Truck checkup after accident

**Terier** · 12-18-2011, 02:05 AM

I got rear end a couple of weeks ago on the freeway and the impact was all on the hitch. The impact was strong enough for me to black out for a second or two and end up with head & neck injuries. My concussion is getting better so now it's time to get my truck taken care of.

Once the truck is given a clean bill of health I can be at peace when towing. The visible damages include the bumper being uneven and shifted to one side along with the bedliner. The bedcover shifted too and the brackets were knocked out of alignment. The hitch & ball got scaped up too.

Since the accident some things take a lot more effort for me to do. It likes suddenly I have ADHD. Hopefully the numbness in my hand & arm goes away soon too but the numbness usually goes away once I change my arm position.

The other driver insurance company isn't playing nice so I am going through my insurance company for repairs. I have also forward the document from Progressive stating their customer was 100% at fault to my insurance company, Allstate. Right now I'm glad I have a low deductable of $50.

Mountainmanbob · 12-18-2011, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Terier

Since the accident some things take a lot more effort for me to do. It likes suddenly I have ADHD. Hopefully the numbness in my hand & arm goes away soon too but the numbness usually goes away once I change my arm position.

good morning Terier
sorry to hear about your accident
praying for a full recovery for you
were you alone in your Tundra ?
many blessings sent
from
Mountainman

D-mo · 12-18-2011, 07:27 AM

Hope everything is ok with you.
As far as the truck goes ..it doesn't sound as good, so its good to hear that you have your insurance involved with this. Have your truck assessed for a bent frame, as this certainly sounds like it.

d-mo

MtnGuy · 12-18-2011, 07:44 AM

Terier, glad you came through that ordeal without any life threatening injuries.......hope you continue to improve.

Make sure they include a new hitch and ball in with the insurance estimate, along with a frame check for alignment. Even thought the hitch and ball only seem "scraped up", there might be unseen damage there that may compromise a future towing trip.

Malco · 12-18-2011, 10:19 AM

Sorry to read about your accident Terier.Vehicles can be fixed or replaced,but hope you make a full and speedy recovery.

**Terier** · 12-18-2011, 05:09 PM

Thanks for the words of concern and support.

In answer to a question - I was alone in the truck. What I do remember is that most of the traffic was going slower than the posted 65 mph as it was the start of rush hour and the right two lanes were getting ready to merge onto another freeway.

My memory has bits of fading in similar to the special effects in movies or even with PowerPoint slides. I do recall hearing a muffled sound, feeling a distorted impact and the back of my head hurting. It puzzled me that I couldn't remember if I were moving or stopped in traffic.

The insurance company has determined their customer was 100% at fault but they refused repairs to my truck. After considering what would be in my best interest I opted to get my truck taken care by using my own insurance company. As much as I hated to let the other company off the hook (at least for now) I selected the method with someone on my side looking out for my best interest. By going this path I do not give away total control of getting my truck back to new status again.

The way I look at this is there are 3 parts to the accident claim:
1. Truck damages & repairs
2. Medical (not a quick fix so I'm listing it second)
3. Allstate going after Progressive for repayment

In a couple of days part #1 will be done and over with. This means I should have peace of mind when towing and not worrying about "what if..." This is most important part of the truck repairs. (I even asked Progressive that wouldn't it be in everyone's best interest to find out if the frame is alright so that we could rule it out but they didn't agree)

In time part #2 will be handled. The insurance company was willing to close medical 6 days after the accident so I could get payment ASAP but I didn't bite the apple. Regardless of time I am not willing to close medical until I have a full recovery.

As for part #3 - I also have an invested interested in this too to recover out-of pocket expenses for car rental fee & my $50 deductable.

On another note - most insurance companies are very similar in how they do business. Right now Allstate is my wingman but I could share where they were the bad guy with my dad's homeowner policy. It is not my intent to badmouth one company over another. What happened to me is not uncommon with other insurance companies ... the names are just different.

Malco · 12-18-2011, 09:37 PM

Terier, I don't understand how the other insurance company can admit responsibility for the accident but refuse payment.It seems as though it should have been a very easy and worry free claim for you.Sorry it turned out this way and hopefully your insurance company can get it settled for you quickly.Good luck.

crocus · 12-18-2011, 10:34 PM

What a screwy insurance system you americans have! I can't believe what I am reading.
Where we live, when someone is not at fault, their vehicle is fixed and fixed right, with no hassle.

LadyWindrider · 12-18-2011, 11:13 PM

Probably not as much the insurance system as it is the legal system. Since he got hit, and was not at fault, the other driver's insurance should pay. Now if no one got a ticket from a police officer, then there is no proof who was at fault, and it might/will become a court case. Since he is trying to get his insurance to repair his truck, then his insurance will get their lawyers to go after the insurance of the alleged at fault driver. At least I think that is what I think will happen. I don't do legal or insurance. It's just the country we live in.

Now the real sad part, depending on the amount of damage, in North Carolina, when a vehicle has repairs over a certain percentage of the value, you must declare this if you ever get rid of it. SO even it it gets fixed with all new parts, it is still a repaired vehicle, and who pays for that loss in value?

crocus · 12-18-2011, 11:21 PM

Sounds like a make-work project for lawyers!
I bet they aren't suffering too much these days.
Just imagine all of them needed for the millions of foreclosures.

rracer5 · 12-19-2011, 02:13 AM

As someone who has worked in the body repair business and been around auto repair in general for almost 40 years there are a few things you should make sure are thoroughly checked and MEASURED!! (Pictures would help)

1- You mentioned the the impact was to the hitch and ball. Since the hitch is bolted/welded directly to the frame, the frame took a tremendous hit.

2- You mentioned that the bumper was uneven and shifted to one side along with the bedliner. This may mean that the frame was also shifted to one side and may also be "diamonded". Meaning that the frame rail on the side that took the most impact may have shifted forward along the entire length of the truck. One way to visually check this is to look at the alignment of the FRONT bumper. Check for gaps and sags of the front bumper and facias that are larger or smaller on one side compared to the other. If this is the case and not properly repaired then the rear end and front suspension will never be in proper alighnment. The "frame" portion of the estimate should be "left open" by the body repair shop until they can properly measure and check for frame damage and work with your insurance company to cover the cost of repairing the previously hidden damege or end up "totaling the truck depending on the extent of frame damage.

Hope I didn't add to your worries and wish you well in your recovery.

DDC · 12-19-2011, 10:36 AM

Insurance companies are in the business of collecting premiums and hanging on to them, paying out is only an option if there is no other way out and they tend to find lots of ways out and are well supported by politicians.

**Terier** · 12-19-2011, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rracer5

As someone who has worked in the body repair business and been around auto repair in general for almost 40 years there are a few things you should make sure are thoroughly checked and MEASURED!! (Pictures would help)

1- You mentioned the the impact was to the hitch and ball. Since the hitch is bolted/welded directly to the frame, the frame took a tremendous hit.

2- You mentioned that the bumper was uneven and shifted to one side along with the bedliner. This may mean that the frame was also shifted to one side and may also be "diamonded". Meaning that the frame rail on the side that took the most impact may have shifted forward along the entire length of the truck. One way to visually check this is to look at the alignment of the FRONT bumper. Check for gaps and sags of the front bumper and facias that are larger or smaller on one side compared to the other. If this is the case and not properly repaired then the rear end and front suspension will never be in proper alighnment. The "frame" portion of the estimate should be "left open" by the body repair shop until they can properly measure and check for frame damage and work with your insurance company to cover the cost of repairing the previously hidden damege or end up "totaling the truck depending on the extent of frame damage.

Hope I didn't add to your worries and wish you well in your recovery.

Your post is right on with what is being done at the auto body shop. The only thing I wasn't aware of was the part relating to the front bumper. I will be sure to get that check out as well. Thanks for explaining it so I understand.

One of my concerns was that it wouldn't be inspected properly and I made sure that Allstate knew what I was insisting on and why. The shop I selected included this inspection from the start and explained why it was necessary. I was happy to find out this shop was on the list and shouldn't have any problems with Allstate.

The Progressive guy said he isn't aware of any data relating to an impact on the hitch being stronger. I came across an alert by the National Safety Commission that has determined even a low impact (10 mph or less) the impact on the hitch is 2.5 x the force.

I got a copy of the letter Progressive sent the other driver (Progressive customer) stating that she was 100% at fault. The only reason I was able to get it is that Progressive's right hand does not know what Progressive's left hand is doing.

Single women can often be seen as a easy push over because there's no angry husband involved but that's another topic.

I will post an update when I find out more.

Thanks to everyone for the words of support!
Terie

The_Stuff · 12-19-2011, 11:52 PM

wow makes my accident sound like a fender scratch! as much as you dont want to hear it.. you probably should get rid of that truck.. it wont be the same.

KarenS144 · 12-20-2011, 09:17 AM

I'm glad you weren't hurt worse but whiplash can be very serious and have long lasting effects. Don't sign off on the medical just yet.

Did you get pictures of both vehicles? Seems to me that if the hit was hard enough to cause you to black out even for a few seconds, it would have had to do quite a bit of damage.

What nitwit doesn't have enough sense to see that an impact to a small area like a hitch could be much worse than the same force spread out over a large area like a BUMPER?? DUH.

Would it be advisable once the truck is "fixed" to hook up the RV and tow it some before signing off on the repairs. Maybe haul it to the repair shop and have them inspect it?

**Terier** · 12-20-2011, 01:31 PM

Good news:
The truck have been inspected in detailed to specs and the frame was not damaged. The bumper has been reinstalled and it's straight and even again. The hitch got a clean bill of health too and will be getting some touch up paint on the scrape marks. I need to follow up on the Tonneau Cover and make sure it closes correctly. After the accident it needed some adjusting to close completely and need to make it still ok now.

In the next week or two I will be taking the trailer in to the service department for maintenance work so it will make a good practice run towing. I have a great relationship with my dealership and they will make sure all is well before giving a thumps up.

My truck is back to *new * status again.

On another note - it was so ever strange to be driving a small rental car. I felt like I was on sitting on a skateboard looking at everything from ground level.

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