ArmyofOne Posted May 20, 2006 Posted May 20, 2006 Well, my worst fear has happened...my wife got sideswiped yesterday IN OUR OWN NEIGHBORHOOD. She was driving down our street, and this lady in a minivan doesnt even look and backed out of her driveway, meghan turned to miss her and WHACK, nailed the right front bumper, wheel, fender, door, right rear door, right rear quarter panel, and rear wheel. Meghan is fine, but her friend niki who was in the passenger seat at the time got her arm "crushed" between the door and her body...a jolt really, but a bad enough one to tear 2 ligaments and bruise her tendons. the only pix i have are from the accident scene with my camera phone (samsung SGH T-309 haha) for now, i will take more when it stops raining...if it ever does. and it seems i cant upload those pix from my cameraphone...so give me a minute and i will have em up...
indiasfinest Posted May 20, 2006 Posted May 20, 2006 sorry that happened man, im glad everyone is OK. man ppl need to pay more attention. what did the lady have to say for herself?
Lexusfreak Posted May 20, 2006 Posted May 20, 2006 I feel your pain my friend :( I hope your wife's friend Niki is going to be ok........the car can be fixed & is secondary when people have been hurt. Insurance will handle things......keep us posted. :(
Rx330driver Posted May 20, 2006 Posted May 20, 2006 the picture doesnt make the car look too bad...dent wise...so im surprised that "niki" got such bad "stuff" (lack of better word). Tearing ligaments is no simple problem, might involve surgery to put it back together (not to scare her or something). I guess thats why they invented side airbags?
ArmyofOne Posted May 20, 2006 Author Posted May 20, 2006 the picture doesnt make the car look too bad...dent wise...so im surprised that "niki" got such bad "stuff" (lack of better word). Tearing ligaments is no simple problem, might involve surgery to put it back together (not to scare her or something). I guess thats why they invented side airbags? it was the way she had her arm sitting when they got hit, it was on the armrest and her elbow got jammed straight on impact. I looked closer and it looks like the rocker panel and part of the floorpan are crushed as well...i hope this isnt a total loss, looks to be well over $6000 in damage in person, and to top it all off, the car is pulling. Niki will be fine, they haver her arm in a sling and on pain meds for the time being. i have more pix, i will get them loaded momentarily, unfortunaely they are all from a camera phone, so not much better quality. *NEW POLICY* from now on, i will keep a disposable camera in BOTH Cars. as for what the lady had to say for herself, she felt really bad and was so sorry. she was 40, hadnt had an accident or a ticket since she was 17 years old. So i dont call her a bad driver, these things happen, and her insurance will take care of it im sure. She was cited for the accident, not meghan, so her insurance has to pay for everything. in this case, i dont even have a to pay a dedcutible, right? my ins is not fixing anything...
ArmyofOne Posted May 21, 2006 Author Posted May 21, 2006 More pix from the real camera this time... more than just cosmetic damage... ^left side front bumper got knocked off the mounts...
Lexusfreak Posted May 21, 2006 Posted May 21, 2006 Josh, Her insurance should look after things.......make sure you get 2, perhaps 3 estimates & insist (I can't stress that enough) on OE Toyota replacement parts & paint......I think they will have to replace the doors by the looks of the pics. Ask around or go see a few body shops (including Totota body shops). Make sure a rental is included as you will be without the car for some time by the looks of things. Make sure you find out about the floor pan area too.
SW03ES Posted May 21, 2006 Posted May 21, 2006 First of all I'm glad everybody's more or less okay. You're absolutely right that these things happen, I'm impressed by your attitude. Most people go nuts in situations like this and that doesn't do anything. Thats pretty serious damage, they're going to have to cut out and weld in a new dogleg (thats the strip of body between the rear wheelwell and the rear door) replace both doors (at least the skins), the front fender, refinish the mirror and the rear bumper, and refinish the trim below the door. Thats $6k in damage easy like you said, and thats if theres no suspension damage (you said it pulled to the right). I absolutely agree with Brenden that you should be very firm in specifying OEM Toyota parts. Paint isn't as big a deal since Toyota doesn't make paint. The paint will be mixed according to the code and tinted to match the car (make sure you find a shop that TINTS the paint instead of blending) and make sure its of a quality brand. Good luck and keep us posted.
ArmyofOne Posted May 21, 2006 Author Posted May 21, 2006 First of all I'm glad everybody's more or less okay. You're absolutely right that these things happen, I'm impressed by your attitude. Most people go nuts in situations like this and that doesn't do anything. Thats pretty serious damage, they're going to have to cut out and weld in a new dogleg (thats the strip of body between the rear wheelwell and the rear door) replace both doors (at least the skins), the front fender, refinish the mirror and the rear bumper, and refinish the trim below the door. Thats $6k in damage easy like you said, and thats if theres no suspension damage (you said it pulled to the right). I absolutely agree with Brenden that you should be very firm in specifying OEM Toyota parts. Paint isn't as big a deal since Toyota doesn't make paint. The paint will be mixed according to the code and tinted to match the car (make sure you find a shop that TINTS the paint instead of blending) and make sure its of a quality brand. Good luck and keep us posted. Meh, as you said steve, going nuts wont solve anything or get anything accomplished. I have an Insurance adjuster from USAA calling tomorrow to get the ball rolling. We decided to try to tackle this through her insurance first, then if USAA gives me ANY issues, i will call Geico (mine and meghans insurance co), get my car fixed, pay my deductible and let the ins. co's battle it out. Meghan and her friend are ok. That was my biggest concern. This car did exactly what i bought it to do, Protected my wife and its other occupants from serious harm in the event of an accident, i cant think of a better way to spend $25,000. why is blending bad?
Lexusfreak Posted May 21, 2006 Posted May 21, 2006 Josh you never mentioned so I will assume they don't but will ask anyways (I know your wife's friend had her arm banged up from the impact).......does the Martix have side impact airbags? They have been known to cause injuries depending on how the person was sitting & type of impact at low speeds is the reason I ask.
ArmyofOne Posted May 21, 2006 Author Posted May 21, 2006 Josh you never mentioned so I will assume they don't but will ask anyways.......does the Martix have side impact airbags? Yes, front, and rear. 6 total i believe...or 8, i cant remember, but its either 6 or 8. more pix, the wheels have to be replaced as well... R/R wheel R/F wheel and the door sill panel (rocker panel) is buckled... see the waves in the metal?
Lexusfreak Posted May 21, 2006 Posted May 21, 2006 What kind of minivan does the other driver have? That's a pretty wide area of damage.
ArmyofOne Posted May 21, 2006 Author Posted May 21, 2006 What kind of minivan does the other driver have? That's a pretty wide area of damage. 1996ish Chrysler Town and Country...and she hit meghan with the strongest pint of the van, the left rear corner...
SW03ES Posted May 22, 2006 Posted May 22, 2006 why is blending bad? Blending is bad because it means that the paint doesn't match in the first place, no need to blend something that matches. You also have to paint into the adjoining panels on the car increasing the number of panels that have been refinished and decreasing the value of the car further.
lenore Posted May 22, 2006 Posted May 22, 2006 When you go to the body shop make sure they are capable of checking the unibody structure to make sure the alignment of the chassis is correct. I know here locally they can actually straighten the frame if necessary and check the chassis with laser alignment.
SW03ES Posted May 24, 2006 Posted May 24, 2006 They can repair some things nowadays that just a few years ago would have been written off. You'd be amazed.
Lexusfreak Posted May 24, 2006 Posted May 24, 2006 They can repair some things nowadays that just a few years ago would have been written off. You'd be amazed. Agreed! B) Keep us posted on how things are going Josh. B)
ArmyofOne Posted May 24, 2006 Author Posted May 24, 2006 They can repair some things nowadays that just a few years ago would have been written off. You'd be amazed. Agreed! B) Keep us posted on how things are going Josh. B) The body shop thats doing it is using all new toyota parts and tinting the paint. there is $4,753 worth of damage according to their estimate. Estimate #2 coming up today or tomorrow from a dealership. An update on meghan, she was complaining monday that her back was hurting, i made her go to the military hospital here on post, and they diagnosed her with severe whiplash with possible complications. they are running more tests as we speak. what a nitemare.
lenore Posted May 24, 2006 Posted May 24, 2006 I am so sorry your wife feels that pain, Please be aware not to sign any papers from the other insurance company with the payoff with a attachment of no more claims or adjustments. I believe you can make claims for medical problems up to a year out. this may be very important to any future problems your wife has. You can always talk to the legal aid department on base for advise, it is one of your benefits while in the military.
ArmyofOne Posted July 16, 2006 Author Posted July 16, 2006 Well guys, nearly 3 months later and the matrix is all fixed. All total, $5,237.54, not a penny out of pocket. and Quite honestly, i am IMPRESSED. The body shop that did it, did it so well you cant tell it was ever wrecked. Im a stickler for detail, i have looked this car over time and time again and it is literally a FLAWLESS Repair. Just wanted to let everyone now the update.
Rx330driver Posted July 16, 2006 Posted July 16, 2006 5000 thousand something, thats quite a lot of money. I dont remember seeing even that much damage. but congrats on getting it back!
ArmyofOne Posted July 17, 2006 Author Posted July 17, 2006 5000 thousand something, thats quite a lot of money. I dont remember seeing even that much damage. but congrats on getting it back! It was a quote of: R&I Front bumper Repaint front bumper R&I Right Fender Repaint Right fender R&I Right side mirror Repaint Right Side Mirror R&I R/F Door R&I R/F Interior Panel R&I R/R Door R&I R/R Interior Panel Repair R/R Dogleg R&I R/F Wheel R&I RIght Rear Wheel Type I Frame Straightening (i think was just the measurement to make sure it was straight) Repair Floorpan R&I Right Side Skirt
blake918 Posted July 17, 2006 Posted July 17, 2006 Well guys, nearly 3 months later and the matrix is all fixed. All total, $5,237.54, not a penny out of pocket. and Quite honestly, i am IMPRESSED. The body shop that did it, did it so well you cant tell it was ever wrecked. Im a stickler for detail, i have looked this car over time and time again and it is literally a FLAWLESS Repair. Just wanted to let everyone now the update.That's great news!! :D Yall have a safe trip back up north? You wave when you passed through Ruston? LOL 5000 thousand something, thats quite a lot of money. I dont remember seeing even that much damage. but congrats on getting it back!Body shops aren't cheap. This glorified door ding in my LS costed over $1,800 to repair: What a rip off! It's a good thing the responsible party was insured!
ArmyofOne Posted July 17, 2006 Author Posted July 17, 2006 Well guys, nearly 3 months later and the matrix is all fixed. All total, $5,237.54, not a penny out of pocket. and Quite honestly, i am IMPRESSED. The body shop that did it, did it so well you cant tell it was ever wrecked. Im a stickler for detail, i have looked this car over time and time again and it is literally a FLAWLESS Repair. Just wanted to let everyone now the update.That's great news!! :D Yall have a safe trip back up north? You wave when you passed through Ruston? LOL 5000 thousand something, thats quite a lot of money. I dont remember seeing even that much damage. but congrats on getting it back!Body shops aren't cheap. This glorified door ding in my LS costed over $1,800 to repair: What a rip off! It's a good thing the responsible party was insured! haha, wave? I blinked and missed it. That shell station there was where we stopped.
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