Location: Georgia
I was traveling southbound on I-75 into Atlanta on the way to work today at about 70 miles an hour in medium to light traffic when suddenly my car was picked up off the ground by some random, but sturdy ass metal object.
No cars in front of me swerved or gave any indication that there was an evidently dangerous object in the road. Before I knew it, I was braking/swerving into the shoulder and approaching another victim who already had their car on a scissor jack because they had to make a flight after blowing out a tire on this thing. I was the second-to-last driver who sustained damage from this object in the road.
I called 911 and the Georgia Dept. of Transportation sent out a “HERO” vehicle to slow traffic and get this out of the road. Upon further inspection, it appeared to be a wheel chock to keep large vehicles from rolling down a slope while parked. It’s remarkably heavy (25-30 lbs.) and it blew out both right tires and my front suspension rendering my and many other’s vehicles inoperable. I think at least 5 tow truck drivers had to come out to our location.
The main reason I came to this subreddit: I think the wheel chock belonged to a government service vehicle of some sort, and I don’t have much experience with subrogation. I am looking for compensation for the inevitable increase in insurance payments and the devaluation of my car (2019 Subaru WRX STi). I’m sure many other parties involved in the accident report want a similar outcome, and I’m hoping they have a dash cam of some sort. There did not appear to be any traffic cameras where the incident took place, but nowadays there are cameras everywhere.
This also sounds ridiculous, but my ankle is somewhat achey and my wrist hurts from holding the wheel when I jumped over this wedge-like piece of steel. Anyways, any and all knowledge is greatly appreciated. I’m just glad no one was seriously injured from what I can tell.
Comments
To have a shot at any type of compensation, you’ll need to be able to prove which vehicle it fell off of or left it there.
Even if it says “GEORGIA ROAD DEPARTMENT” on it, that probably isn’t enough to hold them responsible.
You’re not getting the increase in your insurance. Your insurance isn’t going to go csi to figure out who dropped it. The police might figure it out but they won’t go csi either.
You have a while before the medical needs to play out. Let the initial shock wear off and see if you have any injuries worth seeking medical attention.
You won’t get compensation for an increase in insurance no matter what. You have no one to pursue here unfortunately. You struck an object in the roadway. Doesn’t sound like you’ll have an injury claim to pursue here against anyone.