ESL Podcast 571 - Assigning Blame in a Car Accident

shaken up - disoriented, shocked, scared, and confused by something that has happened, and not knowing what to do next

After the company president's surprising announcement, everyone was shaken up.

totaled - completely destroyed, often in an accident

Phila's boat was totaled by the force of the hurricane.

insurance - a program that one pays a small amount of money to each month so that if something bad happens, that company pays a large amount of money to help fix the damages, most often used for homes, cars, and health

Asami bought life insurance, so now he knows his family will have enough money to live comfortably even if he dies.

to put in a claim - to submit official paperwork to request a payment

After returning from a business trip, employees should put in a claim for reimbursement of their hotel expenses and meals within 30 days.

accident - an event where one vehicle crashes into another vehicle or building, or falls off the road, causing damage, injuries and/or death

What percentage of all accidents is caused by drivers who were talking on their cell phone?

fault - having responsibility for something bad that happened, usually because one did something carelessly or without thinking about the consequences

It's Atsushi's fault that we're staying at such a bad hotel. He did the research and made the reservation.

to crash into - to hit someone or something while moving at a high speed

Ivo fell asleep while driving and crashed into a telephone pole.

to rear end - to hit the back of another car, usually because one didn't stop quickly enough, often when that other car was not moving

This morning, Hisashi got rear ended while waiting for a red light to turn green.

to swerve - to turn sharply (quickly) and suddenly, usually to avoid hitting something else

Bicyclists often swerve to avoid riding over broken glass in the road.

to slam on the brakes - to stop a car very abruptly and suddenly by stepping on the brake pedal with a lot of strength and speed

Jiro slammed on the brakes when he saw small children playing ball in the middle of the street.

to change lanes - to move from one parallel section of the road to another parallel section where cars are traveling in the same direction

Be sure to use your turn signal to change lanes on the freeway.

to tailgate - to follow very closely behind another car, especially when following that closely is dangerous, often because one is impatient and wants that other driver to drive more quickly

If someone is tailgating you, the safest thing you can do is let the other car pass you.

to blame - to say that someone is the reason why something bad happened; to say that someone is responsible for an accident or for some negative consequence

Belay blames his father for his parents' divorce.

account - one person's story; the way one person perceives and describes something that has happened

Isn't it interesting how different history books can have entirely different accounts of certain historical events, depending on where and when they were written?

to jibe - to match; to present the same information as something else

The police are interviewing the suspects separately to see whether their stories jibe.

respective - with each one belonging to the person or thing listed earlier in the sentence

At the end of the school day, the children go to their respective homes.

to battle it out - to argue or fight over something, usually for a long period of time, with each person or group trying to win

The divorce lawyers spent months battling it out while the wife and husband barely saw each other.

to own up to (one's) mistakes - to say that one has done something wrong, especially when it is difficult or embarrassing to say that

It takes a brave person to own up to her mistakes. Even though I'm mad about what Chelsea did, I'm proud of the way she told us about it.