Reader shares story of crash far from home, advice to prepare: Roadshow

Q: I have a story about dealing with an accident away from home.

While driving Interstate 80 in Fairfield, I was sideswiped by a driver trying to avoid colliding with a car it was tailgating. After impact, the driver accelerated toward a nearby exit and disappeared before I could note identifying information.

With significant damage to my vehicle, I drove slowly to a relatively safe place off the road. While I was deciding whether to call 911 or AAA, the Freeway Service Patrol came by and towed my vehicle to a location just off the freeway.

Next, I had to decide whether to leave the car in that area to get it fixed and get home by ride share or a rental car, or to have the car towed home at considerable expense. I opted for the tow.

While waiting for AAA to call me back, I tried contacting my insurance company, was placed on a long hold and disconnected when AAA called me back. It took five hours for the tow to arrive. Fortunately, when I placed a claim with State Farm, I was told that a tow after an accident was included in my policy and was quickly reimbursed the $650 tow fee.

My takeaway advice is to know beforehand what to do if involved in an accident far from home.

As an aside, after the call with AAA, I needed to find a restroom. There was a DMV right across the street. I entered the DMV at 5:04 p.m. There was a sign on the door stating that no one entering after 5 p.m. would be served. As soon as I entered, I was told I had to leave since it was after 5 p.m. I explained my circumstance and that I just wanted to use the restroom. Although there were still dozens of customers in the building, they steadfastly refused to allow me to use the restroom.

Sam Friedman, Palo Alto