Driving and cell phone use %^&$%&$
 

:ack2: I think the whole damn world has gone and gotten itself stuck on stupid lately.

Leased a car the other day for a trip out of state. On the way back to my house not even 5 blocks a freaking Catholic Priest plows into the back of this brand new car. Wife was taken to the hospital with neck injuries and pains in her spine. I'm banged up and bruised. Both of us were wearing seatbelts and I didn't get any whiplash where she did cause her headrest was down instead of up.

Driving along a dump truck in front of me stops to let the car in front of him turn left. Guy behind me in a Black Hyundai, I can see is yacking on the infernal damn cellphone. He looks down at his own admission and looks up and wham 35MPH plows right into the back of the 07 Grand Marquis we were in. Threw us about 5 feet forward and came to a stop literraly inches from the back of the dump truck. I got out and was about to give this IDIOT MORON DUMBBELL IGNORANT IDIOT A PIECE OF MY MIND. I see a Cross and the white clergy thing. I say "I saw you yacking on the cell phone and not paying attention" "Yes it's my fault 100%" he replies. I'm just shaking my head like a Priest no less.

We both have State Farm and State Farm is taking care of everything supposedly. Leasing company isn't too happy but heh that sherman tank stood up pretty well, folded the bumper in caved in the side panel and bent the tailpipe straight down. 6900 miles on this car and it rode pretty nice. If we were in the Vette I would have gone postal on this guy. He kept saying I hope she's allright and it's just an accident. No an accident is when you spill coffee or drop a plate. Talking on the cell phone while driving is CARELESS and reckless to say the least. At least he got the TICKET.

Now I have to go see a Chiropractor for all my aches and pains. Wife was banged up but checked out ok she's sore and everything.

The car he was driving is owned by a Church and insured with State Farm. So I don't think I'm going to have any problems. I am going to document to my agent that I'm sore but if I have something (medical) come up afterwards that it is documented in the claim that I'm not signing off on anything until I get cleared by my own physician and a chiropractor. I don't care if it's theres or mine.

The jest of this rant is GET OFF THE DAMN CELL PHONE while Driving!!! And now I can say I was rearended by a Catholic Priest. I'm sick of everyday I am almost killed or I see other people narrowly miss getting clobbered cause some goober is cruising along yacking on the cell phone running a red light, stop sign or just plain driving like a jacka**. Then on the way home from dinner sitting at a light. The girl next to me is just talking it up and suddenly she drives right through the red light talking away and 2 other cars had to stand on their brakes to keep from hitting her. She doesn't even blink an eye at them more in tune with her conversation than with driving. :rolleyes:

So needless to say our Josh Turner concert trip is ruined. I wonder if I can get them to pay for tickets?

RANT OFF

Amen, Bro! This cell phone crap has just gotten out of hand. Most people drive like idiots enough as it is without the distraction of talking on the phone at the same time. Heck, they charge extra penalties if you commit a crime using a handgun, so why not increase the penalties of traffic violations and accidents if a cell phone is involved? It is MOST DEFINITELY a contributing factor.

Maybe I'm just weird but I don't WANT anyone calling me when I am away from home. I don't want someone calling me while I am in a restaurant. I don't want someone calling me when I am walking through a shopping mall. Who in the world is that all fired self important to believe that they MUST be reachable 24/7? Call my home. If I'm not there, or doing something that I don't want to be disturbed while doing, leave a message on the answering machine. I'll get back to you when it is convenient for ME.

Yeah, this is one of my FAVORITE rants. When 30 years from now they find out that people REALLY shouldn't have had those little microwave transmitters right next to their heads for hours on end, watch the sheet hit the fan then.......... No, there has been NO long term testing for this sort of thing. How could there be? Actually it may even be a contributing factor for all the danged craziness happening around us every day. SOMETHING is causing people to act like they have had lobotomies. And GRADE SCHOOL kids now have their own cell phones! I guess many of us are the result of the baby boom generation. So what is the resulting population from the brain dead generation going to be like?

Anyway, sorry to hear about that accident. And a word of advice, if you don't mind. DON'T sign off on the injuries with the insurance company as quickly as they are going to try to get you to do that. I wish I hadn't when the wife and I went through a very similar experience 20 some years ago. A jeep slammed into the back of my Bronco while the wife and I were sitting at a stop light up in Pennsylvania. Well, I found out a couple of years ago that I apparently had fractures in the vertebrae of my neck from that accident. And there are bone spurs that resulted that are pressing on some nerves. They probably will get worse, and quite probably surgery will be needed sometime in the future. So get yourself checked out THOROUGHLY before signing off and put it off as long as humanly possible. There probably is a statute of limitations on such things (yeah insurance companies are pretty adept at getting legislation passed that is favorable to their business), so if so, stretch out the signoff until that limitation has been reached.

And man, I do feel for you. But how would it have looked in the papers if you beat a priest into a bloody pulp? :hehehe:

I'm very sorry for your accident.
My wife and I were rear ended two years ago. We both had whiplash.
To make a long story short, get a good lawyer.
Never thougt I'd say that, but you can not deal with
the insurance agents directly. I had severe neck pain
and was being treated when State Farm directed me to see
one of their hand picked doctors. Of course the doctor said
nothing was wrong and was cut off by State Farm. I continued
treatment on my nickle, for another four months. My wife is still
dealing with her injuries.
Our biggest mistake was not getting legal advise the day of the accident
and trying work with the State Farm agents.

Good Luck!

I would be careful using the terms "rearended" and "Catholic Priest" in the same sentence :hehehe: ! I'm from the Boston area (sexual scandals by priests), and THAT statement takes on a WHOLE 'nuther meaning up here :ack2: :eek: :reddevil: !
LOL :lmao: up here! Anyway, I'm glad that the only damage was to the vehicles. I'm just about forced to use a cell phone in the car due to the job, but I have a Bluetooth headset and swear by (and sometimes at) it!
Andy :wavey:

Wow that's terrible :eek: i hope you 2 Get Well Soon:thumbsup:

Sorry about the accident. Hope all the aches and pains remain minor ones. You have good reason to rant :yesnod:

Well the wife checked out ok by the hospital. I'm sore in the lower back and shoulders and a bit in the head. State Farm called 2 times yesterday and I was in the clouds. Turned in the car and got the same exact kind and it's funny the same exact mileage only no dents and no folded in bumper. :hehehe:

Got to get to Nashville by Wednesday night. Have tickets to Josh Turners live taping at the Ryman. Then heading over to Gatlinburg for the weekend. So knock on wood hopefully I don't get rear ended by anymore Catholic Priests. And yeah Rich I don't think it would have been good in the newspaper. I was just so ticked off that people are so careless that I wanted to get out and curse him out. But I'm not in the business of cursing out clergy.

I think and correct me if I'm wrong fellas but a Church owned vehicle has to have a decent amount of insurance on it. If not I guess he'll be suffering the repurcussions of paying up. I don't know how the whole thing works. I assume his insurance is paying for the rental car damage and loss of use. His insurance should be paying me and my wifes medical bills. My agent said something about my PIP. I don't know it's all bloody confusing.

Thanks for the well wishes. We are just going to go and enjoy ourselves and enjoy the crisp mountain air and just unwind.

Drive carefully out there people!
The idiots are like "Chicken Man".......They're EVERYWHERE!
Andy

Well here's the photos. Doesn't look that bad on the sherman tank :hehehe: but looking underneath the bumper is folded in and the tailpipe is bent down. It drives aight but it does seem to have a bit of a shimy and the motor sounded like it was going to blow up. Don't know why the motor would be effected by a rear end collission.

Nothing a little bondo wont take out.

Glad you're still able to make your trip. Yes, relax and have a good time. This will all be here waiting for you when you get back. Looking at those pictures I think they can most likely just buff that all out......:hehehe: