Dealing With a Negligent Driver’s Harassment

You survived the initial impact of the collision. Next, you survived being taken to the hospital and undergoing treatment and surgery. Finally, you are released from the hospital, only to find that you have a damaged or totaled vehicle, mounting medical bills, missed work days, and stress at home from the mess that the traffic collision caused. You survive this, and you survive the emotional distress that this is all causing. Under normal circumstances, you would still have to deal with the stress of suing the other party’s insurance company, but in some cases there is an added level of difficulty: dealing with a harassing, or even threatening, driver. Sometimes the threat to life and limb of a crash does not end where it should: on the roadside or in the hospital, but continues for days and weeks, or even months, when the other party threatens you to keep your mouth shut, to take the blame, or to not come after them financially “or else.”

What Are the Other Driver’s Threats?

Whether the other driver does not want their insurance premium to go up, has no insurance or driver’s license (and was driving illegally), or has some other reason for wanting to avoid blame and their responsibility in the crash, any threats they make against you should be reported to your attorney, and potentially the police.

• Threaten to sue you back—If you know that you were not at fault, you most likely have nothing to fear if the other driver makes a threat to sue you if you do not drop the lawsuit against them.
• Threat to use physical force against you—If you are seriously injured, the last thing you want is someone threatening to do more physical harm. However, it is in your legal right to file a personal injury claim against the party who you believe caused your injuries.
• Threat to ruin or smear your name—This is a form of blackmail. Whether the other party’s accusations are true or not, threats such as these are essentially extortion.

Aggressive Driving and Threats

Aggressive driving is on the rise here in the U.S., as well as world-wide, according to Psych Central. Aggressive drivers are often aggressive after they crash as well, not just leading up to it. If the initial threat happened at the scene of the crash, there is a good chance that their aggression will simply turn to denial in the weeks after the collision.

Drunk Drivers

The average drunk driver drives drunk 80 times before being caught by the police, according to Bactrack. And, it is very common for DUI drivers to have multiple DUI offenses. It is not uncommon for a habitual traffic offender, or someone with a long DUI history, to make threats to you personally if you sue them, because they are fearful about paying large fines or having their license suspended. However, the best thing you can do to defend yourself is to hire an attorney, file a lawsuit, and report the threats to the police.

Contact Our San Jose Traffic Collision Attorneys Today 

If you are facing any type of threat from the at-fault driver, it is in your best interest to work with an attorney, and file a claim. Call the San Jose personal injury attorneys at the Solution Now Law Firm today to schedule a free case evaluation.