Re: Our dead Audis/Loss of dear friend

[MCTXR4@aol.com]

In a message dated 09/01/1999 8:50:53 PM !!!First Boot!!!, 
gws0702@mail.ecu.edu writes:

>  So if you are 
>  safely exceeding the speed limit, you are a menace to society and the book 
>  should be thrown at you, and you are frequently at the receiving end of a 
>  lecture from the officer or judge, but if your driving is so poor you 
>  actually collide with another vehicle, they let you off the hook?
>  
Not true in all states, George.

I was t-boned by a foreign national in a rental car that ran a stop sign in 
Richmond, VA, your neighbor to the North. I was injured, car was virtually 
totaled (a VW GTI 16v) His rental car from National was totaled as well. He 
walked away injury free thanks to air bags. I had plenty of witnesses, thank 
goodness, who stepped forward. He was cited for Reckless driving and Failure 
to obey a stop sign. 

He gave the officer a fake Driver's license and insurance info from Texas 
(!!!) but gave his correct address in San Diego, and he had purchased the 
accident insurance from National at Byrd Airport. After being released from 
the hospital a couple of days later I tried to track down his insurance and 
began to unravel a very tangled web of deceit. As it turned out he fled the 
country as he was involved in some shady dealings in the computer industry 
and may have been in the US illegally. There is still a fugitive warrant out 
on him in VA since he failed to appear in court, and I believe there are 
other warrants for his arrest in CA.

I ended up having surgery for 2 ruptured disks in my neck and having them 
removed and my spine fused. National Car Rental paid for everything and an 
additional amount for pain and suffering. But not without a fight... but 
that's another story.

Mike Torio