Capitalism Gone Wrong?

6 months ago I was involved in a head on collision as I attempted to turn left onto  the Inter-State near where I live.   I suspect that the little college girl was texting right as she managed to miss the first car in front  of me turning left and hit me, the second car.  However, I can’t know for sure. I was lucky that night and walked away from the wreck.  Because I suffered no injuries and her insurance eventually covered my car I didn’t press charges or bring suit; I haven’t seen her since.  In fact, I’ve waited this 6 months to say anything about it on anything resembling “social-media” in the event some consequence of that accident made itself known.

However, I am now confident that the episode has passed and I can recount the event.

The police filed the report at about 8:00 that night; it was a Thursday.  Saturday afternoon I went to get the mail and I felt like Harry Potter.  By Monday afternoon I was sure.  But seriously.  In the span of two days I received 18 rather impressive packages from attorneys specializing in injury cases.  Further, I received 10 slightly less impressive packages from chiropractors and spine specialists.  I’m surprised that I didn’t feel comforted that people were looking after my well being.  I kinda felt like they were looking after THEIR well being.

Tonight I’m finishing the file on the accident and am putting all the pertinent documentation away.

And I’m throwing 18 solicitations for legal services along with 10 for medical services into the trash.

I wonder – Is THAT what people see when they refer to the evil corporate state?

Interesting.

7 responses to “Capitalism Gone Wrong?

  1. About 6 years ago I had a head on with a guy in a handicap van, the kind where all of the controls are hand controls . We were both doing about 45 mph . All I can say is thank God for air bags . And thank God I was in a big car . Since I only had liability insurance my company did nothing for me . I had to go after the State Police and get a report and then chase his insurance company. If there was ever a time I could have played the lawyer lottery , it was then . All I had was a bump on the head . When I finally talked to a real person I found out that he told his insurance company that he hit a utility pole . I told them.. uh yea after he crossed into my lane, hit me head on, then he hit the pole and took out power in the next town .

    It took 2 months to get the value of the car plus the other expenses associated with having a totalled car towed and stored for weeks .

    In the same year my daughter had a drunken woman turn into her and total out my other big station wagon . The woman tried to drive off . Again no injuries and again more crap trying to get paid for the car .

    Bad drivers tend to have bad insurance companies . If you are driving old cars that are not worth fully insuring your own company will not do much for you when the other guy is at fault .

    • About 6 years ago I had a head on with a guy in a handicap van, the kind where all of the controls are hand controls . We were both doing about 45 mph . All I can say is thank God for air bags . And thank God I was in a big car .

      Yikes!

      Yes, I drive a Volvo station wagon; complete with air bags.

      Bad drivers tend to have bad insurance companies . If you are driving old cars that are not worth fully insuring your own company will not do much for you when the other guy is at fault .

      I was lucky. The girl was from Connecticut going to school at UNC. She was on the phone with her dad right after the accident. He filed the claim that night.

      The only problem was her insurance company was a little bit “fly by night” and took my awhile to find. They were a bit slow but paid for the rental car the whole time they were delaying the claim.

      Anyway.

      I didn’t like the feeling of all those lawyers sending me solicitations. Ucky.

  2. Yeah, it appeals to that “something for nothing” attitude that has caused so many problems in this country. Again, I think this is a cultural problem that goes beyond economic ideology or political persuasion.

    • Yeah, it appeals to that “something for nothing” attitude that has caused so many problems in this country. Again, I think this is a cultural problem that goes beyond economic ideology or political persuasion.

      I totally agree with you that the whole “get it for free” thing is driving this. And it’s gross.

      I further agree with you that I see it as a cultural failure. For a long time I’ve been seeing us continue to demand more and more and be satisfied with less and less. Even as we get that iPhone 4, I’m more upset that I can’t place a call. 20 years ago I had neither the phone nor the stress.

      • Exactly. When meaning comes from material consumption, it ends up leaving people empty — that can never fill the void. In a sense you can look at the last thirty years of climbing debt (private debt rose faster than government debt) and bubbles as symptomatic of a deeper cultural, even spiritual problem in the US and the industrialized West.

      • In a sense you can look at the last thirty years of climbing debt (private debt rose faster than government debt) and bubbles as symptomatic of a deeper cultural, even spiritual problem in the US and the industrialized West.

        I fear you are right.

        I don’t believe in the whole 2012 shift thing. But it’d sure be nice if we all became a little better pretty soon.

  3. Pino,

    I live in Pa. and again if you only have liability, as I do on my junkers, you won’t get rental car reimbursement . I tried.

    But I definitely can see why people are tempted to cheat insurance companies. A relative had a lease car totalled out by a woman, again, a head on. They paid him the book value of the car, but that was $700 less than what he owed on the car. He had signed away his tort rights earlier. He vowed that if there was ever a next time, well you get the picture .

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