gr8smiles

I was sitting still at a stoplight this morning on the way to work. All of the sudden....WHAM!...I was hit from behind. Bumped the car in front....no damage there...that we could see...
A 95 Chevy Cavalier hit me doing 35-40 mph...no brakes, no tire screech...just WHAM!
The guy has no insurance...forget the fact that it is a law in Tennessee!
Took it to the local Cadillac dealer (my Lexus dealer has no body shop) that has a great reputation.
The estimator looked under the rear and said that the frame was bent!
The guy's car hit my factory trailer hitch and I guess that torqued the frame. If it makes you better, his radiator is now part of his dash! His airbags went off, and his car is totalled...big time.
Will my car ever be the same?
The estimator said that they would need to put a new frame under it....oh my!
I have a rental and now I wait. Any advice?
Thanks
Rick
06 Blizzard Pearl GX470 (that has had a bad day)

kormaster

OH boy... are u ok though??? I was in a similar situation with my old car (Nissan). THe lady rear ended me with her 300RX.... i got sandwitched.. my car frame got bent. I decided to fix it.... the car has NEVER been the same.... NEVER... from that experience, i told myself that if something happens to the frame of a car/truck, get rid of it. Plus my car was in the shop for 3 months.


Ultimately, the decision is yours and it all depends on how much the damage is and how much the frame is torqued. Anytime frame is torqued... it just sounds like bad news to me...

If the other driver didnt have insurance.. he must be screwed.....

Thank God you are ok... you should get your neck and spine checked out.. i didnt have problems after the accident for about 2 years and pain in my shoulder has been creeping up on me.... this happened about 10 years ago...

Good Luck and let us know what is going to happen.

andyshree

gr8smiles: Let me know if you stay around Memphis, as some time back i had a similar accident.. got hit from behind and i took to a body shop suggested by Lexus of Memphis, they did a great job.

andyshree

gr8smiles: I am signing off and hence thought to pass on the info about the body shop i used. I was satisfied with their service, you can talk to 'Britt' at 'Icon Collision Services' if you want to give it a shot, you can refer my name 'Andy' if you like to. FYI.. i own a 06 Black GX470.
Icon Collision Services
2160 Spicer CV
Memphis, TN 38134
(901) 213-3266.

Good Luck!

Ice350

iTrader: (1)

Wow, I had a fender bender this morning, too. I didn't get a citation but I feel responsible because I made a stupid turn into oncoming traffic.
My wife wrecked our GS a moth ago. Initially, they told us there was frame damage. Now they're saying there isn't. I'm happy but wish they'd make up there mind. Anyway, sorry to hear about your accident. Glad you're okay. I'm going to keep hope you don't have frame damage. An impact of 35 mph to an suv seems unlikely to cause frame damage but it is possible. Cars these days are so soft it's rediculous.

I6turbo

iTrader: (1)

Sorry to hear about the wreck. If the other car was actually going 35 MPH I'm surpriesed the GX isn't totaled, or at least heavily damaged. 35 MPH is a HELL of an impact. I got rear-ended in a rental car a few years ago and the other car was ALMOST stopped by the time she hit me, and it was a big jolt -- SLAMMED us back against the seats and cause stiffness and soreness for a few days. It bent the bumper frame on the rental pretty good.

When I lived in TN you didn't have to have insurance so long as you could pay for whatever damages you caused. That was a strange rule, because there was no standard by which the determination would be made before hand. Hopefully you have "uninsured motorist" coverage like we have to carry here in FL so it'll pay for your truck.

Capirato

Here in California "Uninsured Motorist" coverage is not mandatory, as it only covers Personal Injury. The only coverage that is mandatory is Liability. However, if the vehicle is not fully paid for, the loan company will require Comprehensive Coverage. In which case an accident such as being rear-ended will be covered by paying a deductible, if any.

~ Cap

I6turbo

iTrader: (1)

Actually, I shouldn't have implied that it's mandatory in FL (it's not), but rather that one doesn't have very good coverage without it because there are so many un-insured and under-insured (also covered by un-insured motorist) drivers here.

SilverLady

GR8-

Horrible morning, but at least it looks like you are OK.

At 35 mph, I would expect your airbags to go off?? Did any of the safety devices do anything?

BobsGX

He was hit from behind so none of the airbags would go off. That's the way the safety systems were designed.

Josh's GX

I'm sorry to hear about everyone's accident's. I just picked up my 06' Black GX on 9-14-06. I drove it from Las Vegas to where I live in Post Falls, ID (near Spokane, WA). If the other peson did not have insurance, then you would not be able to claim it under "Comprehensive". The lien holder will most likely require you to have both "Comp." and "Collision". In some states, insurance companies will offer "Uninsured Motorist Property Damage". This would cover your vehicle. If you do not have this coverage, then you would have to claim it under your "collision", which may be subject to your deductible. I am an independant insurance agent and a few of the companies I write with will waive your deductible if you were involved in a not at fault accident. I think every state should require every vehicle to be insured! Very few people can afford to be self insured and be able to pay for some of the extremly expensive bodily injury (medical) bills. Not to mention if someone who killed to paralyized. Are you thinking about taking the other person to court to recover some of the damages?

Lexucan

Wow...I hope everyone involved in all these accidents is ok !
While reading this thread, I was surprised to learn that driving without insurance is actually lawful in some parts of the U.S.
In Canada, you can't even park your vehicle on the road without possessing valid insurance, let alone drive it.
That even includes things like boat trailers or travel trailers - if it doesn't have insurance it has to be parked on private property...period.

SilverLady

He did hit the car in front of him - but maybe not at enough speed. I always wonder how sensitive these things are.

BobsGX

The front air bags take a lot of criteria before they inflate but I think I read where the sensors for the front air bags need a certain g level before they trigger the air bags. Now that can happen while stopped and while in motion.

V8_Fan

The front bags operate on acceleration sensors, so they won't go off.

If you can, I'd try to get the insurance company to declare it "totalled" and to pay for a replacement. It will never be the same after any repair. I got t-boned a year ago. Eventhough the frame/suspension were not affected, it still affects the resale value, as new body panels were spliced in (and each panel has the original VIN on it). Needing a new frame means they'd have to unbolt the entire body/drivetrain and remove them from the chassis! Think they're gonna do that? No way. Remember, this is a frame on body truck construction, not a mono-body like passenger cars. They'd probably splice in a new rear crossmember or something. That isn't the same, there's no way they can perfectly align it to factory specs.

And unfortunately for the GX/Prado/4runner platform, there is no aftermarket steel rear bumper like you can get for the LX/Landcruiser. You could always go custom, though.