hit by a semi today

[Skunkworks Challenger]

Andrew, Sorry to hear about the accident.  Man, what bad luck.  You should of been driving your BMW with twin turbos or your Roush Mustang.  Better to get one of them hit than a Challenger.  Just don't settle to easy with the insurance company.  I got hit a few years ago in my very nice 54 Chrysler and settled for what I thought was a fair sum only to find both exhaust manifolds cracked when I tore it down for restoration.  Check EVERY THING for damage before settling.  Keep us informed!  Paul

[4Cruizn]

Wow that sucks . . . Sad situation.  That is like every car guys nightmare.  Sorry it had to happen to you.   

[Alaskan_TA]

Glad you are OK!

[beekppr]

Sorry to see your car get hurt like that. You're lucky not to get killed in that.

Just wanted to throw something out there that may help. I am not sure about the laws in your state but in California, you have the right to have the work done at a shop of your own choosing and there is absolutely nothing the insurance companies can do about it.

Check to see what your state laws are. In my state, they never tell anyone this and the insurance companies always try to brow beat people into repairs or compensation the owner isn't really happy about. As an incentive, many insurance companies will offer a "lifetime gaurantee" on the work if you let a shop of their choosing do the work. Of course they don't tell you that they get a huge discount at that particular shop.

I know a guy who runs a super high end body shop nearby. He is so good that one his car won an AMBER award recently. He had a guy bring in a nice muscle car from a wreck like yours. No expense was spared in the repair making the car better than before the accident. The job cost a small fortune and the insurance company kicked and screamed all the way but they had no choice but to repair.

I think the only limitation will be the overall value of the car before the accident but a good appraiser should be able to help you out.

Just something to think about before you settle for something you're not happy about. And if they gripe too much, tell them you need a great chiropractor for your sore neck and back.

[mopar12372]

glad your ok!!

[go-fish]

You should sue the pants off of them. You also need to go to the doctor. Get a lawyer that deals specifically with Semi accidents.

The reason I say this is because my Dad is a truck driver. He has been in one accident in about 30 years of driving. You just can't allow guys and companies to be cooking the books. Think about what could have happened. The one accident my Dad was in was bad, it was not his fault and he came out unscathed. It was like this because he was on the up and up. If this guy was on the up and up he would be fine with it if you took him to court. Don't just let the insurance companies hash it out. A truck driver that is crooked and falling asleep is not someone I want to be sharing the road with or with my family.

What if he creamed a mini-van full of kids and the driver wasn't able to control the car as you did. This could have been very ugly very easily. He needs to be off the road. Truck driving aint for everyone and he obviously is shady AND bad at it. There are alot of drivers who embody "Safety First". This guy is dangerous and incompetent

[72rtchallenger]

You should sue the pants off of them. You also need to go to the doctor. Get a lawyer that deals specifically with Semi accidents.

The reason I say this is because my Dad is a truck driver. He has been in one accident in about 30 years of driving. You just can't allow guys and companies to be cooking the books. Think about what could have happened. The one accident my Dad was in was bad, it was not his fault and he came out unscathed. It was like this because he was on the up and up. If this guy was on the up and up he would be fine with it if you took him to court. Don't just let the insurance companies hash it out. A truck driver that is crooked and falling asleep is not someone I want to be sharing the road with or with my family.

What if he creamed a mini-van full of kids and the driver wasn't able to control the car as you did. This could have been very ugly very easily. He needs to be off the road. Truck driving aint for everyone and he obviously is shady AND bad at it. There are alot of drivers who embody "Safety First". This guy is dangerous and incompetent

       this is true

[Topcat]

Glad you're O.K. That matters most. Still a major bummer to go thru all the hassles to come.

[sprecks]

Sorry to see this happen to you. Glad you are OK. This brings back some bad memories from last spring when I got rearended. The damage on mine was similar to yours. The total bill came to about $24,000. The person that hit me had good insurance and paid in full. My medical bills were about $4,000 and was also paid.I hope this guy had good insurance for your sake.
Like I said the damage looks pretty similar. Mine got new quarters, valance, trunk lid, bumper, complete exhaust system, new shocks, gas tank and complete paint job. Make them fix it right.
Good luck

[one54dodgetruck]

Sorry to see this happen to you. Glad you are OK. This brings back some bad memories from last spring when I got rearended. The damage on mine was similar to yours. The total bill came to about $24,000. The person that hit me had good insurance and paid in full. My medical bills were about $4,000 and was also paid.I hope this guy had good insurance for your sake.
Like I said the damage looks pretty similar. Mine got new quarters, valance, trunk lid, bumper, complete exhaust system, new shocks, gas tank and complete paint job. Make them fix it right.
Good luck

how long did it take to get the work done? what was their first offer?

[sprecks]

how long did it take to get the work done? what was their first offer?

The shop had the car for two months. They didn't make an offer. I simply told them I wanted back to the way it was before it was hit. The shop gave the adjuster the estimate with the agreement that it was open ended and may cost more. The adjuster wrote a check for the $24,000 and the shop went to work.

[one54dodgetruck]

update: waiting.......... so sometime tomarrow i will be contacted by a guy from con-ways insurance comp. to come look at my car and see if its drivable. i requested a rental challenger!
the worst part besides my car getting hit was i was on my way to a job interview at pierce transit.

[one54dodgetruck]

con-way is a rather large truckin company so they have great insurance

[Street_Challenged73]

Wow, sorry to see this happen to you!   As already mentioned, at least you didn't get seriously hurt in the accident, but it's really a shame your car got hit/damaged.

[Super Blue 72]

Hi Andrew, glad you weren't hurt, at least as far as I've read.  Sorry to see the damage to your car.

Of course I'm not happy that your car got damaged but I could image as go-fish mentioned I'm glad it wasn't a mini van full of kids.

Hope you get full compensation for what's happened to you.