Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bsrosenfeld]

My girlfriend was hit by a car while riding her bicycle to work today. It was a block away from her school and her co-teacher, head teacher, and driver of the car all took her to the ER. After being examined and x-rayed it looks like she has no serious trauma (broken bones or fractures), but suffered some road rash, bruising and swelling. The police were not called, but the driver's insurance company was notified.

How do we proceed in making sure that her medical expenses, bike repairs, etc. are taken care of?

Any advice is appreciated.

[ThingsComeAround]

Did you get his workplace address? You could show up with shades, a hat, and an aluminum bat

[freddy teacher]

MOD EDIT

wen i was in a bus accident: first i went to the police to file a claim, then called the bus company, then called the insurance company. i met with an insurance agent and at first, he wanted to only give me like 400,000w. I didnt accept his offer and i kept insisting that he pay me more.

in the end i got about 1,000,000w even after he firmly said 500,000w was the max he could go...

[chrisinkorea2011]

Is she foreign or korean? if she isnt korean, do like previous poster said and make it as if stalking is your only goal in life. otherwise they will try to skip out on it, because she is considered "fine". dont let it happen, keep at it.

on a side note i was almost hit by this woman who was driving forward out of an apartment complex who was looking at her back seat while the car was moving forward, i kicked her front bumper and she slammed on the brakes then gave me a dirty look, and i proceeded to yell that she should watch where she was going or i could sue her if she hit me.

apparently the word sue is taboo haha because she apologized and took off lol

[InDaGu]

She definitely should file a police report.
When I had my motorcycle accident last Summer, the taxi driver and the rep from his company were very gracious and promised to pay my medical expenses....... until it was discovered I needed surgery. Then they suddenly changed their story, denying responsibility for the accident.

So I got the police involved, and after speaking to a couple witnesses, they stated that the accident was 100% the driver's fault. Of course your girlfriend's accident doesn't sound nearly as serious as mine, but I ended up getting about 8,000,000 Won on top of medical expenses.

[nathanrutledge]

Definitely get a police report. The way it works is you have some time, like 15 days to get an agreement in writing between the two parties. If there is no agreement, then the police will file the charges with the prosecutor and it goes to court. Since there is no plea bargaining here, if it goes to court, it's a serious issue.

She WILL get her medical expenses covered and her bike repaired, and any clothing that was damaged (ripped, covered in blood, etc) paid for. That's a given.

Beyond that, it's probably too late. Insurance and accidents are a big scam in Korea. You get in an accident, and you stay in the hospital as long as you can, claiming pain and suffering and really stick it to the person who injured you. The insurance company pays for the whole mess and you walk away with a nice pile for your scumbaggery. Everyone does it, and if you don't do it, everyone will ask you if you're an idiot or something. (If you can't tell, I think it's a pretty rotten thing to do, karma and all)

Anyway, filing a police report should be done ASAP. They'll come out, spray paint some marks on the ground, take some photos, then write a report. Strike a deal with the guy and his insurance company and you're done. Aim high - they may just pay you to go away and not deal with it. But make sure you get what you need for the bills, and not a won less.

[Jane]

General information:
If you are in an accident, whether it be walking on the street or in a car, and you are involved and have sustained some damage whether to yourself or your property (i.e. car), you should call your insurance company (if you have one--if you are driving) as well as the police to make a report.

The police just come by and take some notes and write stuff down and leave, but you have the documentation to prove later if necessary.

If you are hit by someone driving a car, or if an ajumma slams into your car, do the same as above, but MAKE SURE YOU GET THE CLAIM NUMBER FROM THE OTHER PERSON'S INSURANCE COMPANY BEFORE YOU LEAVE. This is the key. Once you have that claim number, you can visit the hospital, get your car fixed, etc, and the other person's insurance company will pay the bill. The other insurance will also call you and try to come to a settlement with you to close the case as Nathan explains above. Scumbaggery is welcome and never accept the first offer.

[southernman]

[bsrosenfeld]

Thanks for all of the information. We've got some things in the works now and I'll be sure to let everyone know how it turns out.

[Ramen]

get hauled away in an ambulance no matter how minor the accident. get a lawyer. and don't talk to anyone except your lawyer. let your lawyer do all the talking with police, insurance agent, etc.

[StudentInKorea]

One of my friends was in a car to car accident and I got summoned to assist. From my understanding of the situation, the accident was my friends fault (and that was from her side of the story), but since she was assuming the position as the victim I played along and it seems like it was less important who had actually broken the traffic rules.

[SeoulFinn]

I remember reading of a case, where a young Korean woman received a small scar on her ankle (or was it leg?) in a scuffle with some older man. Anyway, because the scar was visible when she wears hot pants or short skirts, she got considerable amount of money from the guy. Sorry but I can't remember all the details as I read about this case years ago.