Ants97SE

The moment I feared happened yesterday around noon. My car was wrecked. I was approaching a light with a lot of traffic so I pulled into the center lane because it was empty so I could make my turn. All of a sudden a car comes out from the Walgreens on the right coming though traffic because traffic was letting him through so he could go the opposite direction I was going. Well apparently not wanting to wait he floored it out of there. I could not see him at all and was travelling about 25 mph when his front part of his Suburban pulled out in front of me, I was too close to stop so I slammed into him hard. The air bags went off and kind of dazed me. Next thing I know I'm being helped out of the car by a parametic from New Braunfels who happened to be behind me. I went to the hospital and fortunately am alive and ok... a little bruised physically from the seatbelts and bruised mentally from the car. I had 4 witnesses who were nice enough to give me their numbers and all talked to the police saying it was the guy in the Suburbans fault. So right now my cars sitting at a body shop awaiting instuctions from the insurance. I know I'll probably get screwed on this because it is an insurance company... anyone have any experience with this? How does it all work? The frame is completely out of whack because if you look at the pictures, the sunroof popped out on one side and the sunroof door is all warped.



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[Edited by Ants97SE on 12-10-2000 at 03:58 PM]

whitemax99gle

Yikes! I feel your pain. Hope everything works out fine.

PiotrC70

Assuming your insurance is stupid enough to try to fix it... (doubt they will) you pay your deductible, shop takes care of the rest. First, pray or hope that you have the other guys insurance or that he HAS insurance or else you're screwed. Assuming your car is concidered totaled which it should be. The other guys insurance writes you a check for the value of your car and well, you get to go car shopping... lets hope it's that case...
Good luck

98se

i have been in a TON of accidents, none of which i was driving, but have delt with insurance companies quite a bit, in my opinion, don't seem over zealous about getting $$ just explain to them you want and need this car fixed as soon as possible. If they start to give you a runaround, ease the pressure on, i think for the most part if they see you are understanding then they will be more willing to cooperate. -They have alot of *stuff*/channels they need to go through for them to get it worked out.......it payed off for me!
gl

MaximaZero

yongjun

Glad to hear that you will be physically ok.
I hope your car works out for you.
Sorry to hear about that bro.

Confused

iTrader: (4)

The car can be replaced, you can't be.

Glad to see your ok

Try not to let it bother you too much, I know it's hard.

DA-MAX

iTrader: (10)

its gonna be totaled unless your insurance is on some crazy sh*t!! damn "SUVs", some people don't need to be driving them let alone be driving at all!!!! been in two minor accidnets myself, this makes me realize how lucky I've been!! good to see you're okay!!

Chris91SE

iTrader: (1)

sorry to see that...id bet that they would total it just by looking at the damage...also your looking at and extra couple grand just for the airbags alone...the ride can be replaced...good luck to ya and hope everything works out...

Eric L.

Well, since it's the other guy's fault, you shouldn't have to pay a dime. The other dude's insurance should cover your deductible, cost of complete repairs, medical costs, and a rental car for as long as you are out a car. Unless the car is totalled, in which case you will get a check for the current blue book value of your car and then that's it.

wharper

Glad to see you're okay. Maxima vs. Suburban is a nightmare of mine. Your wreck also illustrates what can happen when traffic stops to "let people across"... that's nice and everything, but usually the traffic coming through can't see the whole traffic situtation, and if someone waves them through, they just fly blind...

Driving is one of the most dangerous activities a person engages in daily, unless you do something really dangerous for a living.

I also agree they'll probably total your max, so you'll get to do the car shopping thing. Good Luck.

Y2KevSE

iTrader: (13)

Ouch, glad to see you're ok... good luck with the insurance process!

UMD_MaxSE

iTrader: (1)

Sorry to hear about your wreck. Glad that you are ok though. Those damn SUV drivers really make some stupid moves.

perlmax90

but what makes the car totaled? it doesn't look to bad from here. i thought totaled was when the car was cut in half or completely crushed. can anyone explain?

Vic

ouch... it will take time to recover from an accident (physically/mentally) but most importantly is that your ok
i've been in freak accidents and i know.
well lets see what insurance says first..maybe you can claim it as total as get a new 2k =)
Vic

ohboiya

iTrader: (3)

PerlMax90 .. i dunno dude .. it looks pretty totally 2 me ... even if they could fix it up ... it looks like it'll never b the same with the structural damage that's been sustained by the frame ...

ANTS ... glad 2 hear u r ok ... pray the insurance battle goes smoothly ... get the $$$ ... invest it in the stock market ... make a whole bunch more $$$ & get an M5!!! lol .. or get the 2002 260 hp MAX!!!

Take care of yourself!

Stillnmax

depends on that - my friends car when it was wrecked he claimed it was totalled because the frame was bent and if it was straightend it wouldnt be as rigid as original.

i think thats what his situation was - not sure -

Nick Robinson

Sorry man, but say by to the car. I hit a tree a while back going kind of fast, only hit in the rear. Airbags didnt go off. Back window blow out, needed a new door. From the looks of it, i thought it would be in the shop a few weeks, then id have my car back. Turns out she was totaled. it was to close the the NRDA value (i think they are the NRDA..)So insurance gave me a nice big 11k check. The nice thing was, the car was really sad. Needed a lot of paint work. the funniest thing was i had made an apoinment for the next weekend to get a new clutch. So i came out ahead, i couldnt have sold my old car for like 8k. Good ol insurance, and now i ahve a max!
So usually youll get more than blue book. Start shopping for a car. I know it hurts, but you will be able to find somthing just as good, if not better. take a look at http://www.autohunter.com and http://www.getauto.com

Your deducatable shouldnt go up or anything. Really you shouldnt have to pay a dime for this accident. Its not your fault, you have witnesses, etc. keep us posted on what happens.

Oh, and wahts up with all these MAx accidents latly?

Kashoggio

iTrader: (11)

your alive, be happy
but it still hurts to look at that pic
good luck to ya

My 4DSC

glad to hear you're ok though...

Ants97SE

Thanks for all the responses and concerns guys. It's gonna be tough for a while... at least I have my old Altima (which I still hadn't sold). I'm pretty sure they will total it. The whole frame looks out of whack and there is so much damage to the engine they would have to probably drop a new one in there. I'll keep all of you posted as to what happens.

Wiremaxless

join the club........ =(

Chris91SE

iTrader: (1)

totaled depends on the dollar value of the car vs. the dollar value of how much it's going to cost to fix everything...if fixable...if its not fixable then its totaled...say the car is worth 5k and its going to cost 5.5k to fix...they'll usuaylly total it...

Bernie Lomax

I believe the rule is "totalled" means that the repairs are greater than or equal to 80% of the book value of the car. I am guessing you will be getting a big check, but it won't be totalled. You're looking at fender, hood, bumper cover and some lights. Hopefully the unibody isnt bent, do you know if it is? Again, glad you're ok.

Kenneth

iTrader: (8)

don't fear to much ants it is much better you are alive maximas are a dime a dozen your life isn't

parent got "waved" on into traffic and can't trust a soul. both ways was a bad situation

i think of you max as the "south point stocker" because it didn't have any mods at that meet.

rip...

Kato

Wow....those are some scary looking pics. Glad to hear you're ok though.

RussMaxManiac

Oh man this has got to suck! I am sorry man this was right by the house wasn't it? I know what you mean by that intersection right there. It has almost happened to me a few times. You just got that car too!!!!!!!!!! Well at least you are okay, the car is replaceable your not. And at least you still have your ALTIMA you can drive around for a while till Insurance does something. U still gonna make it to the meet? Anyways keep us informed man, really sorry to hear that. By the looks of the damage though, there gonna total the car. So expect it to happen.

RussMaxManiac

I can tell you a new small block VQ costs from the dealer $7500. That is how much my 98s engine was...eek!

max95q

iTrader: (10)

But I am glad to hear that you are ok and doing well, cars, are replacable. your life, Priceless! I know what it feels liek to be hit right there too. I was hit on the right fender but the light turned red on me anD THIS CAR CAME FLYING OUT AND HIT ME, 2500 dollars worth of damage, shes fixed though . the insurance company totalled it becasue the parts for my car are rare and expensive so I sold the car to the insureance company and boguht it back from them, then had it fixed. your frame is hurt really bad, mine was still drivable kinda, front bumper pieces hanging but got it home. Glad to see you are still on your feet man.

Lordrandall

iTrader: (4)

Dang that is bad, I'm glad you are OK man!

Please keep us updated, I know there are a ton of people around that want to make sure you are cool.

Luck!!!

SWEETSOUND2001

iTrader: (30)

youre lucky that youre not hurt at all...the car is replaceable...i got in an accident in my 90 accord. tire blew out on the freeway at about 80mph. hit the center divider after spinning 180 degrees out of control. not a scratch, thank god there were no cars behind me.

turbolaw99

iTrader: (3)

Man, I am glad your are OK. The car does look totalled, and a claims handler can consider a total loss from 40-60% of the vehicle's value. I still have my TX adjuster's license w/USAA, so I'll send an email with some claims info.

[s3]

iTrader: (1)

As long as you have witnesses who are willing to finger him out as the guy at fault, you are golden.

Get a lawyer, assess your medical bills, MAKE sure you get yourself checked out thorougly, cuz 10 years from now you might have this twitch in ur arm or leg from this accident.

Consult with your lawyer, then sue sue sue the bastard, its the american way.

Me + my friends got about 20k split 3 ways when a truck ran over my car about 2 years back.

It takes a while to settle, think of it as an investment for a new car.

Good luck!

Ants97SE

Thanks, I'd appreciate any help I can get. I'm gonna be contacting my lawyer tomorrow to see what he can help me with.

AntGVR4

Glad to hear your Okay Ants.. thats most important...
The car looks totaled to me...don't worry it'll all get taken care of..

If the other guys insurance is nice you will get a check for the price of the car.. if they dispute it could take a while.. either way at least you have another ride till then ..

Good luck

Ant

SethMax

That car's going to be totalled man. I'm glad you're okay.
Assuming the Suburban guy has insurance, it's going to be covered under his and you won't pay a thing except for time. They determine if a car is "totalled" or not by taking the blue book value and factoring it against some ambiguous floating percentage dependant upon the age of the car. Like it takes less overall damage to total a brand new car than it does to total an older one. I guess it's logic of added wear and tear or whatever. Who knows. You'll suffer in a crappy rental car for 6 weeks if they decide to try to fix it (which I highly doubt they will) or you'll ride around in one for 2 weeks until you get the check so you can go buy another car. Sad stuff man... Look at the bright side though, you may get to go car shopping! That's always fun.

BTW, that's my BIGGEST pet peeve is when traffic parts to let somebody across like that. I almost died in a car because of that one time... or I certainly would have. I was riding as a passenger in my ex-girlfriend's DelSol. Traffic on two of the three lanes parted to let her through. I said DON'T GO, she got impatient and went anyway. We nearly got broadsided (right in my door) by a carful of teenagers in an '82(or so) Buick Park Avenue going AT LEAST 70mph. They locked up the brakes, slid over the sidewalk, clipped a telephone pole and did a big 4 wheel drift through a parking lot to avoid her. I never let her forget that one and she DOES NOT go when people let her through anymore. I close the door on that **** if I see it happening. Pisses people off because they don't realize that I'm likely saving them from smashing up their stupid SUV by doing it. I'm glad you're okay and I'm sorry you were affected by other people's stupidity like that.

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

Sorry to see it man..
as everyone else has said, you're okay- that's what counts..

whenever you do get everything settled with the ins company and get yourself another ride, see if you can buy the totalled car back from them for just a few $..
you can then part the car out and make some cash back.. I dunno if you're the kinda guy that goes for it, but us poor 3rd geners have to do everything we can to find parts for our cars!

glad you're okay man..

NightRider

iTrader: (6)

Well, since your airbags deployed, the car is considered totalled. Most likely, you will get a check from your insurance company in the amount of your car (Blue Book value). Insurance companies are @ssholes so they will try to give you the trade-in value instead of retail. You'll probably have to fight with them a little bit. Just make sure you stay on top of them or else they will try to blow you off and not pay you anything. I'm just telling you from experience. Glad to hear you're okay though. Also keep anything that the doctor gave you and make copies for the insurance company. They have to pay you for that and any time that you may have missed from work. Hope everything works out.

SunMax

iTrader: (2)

Sorry to hear that. After 1 month with my Max, I definitely understand the pain...

Hope it works out for you and you can drive another Max soon.