded forever. He just said he was glad I was okay.
The other driver had ended up with an injured knee and was able to get compensation from her insurance company for it. Nobody ever learned of the six-pack that day. Nobody ever asked about us missing school.
When I think about that day, almost 40 years later, I think of how it changed me a little. If that accident had happened today, it would have changed the entire course of my life. If I had gotten DUI charges, I would never have been allowed to enlist in the military.
My dadโs reaction made an impact on me that I know will last the rest of my life. I would never forget that. It taught me about being a good dad. When my own kids were involved in similar situations, I knew how they needed me to handle it.
Talk To A California Car Accident Attorney To Understand Your Case
At Arash Law, we understand that everyoneโs first car accident can be a horror story. Some are minor, and others are fatal. Regardless, it can still be a frightening experience. In some cases, it may lead to serious consequences, such as amputations.
If youโve been in a car accident in California, our team can provide legal support. We have experience representing car accident victims across the state of California. Call (888) 488-1391 for a free initial consultation of your case.
