Originally Posted by
7milesout
Thanks for the replies. I'll try to explain the accident quickly. It was at a T-Intersection with a traffic light. He was approaching the intersection from the top right of the T and was going to turn left to go down the bottom leg of the T. The thing to keep in mind is that if you were to proceed going straight at the top of the T, the top left side of the T is a right hand curve. So seeing through the intersection is somewhat tricky due to the curve, especially when there's lots of traffic. I've seen many accidents at this intersection.
So, he was turning left. There is a left turn arrow but it had ended and becomes a yield to turn left and he was the 2nd car back turning left. The other trick to this intersection is that the oncoming cars, that are intending to turn right to go down the T, have a yield sign and are supposed to stop to let the left turners (like my son was doing) proceed. But many right turners don't know this as it is not generally the case, so left turners like my son have to watch the right turners to avoid collisions. Anyway, he was 2 deep turning left. There was one oncoming right turner waiting, and another car coming he wasn't sure if it was going straight or turning right also.
The car in front cleared, and as he was just sort of creeping to ensure the 1st oncoming right turner would continue to yield, and the 2nd car was actually turning right also and would have to wait on the one in front correctly yielding, WHAM, he got hit in the right by a teenie bopper girl that was in the oncoming fast lane. I went to the accident scene. Blond headed ditsy looking girl. He fixated on the oncoming yielders turning right, and creeped out into the intersection not paying attention to the other lanes coming around that curve. There was a lady that witnessed the accident and she said the teenie bopper girl never slowed down even though my son was clearly in her way in the intersection ... as if said teenie bopper girl was focused on her phone. Which was not able to be confirmed ... and in any event my son was in the way. It was his fault either way. But I'm guessing the accident could have been avoided or lessened to a large degree if the girl had paid attention to him being in her way.
Seriously, my son is tore up about this. He is going over the deep end about how bad he feels. He crushed his car he loved, he caused ANOTHER car to be probably totaled, almost got people hurt, and is tore up that he wasted so much money. He's beating himself up about it, and knows he screwed up. Makes me feel bad because I told him, if you crash and it is your fault, the car is gone. I stressed that to him, and now it has come to pass.
How I proceed from here, I'm not sure yet. I am going to let a body shop look at it and see if the door mounts can be straightened up so a replacement used door could function. And slap some bondo here and there and then hit it with single stage black. I ain't wanting a show car when all is said and done. Just a functioning door. I don't give a rats behind about the underbody. My son said he was fine with that too. Surely that can be done for less than another used G35. At the accident scene, I saw that the 2 right side wheels were unaffected, so I convinced the poeleece to just let us drive it home. And we did. It drives fine. He likes his car, has a sense for value, and doesn't mind if it has imperfections, even big imperfections.
I'm not rich, but I'm not poor either. If he had been uncaring and nonchalant about the situation, things would be different. But he's got a good heart, he's a good person. And my wife even said if any of our boys were going to crash a car, she would never suspect it would be him. He has been a very careful driver.