I was driving to work yesterday... a road I have traveled countless times. It was a 30MPH zone and I was coming to a 4-way stoplight to turn left. I saw a SUV on the other side turning as well - so it was safe to turn (or so i thought) ... outta nowhere (that i could see anyhow) came a blue dodge neon zippping thru the intersection. By the time i saw him I had a millisecond to hit the brakes, but we hit pretty much head on. Airbags blew, Onstar came on line like 15 seconds later asking how I was and got the cops on the phone...


The truck was bleeding badly - tranny oil and antifreeze everywhere. I got hit pretty bad between the headlights as I was approching at an angle (turning) and he was coming head on. His 2500lb car VS. my 7200lb truck... he got his car TOTALED. luckily he wasn't bleeding or have any broken bones. The cops came, the ambulance came, the fire truck came... it was quite a scene, and depressing to see the Dmax bleeding to death.


Now the real question is do I fix the truck or insist on a replacment? It is a 04 with only 5400 miles on it. The frame in front is bent, the front wheels are pushed back a bit, the hood, fenders and all the stuff in front is going to need replacment, and the front doors are tweeked a bit too cuz the fenders are pushed back on them. Glass from his car ended up scratching the paint on several parts of the truck. So the question is will a body shop be able to get everything back in line so i don't have drivetrain problems and vibrations down the line in the 4wd system? what about the engine running and having all the tranny fluid dumping out the cooler? would the tranny have sustained damge?


I'll post pictures once I get them on the computer.


So if I don't fix it, is there a market for the parts off the truck? Engine/trans/ ect?

Sorry to hear about your truck, glad everyone is ok.


You are most likely not going to have too much say in what is done to your truck unless it is very close to being a write off which I doubt it is.


They will most likely repair your truck and you won't have the option to demand a replacement. Your options after it repaired to your standards would be to keep it or trade it in. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley5.gif Repaired properly it should be as good as new. Make sure they put new parts on your truck and work closely with the body shop to ensure everything is done properly.

Good luck.

ewwwwww, sorry about you luck.http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley19.gif


If this happened in TX, state law here says if the frame is bent, itza automatic total.......


Happened to my Envoy. Yes, it too was bleeding like a pig. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley30.gif


I sure am glad this law exists herehttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley20.gif. I believe it is because there are/has been too many shoddy frame jobs done on past vehicles. And this is just not safe.


Either way sir, it is not an easy choice for you. If it was their fault, depending on what state you're in, you should have them handle it as they see fit [their insur.]


And there may be a law in you state which states if the frame gets bent, then it's a total.......

The collision repair industry has come a long way with regard
to structural repairs. Years ago, a car with a bent frame was
often considered a total loss due to the lack of equipment and
training in these types of repairs. And unfortunately, some
vehicles with bent structural members were returned to their
owners without the necessary corrections made. These cars
wore out tires prematurely, tracked erratically, or were
otherwise unsafe.

One thing also to remember when ( NOT IF ) your insurance
company starts jerking you around is for them to compensate
you fro diminished value. That’s one of those secret things they
don’t want you to know about. Essentially your truck even if it is
fixed it is worth far, far less that a similar truck (miles, year,
condition).

For example even if you trade it in or sell it outright you are
going to have to tell ( by law in some states) that your vehicle
was in a wreck, and the instant you tell any buyer that your
truck is either unsalable, or the value if nill.

So that’s where you have to step in and sue your insurance
agency for the diminished value. Perhaps if you ask them about
the diminished value, they may think you know about their dirty
little secret, and just give you a bran new truck without a hassle.

Value retention and safety should be of primary concern to a
collision repair customer. A inexpensive or otherwise poor
repair will cause additional loss to a car owner in terms of their
enjoyment of the car, safety, and return at trade-in.
Substandard repairs which often go unnoticed by consumers,
can lead to premature failures of the repair, inconvenience,
and/or liability.

A second angle you can force is that a repaired bent frame is
not a safe as a new frame, and see if that works.

More reading here
http://www.abrn.com/abrn/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=19878

Glad to hear you are ok, car is a car and its only money. But it
does suck, I've been through it before as well a year or two ago.



I think the only thing you have to worry about more so is wether it
will be declared as total or not. That will be decided by the insurance
adjuster, but he/she will take into consideration, the extent of the
damage, the cost to repair, and what state restrictions/laws apply, then make the determination from there.




In 02, I got into an accident with my Chevy Avalanche, Front right
wheel totally gone, left wheel bent up and underneath the car, frame
bent in front with all the suspension mount points detroyed, and some
other damage. I thought it would have been totalled, but I found out
that even major work can be repaired, like a bent frame. They can
actually swap out the whole frame now a days and put new parts in
rather than just mending it. After the car was fixed, it rode like new,
nothing wrong with it at all.



In my opinion, If a new vehicle was possible, I'd go that route, but if
it has to be repaired, just make sure to find a GOOD shop to do it.



I like what Kendall said as well, alot of that is true, so it would be good to take his advice into consideration.



Best of luck

Hey all your replies so far have been very nice and helpful. Keep them coming and I will post pics as soon as I can. Thanks!


http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley18.gif

Glad no one got hurt, so the only thing here is the money.

Not long after I bought my 1999 1500 gasser I hit a road rat (sometimes called a deer or bambi). Took out the grill, right side fender, fender well, surge tank and the tranny/ac/radiator stack, bumper, and hood. I got it repaired and it was as good as new.

Look around for a good repair shop. The GMC dealer I go to has lots of expensive German cars in his shop. He does excelent work with new GM parts, not aftermarket chinese knockoffs.

It's a bummer and a pain, but your baby can be made over and it will be just fine. As for tire wear, I went 60K and the factory skins, most of it after hitting the road rat.

Jim

Sorry to hear about the truck. Glad everyone is ok.


Now is when you will find out about all that fine print that is in every insurance policy but you never took the time to read. I also had the pleasure of fitting a deer into the grill of my previous truck. It sounds like it was pretty much the same damage as jholly's incident.


I figured the truck was totaled (1995 2wd truck w/ 150K miles). The insurance company spent $4k repairing it. My biggest argument was the insurance company wouldn't put a new radiator or condenser in the truck. If I forced them to use a new radiator, it would have been an aftermarket part with no warranty (except manufacturers). By using a "reconditioned" part, my insurance company gave me a 12 month warranty.


My biggest fear was I didn't know the condition of the reconditioned radiator and I used the truck to tow a trailer. Insurance company doesn't care. In their eyes, a part is a part.


Good luck!

Similar thing happened to me last November to my 03 (10,000 miles). The other guy admitted fault so his insurance took care of everything, including 60 days in a new Trail Blazer rental vehicle. Mine had about 10K in damage. It would have needed about 20-25K in damage for the insurance company to total it. I had a good body shop do the work, so the truck was near perfect afterwards. My "frame" was bent as well, but was just the frame horns so no big deal.


It drove me nuts knowing my truck was not brand new anymore, so I ended up selling it and getting my LLY. Should you sell it, most dealers will give you full trade value as along as there is nothing obvious wrong with it. I think most states only require disclosing the damage if it exceeds a certain amount (70% sounds familiar)But as you know, everytime you sell a vehicle, it costs more money than keeping it...


I would wait to see how it turns out. If you like the work that was done, make sure the body shop stands behind it (most will provide lifetime on the paint), and drive on. After 5 years and 100,000 miles, the truck will probably be worth the same anyways.


Forgot to mention, mine was hit by a neon as well!! My right front hit him in the left front wheel at about 40mph. For his sake, he was lucky his car was not 3-4 feet farther ahead...Edited by: sammy

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/uploads/Newguy/2004-10-24_212029_GMC_eats_neon1.jpg

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/uploads/Newguy/2004-10-24_212126_GMC_eats_neon3.jpg

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/uploads/Newguy/2004-10-24_212154_GMC_eats_neon2.jpg

The pictures tell the story there...


As for fixing the truck - it will always eat at me and bug me even if it's fixed to perfection. I will probably own the truck for another year or so, then it will be time to trade or sell it... who knows at this point. From the look of that neon, i'm glad that guy walked out without any blood or broken bones.


Maybe now is the time to do a Denali front end conversion? And those pearlescent flames i was thinking about...

Has anyone had a similar experience or knowledge of how a big steel bumber with a grill guard would help in these situations.

I'm in texas and hear they sell for about $700 bucks or so. My first reaction is to think it would help, especially hitting animals (deer).

I want to replace my rear bumber with a steel pipe bumper and was considering the front bumper too! I would appreciate any feedback.

Good lawd, that Neon was fu-mangled! He's a lucky man. The truck doesn't look as bad as I thought, bad angle unfortunately.


Dennis

My stepdad fixes wrecked cars/trucks, and I've had a chance to drive quite a few of them. I've got a 95 saab 900 convertible that was wrecked at 4000 miles... It's now got 135,000! I've noticed there are always little things that will bother you about the truck, it'll never be like it was before the wreck.


If you can get your money out of it, I'd say trade in and get another new one. Depends how picky you are with vehicles.
My 2c... Glad to hear you're alright.


Chris

I wrecked my 03, this past winter pulling a trailer. Happend on the interstate, slipped on ice and smacked into the center cement wall.


The trailer spun around and took out part of the passenger side pickup body, torqued the frame, etc.


Cost insurance $15k to repair, truck drives like new...although now I think the front drivers side has a worn bushing...still under warranty so. :)


I would personally take it to the dealer's body shop and have them work on it. This is what I did. I figured, they work on it, and if I ever had a problem, and they denied it under warranty, I'd go after their body shop for not restoring my vehicle to full condition. They couldn't as easy blame some "3rd" party body shop for failing to repair my truck.


Glad everyone was "ok". So who was cited :)





http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/uploads/andrewfessler/2004-10-25_111400_DSCN3619.JPG

Well - the body shop has been looking into it and we got the hood open
to find the front of the engine is cracked and broken. not sure
if it's just a waterpump or part of the block that's broke, so it's
looking like 20K+ to fix so far, depending on the engine and frame - if
they need replacing that is... I looked under it today and the
frame is pretty bent up front, and the entire cab has shifted forward
on the frame about 1" (looking at the gap between the box and the cab -
i can fit 3 fingers in that gap...)



I'll keep ya all posted.

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley19.gifSorry about your truck, but its more inportant that no one was hurt. You live to drive another day.


Ron W

You will probably have to live with the truck being repaired. Work with the body shop to insure it comes back as new. Try her out and see how she does. If it is something you can't live with, trade her in on a new one. One thing not mentioned, who was deemed as at fault? Sounds like the Neon was but not so stated. In the event you happen to be at fault and there were "no injuries" doesn't mean that some yet unknown injury may surface. Happened to me once, I was at fault (did not see the other vehicle). Appeared a no injury case. Turned out the guy was a "eggshell" back case. $410,000 later case was settled. Nothing happened for a year after the accident. Then all hell broke loose.

So how are you feeling now that a few days have passed? The guy in the Neon is very fortunate to walk away from that accident. Could have been much worse.


If the other guy was at fault his insurance company may be in a position to work with you on the difference between repairing the old and purchasing a new truck. Never hurts to ask, especially if they want to keep you happy. Otherwise, drag the truck to Texas and say it happened there! http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/hihi.gif JJ

Still waiting to see what happens. I gave my official "recorded"
testimony to my insurance agent. I'm trying to get them to total
it out, because I really don't like the idea of all that repair being
done to it... what happens if something needs warranty work? Who
covers it - the bodyshop or the dealer...



The insurance adjuster is working on getting a salvage bid to see how
the economics work out. They say it is 70% of the value of
the vehicle then they salvage it. I asked her if there was any
"flexibilty" in that and she seemed workable...



Any other advice or words of wisdom?

Take your insurance agent to dinner.

Has anyone had a similar experience or
knowledge of how a big steel bumber with a grill guard would help
in these situations.

I'm in texas and hear they sell for about $700 bucks or so. My first
reaction is to think it would help, especially hitting animals (deer).

I want to replace my rear bumber with a steel pipe bumper and was
considering the front bumper too! I would appreciate any feedback.



They help Assloads ....Saved us like 5k of damage but hurt the
other car ALOT.

David

This is what we use in Australia to "deal" with kangaroos http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley36.gif.It's very effective; I'm sure your deer won't like it either ..... Happy hunting!http://www.corvette.com.au/adm/thumb2.aspxsrc=../_images/bullbars.jpg&wid=300&hi=200

Oops, picture didn't come through. Try again.http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/uploads/AussieDMAX/2004-10-26_215108_bullbar.jpg

Sorry for your experience, but good luck DEMANDING a new truck. The insurance companies do pretty much what they want. A major insurance that I had had been with for over 15 years Refused to renew my policy because of the state I now live in. Needless to say I hadn't had a major accident claim with them for years! It pays to shop around though, I ended up saving over $300 a half with my new company. What goes around comes around!


Good luck!

Hey there guys... I need more help. I'm trying to find out if GM
states the frame needs to be replaced if its bent or not. Ford
has stuff about it, but I'm lookin. It also looks like the
waterpump and timing cover of the Duramax is cracked/broken along with
needing a new crankshaft pulley. The deal is the shop it's at is
an "authorized" shop for my insurance company and I think the shop is
bidding low (not finding all hte problems) to get the job, then "find"
the rest of the problems once they get in there. It's a tough
position for me, because the body shop owner basically said - "...let
us fix it then go trade it in..." and I really don't want to do
that. It wouldn't be fair to the next guy that buys it - heck it
could be one of you! So any more ammo you can give me would be
great.

Every state has a state board of insurance and an insurance commissioner. If you feel your claim is not being handled properly you can file a complaint with the board of insurance in your state.

Most companies do not like having the state board breathing down their necks. Sometimes it (a complaint) can help nudge them your way so they do not have to deal with the state. And sometimes it can't! If you feel you are not beng treated fairly, file a complaint.

Here is a link to find information about the various state boards:
http://www.naic.org/state_contacts/sid_websites.htm

Good luck!

Glad to hear everyone's ok. Here's a pic of my truck with approximately 3500 miles on it. The doors got it too. The body shop says it is repairable with the twisted frame damage. A part in the front will be cut off and replaced. I guess the bigger trucks are mild steel. So, they can be welded on. Unlike the 1/2 tons. But, the good news is I hired a independent appraisel company online. They are claiming 40% of diminish value. So, Now that my truck is only worth 20,000 on trade in for a SLT with DVD onstar xm radio the works on it. The 40% is more than what the truck is worth. So i will break even as far as what the truck was worth before the accident. Just a thought! &nbs p; &nbs p; http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/uploads/earthcrusher/2004-10-30_234750_2004_GMC_Sierra_002.jpg

earthcrusher -


where did you go to get the apprasial? And can you explain a little better what you meant about the 40% dimished value? Are you telling me that once your truck is fixed it will be only worth 20K? (as compared to maybe $30K if it was not damaged and repaired?)


The thing with my frame is it is bent behind the drivers wheel and i'm really concerned about getting the alignment back not only for the wheels but the 4WD system. From my reading online the front frame is hydroformed and the bodyshop looked on their repair estimation program and there is only an entire frame that is available. It costs like $5500 to replace the frame.


Was your cab shifted forward on the frame? all the cab bolts are bent forward 'cuz the cab shifted forward when we hit...

Newguy,



Be careful when at an 'authorized' body shop. Those guys are the
insurance companies lap dogs, so they are the ones that will be making
tons of cash, and keeping the insurance payout as low as possible. Some
may be good, but so far in my experience, these guys may sometimes seem
shady or not give you the full disclosure about whats going on. If
possible find a shop you trust, and then tell the insurance you dont
want to go through the approved/assigned body shop its currently at,
pay the difference in towing it to a different one and have them do the
assessment/repair. You may find out that the body shop you take it to
which isnt an authorized one, will give you a better idea of what is
going on. Keep in mind, thats not necessarily true either, it could be
the opposite, and the other shop give you a load of BS, but the odds
are that, that wont happen, as those shops arent regularly on the
insurance payroll/calling list, so they wont be able to get away with
as much. With an approved place, they give you a warranty on the work,
my thought is that repair it the right way the first time around, so
you dont have to go through the mess of doing it again just because
something brakes again. When I got my avalanche repaired, I took
it to a shop that does body repair/paint/performance upgrades, the
whole deal. They've been around for a long time and also have a awesome
reputation, try to find a place like that around you if possible.



Another thing is that if you take it to a performance place which does
repairs, they will probably do a better job, as they dont want to hurt
their reputation, plus they may be able to eye out things that shouldnt
be fixed.

yup, I'd get that truck out of the "appoved" shop tomorrow.

Yea - i'm getting the feeling that the shop is underestimating so it won't get totaled, then when they fix it they will "find" the rest of the problems and by then it's too late to total it out.


I'm first working hard on talking to the insurance adjuster to see what she has for me. She did tell me she was working on getting salvage bids for it, so i'm believing they will come in high enough that I just get a check, not a "fixed" truck. Then I can start shopping again.

http://www.collisionclaims.com/freediminishedvalue.html (http://www.collisionclaims.com/freediminishedvalue.html)


Hey Newguy,


What happens is my truck before the accident was worth 45,000. Without my aftermarket upgrades. Just the way I bought it from the dealer. Now that it has sustained frame damage. The dealerships will only give 50% of the vehicles worth. Plus by law now you have to disclose any collision damage over $500.00. If not and it is proven later there has been. The owner that owned the truck at the time of the accident will be responsible for paying the diminish value or some kind of fee of some sort. Whether it is sold directly to a private individual or traded to the dealership. If sold to a private individual make sure that it is documented thst you disclosed the information. The diminish value works as if you were to sell your truck with the repaired work done.Next to a truck without any previous collision damage. It is most likely the other truck will be bought. So there for in consumers eye. Your vehicle is not has appealing. Do to there is diminish value. A lot of states doesn't accept diminish value. Because of some agency wrote that is not acceptable. And a lot of insurance companies will tell you can not get diminish value settlement. But, since you are not at fault you are the claimant (3rd party) not the insured. So since you were a innocent individual abiding by the law. And was struck by a person that was clearly not. You will most likely be told you have case by a appraiser. Since you have a newer vehicle that I am assuming you are the original owner. And the truck has not had any other problems. Such as accidents that will make the truck not operate correctly. A person vehicle has to qualify for a diminish value criteria. I am not a legal expert nor a qualified person to say for sure. This info is what I have been learning through the past 3 weeks. The fee is around $300.00 to do a appraisel. You can talk to a appraisel group without being charged to see if you have a case. But, you need to get the estimate from the body shop, so it can be faxed to the apprasier. Also, do a little homework and see what trucks out there that has the same options and similiar mileage to get a feel what your truck was worth before the accident. I agree with the others find a body shop you feel comfortable with. And ask if they are qualified for the insurance's pricing. What the insurance company will pay. Because if they don't or won't work it out with the insurance, you might be liable for whatever balance the insurance won't cover. I do not think that is likely though. As The insured most likely will not get diminish value because there most likely to be a clause in their insurance policy as in many policies do. So don't let the insurance adjuster try to talk you out of it. Everbody of the forum Sorry for the book.

there is a lot to be said for approved body shops. my father had a towing and insurance approved (buy 3 major companies) auto body repair for 22yrs. he did great work and made sure it was ALWAYS done right. his name was well known for quality work. upside; many cars and trucks came from tow-ins from the state police calls. he was an approved shop so some customers and staight insurance agents had the work done there. three agents even sent him plenty of work. some insur. co. pull them out because they knew he would NOT cut corners. others would pay the tow to have their vehicle repaired where they knew that it was done right. ( we had a towtruck never charged for local jobs coming in) downside; some insur co. just like to brake your balls and even bitch about the tow bill before pulling them out because the estimate of repairs was too high (for them) . he was always in the usual price range for the repairs. if you go by the book ( factory parts on new stuff ) and get a good handle on the labor most shops are very competatively priced. now help for you. -- ask around!!! ( pay the estimate fee if needed and tell them why your getting a second opinion on the repairs) if a Dr. said "you need a new heart now!" you'd get a second opinion, right? get a reputable repair shop to do an estimate based on the one already writen and ask them if they think the damages at hand will need to have a "suplament applied" for unsee damages. ( take more photos yourself now of the motor and other damage and take them with you). most shops are pretty good at knowing when things will get ugly in the teardown. ask the insur. co. if they are leaving room to consider a suplament to the cost of the repairs!!! we had many, many jobs pulled and taken down the road so the insur. co. could save a few bucks. needless to say we had many suplamental repairs brought back to us to be done right. and one very pissed off customer. after they calm down and we got it right then you have a customer for life. insur. co. have a way of talking you in to "THEIR" so called "APPROVED SHOPS". be very careful here!!! if it don't feel right make it right! go with your gut! you should have the final OK on who fixes it. last but not least, buy the agent what ever the hell they want for dinner and you'll get a good feel for them too. then you can see if they are worth keeping around to do bussness with.

to the person asking if big bumpers are great at saving your ride? YUP, they are! http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley4.gif I've hit many trees and such out four wheelin and it's going to hurt you or the truck. something has got to take the impack of all that energy. case in point; a friend of mine got rear ended at a stop light in a 77 F150 welded class 3 rear hitch. the frame buckled under the cab and totaled his back for life. the car was crushed. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley11.gif passengers were A, OK. the truck looked OK, but he took the hit! if it was bolted on, the truck would have taken most of the impack by crushing up the ass end when the hitch cut loose. just remember this, if you put that big F***in front bumper on! if he had not welded it on he might still be in good shape. is your body worth the cost of a new ride??? impack or (crush zones) on rides are there for a reason. nuf said

This thread has really taken off. Good points on the preferred shops, there are goodun's and badun's. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley5.gif When my 5ver roof was damaged recently the insurance company arranged to have it serviced at one of their preferred shops. Yea, I was very suspicious. Turns out the insurance company requires the shop to warranty their work for as long as I own the unit, realizing that any damage I cause later on would not be covered. Heck that is a better warranty that I had from the manufacturer. They also found defective work from the original roof installation and are fixing that as well, total bill $6500.00 . http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley32.gif I'm very happy with P-re-sive, don't know if I should mention the name.


If the insurance company mandates a certain shop, then the insurance company should either back up their work with a written warranty or require the shop to do so. Personally would prefer the insurance company since shops come and go. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley5.gif


As far as totaling your vehicle, if you didn't have a clause in your insurance policy, I believe it is called "stop gap", that pays the difference between actual value versus payoff, you may be stuck with the difference. In this case it sounds like a considerable amount of money. If this has already been posted I apologize. JJ http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley4.gif

Well - I finally got a call from the adjuster this morning. She
says it's a fixer unless we can find a lot more damage $$$. The
salvage bid she got was only like $7500.... that's crazy low for
this truck. She also said the "value" they are putting my truck
at is like $41K. (that's more than I paid for it!!) So, I'm
considering having the shop do some teardown to find the rest of the
damage and i'm belieiving it will be over the top and get rid of this
thing...



Am I just being too paranoid here about driving in a fixed up
wreck? Am I wrong in wanting a new frame rather than a bent back
into shape frame?



What do I do!!???!!? http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley18.gif

You might offer to sell it to your insurance company for the value they are putting on it. If not, what is the other guys insurance company saying? If there guy was at fault they will likely be willing to jump thru some hoops to keep you happy and settle this quickly. So maybe they will buy your truck and you can purchase a new one. They can sell your truck, keep it as a loaner, whatever, just get it off your hands. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley2.gif


You've got nothing to lose by asking. If they say no, well let's just hope that pain in your back is feeling better! http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/hihi.gif Like my boss always tells me "Don't be afraid to let em sweat"! JJ http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley4.gif

ARRGH! I just got off the phone with the insurance co. and they are saying that I am at fault. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley18.gifhttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley5.gifhttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley19.gifhttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley18.gif
They took a statement from the other party and that's how they made
their decision. The police report doesn't fault either of
us... bummer....



anyhow, I talked to the diesel tech at the GM dealer today and he is
going to look at it and see what he thinks. Since the engine was
left running for a while after we hit, he thinks it may be
trashed...??

In your mind who is at fault?

Well Max, you made me think about it... so here goes. I was
turning left into his lane and he was speeding. He did have the
right of way in the intersection and neither of us could see each other
because of the SUV. So, from a technical standpoint I am at
fault, but from what others have told me if someone is speeding they
become at fault and that is what I was basing my assumptions on.

Well, not sure where you are going with this. I used to sell inusrance, they have to pay and represent you all just the same---your fault or not. So unlike a Chey dealer that might not give you the same treatment as a non Dealer Specfic Customer this should not be an issue. Now with that said, they do have a right to cancel you and very well may at that..."after"... they have settled with you. I think you'll end up doing ok with this, your not going to make any money, but you should not get hurt. For what ever it's worth.

He probably didn't admit to speeding. How bad was he speeding?

Well - it was a 30 or 35MPH zone and the guys at the bodyshop seem to
think he was going 45MPH or better from the amount of damage the truck
has. It's really hard to tell - there are no witnesses "on file"
but there were plenty of people around watching... (and I didn't
get any names or #'s...)



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It sounds like you are SOL unless you can prove he was speeding. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley11.gif Guilty until proven innocent. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley18.gif

Newguy, if you suspect your insurance may be cancelled you may want to get quotes from other insurance companies really fast. I have to think that being cancelled by one company is a "red herring" for other insurance companies who will likely jack up your rates. If you apply for a quote before cancellation you don't have to disclose a cancellation since it hasn't occured. If you suspect for one second cancellation is in the works best to be ready and beat them to the punch and cancel them before they cancel you.


You probably should get a legal opinion to ensure the insurance in effect at the time of the accident is still on the hook even if you change companies. Differing states have different laws. Do you know if the guy in the Neon was hurt or seeking medical treatments. Once he finds out you are at fault body parts have a tendency to start hurting. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley18.gif Good luck! JJ http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley4.gif

JJ - it's a commercial policy for my company, so I think i'm at less
risk of cancellation than an individual policy. I have never had
a claim before with this company... I may shop around, but I
don't have any inkling they will cancel me.



As for the guy in the neon - I talked to my adjuster yesterday and she
said she talked to the neon driver and he's not hurt she says.
(thank you God! http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley1.gif)

Here's the latest... I arranged to have it towed up to the GM
dealer to look at the motor - and the bodyshop wouldn't release
it. I found out that they wanted to be paid $550 for storage
fees, administrative fees and a few hours of "teardown". All they
have done to this point is given an estimate... (they did get the
hood open and spent a little time ripping off a few things on front -
only to see it and get a better estimate) I never signed any
authorization for repairs and was not informed of storage fees...
I did talk with the owner of the shop tonight and told him i wasn't
planning on paying that, to take it up with my insurance. He was
going to call her in the morning so he can get paid and they can
release it.



Can the shop do that? Charge me that much for "storage" and all that ?? seems kinda high to me... arrgh...

Who had it towed to that repair shop- you or your insurance co? If you did you might be screwed, if the ins co did tell'em to pack sand, in Wisconsin if you did not sign a work order for them to look at your truck they are out of luck on collection. If required you may have to have the bank step in for loss of value if you owe on the the truck. One of my friends got hit 2 weeks and 1400 miles into his 01 2500 D/A, took 12 weeks to fix the truck and the orginal est was 16k, the total when done was 23.5k, he had to sue his insurance co to get paid, the at fault drive had no insurance. They just got the medical payment in July, 3 years and 3 months later, on his wife and the Ins co won't settle on his daughter untill she is 18 because of the lawyer. If you are in doubt call in the big gun lawyer in your area. You paid for the truck and paid the ins their money now it's there turn.

Man, this is teaching me a lesson - the minute I get hit I’m going
to have to hit the self destruct button and let it go up in flames.

I just had the GM dealer look at it and they say the motor is OK.
So, now it's up to the bodyshop saying it needs a frame to have the
insurance total it out. I am going to get a 2nd estimate to see
where it lands...



I'm still standing strong on that I have favor with the insurance comapny and they will total it out for me. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley9.gif