Hit and Run (long)

[mark poulson]

On my way back from Casitas last night, my boat was hit and run on the 405 south, just before the Santa Monica freeway interchange, by a woman in a grey 4 door sedan.
I got the license, and made a police report.
Neither my fishing partner Dan nor I were visibly hurt, but I'm stiff and sore this morning, neck and back.
After she hit me, I looked in the rear view mirror and saw nothing, no boat!
Then Dan looked in the passenger side mirror, and said my boat was in the next lane.
The woman went around me, on my side, and left.
We saw a car pulled to the right shoulder farther up from us with it's blinkers on for a while, but then it left. I don't know if it was her, or the witness who called 911 the same time I was calling them.
Her car hit my Tracker when I was stopped in bumper to bumper, stop and go traffic. I was completely stopped. You know the 405 South on Saturday afternoon.
Evidently, she was trying to go around me on the driver's side. That's all I can guess at this point, since she didn't stop.
I do know she hit me a good lick.
She hit the left rear of my trailer so hard it folded the Trailstar Trailer like an accordion, and pushed it from the #4 lane, behind me, into the #5 lane. The nose of my boat was actually past my rear bumper on the right side, but far enough over that it didn't hit my pickup. The trailer light connection was torn loose and is dangling behind my truck. It dragged all the way home, and the wires are shot.
But my truck lights worked well enough to get me home safely.
It took 15 minutes to get through to 911, another 15 minutes for the CHP to get to the scene, 5 minutes for them to stop traffic so I could slowly drag the boat and trailer, which, miraculously, were still attached to the hitch, to the side of the freeway, and another 2+ ours for Triple A to get a flat bed tow truck to the scene, and get me home.
A big thanks to Jaime, of Westside Tow, who got it up on the truck, and back to my home, and into the driveway.
My boat is now in driveway, up on a block. The wheels are still inflated, but the axle is bent, and she hit me so hard it ripped the front strap latch eye off my boat, and the driver's side rear strap popped off, after warping the transom under it.
Water was dripping from the seam under the keel spline, and the latch post was shoved into the side of the boat, denting it some.
But that little aluminum boat took a pretty good hit and is still standing. Of course, I don't know how much damage there is to the internal welds.
I guess when I got my first bed fish of the year, and then got a ticket for motoring in a closed cove, I should have known it was going to be a weird day.
I'm going to call Sawyer Cook in a little while to see how to proceed.

[JeffJ]

WTF!!!!!!!!! Sorry to hear Mark! I hope they get that B*tch! Damn people! Well main thing you and Dan are ok. Everything else can be fixed. Hope it turns out good for you.

[mark poulson]

Jeff,
I was checking in the tournament boats when you called, and couldn't take your call.
Plus I have laryngitis. Boy, did that make things fun when I had to talk to 911 and Triple A on my cellphone from the side of the freeway in rush hour traffic.
Yeah, I hope they catch her. Dumb move to leave the scene.
I'm looking out of my window at the boat and trailer, and still find it hard to believe no one got seriously hurt.

[propgun]

MArk sorry to hear about your miss fortune. Just glad to hear you and Dan are ok. With any luck justice will be served.

[CharlieS.]

Wow! Damn Mark....That same thing happened to me several years on Valley View . He stayed there ,his water radiator and waterpump had something stuck (my new trophy prop) And the troll motor stuck in the back of my rv .I sent it to Anglers Marine -called insurance , What a pain ,she left? What ever happened with.... responsibility....Charlie

[Munsey]

Mark
Glad to hear you guys are OK.
Way to go getting the licence number. You did all you could do.

[Homer]

Holy crap Mark !!! Sorry to hear about your rig but very glad to hear that you and Dan are O.K. Call me when you are feeling better. If there's anything you need, we're here for you.

[mark poulson]

Thanks guys. I'm just now reading the insurance forms to see how to proceed.
When that gal went by me, she looked like a deer in the headlights.
Either she was in total shock, or drunk.
Either way, she should have stopped.
I just hope she has insurance, because the CHP had already run her plate, and knew who she was when they got to me on the freeway.
They say she was driving a Lincoln Towncar. No wonder it hit so hard.
It looks like I have to notify the carrier, International Marine Underwriters, and find out what they want me to do next.
And Dan and I had just agreed to go back to Casitas next Saturday if it is still open.
Ha, ha, jokes on us!

[manas_bass]

Hey Mark, I drove right by the scene on my way back from casitas and saw the boat sitting on the right side of the truck on the far right shoulder dude. When I saw that I was like dam I hope you huys were ok, it looked really bad from my view.Hope you guys are ok and not hurt, sorry to hear that.

Manas Malikian

[tunaman]

Mark, sorry to hear about that - that REALLY sucks! I hope you press for criminal charges and also take her to civil court for all you can... sounds like she was drunk and panicked.

An overall tough day for you my friend! At least you caught fish!

Roger

[buddy brown]

Damn that sucks Mark. The idiots on the rod don't realize how long it takes vehicles towing boats to stop. I always worry that this will happen to me when some moron is on my prop. Hopefully they find this chick and nail her to the wall w/ felony hit and run. Brutal bite and traffic on the way home from Topstick now I know why. Hopefully for you the issue gets resolved quickly

[mark poulson]

Manas,
We saw you go by. It looked a lot worse than it was, at least as far as personal injury and truck go. The boat and trailer is a whole 'nother story. I think the trailer absorbed most of the hit, and, by jackknifing to the side as it collapsed, kept the boat from going into the back of my truck and doing more damage.

Roger,
All I can figure is she must have been drunk, or in total shock.
Either way, I'm going to let the insurance and law deal with it.
If I wind up coming out of pocket for anything, I think it will be for deductables, not much. If it's more, I will consider civil action.
She's in enough trouble with a hit and run. And my insurance co. will probably go after her to recover whatever they have to pay.
Funny how insurance companies like to collect money, but hate to have to pay it out.

[Topwater Terry]

that lady must have been high on red bull
Must have been a scary deal, great to hear ya'll are okay. So, is that boat usable or are you about to put a smile or Rick G's face?
Terry

[mark poulson]

Buddy,
We were stopped in bumper to bumper traffic. I guess she was not paying attention, and tried to go around on my side at the last moment. She only hit the driver's side trailer light, but it folded the trailer like an accordian, and both the trailer and boat wound up in the lane next to me, with the nose of the boat past my rear bumper on the passenger side. If that trailer hadn't folded like it did, my boat would have gone right into my pickup. As it was, the only damage I can see to the truck is the trailer light connection got pulled out pretty good.
Damn lucky.

Terry,
The CHP found traces of green and orange powder on the ground. They said they suspected she had lift off on her breath. :O)
The boat may be salvagable, but it got wracked pretty good, and the front keel spline area, where the two sides of the hull are welded, was leaking water pretty good afterwards, so the welds may be broken.

Speaking of Rick G., he pm'd me last night with some help on how to proceed. Class guy.

[John Barron]

Wow that really sucks Bubba. I'm glad to hear you and Dan are OK. I have a really mean and nasty attorney if you need one. If you have any out of pocket expenses you can get them back and she won't have a fighting chance because it was hit and run. Let me know if I can help in any way.

BTW thanks for being the check in boat at Top Stick! I hope it was a good bed fish you caught.
jb

[mark poulson]

Thanks John.

[Brian D.]

to hear about the accident. Glad everyone is okay.

[Darkman]

Hey mark...I'm just happy to hear your fine, sore but fine.

good thing you got the persons plate #, there is no excuse for her at all...The advice Roger gave is spot on.

On a good note, it was nice to finally meet you, wish we had more time to chat

I do hope you and your partner heal well and that your boat is able to be fixed good as new...take care

[mark poulson]

Brian,
What can I say? She's from O.C.

Eric,
Yeah, good to meet you, too. Got to get that Dodger Blue a little darker, dude.
We dodged a bullet big time, for sure. If that trailer hadn't jackkifed to the right, ........who knows?

I just put the whole mess on a flatbed tow truck, and it's on it's way to Anglers.
Thanks again, Rick.

[fishinman]

Mark Call me at the shop your not handling this in the correct way. Won't discuss here on the forum! (818)985-8097

[Brian D.]

[smpboy]

that sux iam sure ins will take care of it and they will find the person responsible 2 bad u didnt report your injuries cause then it would of been felony hit and run if someone is injured and leaves the scene

[mark poulson]

Ryan,
I told the CHP onsite that my neck and lower back were sore. I'm going in to Kaiser today to have it checked out, but I don't think anything is really wrong.
I already have a ruptured disc in my neck, and a torn muscle in my back, and, if there would have been a problem, it would have seized up by now.
I really don't want to make things any worse for the gal who hit me than they already are.
She left the scene of an accident, and the law will deal with her.
I just want to get my boat taken care of, and get back on the water as quickly as I can.
Spring has sprung!