Audi content (but only to the extent...

[Mark Reis <reis@ccnet.com>]

that I was driving one 8/8/96, the day of this particular traffic
infraction.

I rear-ended an Accord at a speed *under* 1mph.  Zero damage to either
car.  (In a nutshell, the cassett player was at that very moment busy
eating a tape, so when traffic stopped at the intersection, I was trying
to extract the tape, eyes below dash level, and must've let my foot off
the brake).

So, a month(!) after the accident, she decides to file a police report,
seeking both injury and property damages.  My insurance company, rightly,
denied her claim.

Yesterday, I was served a (small claims court) subpoena, whereby she's
seeking $5000 compensation, claiming that because of a change in 
employment status, she's no longer able to afford the ongoing medical
treatment required due to the agony I've inflicted upon her.  

I've talked with my State Farm rep, who assures me that they'll have a
legal eagle in court with me, but -- should the plaintiff prevail -- I eat
the cost, not the insurance company.  

Foremost on my mind: why this suit isn't between the plaintiff and the
                     insurance company...  

                     Have any of you been involved in, or know of, 
                     a similar scenario? How worried should I be?

                     Am I the only one that thinks tort reform is WAY
                     overdue?

On another, entirely unrelated, note..

I stand guilty as accused of driving one of the afore-mentioned 'fashion
statements'.  Whereas those who drive SUV's are quick to rise to their
defense (often hyper-sensitively), I tend to agree with their detractors.
On all counts.  

We have a '92 100CS and a brand new Land Rover.  I can think of no
commentary more compelling than the fact that my wife and I vie for the
Audi (six years older than the Discovery and worth what, maybe 1/3 as
much?) for the daily commute.  The SUV was only marginally justifiable
when we lived in Colorado and New Mexico.  But here in California... What 
was I thinking?


 _____                                                         _____
( ___ )-------------------------------------------------------( ___ )
 | / | Mark Reis       reis@ccnet.com | mreis@us.oracle.com    | \ |
 | / | Danville, CA    http://www.ccnet.com/~reis              | \ |
 | / |                                                         | \ | 
 |___|  "'Never know when you're makin' a memory" - RL Jones   |___|
(_____)-------------------------------------------------------(_____)