Got hit while making left on green arrow, other person claims I ran red. California

[Employee]

i was making a legal left on a green left arrow, so the other person had to have run a red light to hit the side of my car with the front of theirs. but theyre claiming that i was the one who ran a red to my insurance adjuster. i couldnt believe it when the adjuster told me this; after he hit us, he looked ashamed and wouldnt say much. at the scene, this guy even asked me what had happened, i explained he hit us when we were making a turn on a green arrow and he didnt deny it, he stayed quiet.

there was no police report taken -- the police only gave us papers with basic info we couldve gotten ourselves. this person is also claiming to have a witness that corroborates their story, but this fake witness is a liar, and they werent present when the accident took place. i called the police right away and my wife actively sought witnesses with no luck. i did see he was on the phone for a long time after the accident, and another guy came up to him at least 30 min after the fact. im guessing this is the so-called witness. is there anything i can do?

can i get a lie detector test? get his cell phone records to see if this fake witness is the one he contacted after he hit us? im really disheartened by the fact that what really happened may not matter at all. and this guy might get away with not having to pay for his carelessness. is there anything i can do? i called a lawyer and they said that because no police report was taken, it would just be my word against his.

[cactus jack]

i was making a legal left on a green left arrow, so the other person had to have run a red light to hit the side of my car with the front of theirs. but theyre claiming that i was the one who ran a red to my insurance adjuster. i couldnt believe it when the adjuster told me this; after he hit us, he looked ashamed and wouldnt say much. at the scene, this guy even asked me what had happened, i explained he hit us when we were making a turn on a green arrow and he didnt deny it, he stayed quiet.

there was no police report taken -- the police only gave us papers with basic info we couldve gotten ourselves. this person is also claiming to have a witness that corroborates their story, but this fake witness is a liar, and they werent present when the accident took place. i called the police right away and my wife actively sought witnesses with no luck. i did see he was on the phone for a long time after the accident, and another guy came up to him at least 30 min after the fact. im guessing this is the so-called witness. is there anything i can do?

Hire a lawyer. Have you been charged yet?

can i get a lie detector test?

Yep. IF you have the money. Have you been charged yet?

get his cell phone records to see if this fake witness is the one he contacted after he hit us?

If you can convince the court to order the release of such records. To do that you need to file a motion of discovery. BUT, that's if this is a traffic law or criminal case. Have you been charged yet?

im really disheartened by the fact that what really happened may not matter at all. and this guy might get away with not having to pay for his carelessness. is there anything i can do?

Have you been charged yet?

i called a lawyer and they said that because no police report was taken, it would just be my word against his.

Correct. Have you been charged yet?

[Employee]

no, i havent been charged.

[cactus jack]

You're putting the horse before the cart. Don't worry about it until it happens.

[Employee]

well, if anything i wanna charge the other guy. how can i go about that? i called a lawyer and he sounded uninterested, like i had no case. ive never taken anyone to court before, so i dont know if im looking at the right things.

[cactus jack]

well, if anything i wanna charge the other guy. how can i go about that? i called a lawyer and he sounded uninterested, like i had no case. ive never taken anyone to court before, so i dont know if im looking at the right things.

Why charge them? Criminally? I guess file a complaint with the police and let the cops deal with it. Civilly? Ask yourself this- Who was injured? Who was at fault? Who was insured? Did the insurance pay up or not?

[Employee]

i hit my head, but i dont think it was anything serious. he was at fault, but hes lying and saying i was, and even has a fake witness supposedly. the adjuster from my insurance company is still looking into it. but i figure hes less likely to keep lying if hes taken to court.

[cactus jack]

i hit my head, but i dont think it was anything serious. he was at fault, but hes lying and saying i was, and even has a fake witness supposedly. the adjuster from my insurance company is still looking into it. but i figure hes less likely to keep lying if hes taken to court.

Did you see a doctor?

[Employee]

yeah, i saw a doctor. just a regular doctor, no specialist or anything. i had some bruising on my scalp but that was it -- thats what he told me. i had a mild headache for the first day or two.

[cactus jack]

Did you report this to the adjuster?

[Employee]

yeah, i let him know. he didnt say much about it.

[Troubleshooter]

Was the other car turning on red?

It happens too often that the driver turning on red looks to his left, but doesn't look for an oncoming car turning left on an arrow.

[Employee]

i was turning left on a green arrow and the other driver ran a red and hit the passenger side of my car. im guessing he saw the green arrow from his side and confused it for the one allowing through traffic to advance.

[Road Warrior]

JMHO, but if he's smart enough to keep his mouth shut at the scene, he's smart enough to know he's at fault.

I think he's just trying to limit his responsibility in the accident...best case scenario for him, worse for you is he's 51% at fault and you're 50%. The cars' damage tells the whole story. He didn't have proper control of his vehicle. He's lucky it wasn't a pedestrian crossing at that time.

You could get a copy of the police report......

[Employee]

the cops gave me a little piece of paper with basic info from the other driver. they didnt file a police report for it, they even checked off a box on that card thing they gave me saying that no report was taken... i dont know what im gonna do. this is lame.

[cactus jack]

You know,so many stop lights have cameras nowadays. So I'd check with the agency that manages that section and ask. Also consider local businesses as well. They may have cameras that cover part of the intersection.

[Employee]

i checked with local businesses, but no luck. there is a camera on one of the traffic light poles, but it doesnt seem to face the area where the crash took place. i dont know who to contact about it though. i called a couple of numbers, but havent been able to get a good lead.

[cactus jack]

Ask to see the tape anyway. May be too late now, though.

[Employee]

this was long ago, but the insurance ended up finding inconsistencies in this jerks story and sided with me. so i got my damages n medical covered.

[Betty3]

Good for you. Thanks for the update.

[cactus jack]

Right on! I hope we helped you through the emotional turmoil it left. Being in an accident and having problems like what you had is tough to deal with. Sounds like you handled it like a champ!