First Accident

Odometer: 17,524
MPG: 32 (higher b/c i took a long trip down to Santa Cruz over the weekend)

Last Tuesday in rush hour stop and go traffic I got into my first accident in the Hyundai.
Traffic was going from a decent pace to a full stop. The guy in front of me stopped. I stopped. The guy behind me also stopped but I had to help him a little with my bumper. He turned a little to try to avoid me, but only succeeded in hitting my car more squarely behind the driver's side. It was a pretty hard hit. I heard breaking plastic or lamps.
We both had to move from the passing lane all the way to the right shoulder We both came out to survey the damage. It was kind of getting dark, so visibility was limited. His bumper had a pinch in it. It looked pretty bad. My initial thoughts were that he was in a previous accident, but I did not ask. His car was a 2000 Civic according to his insurance card.
The main damage I saw was a heavily scratched and slightly deformed bumper on my car.
He remarked about the Elantra....whoa, these things hold up pretty well. I didn't really answer him.
I took some pix the next day to FB, but only took some quick pix of the bumper.
Only today after getting back from a weekend trip, did I looked really close to the whole rear half of the car. It wasn't just the plastic bumper...
1. The force of the hit on mainly the left side of the car generated enough force to buckle the metal panel in front of the wheel well. The panel is push so it is contacting the door panel.
The rear door now closes with a weird sound because it isn't engaging with the locking mechanism.
2. The trunk opens and closes normally, but the left side is higher than the other.
3. There is a crack on the underside of the bumper.





Injury? I didn't feel any pain right after the accident. I continued on my drive to my night class.
It wasn't until I went to bed and was trying to lay down that I felt pain in the muscle on the left front of my neck. And when on my back, I felt a pain between the spine and right shoulder blade. I could only sleep on my back or left side. Sleeping on my right side would require using that muscle in my neck that was strained. The first morning my shoulders were achy and I could feel a similar pain on the right side front of my neck, but not as bad. A friend said the first morning is often when most pain after car accidents manifest themselves. Hot showers are a must to try to ease the tension.

Wasn't until Sunday night that the ache subsided enough that I could bear sleeping on the right side, though it is there. Still considering going to a chiropracter to get checked out.
Need to get an estimate to relay the cost to the guy who hit me.