u/Justo_ok

I was recently involved in an accident and need some perspective on how insurance companies handle split fault when a DUI is involved**. Yes, I’ve already reached out to a lawyer,** but I’m looking for some anecdotal experiences.

The Incident:
I was merging from the left lane to the right lane. While I was merging, the car behind me accelerated (I can't prove this, but I know she did). Right after the merge, the traffic light ahead abruptly turned red, so I had to brake hard. The driver behind me failed to stop and rear-ended the rear-right side of my vehicle.

The Police Outcome:
The responding officer reviewed a nearby camera and ended up citing me for an improper lane change. However, the driver who hit me was arrested at the scene and ultimately charged with a DUI along with a few other charges. I strongly believe her impairment caused her to make the wrong inputs (accelerating, missing the yellow/red light change, and failing to react in time).
I’ve already reached out to a lawyer, but I’m looking for some anecdotal experiences and insight on two things:

1. Insurance Repairs & Rates: My insurance offered to pay for my repairs upfront while they conduct their investigation. Will my rates spike just because they are paying out right now? Also, it was a minor fender bender, but I had child car seats in the vehicle. Should I report the car seats to insurance, or try to keep the claim as "cheap" as possible?
2. DUI vs. Citation Fault: Can the other driver still be determined 100% at fault by the insurance companies because of the DUI, despite my improper lane change ticket? Will her insurance end up paying for my repairs?
   Thanks in advance for any insights.

Looking at a MY that is within my price range. It has HW3 but I want FSD to drive me on my long daily commute. Is HW3 good enough to do that for the next 5-7 years or will it be obsolete soon and not really “buy” my commute time back?

I know some people chose to upgrade the cameras to improve FSD with HW3? Is this a viable option or hold of and buy a MY with HW4?

I am an airline employee so I get travel benefits. Say I see a used car on tesla.com and it says it’s in X city, could I just fly there and pick it up or is it not that simple? My concern is less so the money but the wait time in case I do not accept the vehicle. Ideally I’d like to inspect it and drive it home that day. Is that possible.

Background: I am in the middle of a move and will need a car at a specific time. I could rent or buy a cheap one in the mean time but trying to avoid both of those options. If I can spend a day flying/driving it’s worth it for me.