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Rear Ended "I wasn't paying attention".....

jwawhite

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 23, 2004
Messages
157
Location
oxnard
Corvette
2003 Anny Coupe
Was on the freeway stop and go of course late at night. Was creeping along with the HUD on (mph setting) reading 7mph. I came to a stop and shortly thereafter was bumped.

The rear cover is scratched with little indentations that you really don't see until you get closer see the scratch and then you also see the indentations-- from her front license plate bolts?

Her car is a P.O.S. and it's questionable if she has insurance -- received letter of coverage investigation from her carrier.

Question: I think the hit was less than 7mph and I am wondering if the impact bar has been compromised under the rear cover. Her carrier is asking for an estimate and I'm not sure how to proceed.

Should I just get an estimate to repair the cover and paint? Just buff out the cover clear coat forget about it? Have the cover R&I for inspection?

I am upset about the incident and thought-at first- it was an intentional bump to get me out of the car...A Laurel and Hardy team came up just after the accident and asked if I was okay. I was in my car writing down info given by the other driver. Most unprofessional duo I've ever met-finally had to say "Back off Jack" They weren't in uniform, their truck was all beat up, I have a hard time believing they were with some sort of road side crew...
finally they left.
 
I'd find 3 good Corvette shops in the area and get estimates for proper repair if necessary in the future.

A ford pickup bumped mine last year, he paid for all the repairs.

Hope everything works out for the best in the near future.

Later . . . . . .
6 Shooter
 
6 Shooter said:
I'd find 3 good Corvette shops in the area and get estimates for proper repair if necessary in the future.

I agree, get it fixed right.
 
jwawhite said:
Should I just get an estimate to repair the cover and paint? Just buff out the cover clear coat forget about it? Have the cover R&I for inspection?

Short answer: No, No, and Yes.

It's people like that (the other driver) who make the rest of us pay through the nose for uninsured driver insurance, so you might as well get your (and our!) money's worth. :r
 
Did you get her driver's license number, the car license number and a phone number for contact? Your insurance should cover any repairs and they will go after her, insurance or not. Guess this type of thing is why I carry Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage.

Get an estimate from a known reputable shop and work with your insurance company to the get the car fixed to your satisfaction. Ask to see completed jobs and ask for some names of customers who had work done there. The chances are that her company may try to lowball the repair costs or try to force you to go to "their" shop. Your agent should help you to get stuff done right.

Here in WA, we don't have to get multiple estimates and we are free to choose the shop of our choice regardless of who is paying.
 
Just a word of caution on the "uninsured" motorist coverage.

I purchased "uninsured" coverage on all my vehicles when I moved to Louisiana. And sure enough, my wife was setting stopped in our van, behind another car at a stop light when a guy in a PU rear-ends her.

The PU driver has NO insurance. I was amazed that the police officer just handed him a ticket, the guy got back into his beat-up truck and drove on down the street (to hit someone else I guess).

Anyway, I called my insurance company and they asked in anyone was hurt, I said no and they basically said that's good, see ya.

I asked them about my "uninsured" insurance paying for the damage on the rear of my van (it wasn't much, just the bumper pushed in a little) and they told me that "uninsured" insurance "ONLY COVERS MEDICAL" not vehicle damage. This was a BIG surprise to me. I assumed that when I bought “uninsured” insurance coverage, that I would be covered in case I was hit by an “uninsured” driver. Not the case.

Sense, I have discovered (after talking with the insurance company) that when you purchase "uninsured" insurance you have to make a point to ask for a "vehicle damage" adder (for an additional cost) to your “uninsured” insurance policy. No one mentioned this fact when I asked for "uninsured insurance" coverage.
 
jwawhite said:
Was on the freeway stop and go of course late at night. Was creeping along with the HUD on (mph setting) reading 7mph. I came to a stop and shortly thereafter was bumped.

The rear cover is scratched with little indentations that you really don't see until you get closer see the scratch and then you also see the indentations-- from her front license plate bolts?

Her car is a P.O.S. and it's questionable if she has insurance -- received letter of coverage investigation from her carrier.

Question: I think the hit was less than 7mph and I am wondering if the impact bar has been compromised under the rear cover. Her carrier is asking for an estimate and I'm not sure how to proceed.

Should I just get an estimate to repair the cover and paint? Just buff out the cover clear coat forget about it? Have the cover R&I for inspection?

I am upset about the incident and thought-at first- it was an intentional bump to get me out of the car...A Laurel and Hardy team came up just after the accident and asked if I was okay. I was in my car writing down info given by the other driver. Most unprofessional duo I've ever met-finally had to say "Back off Jack" They weren't in uniform, their truck was all beat up, I have a hard time believing they were with some sort of road side crew...
finally they left.

About 3 years ago I was bumped by a Ford P/U, Just like you little dents in the plastic bumper on a Nissan Sentra from the license plate. What a surprise it cost $500 to get it buffed out, no paint. If you don’t want to look at those dents for the rest of the life of the car go to the body shop and ask for an estimate.
 
Pull it!

I would remove the rear fascia. Same thing happened to my wife and the foam and impact bar was toast.....
 
jhecox said:
Just a word of caution on the "uninsured" motorist coverage.


I asked them about my "uninsured" insurance paying for the damage on the rear of my van (it wasn't much, just the bumper pushed in a little) and they told me that "uninsured" insurance "ONLY COVERS MEDICAL" not vehicle damage. This was a BIG surprise to me. I assumed that when I bought “uninsured” insurance coverage, that I would be covered in case I was hit by an “uninsured” driver. Not the case.

Sense, I have discovered (after talking with the insurance company) that when you purchase "uninsured" insurance you have to make a point to ask for a "vehicle damage" adder (for an additional cost) to your “uninsured” insurance policy. No one mentioned this fact when I asked for "uninsured insurance" coverage.

I think it depends on the state. For example, in Washington (HI c4cruiser! I lived in Tumwater for 20+ years) insurance is mandatory so the uninsured motorist insurance pretty much covers everything. I learned this when I was hit by an uninsured motorist. :mad

It's all a scam, I don't understand why you have to buy "uninsured motorist" insurance when insurance is mandatory in the first place! But I'm glad I followed the herd and did it since my almost-new car was nearly totalled and I had a year's worth of medical bills. On top of it all, the woman who rear-ended me - the same uninsured person - wanted my insurance company to pay for HER car and medical expenses too! :eyerole
 
It's all a scam,

Yes it is! I am kind hearted! I say no insurance, go to jail. Now some may ask what about those who only make minimum wage, I say this. If they went to jail, you can bet the politicians would have a wage scale in place where the one's who need insurance would be considered.

There would be some type of balancing act performed.
 
Looks bad....

68Roadster said:
I would remove the rear fascia. Same thing happened to my wife and the foam and impact bar was toast.....

What did the cover look like? Did it give you any idea there was this much damage (under the cover)?

The accident startled me and sounded quite loud but you know there's not much insulation/sound deadening stuff back there and I believe it was a very slow speed hit/bump. I did have my foot on the brake and my car --as best I could tell/remember --did not lunge forward.

It is such a hassle-go to a shop get an estimate, have the cover removed to determine if there is hidden damage! The damage is slight on the cover, I sometimes feel like I should just let it go and yet I bought this nice car to enjoy and I should have it taken care of.
 
jwawhite said:
.....The damage is slight on the cover, I sometimes feel like I should just let it go and yet I bought this nice car to enjoy and I should have it taken care of.
:nono Get it fixed right or those slight scratches will jump out at you every time you walk around the car. A lot of shops will write in the impact panel without actually taking the rear panel off, then reduce their charge if it is OK..... and you come out ahead for your trouble. A good shop will buff the panel first to see if the scuffs will come out. Indentions are another story. Scuffs and marks may be slight now, but they will grow with time.

FYI, a semi truck driver popped his clutch and hit me at a traffic light. The total for removing and painting the rear panel, and replacing the foam crush panel was nearly $1,200.
 
RoadReady said:
I think it depends on the state.

I think you're right there, I am in Looousiana. lol That's why I was upset when the guy just got back into his PU and drove off down the street! In Iowa (where I came from), he would have had to take a trip down to the jail and his truck would have been towed.

Oh yeah, have it fixed correctly. This is a CORVETTE we are talking about!
 

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