For you facebook folks, you already know... for the rest of ya... the story...

Driving home from work last night, I was nearing the terminus of the 110 Freeway in San Pedro (where we live). I was stopped and gently oozing forward waiting for the light to catch up when SCREECH!!! HONK!!!! THUD!

I got rearended by a kid in a Chevy Silverado. He claims to have fallen asleep at the wheel. No injuries, but it didn't do my already spazing back any good...

The left rear corner is toast - tail light, quarter panel, lift gate, drivers seat When I was hit, I felt the seat zback give out.

I will post pics later on..

God, that sucks Andy. Hope you're OK.

What were you driving? Jeepster?

yup... jeepers caught it.

Oh ya, glad you're OK. Call your lawyer. You may be entitled up to $10,000 for injuries and lost wages. At least that's what they say on TV. Go to you're Dr. This is the time you can get the good stuff.

My back problem already existed... at the very least, the accident pissed it off a little more... I cannot, with a clear conscience, claim my back as injured from the wreck. It was there before, and it is still there now, just a few degrees more there.

Sorry for you and the Jeepster

at least it wasn't the 'Vette, which you just got running again.

Glad you weren't hurt worse...I am always nervous of someone coming up from behind and smashing into me.....comes from years of Harley riding I think....

Sorry that happened. A far as your back goes, I'd still check it out. Even though it was already hurting, there may have been damage that's going to compound things and get worse. When I ruptured a disc I only had pain for a couple days, but 6 weeks later I could barely walk.

I wasn't hit that hard... this is simply a muscle group that has been in spasm for way too long, being a slightly bigger spasm.

I was coasting, doing 5mph, he may have been doing 30. When you see the damage, you will see what I mean. It wasn't that hard.

Arghhh, that blows - glad it wasn't worse!

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This is why you need the drugs. It will fog your conscience making it easier to pursue your claim. Look at it this way. If only 10% of your injury is due to the accident, that's 10% of a back injury claim that could easily top 10 G's in treatment. Who knows. It may even require you to get one of these.

yea... uh, huh... and it's bullshit claims like that which have caused insurance rates to go through the roof.

It's amazing what a little walking about and a half dozen tylenol have done to fix the problem.

If the pain was in my neck or shoulders... or I had intense internal abdominal pain, then yes, I would check it out... but I don't... this simply pissed off an already pissed off lower back. And I can't, with all clarity of conscience, claim on that. It's akin to insurance fraud...

Now, if I had gotten out of the Jeep last night and collapsed because of it, that's a different story. But I didn't. No numbness, no lack of function... just the same old pulled muscle that has been there for the last 18 months!

As usual I'm pulling your chain. I have high moral standards that would not permit me to file a fraudulent claim. All I ever want is what is owed. I hate uninsured drivers. If I get in an accident, unless it's really minor, I'm calling the cops. I want a report even if I was the one at fault. Hasn't happened since an underaged kid lost control of his mothers car in the parking lot of a grocery store. The car was uninsured, the kid fled, and the cops said they didn't have a case because they couldn't prove who was driving the car. Everybody had to file with their own insurance. That was way back in the year nineteen hundred and ninety two. I haven't personally been involved in a direct accident since 1975. Guess I'm kinda lucky.

you are very lucky... and the cops in that case were losers. They didn't want to pursue that case, and they could have. You were the eye witness who saw the driver flee, that was case enough. What purpose for you to lie about an person not known to you?

Here in CA they don't require police in small accidents like this... Let the insurance companies sort it out, really. Back in Delaware, a report was required... but here, when there are 500 bumper taps a day, the police have better things to do, really.

No word on the Jeep yet... no word from the adjuster, either! I did bust the drivers seat, bent something all to hell.

We have something called a Public Service Aid. Not a full fledged cop but do a lot of the mundane tasks like park security and accident reports.I know of people that didn't pay for their responsabilities when they said they would when involved in a fender bender. Some have come back after the fact and argued a story totally different from what actually happened. Example. They hit you then come back to say you hit them. Then they pursue you civilly. There are all kinds of wacky scenarios and all of them happen here. Get statements, witnesses and as much documentation as you can accumulate. The ass you save may be your own.

that's the charm of a basic rear-ender... there isn't any other version. Sure, witnesses would be nice, but gee, this is LA... a land of rubber neckers who see nothing.

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You could also see it as you've been paying higher rates for other people's bullshit claims, so this is your chance to get your "fair share" back. Lol I love that phrase.

yea... well... the abuse has to stop somewhere.

Sorry to hear about the accident!
Why do things like this happen when there's always 10 other "fires" going on? Or at least it seems that way.
Glad you're not hurt, the Jeep can be fixed. Those things are tough as he** !
Good luck with the Insurance.

Joel

I completely agree with you on the morality of a fraudulent claim, but...I was in a Jeep Cherokee many years ago that got rearended hard. Traffic at highway speeds hit the brakes (as did I), but the guy behind me jumped lanes quickly without braking so the guy behind him had no warning and slammed into me at full speed. My seat completely collapsed backward.

Nothing hurt, but I went to the hospital and got checked out just in case; everything was fine. But to this day (probably 20 years later) my neck is goofy, I'm always twisting my head around to crack my neck.

Probably nothing, but it also could have messed up your back worse.

Right now, the seat is at a minor incline... maybe 4" off vertical.

My back... it's been a mess for over a year... the bane of being overweight... the muscles have been in spasm for quite a while now, but the accident only made that marginally worse and kinda forced me to take care of it... so a few Tylenol each day and it's helped a lot.

The guy wasn't going that fast... 25, tops... maybe 30, but I don't think so. His right front hit my left rear, so I believe the falling asleep thing... he wakes, he turns, he brakes, he hits. if he hadn't slowed, it would have been much worse. As it was, the angle pushed the Jeep a bit forward and a bit to the left (rear to the right), but not much.

The latest and greatest... I replaced the tail light fixture Saturday. No more fear of a fix-it ticket. I hope.

The truck is legal-ish, again!

However... the tailgate frame is bent. Not good... the gate opens, and closes, but it takes extra effort and I hear stuff rubbing that shouldn't rub.

I see the appraiser tomorrow morning.

Now I wait again... the adjuster was by this morning... it was "totaled".

The damage was just too much... sad...

I will know the financial damages tomorrow.

Glad to hear youre ok. Sorry for the loss of the jeep. Seems like the insurance companies total vehicles pretty easily, vice fixing them.


Mike

There are some pretty hard fast rules for fixing vs total...

First off, 80% rule. As long as the damages are below that threshold, they will fix, MOST of the time. It takes pretty gnarly structural damage to not repair.

The other factor is vehicle age... once they get to a certain point, well, they don't fix.

Finally, newer cars are designed to break up and crumble. This increases repair costs, but seriously decrease human loss costs.

Well, here is the punchline... and I have to share, because, well it's so damned astounding.

We bought that little beater Jeep, with 101k miles, in Jan 2007 - 6 years ago next week - for $1700. It has been a real trooper. Running like it had good sense. Never really having issues, to be honest. Heat that would bake; AC that would freeze.

So what if the paint had gone south long ago.

The Jeep now has 171k miles on it... and still runs great (a little silly when cold, tho), and the paint still looks crappy.

And the insurance company, after valuation, taxes and licence fees gave us... $3400!!!!!!!

I am figuring that we drove the truck for gas and insurance only for the last 6 years. The rest was free.

Yes... I was a little floored.

The junk auction pics it up on Monday... sad day...

Yeah when that girl ran a red and hit our daughters Envoy I didn't think it looked that bad.....but they totaled it. The 80% rule came into play on it. What it took to fix compared to what it was worth.

You should be able to find something nice for the 3400 bucks I'm thinking.

Something w3ird about about a "totalled" car being driven away.

Happened to me too

At least you came out ahead - hope the replacement works out as well!!

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I am expecting to see that Jeep on the road... I will be honest.

Here's the thing... lawn guys and such are always on the look out for cheap and good. This is that truck. It has a tow hitch and a trans cooler. Perfect.

Fix the light, pound out the dent, who cares?

Slap on a sticker and go mow lawns.

Sounds like your gett'in over it Andy

Looking for another suv?

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not anymore.

check out other vehicles.

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Coming out ahead is just like ripping off the insurance company. If I were Andy, I would return any overages.

byte me.

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Few years back I got rear-ended, totaled. A work van I had bought for $3,000 just two weeks before.

Insurance company paid me $5,850.00. I TOLD them it was too much! That I had just paid 3 g's for it. (Agreed, good deal and all, but STILL!) They said "didn't matter".....that the payout was $5,850.00. I took their check and cashed it.

THEN...two weeks later they called me asking about personal injury, which I said clearly "There was none." Happily they stated that if I'd sign a "release" to that, they'd "settle" with a $2,500.00......"settlement amount".

When I picked up the check I spoke to my adjuster and sort of 'complained' that they were maybe too 'quick and loose' with handing out money....,she told me the only recourse was to not cash the check!

I cashed it of course.

They are doing that as hush money...

To them, a couple grand here is a good faith gesture that makes most of us feel good, vs making us fight for every ounce of flesh.

On the flip side, if they simply cough up a couple of bucks and we are happy, less chance of a 6 figure law suit later.

I think you need one of these...



Cheap, pre smog, convertible, 4 seater, pickup truck, suv, LS-1 powered fire-breathing beast, grocery getter, all in one.

well... yea... I think I will stick with my 99, thanks. I don't need any more projects.

So .... How's your back?

actually, quite fine... no worse than before, and thanks to the Tylenol treatment, a bit better.