Wondering if anyone can give me an idea of what happens after a somewhat serious car wreck. I poked through some of the still alive threads and I still have some questions.A woman ran a red light in front of me on Blount st. today. I had about 3 car lengths to brake from about 30-35mph before I hit her. No one seemed injured on the scene, including the two dogs I had in the backseat. Both my airbags went off and several of hers did. Witnesses told the cop I had a green light, and she admitted running the red light.Mine is a '96 Honda Accord lx 4dr 4cyl with 75k miles on it. What's the likelihood it'll be totaled in this kind of accident? There was coolant on the road, pretty major front end damage. Since the engine stopped in the accident, I didnt try to start it again.I didn't think I was injured at the time - just smacked by the airbag - but my chest still hurts in one spot 9 hours later, and my knee feels pretty bad from where it hit the steering wheel. How does injury figure into the insurance stuff? Does it go on my health insurance, or can I get her insurance to pay my deductibles for xrays and stuff?There's still a bunch of my personal stuff in the car - a roof rack and a cd player, mostly. When should I go to get that stuff out? ASAP, or wait to see what happens with the insurance estimate?
8/26/2007 9:48:39 PM
Unless the pic makes it look worse than it really is, there is no question the car is totaled.If you feel you may be injured, definitely go get checked out ASAP. It should go on her insurance, but I'm not 100% sure of the procedure since I've never been through that process.I'd say go get your stuff out as soon as possible. As I said, I'm pretty damn sure it's totaled. But even if not, you don't want to take the chance of your stuff getting jacked while the car is at the tow lot awaiting appraisal/repair.
8/26/2007 9:54:51 PM
looks like more than 75% of the cars value in damage so it will be totaled. Also go to the doctor immediately it will all be taken care of in the settlement. Furthermore, I would try to get a rental car from her insurance company. You will end up getting a settlement for damage, medical bills, pain and suffering, rental car, etc. since it seems to be a pretty clear case of who is at fault.Also did she get ticketed?
8/26/2007 10:39:42 PM
My vote is its totaled, you will get blue book for it.
8/26/2007 11:33:15 PM
get all of your personal stuff out of it, it could get broken into at the place where it is stored.and it will more than likely be totaled, go to the doctor and get those injuries looked at and her insurance will take care of whatever you have to pay. Glad that no one is hurt any worse and goodluck with the insurance companies.
8/26/2007 11:38:04 PM
The officer told me she got a ticket for running the light. He didn't get specific, so I don't know if there are other tickets she did or didn't get. I know there's one for causing over $1000 of damage...I will probably get my stuff out of my car before I get a rental, but if not, does transportation have some sort of temporary parking pass deal? [edit: yes, if you go to the transpo office and ask.][Edited on August 26, 2007 at 11:41 PM. Reason : googled.]
8/26/2007 11:38:35 PM
Have you spoken to your insurance company yet? As I understand it, your insurance should be willing to inform you of your rights in this matter. For example, they will tell you where to have the car towed and inspected, suggest a rental agency, even getting you a pre-settlement check if you find yourself incapable of waiting for re-imbursement, such as needing to pay a down-payment on your replacement automobile.That said, cars are designed to turn off during an accident. While yours is dead, since you visibly lost fluids and the engine was clearly encroached upon, etc. But just because it turns off does not mean it is damaged and cannot be driven. [Edited on August 27, 2007 at 9:24 AM. Reason : .,.]
8/27/2007 9:21:32 AM
8/27/2007 9:31:35 AM
I would get your knee looked at very closely...when we were in a head on as kids, my dad's knee got jacked on the steering wheel and has never been the same since.
8/27/2007 9:38:09 AM
i always wondered how a dog would do in a car wreck.
8/27/2007 9:38:52 AM
myself included. i wonder if the dogs were injured if that would go into property damage factor as well? i've never been faced with that kind of situation at work.
8/27/2007 9:44:19 AM
What if you were carrying the dog in your lap while driving?Wouldn't you be responsible for dog's injury in that case?Also, wouldn't you get a ticket for that? [Edited on August 27, 2007 at 10:01 AM. Reason : .]
8/27/2007 9:58:51 AM
i *think* dogs are required to be restrained while riding in a car in wake county. i'm going to look this up though. so, seems like if the dogs were injured b/c they weren't properly restrained, then it's your fault.
8/27/2007 10:55:57 AM
SUE THEM!www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBsKkV8hcLM
8/27/2007 11:48:55 AM
8/27/2007 11:53:44 AM
I think you probably could be, but I drive with my dog in the passenger seat almost everyday and have driven by and stopped at lights right next to cops and they've never said anything. I know other people do as well.
8/27/2007 12:05:50 PM
If you are still hurt from the accident go to the Hospital ASAP… I was in a really bad car accident where I was rear ended and didn’t go because I thought I was fine… few days later my back was still hurting and ended up at the ER… Turns out I had broken my T6, and T7 vertebra and the connecting ribs… My truck was total and because I didn’t go to the doctor right away I got almost nothing from the damages… However, my friend who was in a similar accident but had no serious injuries got almost 100k for his trouble and medical bills… My advice go to the hospital ASAP…
8/27/2007 12:14:46 PM
8/27/2007 12:17:25 PM
go to the doctor asap. take your dogs to the vet asap. you're health coverage will take care of any bills up front (not the dogs obviously). you may or may not have to pay them back if/when you get a settlement from the other person's insurance. you can set up payment plans for any percentage of the bills you might be responsible for (depends on your coverage).do not count on getting a settlement just because she was found at fault by the police. that means jack shit in nc. if they can show or prove that you were negligent in avoiding the accident in any way, then you're screwed. unfortunately, this is a very easy thing to do with how nc law is. after evaluating what impact your injuries are going to have on your life, i.e. are you going to be missing work, need future treatment, etc. you might want to strongly consider consulting a lawyer. there is so much hidden legal crap that can screw you out of getting the compensation you deserve, even if you think it's a clear cut case.keep records of EVERYTHING. for example, say the rental car you have gets worse gas mileage than your car. calculate the difference, that's money you wouldn't be spending otherwise and should be covered.definitely contact your insurance company. they should be willing to fight for you also. depending on what sort of coverage you have, there may be some financial assistance available also.^^he's right. pain and suffering is a no go in north carolina.[Edited on August 27, 2007 at 12:28 PM. Reason : .]
8/27/2007 12:27:30 PM
Go get a physical checkup, charge as much of it as you can to her insurance, then the rest (if any) to your own.As for your stuff, I'd wait for the estimate, then go grab your stuff and see if they're damaged. If so, see if that can be factored in to insurance claims.I was in an accident that totaled the car I was driving about 2 years ago. Other driver was drunk, and I pretty much followed the process I stated above. Don't remember exactly, but I think we got an initial $11k from the accident, then an additional $5k (a couple of months later) to not claim additional medical costs.Knee might not be that bad, in my case it was just a burst fluid sac. Also had seat belt bruises and a burnt hand. Friend broke his collarbone though, and his dad was some sort of lawyer. Useful, that.Just make sure to claim as much in damages/bills that you can. Anything remotely related.
8/27/2007 1:16:49 PM
if you want, you could seriously milk the shit out of this. several thousand dollars in in pain/suffering. whiplash sometimes doesn't settle in for months. i had a broken wrist and got t-boned by a car going about 40, my cast shattered, going through the driver side window. needless to say my wrist was re-fractured. if you like money and don't mind getting it from insurance companies, develop some late setting pain.
8/27/2007 1:20:30 PM
Thanks everyone for chiming in, some good advice in here.Student health xrayed my chest and knee and I'm quite thankful nothing's broken. Both dogs have been pretty thoroughly checked and aren't showing signs of any pain or physical problems. I think they pretty much stayed on the seat or bounced into the back of the front seats. I do not let my dog into the front seat (ever) because I don't want him to hit the airbag in a collision.I've talked to her insurance company's adjuster people and we've worked out a rental and how to get my crap out of the car before they crush it.I think the worst part about this is that I have to get a new car now. I'm already apprehensive about what they'll offer me for the car - can I haggle on that? values on NADA and KBB do not mesh with the prices I see on similar cars on online listings.also, it's a pain in the ass finding C permit spots in the middle of the day on campus.[Edited on August 27, 2007 at 1:36 PM. Reason : ..]
8/27/2007 1:34:00 PM
8/27/2007 1:37:31 PM
Call the other driver's insurance company. You should have their insurance carrier and policy # (the cop usually gets the information from both of you and gives you both a copy). (I was in a similar accident a few months ago. The other guy actually had his insurance company call me.)By now they probably know about the accident and know it was their client's fault. Tell them you need to see a doctor. They will tell you which doctor to see if they pay for it. If you see a doctor without contacting them first, you may end up SOL. If her insurance doesn't cover your medical expenses (if she's from NC I think state law requires at least some coverage) and you have comprehensive insurance, your insurance will likely cover it.It's typical to be sore from the seat belt or anywhere your body hit any part of the car. Usually you won't feel anything immediately after the accident (if it wasn't severe) just from all the adrenaline. The impact forces can be thousands of pounds, so you WILL be sore for the next few days. A doctor will probably just prescribe anti-inflammatories or pain killers and take some x-rays if anything seems like it might be broken.Your car is 100% definitely totaled. The airbags alone will cost up to $1,000 to replace. Remove your belongings from it. When the insurance company totals it, it must still have all the salvageable parts (i.e. you can't take the tires, sound system, etc. unless you replace them). That stuff will factor into the value of the car when they pay you for it.My wreck:Impact velocity: ~20-30mphTotalled[Edited on August 27, 2007 at 2:25 PM. Reason : my wreck]
8/27/2007 2:20:43 PM
8/27/2007 2:29:51 PM
8/27/2007 2:30:13 PM
mangiven the chance you people would rape almost anyone for a little cash.
8/27/2007 2:31:48 PM
8/27/2007 3:00:55 PM
So I says "Rectum? Damn near killed him!"
8/27/2007 3:24:20 PM
Do Not Sign Anything with the Insurance Company!They will try to get you to settle ASAP and will throw a little money at you. Don't do it.You do not have to sign anything right awayIf you have any injuries I would consider hiring an attorneyI did for the accident I was in in October. I was sideswiped/t-boned on 40 W in am traffic. I was at a complete stop (typical slowdown) and a woman didn't see the wall of traffic in front of her and she slammed into the side of my truck at 65+ mph. I was pushed into the median and my truck's passenger side was wrecked! I wish they'd totaled it because now it's worth nothing if/when I want to trade it in. Diminished value claims are pathetic. My truck lost $6000 in value and they gave me a measley $600...Anyways, I got tired of being jerked around by the insurance company (Nationwide). Phone calls were never returned, no one gave me answers, my truck wasn't getting fixed properly and it was in the shop for 3 weeks, pressure to settle when I was still in Physical Therapy for my neck injury, etc... so I hired an attorney and didn't have to deal with them anymore. I settled for enough to pay BCBS for what they wanted, was reimbursed for what I spent out of pocket on co-pays and Rx (close to $1000) and made about $1500 after the attorney took his cut (1/3). Document EVERYTHING! Record when you make phone calls, who you spoke too, etc...
8/27/2007 3:59:31 PM
Isn't it insurance fraud if you're trying to "make money" off of injuries and stuff?Honestly genuine question.
8/27/2007 4:01:22 PM
8/27/2007 4:07:01 PM
I honestly didn't care if I made 1 cent profit off my settlement. I just wanted to be reimbursed for what I'd spent out of pocket on medical bills and for the missed work. I had a neck injury that took 4 months to heal and PT at $40 co-pay x twice a week adds up. I just got sick of being jerked around and ignored by the insurance company so I hired someone they'd listen too.
8/27/2007 5:24:22 PM
8/27/2007 7:25:06 PM
8/27/2007 8:54:49 PM
8/27/2007 9:28:16 PM
it's got a subframe, but no "true" frame (body on chassis type frame).
8/27/2007 9:33:51 PM
I like reading the experiences in this thread.Your car definitely looks totaled. I thought mine would have been,too when, I was rear-ended while stopped for heavy traffic a few months ago. The lady was on her cell phone and never even put on brakes...I was pushed into the car in front of me, so I had front and rear damage. Turns out, the damage was about $8600 and the car's value was about 14K, so it wasn't enough to total it. They are only offering me $600 for diminished value claims at this point.Does anyone have any advice or experiences with diminished value?
8/28/2007 9:35:17 AM
Nationwide will completely try to fuck you over and pressure you into settling and using their shitty Blue Ribbon repair shops, though you will not need to worry about Blue Ribbon because yours is scrap metal and spare parts now. Worked for a rental car agency after my wife got hit by a Blue Ribbon insured, because of the accident in fact. Luckily she had no injuries, but the Blue Ribbon shop tried to push our shit off, half assed the repairs, and THEN wouldn't fucking fix something that they didn't put in the original estimate but was obviously damaged in the accident, and was pointed out to them by ME during the estimate. The only reason they fixed it was because after not receiving any returns to my phone calls over a month or more to the shop, my dad called and said he would stop doing business with the shop with his company vehicles (he is the fleet manager of a midsized company) if they didn't set shit straight with my car and treat me like a human fucking being. Then they lied and said that my work wasn't claim related when I got the rental, so the rental car company was going to bill me $80+ for the 2-3 days it was back in the shop.So yes, fuck Nationwide. I will say in all my experience renting I heard the best stuff usually from people that were dealing with Progressive and Farm Bureau. Progressive was usually cool about just saying send the bills directly to me" and would also be pretty fair on values. Farm Bureau will always install new parts on vehicles and were cool about letting folks roll in the rental AND use the full $30. Nationwide will often just approve you for the smallest fucking thing they can get and will tell you to go fuck yourself. I know several of the adjustors and they were assholes. Hell my wife was in a Nationwide office and an aunt is an agent with them.[Edited on August 28, 2007 at 10:02 AM. Reason : ]
8/28/2007 10:02:03 AM
What do you think about Geico?
8/28/2007 10:09:39 AM
^^ I agree with everything said about Nationwide regarding the blue ribbon shops.absolute headache! the manager at southern states dodge didn't like to come to the phone, return phone calls, was short with me and wasn't including damages caused from the accident in the report. He was a complete douche and I will never bring a vehicle there again. My truck was in their shop for almost a month and when I went to pick it up it still wasn't fixed properly. This was depsite multiple visits there to point out the damages to them time and time again. I wanted to leave it there until it was 100% fixed but Nationwide said they weren't going to cover my rental anymore it took almost a month to get my truck back in the shop to fix what they neglected the first time. The claims dept at Nationwide is horrible. They are incompetant assholes.My husband switched to Geico after the headache I had with Nationwide. I'm switching now that i've settled. I don't want to give them 1 cent after this ordeal. I'm thinking about Farm Bureau since I've heard good things about them. Dimished Value claims are a pain. I had one and I only got $600. They won't share their source of information with you so you have no idea where they're getting the figure from. You could go the attorney route but it's not worth it (unless it's a very valuable car) so just take what you can get. It sucks. I wanted to trade my truck in but after I disclosed that it'd been in an accident exceding 25% of its value they offered me 1/4 of what the truck would be worth. So rather than be upside down in a loan I'm keeping it until it's paid off.
8/28/2007 12:27:47 PM
progressive was great for me. even though i had minimal liability coverage, they still went to bat and fought for me when a lady pulled out in front of me a few years ago. it was just a minor accident, but my car was still totalled. i'm with state farm now for my personal vehicles, but only because that's who my homeowner's is with. just easier to combine everything. so far they've been great, and having a local personal agent is nice.
8/28/2007 12:46:15 PM
I know a guy who was a dentist (retired). His new landrover or something of that sorts was hit in the rear, messed up obvious stuff plus some of the exhaust pipes.. The replacement landrover exhaust parts were like $3000 so they of course tried to just use genericly made stuff from a muffler shop. He noticed this, told them that's not what was on the car when he got rear ended so that's not what was going to be on it when he got it back, they told him tough shit, he sued them, won and well..got his exhaust. He said he spent more money than he got but he's pretty wealthy and didn't care. All the agents he dealt with had to call him and apologize and write him apology letters. I'm 99% sure he was with nationwide. Also, every bodyshop I've talked to says they prefer state farm, they're the only ones that don't fight over every nickle and dime
8/28/2007 12:56:10 PM
i didnt read all this, but if both air bags deployed on a 12 year old base model accord, then its totaled.
8/28/2007 2:58:19 PM
I was in an accident back in 2000 in which my beautiful 300ZX convert was totaled. I was traveling on Morrisville Parkway on my way to my job at Ericsson. I was in the left hand lane of traffic traveling to Davis. The right hand lane was stopped. I was traveling 5-10 UNDER the speed limit. A girl that was trying to cross the parkway to go in the opposite direction pulled in between the cars in the right lane and went in front of me. I was able to miss her, but she hit me in the rear quarter panel and sent me through a light pole (thankfully one of the fiberglass ones). I thought there was absolutely no doubt I was in the clear, but when you throw Morrisville's finest into the equation with a sub 100 IQ, there is no telling what will happen. we were both written tickets: me for 'excessive speed under existing conditions: (1) in a school zone (2) at an intersection and (3) in heavy traffic'. She was written a ticket for 'failing to yield'. I was irrate. I was under the speed limit, and two of the three things cited in my ticket werent even open for debate, they were flat out wrong. Well, my ticket was dismissed. She was found guilty. We were unfortunately BOTH insured by State Farm (this is where they really try to screw you). It ended up where state farm said were were both at fault, which means my claim goes against my insurance. Well, most people would give up at that point, but if I feel wronged, I kick into 6th gear. I got the Director of the SDIP program involved, and he has the final say with insurance points. He said they could not assess me any points under the given situation, and that I would not be credited with the accident. Moral of the story: Document everything, and be prepared to fight.[Edited on August 28, 2007 at 3:20 PM. Reason : .]
8/28/2007 3:19:45 PM
i was rear-ended back in May and I'm still fighting Nationwide (other guy's insurance). It's been an absolute nightmare.
8/28/2007 3:37:33 PM
So in this accident, the woman who ran the red light had GMAC insurance.I only had liability through Geico on my honda. When I talked to Geico, they said that since I had no damage coverage on the car, that everything had to go through the at-fault. They offered exactly no help in following through with the other company or backing me up or anything.I suspect that when people feel like their insurance company helped them out out of goodwill or customer service, that it is actually that their ins. co. is just making sure the other party's ins. co is holding the hot potato.My wife had been planning to switch from Geico for cost reasons anyway.
8/28/2007 3:39:05 PM
I will say that GEICO was a mixed bag. I heard very mixed stories from insureds and claimants. The GEICO rep in Eastern NC, whose name is no shit Richard or Dick Rumplick. He acted like a fucking rumplicker too. He could be nice somedays, but other days he was a whinny asshat. Most the customers were negative or neutral towards him and the bodyshops were never very happy with him either. They were better than some at treating you like a real person instead of a fucking number, but they were also usually not local and didn't really care a whole lot about how you got along.Ryan, State Farm blows. They had a big agency where I used to work and they were fucking assholes. Not as bad as Nationwide, but barely any better. Nationwides issue is that they generally have the shittiest scum of the Earth as their insureds. With an aunt that owns one, and my wife that worked for a few months running a completely seperate agency, I can say with 100% certainty that people only go to Nationwide because their driving record is so bad they are uninsurable by anybody else. Nationwide folks were constantly getting cancelled on their insurance for nonpayment, and I had to call up to the agencies more than any other location to comfirm that Mr. & Mrs. Joe Shmoe paid their insurance bill up there and do in fact now have coverage to rent the Suburban to drive to Florida.[Edited on August 28, 2007 at 4:31 PM. Reason : ]
8/28/2007 4:31:10 PM
the nationwide rep called me the day after my accident, in the hospital trying to get me to answer questions and asking if she could come by. i had just gotten out of major surgery, was on pain medicine to the moon, etc.luckily my parents were there when she came by in person, and basically told her to fuck off and not contact me any more.
8/28/2007 4:41:39 PM
Blue Ribbon adjustors are basically there to breath down the neck of the bodyshops, telling to hurry their shit up, push it ahead of everybody else that has scheduled appointments, get all used/salvaged parts or make the busted ones work instead of buying new parts, and get it out the door ASAP. They otherwise have little real work, except to setup the rental for the cheapest thing possible and cut it off on the estimated days of the shop, without checking in to see how they are progressing. My favorite with Nationwide is that they will call you and say that the car is ready at 4:45, the shop closes at 5:00, and the rental location closes at 6, but you have to get a ride or something, and you damn sure better hope the car is ready to your liking, b/c as Danielle said, they will not allow you to keep it overnight if your out of town, work 2nd shift, or find a problem with the car that your not satisfied with the work or its unsafe.
8/28/2007 5:38:42 PM