Almost died due to dealership negligence

Location: Alabama

Hey guys just want to start this out with that I have a meeting with a lawyer set up for tomorrow. I am making this post because I feel like a fuck up and want the band aid ripped off or I want some reassurance.

I(25M) has the turbocharger on my 2023 Ford Escape ST go out, it was under warranty so the dealership fixed it for free. It was on national back order so it took them 51 total days to get it to me. I got it back last Saturday, got home, and didnt drive it again until Sunday. I work nights so I drive to work hearing bumping sounds, it was weird but I am stupid and just thought I was imagining it or was hitting the side of the road.

For the record I got this car back in October of last year and have drove it 6k miles, and its only got 56k miles on it total.

So as I was driving home that night on the interstate the bumping got bad, which turned into shaking, then I lost control of steering entirely. After a bit I was able to break to a stop and pulled off to the side of the road, only halfway off sadly as I could not steer the car to go any further.

I admittedly have never dealt with stuff like this before and it was 1 am. First thing I did was call my dad, it was a quick convo and he said he'd come to me. Next i called a tow truck company. As I was on the phone I suddenly feel my car shake and a loud noise. There had been a car flying down the road and somehow didnt see me not moving, and LAST SECOND moved his car to just sideswipe me.

I was inside of my car because I frankly am naive and knew no better than to be inside that car while it was halfway stuck in the road. Lastly its important to note my hazards werent on, id never been on the side of the road like that before and I was quite frankly panicking as I take care of my elderly grandmother all by myself and live paycheck to paycheck. My first worry was oh my god how am I going to get to work.

That aside, the car was on and it was EXTREMELY visible, there is no way he didn't see me or that I was stationary, he had to of been on his phone or something. At the end of the day the damage to my car is minimal from the sideswipe, I'm not worried about going after the driver.

After calling the tow truck we saw the issue: the tie rod was somehow completely disconnected from my wheels. For those that arent aware its basically what connects the wheels to the steering mechanism, and normally it has a bolt on top of it and a pin through it to doubly hold it in place. It showed no signs of issues before I gave the car to the dealership to work on it, I have pictures and everything.

So here comes the part where I fucked up in my panic and anxiety... I was just worried about the car getting fixed and me getting to work. That night had that guy not looked up from his phone at that time and did it half a second later I could be severely injured or dead. I called the dealership and they offered to take the car to look at it and give me a loaner. I now know I should of declined the offer, talked to a lawyer, and went to a mechanic professional to get their word on if something like this could of randomly went loose. This was my first dumb mistake.

The next day I got a call from the director of service at this dealership, he was very apologetic and asked how he can fix this. I said I don't really know I have no real experience or know what to say or feel at this moment, but at the very least id like it if the car could be fixed and all the damage repaired. He jumped on that and said absolutely we can do that. I never directly agreed or asked for something but well that did happen.

This basically tells me someone messed up on their end, as they were quick to want to do anything to make it better. They put my life in danger because I have it in writing in signed documents that they checked everything: the tires, the breaks, the engine, the doors, they even have it wrote that they took it on a test drive.

And then they put me in a position where my life could of been taken had someone reacted just a bit slower.

So my mistakes are as follows:

1. In my stupid inexperience I negligently forgot to turn on my hazards.

2. I let them take the car to look at it.

3. I expressed that yes I'd like them to fix the car that would be nice.

I know I have no one to blame but myself here, I understand I was negligent and didnt do my due diligence im not trying to seem like some sort of poor victim. I have expressed to my insurance some stiffness in my neck and shoulder following the situation but most importantly ive had a lot of anxiety and stress related to driving now, kinda gives me the shakes.

What are my chances here? What does this look like? Really i only wanted it fixed at the start but it dawned on me now my car has significantly depreciated in value from this situation and I still have 16k worth of car payments on it.

For anyone who read this far thank you, and I thank anyone who goes as far to leave me advice.