Be Safe Out There

[pdamski]

Ouch, glad no one was seriously injured. Accident happens.

I completely agree. This is why we all carry insurance (hopefully). I believe I will get my car back in good condition at some point soon. The real issue with little events like this is the effect on resale later. Now CARFAX will have a record and the car will always be haunted by the incident.

 

[Joshan]

thats why you have to go after them for diminished value

 

[Kermee]

What could that driver have possibly been looking at to not see you coming? I know there are plenty of things to distract people, but who the heck tries to turn across oncoming traffic without looking at the oncoming traffic? Super frustrating. Glad you’re alright.

My initial reaction was the same as yours. However, if I were to give the benefit of the doubt to the at-fault driver, there could have been a scenario where:

1. There were two vehicles directly in front of pdamski that were turning into, ironically, a gas station.

2. Moments later right as pdamski starts to speed up slowly, a vehicle in the center lane enters the picture and completely blocks her view of pdamski's vehicle.

3. At that point, she could be under the assumption there's no vehicles after the center vehicle and pdamski might have turned into the gas station along with the two vehicles in front of him.

4. She begins her turn thinking she's clear, but if you notice the angle of the shadows on the ground, she's turning directly into the direction of the sun and could/might be distracted from it.

This is what I think is one of the most likely reasons this accident occurred. Obviously, being utterly distracted in the vehicle is the other possibility while she was making the turn; I noticed the van had multiple occupants and she kept on making the turn so either the other occupants in the vehicle didn't see pdamski also and not warn her to stop or they were completely oblivious also.

But glad it sounds like everyone was okay except the poor Model 3.

 

[Rojer Lockless]

I completely agree. This is why we all carry insurance (hopefully). I believe I will get my car back in good condition at some point soon. The real issue with little events like this is the effect on resale later. Now CARFAX will have a record and the car will always be haunted by the incident.

Call their insurance once everything is repaired and tell them you are filing a diminished value claim. The'll cut you a check on the spot for 2-5 grand as a sorry, for lowering your car's value.

 

[SMAlset]

Yes, thanks. All parts accounted for. I think I fixed the privacy issue with the videos.

Looking at your left repeater video first stuff like this comes out of the blue so quickly although she clearly wasn't looking to her left to notice you. Hope your car is back to you soon. When my husband's MS was damaged the longest part was getting an appointment at the Tesla body shop but for him the repair was less than a week and they did a nice job. He was lucky in that he could drive it in the meantime. I think our TelsaCam's have come in very handy for a lot of people already. It's amazing how bad drivers are once you start seeing all the videos popping up.

 

[Tron 3]

Not saying this is the case here, but I have noticed in my own driving that there is a difference in perception of timing that people are not accustomed to a car's ability to accelerate as fast as a Tesla can - closing the distance quicker than was anticipated.
Ask me how I know that...

Glad there were no injuries. Looking at that damage puts a knot in my gut, I can only imagine how you feel.

 

[siucity]

4. She begins her turn thinking she's clear, but if you notice the angle of the shadows on the ground, she's turning directly into the direction of the sun and could/might be distracted from it.

View attachment 403384

This is what I think is one of the most likely reasons this accident occurred. Obviously, being utterly distracted in the vehicle is the other possibility while she was making the turn; I noticed the van had multiple occupants and she kept on making the turn so either the other occupants in the vehicle didn't see pdamski also and not warn her to stop or they were completely oblivious also.

But glad it sounds like everyone was okay except the poor Model 3.

Although looking at the length of the shadow relatively to the height of the pole, the sun should not have been a factor. Unless she's looking upwards approximately 60°.

 

[afadeev]

I almost was able to avoid the left turner. Dang it.

Sorry it happened to you!

Is it just me, or does the car look driveable?
If Tesla body shops are as backed up as others say, you should be able to cut off the loose bumper and inner fender plastic bits, and continue driving the car. Unless you prefer rolling in the insurance-sponsored rental car.

Were the police interested in seeing the dash cam?

I don't see why they would.
It's brain-dead obvious what happened, where, how, and whose fault it was.

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