My Poor Truck!

[AACJ]

Arrgh!!! I got into a wreck coming into work last. Some NICE GUY decided to make a U-turn right in front of me and I T-boned him. He got two tickets, failure to yeild to oncoming traffic and making an illegal U-turn. Couldn't have happened at a worse time. Now, I am at work I have (had see below) no way home! My truck is most likely totaled. I am fricking livid!!!

I have never had a vehicle that was totaled before, what should I expect from his insurance company?

Here are some pics of my truck and his Land Rover.

 

[AACJ]

Funny, looking at the guys Twitter page....he acts like it was MY fault! Most expensive Starbucks coffee and watch fix ever! At least I was able to scoot over to the airport and pick up a rental car.

 

[Mike H]

Oh man, serious bummer. Glad you're OK.

 

[AABCDS]

Glad you're ok, Art. I hate bad drivers. On the plus side, it's been documented that the other driver was at fault with him getting two tickets.

I don't know the laws in Virginia or what his insurance coverage is but I've heard that if a vehicle is totaled or it costs more to fix than the Kelly Blue Book value of the vehicle, you will only get up to the KBB value. That's what I've seen on Judge Judy anyway.

 

[Legion]

Inconvenient, for sure, but if he got tickets, you should be good as far as the insurance is concerned. And if your truck is totalled, enjoy your new truck.

And at least no one was hurt. Bummer, but could always be worse.

 

[AACJ]

The thing that sucks is I haven't ever had a payment on this truck. I bought it with cash from a bonus check 11 years ago and have loved not paying a monthly payemnt. Now, I will be forced to find something else in a hurry, then have to have a 400 dollar payment. I was never interested in buying a new vehicle this soon.

 

[Legion]

Hmmm... I have no idea how American insurance works. And to be honest I only know the Aussie insurance from the wrong side of it (Don't ask. It is a long, sad story), but shouldn't the guilty parties insurance company give you a check for a replacement car? You should not be out $400 if the accident was not your fault.

 

[life2short1971]

80% of KBB gets totaled....
The check for the claim should be average retail plus any add ons.

 

[AACJ]

Hmmm... I have no idea how American insurance works. And to be honest I only know the Aussie insurance from the wrong side of it (Don't ask. It is a long, sad story), but shouldn't the guilty parties insurance company give you a check for a replacement car? You should not be out $400 if the accident was not your fault.

David, the $400 dollars is the monthly payment I would be forced to make for 5 years or so. As someone else said, they will just give me average retail (albiet a lowball number) plus any add on's. The truck is 12 years old and has 145k miles on it. When I checked KBB, Edmunds and NADA, the average was somewhere around 3500 to 4000. I can't find a replacement in as good as condition as my truck was, nor do I really want to look for one either. Plus, I have always been meticulous about keeping my maintenance records current and can have all work done on it on a spreadsheet. I feel like I would be hard pressed to find a good used truck that I could trust.

 

[AACJ]

Glad you're ok, Art. I hate bad drivers. On the plus side, it's been documented that the other driver was at fault with him getting two tickets.

I don't know the laws in Virginia or what his insurance coverage is but I've heard that if a vehicle is totaled or it costs more to fix than the Kelly Blue Book value of the vehicle, you will only get up to the KBB value. That's what I've seen on Judge Judy anyway.

James, I hate them too. The police officer said there was no question it was his fault. I now have question as to whether he was tweeting or texting when this happened. I mean he just turned into my path without even looking. Very frustrating!

 

[Mojo88]

I have been involved in several accidents over the years and can say from personal experience go to the doctor or ER and get checked out. It might seem overly cautious, but impact injuries like this can have long standing effects. I was one to always go back to work immediately, and I was wrong to do so. The last accident I had was a rear end hit that destroyed my car and I had some long lasting medical issues. I ended up with a permanent nerve block due to all the damage in my neck. It was a fight with the insurance companies as they tried to blame the damage on prior accidents when I had never gone to be treated. I would also seriously consider getting legal help as most insurance companies will try for the lowest possible settlement. My son recently went through a long fight with a cut-rate insurance company. Had he not have had legal help he would have been in a bad situation.

 

[AACJ]

I have been involved in several accidents over the years and can say from personal experience go to the doctor or ER and get checked out. It might seem overly cautious, but impact injuries like this can have long standing effects. I was one to always go back to work immediately, and I was wrong to do so. The last accident I had was a rear end hit that destroyed my car and I had some long lasting medical issues. I ended up with a permanent nerve block due to all the damage in my neck. It was a fight with the insurance companies as they tried to blame the damage on prior accidents when I had never gone to be treated. I would also seriously consider getting legal help as most insurance companies will try for the lowest possible settlement. My son recently went through a long fight with a cut-rate insurance company. Had he not have had legal help he would have been in a bad situation.

Good advice. The paramedics gave me the once over and said they didn't think I needed to go to the ER. I am starting to feel a little stiff, but I would be expecting that after a collision.

 

[Mojo88]

Good advice. The paramedics gave me the once over and said they didn't think I needed to go to the ER. I am starting to feel a little stiff, but I would be expecting that after a collision.

The paramedics told my son the same thing and he ended up in physical therapy for six weeks. He called me from the site of the accident and I took him to the hospital immeditately.. The sooner you go the better,soft tissue injuries are hard to pinpoint and can linger. I was always one to think these type of accidents were just a way for people to scam insurance companies,that was until I couldn't bend down and tie my shoes. You need documentation, it's the only thing that will stand up in the legal process.. Three accidents in 3 years were enough to convince me to get that documentation.

 

[marzman]

Over here it would have been your fault. If you hit someone behind it's always your fault, the other party could still get a ticket for illegal U-Turning but that don't mean you can smash his rear.

 

[Wetshavemike]

No matter how you slice it you will end up paying for part of this. Most likely the insurance company will low ball you, you will nagotiate for a bit more, you won't find anything comparable at that price, you will buy something and have to pay to fix a vehicle that has been sitting for months seizing up on a car lot. Fight for the maximum settlement from your insurance. By law they cannot settle unless you get a "fair" offer in a "reasonable" time. Good luck. Been there three times.

 

[AABCDS]

Over here it would have been your fault. If you hit someone behind it's always your fault, the other party could still get a ticket for illegal U-Turning but that don't mean you can smash his rear.

And where is 'over here'? Art didn't hit him from behind; he t-boned the other driver which is slang for hitting the side of the vehicle.

 

[Pdavis939]

Often times with insurance companies they will low ball you and 'total' out an older car. Your damage looks substantial but unless you have bigger problems we cant see from the pictures you should be able to push to have your vehicle repaired, in which case the insurance should cover 100% of the costs. The biggest thing is to remember that you don't have to accept the insurance offer, you SHOULD negotiate. If they are legit they will treat you fairly.

Also, contact your insurance agent and let them know. If you have a good agent they will work with the other company and advocate for you (if they say they won't, move your business once this is over - its a service based industry).

 

[Mick]

Deal through YOUR insurance company and let them clear what you want done. If they total it and it is "repairable" (talk to a body shop to determine this) you will get the low book payout for it.

Most times if a vehicle is "totaled" by the insurance company you can purchase your vehicle back at salvage price (couple hundred) and then it is up to you want you want to do with it. What they offer it to you is a starting point. You can negotiate the salvage price as long as you do not go below what they can scrap it for to a salvage yard.

Since it is a basic vehicle, the determination will be the cost of repair vs the low book payout value. Which is ever the best advantage to the insurance company is what will happen.

Chances are it will be repairable even if the frame is slightly "tweaked"

 

[DC_MPA]

He drives a land rover and got two tickets blatantly nailing him to guilt - you'll be we'll taken care of!

 

[daverojo77]

Sorry to hear that, It sucks! That guys has an awful lot of tweets and followers, I wonder if he was tweeting and driving.