Crash Bang Argue And Threaten.

[Yogur griego]

In BA I have seen these things happen all the time. Some bus drivers are just complete f***cking morons, and many of them are simply indifferent about road safety. I can't remember how many times exactly I have been nearly killed by busses. I have been a regular witness of all kinds of accidents, fortunately most of them relatively innocent like yours.

 

[cbonanni]

Had a conversation with the wife regarding the what if I get in an accident. She said never give your address. Just insurance info.

I too , can have trouble restraining myself when threatened. Sometimes a little intimidation is in order , but perhaps best , as our Irish

bloke did and keep your cool. Friends who have had to deal with insurance companies here have said the you have to stay on top of them to get things done. i.e. annoy the hell out of them.

 

[Dublin2BuenosAires]

There are some bad drivers out there alright, sometimes the road design does not help however.

Santa Fe / Plaza Italia is a circus in the morning. You have bus stops on the right hand side of a one way road, about 50 meters after that some of those buses need to cross 3 or 4 lines of heavy traffic to turn onto plaza italia rather than continue on Santa Fe. Anyone with half an idea could see that the buses which continue on Santa Fe should stop on the right hand side of the road and those turning into Plaza Italia roundabout should have stops on the left hand side. Also, while I am in the mood to give out (sorry!) I noticed last week that macri had a crew out trimming the bushes in the underpass between cabildo and sante fe whilst there is a large tree completely obscuring the traffic light which went untouched...neither has the city bothered to repaint stop lines or lanes which were removed during road resurfacing.

I suppose everyone is driving too slowly in the chaotic congestion in that 200m part of the road for any of these issues to actually cause a serious accident, small mercies.

 

[GS_Dirtboy]

My sport here in BA is inline speed skating. I get in about 80 - 100 kilometers per week on the street. For awhile I had to negotiate the Plaza Italia circus. I got to learn which bus lines went straight and which ones had to turn and was then able to "work with" the bus drivers who had to get through. I must say that most of them would let me in to get across the lanes. Once in awhile I would be forced to use the crosswalk.

 

[Gringoboy]

As a biker I find the buses entirely predictable and give them a wide berth.
It's all the other drivers that I find the most dangerous.
Most of them don't realise that cars are fitted with indicators, and mirrors ( usually three) and default to the horn which they use as a virtual battering ram when things just get too much.

 

[Dublin2BuenosAires]

Something which leaves me stumped is people not using their headlights at night.

Anyway...thanks for listening to me vent. I suspect you might need to be called into action quickly Dirtboy if you are to see any of that Jamesons, i fear that between that and the Baileys that herself prefers we'll be rising late and cloudy tomorrow.

 

[GS_Dirtboy]

Something which leaves me stumped is people not using their headlights at night.

Anyway...thanks for listening to me vent. I suspect you might need to be called into action quickly Dirtboy if you are to see any of that Jamesons, i fear that between that and the Baileys that herself prefers we'll be rising late and cloudy tomorrow.

When I first came to BA I had the same reaction. I asked a taxi driver one night and he responded, "I'm saving the battery." I was too dumbfounded to even attempt to explain what a generator was.

 

[nlaruccia]

No way I am going via a lawyer for 3k pesos, life is too short and I don't need the hassle. We'll claim and if we lose we lose. C'est la vie.

Nose to nose would have been a challenge, even for a sub 6 footer like myself (not many tall Irish about!) I would have had to duck down to get near his little rat beak. The police officer on site calmed both sides, I will say he was fairly kind and calming in his interaction with my wife and regardless of whatever else comes of it I give him kudos for that. He gave me the impression that was the extent of his involvement however.

I wouldn't pay a lawyer 3k either. I don't know where you got that ridiculous sum from. They charge 15% of the amount the insurance company rewards. If the lawyer doesn't win, you're not charged. I don't where you got the idea that it's so complicated. I have to go through this process every couple of months.

 

[Dublin2BuenosAires]

I wouldn't pay a lawyer 3k either. I don't know where you got that ridiculous sum from. They charge 15% of the amount the insurance company rewards. If the lawyer doesn't win, you're not charged. I don't where you got the idea that it's so complicated. I have to go through this process every couple of months.

3k is the value of the damage, I know because I know what needs to replaced and repainted from very recent experience

For me that is not a sum of money that I would involve a lawyer of go to court over. I'll keep faith with the insurers for what should be a very standard claim.

Any claims process will have it's own loss adjustor and assessor. I really don't know what advantage a lawyer would bring. The bus company will have public liability cover which in most cases where damages are limited to bodywork repairs they won't contest them. Contesting these cases would be an overhead which would surpass the cost of paying out on small claims. If I turned up with a totalled car and a neck brace then yes, lawyer time. As it is, the insurance companies should process this fairly routinely.

Note, I work in the insurance industry, albeit in the technology side.