The Accident - My Side of Things

Well in case the title didn't tip you off, or if you haven't heard it through the grapevine, I was in a car accident. It was luckily minor, and I'm fine, physically. As you might expect though, my stress level has shot through the roof. I decided that venting a little here would help, so I'll give you a blow-by-blow of the night in question, as well as the results to date. I know I promised you more Japlish last time, but this has gotta take precedence, sorry.
So this all began when I promised to do a favor for LeeSean. When he left, he was unable to sell his car and so I agreed to do it for him. Since he left it in Nakatsu, I had to take the train there and drive it back to Beppu so I could show it to potential buyers. That night (Friday September 1st), I was also taking Tash with me to Beppu so that we could go to Miyazaki the following morning. My friend Sophie is leaving Japan, and I wanted to say goodbye, but needless to say we didn't make it there. As we were driving through Usa on the way to Beppu, we were going through a stoplight and came up to some traffic. I stopped my car just past the light, about 2 meters behind the next car. Then, it looked as though traffic was beginning to move, so I let my foot off the brake and tapped the gas. At the same time, Tash said something to me and I turned my head for a moment to respond. At that moment, the van ahead of me stopped rather suddenly, and before I had time to apply the brake we had crunched into her rear. Not the smartest move ever, I know, but these things do happen.
I'll try to abbreviate what happened next, but it was a long, long evening. First, the lady in the van got out and started yelling at us, so I nodded, not understanding anything of course. I understood her shock, so I didn't mind so much that she was angry, and I was actually relieved that she seemed unhurt. Then, we looked at the damage, and thankfully it was minor to both cars, so naturally I assumed that the issue would be resolved quickly. I realize now what a silly mistake that was. In the picture you'll see the back of her car, and although it doesn't look like much, her rear tail-light was broken and there was a dent in the rear panel. I have since discovered that the repairs to this will cost me about $2,600 Canadian. ?#*^!! I REALLY think I'm geting screwed on this one.
After the accident, the police were called, and after 15 minutes or so they arrived. I had, in the meantime, called my supervisor, Kato-sensei, who informed me she was coming with the school's vice-principal, Kyoto-sensei, but that it would take half an hour to arrive from Beppu. In the meantime, Tash and I were trying to explain things to the police in broken Japanese, but in the end were unable to give much more than our names. Luckily, one of Tash's co-workers was driving by, who saw Tash, and stopped to help. This was a lifesaver until Kato-sensei and Kyoto-sensei arrived. When they got there, we had given a rough version of events to the first set of police, but a second set soon arrived and we had to tell it all again. Even with Kato-sensei translating, it took about an hour to tell them what I just described above. Then, another set of police arrived, and it took another 45 minutes or so to tell them what happened.
The reason for this, I feel, is twofold: when trying to explain things as I remembered, I was frequently interrupted by the lady from the other car, who naturally wanted to ensure that she was blameless, and that it was clearly understood that I was driving like a raving lunatic. This I understood without knowing much Japanese. Secondly, the police needed frequent pauses to question everything I said, which were usually followed by lengthy explanations as to why what I said couldn't possibly be true, most of which I couldn't understand.
Then, after the police left, there was about a half-hour where the other woman grilled my colleagues about whether or not I could pay for everything. They assured her very politely that I could (which remains to be seen, probably not) and then we all made our separate ways. I was informed the woman would check into the hospital the next morning, and that my colleagues and I would meet her there to discuss things further.
The next day, at my school, there was a meeting in which my colleagues assured me they would help me with the process (thank GOD), and then off to the hospital we went. There, I presented my new friend with some candies, and apologized as sincerely as could be managed through a translator. This took roughly another 4-5 hours, as we had to drive an hour there and back. I slept most of the drive, because the night before, due to stress, I had slept for perhaps 30 minutes.
On Monday, you can imagine how delighted I was to discover that despite my efforts to explain things to the police, they had ignored the fact that the other woman stopped too quickly, and assigned me 100% of the blame. Bad. However, I also learned that the mandatory insurance was still good on the car, which will cover her medical costs and time lost from work. Good. Unfortunately, LeeSean had let the optional insurance on his car lapse, meaning that I have to pay for all the damages to both cars. Bad. Further, although her health is covered, there is a chance I have to pay these costs up front and will get paid back eventually. Worse. In total, the estimate is that I will have to pay about 1,000,000 yen. For those of you joining us back in Canada that's roughly 10,000 dollars. Bloody hell.
To be blunt, there is no way I could even afford a third of this up front, as it would represent more than my monthly salary. I am hoping some kind of compromise can be reached, or I may be completely, utterly and royally ruined by what amounts to a minor traffic accident. This certainly says a lot for the insurance system in Japan.
Personally, I would rather commit ritual suicide than take on more debt, not that anyone would lend me any money. Right now I'm waiting, and hoping against hope, that the country I have served happily for over a year now doesn't end up ruining my life for years to come. I'd love to end on a positive note here, but unless someone calls in the next few minutes telling me I won the lottery, I think we'll just have to wait and see.