Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand what you’re talking about. You need to talk with your insurance company ASAP and do everything they tell you. These days cars are expensive so do not accept the Kelley bluebook value. Make sure you are reimbursed a replacement value that actually reflects current market prices. And it was good advice to go to a doctor and get checked out. That sounds like nobody was seriously hurt, which is a great thing.

THIS! Don't accept bluebook, ask for "replacement value". Used cars are hard to find.

Your truck wont be totaled and therefor no replacement value needed. It will just be in the body shop for about 3 weeks. Their insurance will pay for your rental.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like I need a drawing of this. I just can't picture it in my head.

I was in the center turn lane (used by both sides of the street)
I was not moving. He looked right into oncoming traffic but didn’t look left into the turn lane.
He literally pulled in head on from a strip mall
shopping center. The street has the right of way always. If you’re turning into traffic coming from a strip mall you need to make sure it’s clear. Even the police officer said so and he apologized on the scene. I don’t think there is any argument that I am at fault. There are photos showing my tires completely straight in the lane and him coming from a head on angle.

I totally understand now. Thanks. Yeah... they need to pay up to fix your truck.

Anonymous wrote:I understand what you’re talking about. You need to talk with your insurance company ASAP and do everything they tell you. These days cars are expensive so do not accept the Kelley bluebook value. Make sure you are reimbursed a replacement value that actually reflects current market prices. And it was good advice to go to a doctor and get checked out. That sounds like nobody was seriously hurt, which is a great thing.

THIS! Don't accept bluebook, ask for "replacement value". Used cars are hard to find.

If they total it, you can always use the $ to repair the car yourself. My husband did this with an old car that was very low in value but still ran really well. I’m not 100% sure how it worked but he had to get a salvage title from the insurance company for it (or something like that).

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it’s just unfortunate because the car was paid off and it’s safe and in good mechanical condition.

Do you think they will give me anything close to the value on the market for it if it’s totaled. Similar cars are selling for around $25k because of how expensive cars are.

Everything depends on policy limits. If the other driver only had minimum coverage then you get $15k regardless of the damage. Whether your insurance picks up more depends on your coverage and deductible as well as amount of damage. Your car might be with $25k but that doesn’t mean you get that much.

Was the other driver intoxicated?

Surprised no one said to lawyer up

Op- I haven’t read all the comments but just want to mention that posters here can be very wrong. I was t-boned this summer and everyone said I would lose a ton of money and insurance would be a nightmare. It was fine. We were likely out a couple thousand, but got a very fair reimbursement.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So you were not turning into the strip mall, but using the turn lane to merge? I was always taught that was illegal?

The center lane (has arrows right and left) is where you stay to safety get across a road. So if you turn left, you wait in the center lane until traffic is clear to get back on the highway. It’s not illegal. It’s so you don’t cross 3 lanes at once. It was also clear to begin with. He wasn’t looking. There was zero obstruction of my car from either direction.

Legality varies by jurisdiction. It's not legal to use as a merge, or acceleration, lane in Virginia: https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter8/section46.2-804/

Very odd that the other car was totaled and your front airbags didn’t deploy. If your doors won’t open then there’s likely damage to the unibody structure which may or may not be able to be straightened on a rack. Hard to know the extent of the damage without putting the car on a lift and even then you most likely don’t know the full extent of the repair until disassembly starts. Replacing a front clip adds up quickly with parking and airbag sensors, led headlight assemblies, etc. lots of labor involved.

I would not want to repair a car with a bent frame and would push to have it totaled. Talk to the shop before they start the estimate and let them know this. Discuss how they will color match the paint and blend the sprayed panels. Your car has been exposed to UV for seven years and some colors — whites in particular — can be hard to match. Try to pin them down on long the repairs I’ll take.

You have the right have the vehicle repaired at the shop of your own choosing. The other insurer may pressure you to use one of the ships in their network with assurances about guaranteeing their work. They will also try to use either reconditioned body panels or non-OEM parts. This is where your insurer can be helpful. Same for a rental. Your vehicle isn’t safe to drive. The other insurer will need to provide for a rental ASAP. It sounds like underinsured coverage under your policy won’t be an issue.

You should itemize any upgrades to the vehicle as well as recent expenditures for a new battery, tires, suspension components, etc. you should also create a spreadsheet with the vehicle options. down to the minutest detail — e.g., engine (V6 or V8), satellite radio, side airbags, parking sensors, HUD, collision avoidance, nav system, backup camera, etc. Theybsll add to market value.

You also should go to the Carmax and competitor websites and input the vehicle information to see what they are offering had your vehicle not been in an accident. Save those results for negotiation purposes.

When your done with the repair process, make sure you’re satisfied. Do the body panels align and are the gaps consistent? Is there orange peel in the paint job or other defects? Is there overspray which needs to be corrected?

Anonymous wrote:So you were not turning into the strip mall, but using the turn lane to merge? I was always taught that was illegal?

The center lane (has arrows right and left) is where you stay to safety get across a road. So if you turn left, you wait in the center lane until traffic is clear to get back on the highway. It’s not illegal. It’s so you don’t cross 3 lanes at once. It was also clear to begin with. He wasn’t looking. There was zero obstruction of my car from either direction.

So you were not turning into the strip mall, but using the turn lane to merge? I was always taught that was illegal?

Anonymous wrote:Is the other driver ok. What type of car was he driving.

He’s definitely at fault. I was in a turn lane and had the right of way. He was driving a tacoma and looked like a tin can and it was totaled. He came straight at me and wasn’t paying attention at all. We both walked out ok, no airbags

Work through insurance. I am 99% that each of your insurance will pay for your cars and claim they couldn't figure out who was at fault.

If you car isn't totaled then you pay your deductible and get your car back in a few weeks. Depending on your insurance coverage they may pay for your rental.

If it is totaled then you will get maybe 25k for it and be on the hook for paying for a new/used car when the prices are out of control.

BTDT and it sucks.

Is the other driver ok. What type of car was he driving.