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mtgoat666
Select Nomad
Posts: 17302
Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
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Mood: Hot n spicy
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San Diegan stuck in Mexican jail after crashing without insurance
Reminder: insurance is good (so is a valid fmm)
https://www.10news.com/news/san-diegan-stuck-in-mexican-jail...
SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Friends and family are desperately trying to secure the release of a 41-year-old San Diego man who has been held in a Mexican
jail since Sunday.
Rob Thomas, a Marine veteran and avid surfer, has been kept in custody after Mexican authorities determined he was at fault for a traffic collision
that sent four people to the hospital, according to friends and local news outlet Rosarito en la Noticia.
Under Mexican law, drivers found at fault in a collision can be detained until they prove they can cover the estimated costs of the crash.
Thomas did not have valid car insurance in Mexico, so authorities are demanding a cash bond, said longtime friend Mikey “Beats” Beltran. The
amount of the bond is being negotiated by an attorney representing Thomas, but it could be $20,000 to $50,000, friends said.
“This is without a doubt a traveler’s worst nightmare, ending up in a foreign jail surrounded by people that don’t speak your language,” he
said. “They don’t feed the people in detention, and so friends of ours that are down there, they’ve had to feed him daily.”
Thomas was in Rosarito on a surf trip. After eating tacos with his girlfriend, Thomas made a left turn in his pickup truck and collided with a
passenger van Sunday around 5:10 p.m. on Highway Rosarito-Ensenada near the Las Rocas hotel.
Two adults and two children in the passenger van were taken to the hospital, Rosarito en la Noticia reported.
Thomas' mother, Pauline Thomas, said the U.S. Consulate provided a list of attorneys, but otherwise not much help.
"I’ve cried so much, my eyes are almost swollen shut," she said by phone from Kansas. "I need him to be safe. He’s my baby."
Friends are now scrambling to come up with the money to get Thomas out of custody and have launched a GoFundMe campaign.
“The passenger van, they’re saying that thing is worth $20,000. The injuries to people, someone has to have surgery because they have a broken
hip,” Beltran said. “So we’re talking tens of thousands of dollars.”
Standard U.S. auto insurance does not cover travelers in Mexico. Drivers must secure a separate insurance policy through an authorized Mexican
insurance company, which typically costs about $12 a day.
“You are gambling if you go down there without insurance, and this is the worst-case-scenario that can happen,” Beltran said.
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Prefered gender pronoun: the royal we
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MrBillM
Platinum Nomad
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A Penny (stupidly) Saved ...............
.......... And a LOT of Dollars burned.
IF they can raise it.
It's hard to imagine anyone (other than friends or relatives) contributing to a "GoFundMe" for such a screw-up.
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caj13
Senior Nomad
Posts: 998
Registered: 8-1-2017
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should have "go fund me" ed the insurance cost. Guy thought he was a genius - saving a couple hundred bucks, turns out hes not as smart as he
thought he was, so now he needs people to fund his stupidity!
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Ateo
Elite Nomad
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Nice truck down the drain too with no insurance...........
Hope everyone is OK and this gets resolved.
I'm guilty of doing the same thing a few times (no insurance) back in my early 20's........
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surabi
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"I need him to be safe. He's my baby." Says his mother. No words about the people he injured. Maybe she should have impressed upon him the need to do
intelligent things like not drive without proper insurance.
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BajaBlanca
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Oh my Gosh, this is indeed a nightmare and a lesson for everyone. Get the FMM and have insurance.
Awful situation.
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mtgoat666
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Posts: 17302
Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
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“Thomas was in Rosarito on a surf trip. After eating tacos with his girlfriend, Thomas made a left turn in his pickup truck and collided with a
passenger van Sunday around 5:10 p.m.“
I wonder if he had beers with his tacos?
The article is all about sympathizing with the apparently at-fault driver,... little mention of the injured victims...
“Friends are now scrambling to come up with the money to get Thomas out of custody and have launched a GoFundMe campaign.”
Is there a gofundme for the 2 children victims?
[Edited on 2-20-2020 by mtgoat666]
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Prefered gender pronoun: the royal we
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PaulW
Ultra Nomad
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Money will resolve the issue, however the stay in jail is horrific. No food and packed in a cell with the local drunks and drug users. The stay can be
longer than is reasonable as the judicial system is very slow. Besides someone that brings food has to bring enough for all the persons in the same
cell. Here in San Felipe the local restaurants are sympathetic and help with getting enough food and cutting the price to a reasonable amount.
OMG, Never go to Mexico without vehicle liability insurance.
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David K
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The photo connected to the story...
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TMW
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Dumb
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BornFisher
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Hopefully, he has gringo insurance that will cover him. State Farm covers you 50 miles south of the border.
"When you catch a fish, you open the door of happiness."
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wilderone
Ultra Nomad
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The photo doesn't look like he made a left turn into the passenger van. In any event, lesson learned for others.
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PaulW
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=== ==
Maybe, but State Farm does not provide a get out of jail provision.
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David K
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Mexican Liability Insurance is a must... Collision damage may be covered in some of Mexico by your American company (like State Farm's 50 mile limit).
There is just no reason to ponder the maybes. Get a full-coverage policy from a known Mexican Auto Insurance company... like the one that sponsors
this website. See the ad banner at the top of Baja Nomad pages.
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sancho
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Quote: Originally posted by David K  | | Mexican Liability Insurance is a must... Collision damage may be covered in some of Mexico by your American company (like State Farm's 50 mile limit)
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With DK one this one, unless someone can prove otherwise.
To my knowledge a full coverage US policy MAY cover the
damage to the policy holder vehicle within x miles of the border, but Mex does not accept US policies, so one has to have
a liability policy issued by a Mex Ins Co. Your US policy does
not cover you in Mex in regards to liability
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Mr. Bills
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I agree that it is foolhardy to drive in Mexico without a Mexican auto insurance policy with adequate liability limits and bail coverage.
In addition to the Baja Bound insurance recommended by DK and insurance through other Baja travel clubs, AAA offers two very good policies.
When I investigated insurance in December 2019 just before my last trip the AAA policies provided the same or better coverage than the policies
offered by the travel clubs and actually cost slightly less when comparing "apples to apples."
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DawnPatrol
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Registered: 11-19-2013
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| Quote: Originally posted by sancho | | Quote: Originally posted by David K | | Mexican Liability Insurance is a must... Collision damage may be covered in some of Mexico by your American company (like State Farm's 50 mile limit)
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Amen Sancho... I am a State Farm Agent …. you cannot believe what people tell me about "their US Policy covers them in Mexico"--
I don't care what your US Policy states, if you don't have Mexican Liability (with Legal) at the least you will end up in jail or worse and spend
thousands... all to save about $12 a day
People are unbelievable
With DK one this one, unless someone can prove otherwise.
To my knowledge a full coverage US policy MAY cover the
damage to the policy holder vehicle within x miles of the border, but Mex does not accept US policies, so one has to have
a liability policy issued by a Mex Ins Co. Your US policy does
not cover you in Mex in regards to liability
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del mar
Banned
Posts: 1057
Registered: 7-23-2016
Location: the cantina of course
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too many craft brews at Sin Fronteras.......between Charly's and the K38 bridge SLOOOOW DOWN. always terrible wrecks there
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David K
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In case there is confusion (from any typos above), every non-Mexican car going into Mexico needs Mexican liability insurance. Period.
Damage to your car might be covered by your U.S. policy, check with your agent.
Personally, I get full-coverage Mexican insurance. The policy allows your car to be repaired in the United States, too.
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mtgoat666
Select Nomad
Posts: 17302
Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
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| Quote: Originally posted by David K | | In case there is confusion (from any typos above), every non-Mexican car going into Mexico needs Mexican liability insurance. Period.
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Well, they don’t “need” liability ins but they “should” have it.
Like they should also have a passport (or card) and get an fmm, and use fmm only for single entry per the law, and return the fmm upon exit from
Mexico; a they should floss daily, not smoke and drink only in moderation.
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Prefered gender pronoun: the royal we
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