I am replying to all your comments about my toad’s demise in a post rather than a comment.
First of all, thank you to everyone who sent good wishes. Especially in reply to Linda, I am okay this morning. I’m a little sunburned from all those hours on the turnpike waiting on the state trooper, but that’s it. Sitting so far ahead of the wreck, I didn’t really feel the impact and only knew something was seriously wrong because I could feel the car fishtailing behind me. I’m not sitting here feeling traumatized at all. This is not at all like the morning after I lost the brakes when I know I did fifty billion things wrong beforehand and ignored my instincts. Yesterday was an accident pure and simple and I can deal with that. I had a decent night’s sleep and am ready to move on.
Croft suggested I replace the toad in the US. This would require me to have the rig fixed and I know I won’t have time for this, plus I have to wait for the insurance settlement. I have thought of buying a beater for getting around in Quebec for the summer, selling it in the fall, and then looking for a new toad when I get to the US. I really don’t want to talk about my plans for a new toad at this point, so please don’t push me about that, but I know exactly what I want and I’m pretty sure I’ll only find it in the States.
westernerbychoice provided a link to a company in Phoenix that can set up vehicles for towing. That will probably be too far for me, but I’m grateful for the lead.
Amber complimented me on my driving skills. Have I told you recently how much I adore you?
Sue asked questions about my insurance coverage. I am insured with Aviva Elite under a full-timer’s policy that covers damage to the rig and to the contents. I am insured under Intact (formerly Axa) for damage to the car and liability issues related to the motorhome. It looks like I won’t have any issues with Aviva and they told me to get back in touch with them when I’m ready to have the rig repaired. My adjuster immediately got in touch with me by email and I was able to send her pictures. We didn’t talk too much about contents over the phone, but after I went through the rig last night I decided to make a modest claim for a few things so we’ll see how that goes. I am not certain how Intact is going to be yet. They asked me a lot more questions about the circumstances of the crash. They will have an appraiser out here in a few days to look at the toad and we’ll go from there. Regarding the tow bar system, there could be some back and forth between the two companies, but I have put in a claim for it and both say that it should end up being covered, especially if the other driver admits he’s at fault and my insurance companies can recoup from his. That’s all I know for now.
Now, I’m ready to get back on the road to visit my friend, but I want to doubly verify that I can go, so I may have to wait a couple of hours for the insurance companies to open back west. I will go into the wrecking company shortly to see if Intact has called them and confirmed that they will be handing the towing and storage fee and that they are comfortable with my leaving. My ETA in Virginia is sometime between 6 and 8PM and all I can say is that I can’t wait to be there. I knew driving out east wasn’t going to be fun, but I didn’t expect the party to start until I was heading north out of Virginia!
Be sure you get the police accident report. That will likely be the basis for the insurance companies’ claim adjustment for blame. If the report puts the truck at fault, then his insurance will be paying everything but your’s should be getting the money out of them and help you get the money, including for your motorhome contents. Shared blame makes it impossible for your insurance to get the money from his. It won’t matter much what the driver says. In your case, I would make a claim for absolutely everything that was damaged and take pictures of it all because you should not be held to blame and his insurance should be more than willing to pay it all to keep you from suing.
Tesaje, the state trooper gave me a number to call but said he had no incident report. Both insurance companies have that number and his name. As I’ve said, my insurance companies say that the worst that will happen is that he refuses to take responsibility in which case I will have to pay my deductible, but nothing else.