Brain dead drivers - accident

[Snakeii]

Just a little while ago I was rear ended by a 17 year old girl who had her head up her a**. Either she was just spaced out or maybe she was playing with her french poodle, or whatever it is. Perhaps they should ban dogs and pets from being in the front seat.

I was making a left turn, had stopped for a few cars to go by and just started to roll forward to make the turn. Just in time to look in the left mirror to see a front end of a Jeep coming up fast, bam!

So heres the damage. Left rear light assy, bumper, dinged up the tailgate and torqued the rear quarter as the fender flare is bowed out a tad. It might flex back into place when the bumper is pulled off.

The idiot is damn lucky she didnt tag a kid running across the street or a cyclist. It was obviously her fault, although the cop made it a point if I had my turn signal on or not. I'm the victim for Christs sake! Luckily a neighbor was standing outside to eliminate any BS accessment that I didnt have my blinker on. "You saw my blinker... bitch!" (think from a old Will Smith song) If the quarter flexs back into shape, and no harm is done to the frame and what not, then it wont be too big of a deal to get it fixed. Just more of a hassle of getting it to the shop and dealing with the idea that you cant have a decent vehicle without some brain dead idiot doing something to it.

My insurance co, Progressive, is willing to let me take it to one of their preferred shops, which would be guaranteed for the life of the truck and then they'll pass the buck towards the girls ins co. Or, I can wait for her insurance to get their things moving and hope they have the same sort of body repair guarantee. I dont have rental car on my insurance, so that'll be one thing to take into consideration.

[TundraSoul]

Oh man that sucks, I'm sorry to hear about that. On the up side everyone is okay and hey you'll get a new bumper out of it. The hassle however is another story.

[Tundra_Hick]

Well that sucks.

I had the same thing happen to me once.

I was sitting at a stoplight and got rear ended by a chick driving a Dodge Daytona (the 90s version made of plastic) and I was driving a 1985 Impala (not make of plastic). I didn't have any damage at all, but her bumper and grill got cracked.

She had a puppy on the front seat, there was a dog cage, but she opened the gate because the puppy was crying.

I keep seeing people with little dogs on their lap while they are driving. The dog is in the way of the steering wheel and blocking their view out the side and in some cases front window.

People will have to die before there's a law, but people should use some common sense.

Hopefully they will fix it properly so you can dent it during an off-road adventure

[Splicer]

Snakeii, there must be something in the air. Saturday before last (June 9), I stopped for a kid in a crosswalk, and a girl behind me in an '06 Sebring didn't react in time. She hit me, and her car took the worst of it. All I need is a rear bumper, a couple brackets, and a bit of touch-up paint. Parts are on order, and her insurance is paying 100%, including a rental car.

Mine's a silver Off Road also -- maybe we should start a club or something!

Hope your repairs turn out okay.

[Snakeii]

Originally Posted by TundraSoul

Oh man that sucks, I'm sorry to hear about that. On the up side everyone is okay and hey you'll get a new bumper out of it. The hassle however is another story.

I'm seriously thinking about stepping up to the Demello wrap around bumper, since Id only have to pay for the difference. I dont really want to pay out any at this time as there is a chance I'll soon be moving out of Vermont, again. But this is a great opportunity to save $423 (retail on the rear bumper) on the Demello.

I called Demello up since they didnt have any 05 pics posted yet and here is what they emailed me... What do you guys think? The things I dont like starts off with the lack of a cover underneath the taillights. Perhaps later down the road I could see about a body shop making some covers, maybe something shaped to match the lights. And you lose the factory trailer hitch. But, the bumper comes with a hitch receiver built in, so I could sell off the factory assy. The license plate holder isnt too grand but it does the job without being fugly. Looks like the bumper also provides more ground clearance in the back. And it protects the quarter panels.

[flyman767]

snakeii,

Sorry to hear about that...I know your pretty meticulous about your truck. I used to work for Progressive as an adjuster...let me know if you need help with any insurance matters.

[Snakeii]

Originally Posted by Tundra_Hick

Well that sucks.

I had the same thing happen to me once.

I was sitting at a stoplight and got rear ended by a chick driving a Dodge Daytona (the 90s version made of plastic) and I was driving a 1985 Impala (not make of plastic). I didn't have any damage at all, but her bumper and grill got cracked.

She had a puppy on the front seat, there was a dog cage, but she opened the gate because the puppy was crying.

I keep seeing people with little dogs on their lap while they are driving. The dog is in the way of the steering wheel and blocking their view out the side and in some cases front window.

People will have to die before there's a law, but people should use some common sense.

Hopefully they will fix it properly so you can dent it during an off-road adventure

My mom always drives around with her dogs loose in the car. I've warned her before that she should at least keep them out of her lap. First off its a distraction, which is something she really doesnt need... And if something does happen and the airbag goes off, chances are the dogs neck is going to be broken, along with serious injury to herself.

No more dang dents for this truck. 1st time a redneck in NC hit me, had to replace the right fender and front door. 2nd time snow wiped out the hood (replaced with a scooped hood). So this is the 3rd hit that did damage. There was a 4th, another idiot kid tagged me while we were in bumper to bumper traffic. He hit the trailer hitch dead on, didnt even leave paint on the hitch, but it poked a nice big hole in his bumper.

The girls Jeep is screwed. It pushed the radiator into the fan, which they should be able to fix. For the damage it took, the Tacoma came out of it ok, could have been worse..

[Tundra_Hick]

I'd pass on that bumper, I think your truck looks alot better with the current bumper. There must be some other aftermarket bumpers which are better looking.

I've seen some in the Gen 1 Tundra threads, maybe take a look there first.

[Snakeii]

Originally Posted by Splicer

Snakeii, there must be something in the air. Saturday before last (June 9), I stopped for a kid in a crosswalk, and a girl behind me in an '06 Sebring didn't react in time. She hit me, and her car took the worst of it. All I need is a rear bumper, a couple brackets, and a bit of touch-up paint. Parts are on order, and her insurance is paying 100%, including a rental car.

Mine's a silver Off Road also -- maybe we should start a club or something!

Hope your repairs turn out okay.

Demello rear bumper time?

Hopefully when I get a response from them they'll tell me they have a cover for underneath the lights. Asked them too about a possible group purchase.

The banged up silver off-road club. Well, hopefully when they get done with both our trucks they'll look like new. Good luck with yours! Let us know how it goes.

[Snakeii]

Originally Posted by flyman767

snakeii,

Sorry to hear about that...I know your pretty meticulous about your truck. I used to work for Progressive as an adjuster...let me know if you need help with any insurance matters.

Yeah, I guess I can be a little too nit picky about my vehicles.

Thanks for the offer. What would you suggest I do... get Prog to get it together to get the truck fixed quick, pay the deductible and rental car and then have them forward the bill to the other ins co (Phoenix Insurance) or just have patients and let Phoenix do all of the leg work? Prog has been good in the past, very fast and responsive. They'd have me take the truck in tomorrow to get the boat sailing if I go their route. The only downside is Id be out of the deductible and rental fees until everything gets passed on and processed by Phoenix. If its just a few weeks, no big deal. But if I have to go round and round with them to pay the bill for months its not something I would want to deal with. The shop Prog would have me to go has done work for me in the past (hood replacement) so I know they do good work.

[Splicer]

Originally Posted by Snakeii

Demello rear bumper time?

Ummm not for me, thanks, I can see the extra protection but I can't quite wrap my head around the looks of it -- anyway, the stock parts have been ordered and should arrive in a day or two. Should be done one day next week, I'll let ya know!

[Tundra_Hick]

I found the thread I was looking for.

Its a Road Armor bumper

Nissan

On a Tundra they look great.

On the Taco they look like something Darth Vader would have on his truck...smash through anything.

Plus the corners below the lights are not exposed.

Check it out, tell me what you think?

[flyman767]

Even though Progressive has a great reputation for expedite claim service, I would try to keep them out of the claim process if possible. Here's why: The girl who hit you insurance company is obviously liable. If progressive forks the bill, they will have to subrograte against the 'at faults' insurance company. Normally, this goes smoothly; however,if for some reason the girl's insurance doesn't reimburse Progressive partially or at all, chances are your probably see a bump up in your collision premium. Having said that, I wouldn't hesitate a minute if the girl's insurance company starts to give you the run around. I would give the at fault's company time to settle the claim. Also, chances are the at fault's insurance company will let you pick the shop of your choice, so that shouldn't be an issue. However, if they start to nick-pick on what they there going to pay or they start to drag there feet, by all means, I would let Progressive process the claim. Good Luck...

Originally Posted by Snakeii

Yeah, I guess I can be a little too nit picky about my vehicles.

Thanks for the offer. What would you suggest I do... get Prog to get it together to get the truck fixed quick, pay the deductible and rental car and then have them forward the bill to the other ins co (Phoenix Insurance) or just have patients and let Phoenix do all of the leg work? Prog has been good in the past, very fast and responsive. They'd have me take the truck in tomorrow to get the boat sailing if I go their route. The only downside is Id be out of the deductible and rental fees until everything gets passed on and processed by Phoenix. If its just a few weeks, no big deal. But if I have to go round and round with them to pay the bill for months its not something I would want to deal with. The shop Prog would have me to go has done work for me in the past (hood replacement) so I know they do good work.

[Snakeii]

Originally Posted by Tundra_Hick

I found the thread I was looking for.

Its a Road Armor bumper

Nissan

On a Tundra they look great.

On the Taco they look like something Darth Vader would have on his truck...smash through anything.

Plus the corners below the lights are not exposed.

Check it out, tell me what you think?

It looks pretty good, more of a factory look to it. As for the price... $1300+ for a rear bumper is extreme, granted it has winch mounts and all, which is something I doubt Id ever use. I think for now I'll probably just stick with OEM, wait until I get done moving, get a new job or whatever before I sink in a bunch of money.

I wouldnt mind one of those bumpers that have the swing arm for fuel cans/spare tire. I havent seen one yet for the 05+ Tacos.

[NJTacoma]

Sucks about the accident man.

Originally Posted by TundraSoul

Oh man that sucks, I'm sorry to hear about that. On the up side everyone is okay and hey you'll get a new bumper out of it. The hassle however is another story.

Your truck in your Sig looks awesome man!