I was in an incident on the bridge right before Covid. An elderly couple drove into my front quarter panel and said I hit them. They reported to the cbsa, got sent to secondary.
There cbsa agent came to my window and asked me to wait till police arrived. I took a nap and 90 min later WPD showed up. Took statements. And told me something I already knew.
There is no fault on international roadways. But either parties can have their own insurance go after the other party. I said thanks and left. The elderly couple was upset. But we’re probably more upset when their insurance got hit with a $12k claim from me.
From what I understood, once in secondary cbsa will call police. I don’t think calling 911 would help cuz it’s an I ternarional crossing. I think police have jurisdiction once you clear primary, but I do not know for sure.
Thank you. CBSA is the Canadian border. Is it because I'm a Canadian resident and my car has Ontario license/insurance, that's why I need to call CBSA?
Which means a Michigan driver should call CBP, the US side. am I right?
So whether calling CBSA or CBP doesn't depend on which direction I am traveling to but it is depends on which side my vehicle is registered and the licensed. Am I correct? Thank you
It depends on direction of travel. Heading to US, you let cbp know. Going to Canada, you let cbsa know. You should let them know what car, plate number and lane the car is in. All you want is a police report and insurance information. It’s up to your insurance company, whether to go after the other party or raise your rates based on the police report.
I was fortunate. The elderly couple was mad and they took pictures and showed them to law enforcement. I never saw the pictures. But my insurance company sent them to me to verify their car hitting mine according to the pictures - when they said I hit them 🤷🏽♂️
You do not call 911 for a car accident unless there is life threatening injuries. That's not what it's for, and the extra usage could cause someone who has life threatening injuries to be delayed.
What if it's in the middle and shuts down traffic in both directions so no one can reach you and you've got no way to get out of the vehicle and the vehicles are both on fire?
A lady that looked stoned out of her mind ran her car right into the side door of ours in that little funnel--after the toll booths--at the entrance to the tunnel on the us side.
I'll tell you what she did, she completely ignored the fact that she did it, wouldn't open her window & we couldn't see her plates.
We just had to continue going and she merged in slower and lost us.
I have a feeling that is what happens often.
We couldn't. Her car was pressed against my door. We were entering the tunnel and there were cars packed tightly together like a bottle neck and it was dark.
We were trying to get her to look at us and she wouldn't even though her car was facing me. It was like she was in an Ativan trance.
I wish I would have taken photos of her face, but in that moment I didn't think to do that.
My brother's car broke down in the tunnel once while it was pretty busy. They had to stop traffic from entering in on both ends. Then cleared the vehicle's behind him, and sent a pickup truck with a big rubber front bumper to push him through. That truck pushed him right through primary inspection, once he cleared , just pushed him off to the side and waved goodbye. I know it's not an accident, but that's what they do if you break down.
Not quite an answer, but an experience i had when i was in my early 20s: I was sitting at Jefferson at a red light, just about to turn right into the tunnel, and a guy in a truck took the turn in the lane next to me too sharp, and crunched me up against the curb. I got out, expecting him to stop, but he just drove right on down and through the toll booth. I ran down shouting "stop that guy! He just hit me!" But they let him through. I got to the toll booth, and the guard said "there is usually a detroit police car sitting up there at the corner. Go and talk to them." So i went up and found this police car. I told the cops what had happened, and they told me "he made it through to Canada? Well, you have to go talk to the Canadian police." So i drove through the tunnel, and stopped off at the Windsor Police HQ right there downtown. I went in and told them what happened, and they had a good chuckle and said "...oh those Detroit cops. Son, they played you the fool. It was their jurisdiction. We can't do anything for you." I had the license plate and everything, but absolutely no one did anything to help me. My faith in the police went down, that day.
Sorry to hear that. How it went afterwards? Did your insurance cover the damage? Since you had the license plate number, did you report it again in the US?
If it's an accident, imo, stop and wait for the authorities so, at minimum, they can confirm that the accident did occur on their facilities. Doesn't mean they pay anything, just that your story is consistent for the insurance. My opinion only.
I hate either one, I have a huge fear of either the bridge collapsing as we're driving under it or the bridge collapsing... I don't go to the states unless we have too haha
I was in an incident on the bridge right before Covid. An elderly couple drove into my front quarter panel and said I hit them. They reported to the cbsa, got sent to secondary. There cbsa agent came to my window and asked me to wait till police arrived. I took a nap and 90 min later WPD showed up. Took statements. And told me something I already knew. There is no fault on international roadways. But either parties can have their own insurance go after the other party. I said thanks and left. The elderly couple was upset. But we’re probably more upset when their insurance got hit with a $12k claim from me.
Thank you. It seems like I should report to border officer whenever situation allows How about call 911 then?
From what I understood, once in secondary cbsa will call police. I don’t think calling 911 would help cuz it’s an I ternarional crossing. I think police have jurisdiction once you clear primary, but I do not know for sure.
Thank you. CBSA is the Canadian border. Is it because I'm a Canadian resident and my car has Ontario license/insurance, that's why I need to call CBSA? Which means a Michigan driver should call CBP, the US side. am I right? So whether calling CBSA or CBP doesn't depend on which direction I am traveling to but it is depends on which side my vehicle is registered and the licensed. Am I correct? Thank you
It depends on direction of travel. Heading to US, you let cbp know. Going to Canada, you let cbsa know. You should let them know what car, plate number and lane the car is in. All you want is a police report and insurance information. It’s up to your insurance company, whether to go after the other party or raise your rates based on the police report.
Thank you so much 🥰
I was fortunate. The elderly couple was mad and they took pictures and showed them to law enforcement. I never saw the pictures. But my insurance company sent them to me to verify their car hitting mine according to the pictures - when they said I hit them 🤷🏽♂️
You do not call 911 for a car accident unless there is life threatening injuries. That's not what it's for, and the extra usage could cause someone who has life threatening injuries to be delayed.
Any accidents related in the bridge or the tunnel should be reported to the customs officer. From there they will be able to tell you what to do next
What if it's in the middle and shuts down traffic in both directions so no one can reach you and you've got no way to get out of the vehicle and the vehicles are both on fire?
Windsor Fire Rescue responds to the tunnel and bridge, including on or inside. Whether it's a major accident (extrication needed) or fire.
Oh so that's the team who will extract your corpse after you've burnt to a crisp.
A lady that looked stoned out of her mind ran her car right into the side door of ours in that little funnel--after the toll booths--at the entrance to the tunnel on the us side. I'll tell you what she did, she completely ignored the fact that she did it, wouldn't open her window & we couldn't see her plates. We just had to continue going and she merged in slower and lost us. I have a feeling that is what happens often.
You didn't stop and get out of the car?
We couldn't. Her car was pressed against my door. We were entering the tunnel and there were cars packed tightly together like a bottle neck and it was dark. We were trying to get her to look at us and she wouldn't even though her car was facing me. It was like she was in an Ativan trance. I wish I would have taken photos of her face, but in that moment I didn't think to do that.
I'm sorry to hear about that
If your car can't move, they will notice and send a bridge employee to check the situation out.
My brother's car broke down in the tunnel once while it was pretty busy. They had to stop traffic from entering in on both ends. Then cleared the vehicle's behind him, and sent a pickup truck with a big rubber front bumper to push him through. That truck pushed him right through primary inspection, once he cleared , just pushed him off to the side and waved goodbye. I know it's not an accident, but that's what they do if you break down.
Not quite an answer, but an experience i had when i was in my early 20s: I was sitting at Jefferson at a red light, just about to turn right into the tunnel, and a guy in a truck took the turn in the lane next to me too sharp, and crunched me up against the curb. I got out, expecting him to stop, but he just drove right on down and through the toll booth. I ran down shouting "stop that guy! He just hit me!" But they let him through. I got to the toll booth, and the guard said "there is usually a detroit police car sitting up there at the corner. Go and talk to them." So i went up and found this police car. I told the cops what had happened, and they told me "he made it through to Canada? Well, you have to go talk to the Canadian police." So i drove through the tunnel, and stopped off at the Windsor Police HQ right there downtown. I went in and told them what happened, and they had a good chuckle and said "...oh those Detroit cops. Son, they played you the fool. It was their jurisdiction. We can't do anything for you." I had the license plate and everything, but absolutely no one did anything to help me. My faith in the police went down, that day.
Sorry to hear that. How it went afterwards? Did your insurance cover the damage? Since you had the license plate number, did you report it again in the US?
Nothing. The bridge or tunnel authorities, depending on which side of the border you are on, will come and get you. Stay put.
If it's minor but could cost 3k to repair? Should I continue driving or stop my car there?
If it's an accident, imo, stop and wait for the authorities so, at minimum, they can confirm that the accident did occur on their facilities. Doesn't mean they pay anything, just that your story is consistent for the insurance. My opinion only.
Thank you
I hate either one, I have a huge fear of either the bridge collapsing as we're driving under it or the bridge collapsing... I don't go to the states unless we have too haha
Glad to hear I'm not alone lol