The Shoulder
The Shoulder
69
steady-marmot-812

Got hit in a parking garage, other driver's family pressured me to keep it quiet — now what?

Still kind of processing all of this so bear with me.

About six weeks ago I was pulling out of a parking spot in a covered garage attached to a mall. A guy in an SUV came flying around the corner way too fast and clipped the entire passenger side of my car. The impact shoved me sideways and my shoulder slammed into the door pretty hard. I was so rattled I just stood there while he got out.

Here's where it got weird: his wife and what I assume was his mother-in-law were with him, and they immediately started hovering around me, asking if I was really hurt, saying things like "these things happen, no need to drag lawyers into a simple fender bender." The guy straight-up offered me cash on the spot to walk away. I said no and insisted we exchange info, which we did, but the whole thing felt off.

I drove myself home feeling shaky but figured I was just adrenaline-crashed. By the next morning I could barely lift my arm. Went to urgent care, then got referred out for an MRI — turns out I have a partially torn rotator cuff. The doctor said it's consistent with a sudden impact/bracing injury.

Now the other driver's insurance is being super slow, keeps asking me to resubmit the same documents, and hasn't confirmed liability yet. My own insurance is involved too but I don't totally understand who's supposed to be doing what here.

I have:

  • Photos from the scene
  • Both drivers' info
  • Urgent care and MRI records
  • A repair estimate (it's significant)

I've never dealt with anything like this. Is the document runaround normal? Should I already be talking to a lawyer? What am I even entitled to ask for?

14replies

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14 replies

  • 5
    sharp-otter-001

    The document runaround is VERY normal unfortunately. They did the exact same thing to me after my accident — kept saying they "never received" things I definitely sent. Start keeping a log of every call and email with dates. It saved me so much headache later.

    • 1
      level-mile-marker897

      Exactly my experience. Persistence paid off in the end.

  • 13
    bold-crane-877

    That cash-on-the-spot offer right after the crash? That's a red flag. It means he knew he was at fault and wanted to make it disappear before you understood how hurt you actually were. The slow document shuffle from his insurer is just the next version of the same play — delay and hope you get frustrated and settle cheap. Don't.

    • 14
      keen-vole-545

      Stop submitting documents without a paper trail, get an ortho appointment this week, and call at least two PI attorneys for free consults before the end of the month. That's the whole to-do list right now. Everything else flows from those three things.

    • 3
      steady-commuter172

      Seconding this. The same approach worked for me last year.

  • 22
    daring-stoat-347

    I used to work on the claims side and I'll be honest: the repeated "resubmit" requests are sometimes a stall tactic, especially when liability isn't locked in yet. They're hoping you'll get tired or confused. Send everything certified/traceable and keep copies of your confirmation. Once you do that, it's harder for them to claim they never got it.

    Also — a partial rotator cuff tear is not a minor injury. That's potentially surgery, physical therapy, time off work. They know that too.

    • 4
      weary-wanderer431

      This is exactly what I needed to read today. Thank you.

  • 7
    gentle-beaver-101

    Please follow up aggressively on that rotator cuff. Partially torn doesn't always mean "it'll heal on its own" — some of those progress if you keep using the shoulder without treatment. Make sure you have an orthopedic consult, not just the MRI referral. And document every symptom, even the ones that feel minor, because chronic shoulder issues can really affect daily life long-term.

  • 7
    kind-hare-472

    To answer your question about who does what: your own insurer may step in under your collision or uninsured/underinsured coverage depending on your policy, but they'd typically go after the at-fault driver's insurer through a process called subrogation. You shouldn't have to fund the fight yourself.

    That said — with an injury like a rotator cuff tear, you really want a personal injury attorney involved before you give any recorded statements to either insurer. Many do free consultations and work on contingency, so there's no upfront cost.

  • 15
    keen-newt-496

    Not legal advice, but: the combination of clear liability (he came around a blind corner too fast), documented structural injury, and an already-hostile claims process is exactly the fact pattern where having legal representation tends to matter most. Insurers generally move differently when an attorney is on the letterhead. Worth at least one free consult before you say much more to adjusters.

    • 1
      restless-co-pilot267

      Thank you both, this gave me the push I needed to make the call.

  • 13
    careful-stoat-085

    The part about his family crowding around you and pressuring you at the scene honestly makes me so angry on your behalf. You were hurt and scared and they were working you. I'm glad you held your ground and didn't take the cash. Please take care of yourself through this — rotator cuff injuries are no joke and the stress of dealing with insurance on top of it is exhausting.

    • 4
      level-backseat575

      Took me three tries but they finally budged. Don't give up.

  • 15
    gentle-mole-363

    Quick question — did you get a police report filed at the scene, or just exchanged info informally? That can matter a lot when liability is disputed. Also, do you have any dashcam footage or did the garage have security cameras? Parking garages usually do and that footage gets overwritten fast if you don't request it quickly.