[rtking]

I was driving in traffic in Irvine, CA. I had come to a stop and all of a sudden, I find myself flying forward! It turns out some idiot in a pickup truck decided to NOT apply the brakes and nail the Honda Accord behind me at 40 mph. That same Accord flew into me and pushed me into an Acura MDX in front of me.

The damage is considerable. The hatch no longer closes all the way, the rear floor pan by the spare tire is completly buckled, and the muffler is shoved forward and into the rear tire. The front bumper is damaged and the radiator core support is bent. The frame on the car is bent and the rear door on the driver's side won't open.

The poor guy in the Accord was OK, but his car was a total write-off. The trunk was completely pushed up to the back window. And the front end of his car was demolished crashing into my back end.

I am certain that the idiot in the Ford Ranger was doing about 40 mph. And to top that off, he was driving a company truck (he's in construction) and it was loaded with tools. I'll bet there was 4500 pounds of mass in that truck. And for the damage he did to 3 vehicles, he MUST have been doing 40 mph. What's worse is that I don't remember hearing any tires screeching and I didn't see any skid marks on the ground. I don't think he touched the brakes at all.

What really sucks is that I bought this car a week ago and had 1060 miles on it. I guess I'm going to have to push hard to see if they'll total it (so I get a brand new Murano) or if they won't total it, I am going to fight for "diminshed value" damages.

Man, this really sucks. It took my dealership 1.5 months to locate this vehicle for me. Honestly, I don't want this car fixed... it's not the same with frame damage.

Bob K.

 

[jaak]

That... Really.... Sucks!:3:

 

[ChuckB]

I feel your pain man!

major suckage

 

[jpburk]

Sorry to hear it, Bob. I've come close to getting hit a couple of times, and I know I'd be royally torked if one of those idiots had actually connected with my Murano. :3: I, too, wouldn't want my car back after a wreck like that. I hope they do the right thing and total out the car.

Jeff

 

[hfelknor]

You be very very careful.
Get your butt over to a DR.
I am unalterably opposed to phony law suits, but at the same time I know that head and neck injuries can be with you for life. THey actually get worse as you age.

Screw the car (for awhile), make sure YOU are OK.

THen if all is well, push for a total.I had car that was straightend by a very high rated frame shop in Dallas.
It never was right again.
I sold it 90 days after the shop "straightened" the frame at a big loss.


Homer

 

[turbodog]

Have to agree with hfelknor. Just the fact that a medical report exists will make the insurance companies much more accomodating. Several years ago, I was chewed up and spat out by an 18-wheeler that lost control next to me. I was covered in glass, dozens of very minor cuts. I was a half mile from work, and had a change of clothes with me. So declined the ambulance ride and asked the officer to drop me at work. I showered off the glass and changed, then asked my boss to drive me to the hospital to have my neck checked. THEN I sat in the emergency room for hours (as I anticipated) in relative comfort.

The trucker's insurance assumed that since I declined transport, that there was no medical report/claim. They really tried to screw me over, until the existence of a medical report became known. Then they made a very reasonable settlement within hours. I never threatened to sue or overstated the nature of my injuries, but the simple fact that I went to a doctor completely changed their attitude.

 

[RandyMax]

Sorry man. At least you are ok.

Where in Irvine?

 

[Sw1tched]

Sorry to hear that rt. I recently got in an accident with my MO as well and the whole situation just sucks.

For those that read on FA originally, the case is going to court on the 15th of october, so I'll keep everyone updated.

At least the MO is safe and everyone was ok

 

[TikiMan]

SORRY TO HEAR THAT!

WOW! I just bought my MO also (maybe even the same week as you and same dealer?), mine now has a little over 1k miles now, so I can imagine your pain and anger! (glad you are ok though!) I also live and work in South OC as well and I know about Irvine drivers.

Just earlier this week my MO and I were nearly in a bad accident almost twice (within just a couple minuets of each other)...

So first I am driving down Crown Valley Pkwy, and a small green Geo Metro pulls out in front of me at Greenfield. Luckily I had enough time to quickly put on my breaks and slowdown to lay on my horn for a good six seconds (hopefully I just saved that idiot drivers life from the next person they pull out in front of)

Then (just a couple miles later), I am coming down Alicia after Niguel in the Right lane (in Laguna Niguel) and a car pulls out of the gas station driveway to my Right a little late in front of me, but they went quickly so no big deal, but the person after them doesn’t even look and pulls RIGHT INTO TRAFFIC turning left as I am passing the driveway. I quickly swerve to my left as the idiot is now completely in the right lane (no time to put on my breaks).
The MO held up well in what would have been a typical roll-over scenario for most SUV's. Luckily the IDIOT driver from HELL realized I was right their and stopped before they hit me in the middle lane (which I had just swerved into), but only after I made the defensive driver move of the century. I almost wanted to turn around and find the IDIOT, and let them know they can thank me for not hitting them and putting their sorry ass in a morgue. Hopefully they realize that they came very close to meeting their maker and will never pull a stupid stunt like that again. :3:

It seems to always be worse this time of year when school starts, parents are freaking out to get home or to pick up their kids, or take them to something-ball practice, get dinner on the table, etc. If this sounds like you, please relax and realize your kids aren’t going to have a good life when you’re sitting in the morgue or a permanent wheelchair. So just look, listen and relax!
:1:

 

[rtking]

Thanks everyone!

I appreciate the condolences from everyone. It does suck, but I can honestly say that the Murano gave itself to save me. It was a pretty bad hit.

I spoke with the people in the other three cars and they're all complaining about back pain. No wonder... because none of us recall hearing the screeching of tires and we're all sure that this guy never touched the brakes. So sadly the idiot driver of the Ranger has now totalled a Honda Accord and permanently marked the record of my Murano and a nice lady's Acura MDX as having a "major accident." (We all had to file DMV paperwork about the accident since it was more than $500 and there was bodily injury (SR1). So now if anyone pulls a Carfax on my MO or her MDX, we'll both have accident histories.) :3:

I appreciate all the advice about seeing a doctor. I did exactly that and have x-rays and a doctor's visit to document the neck and back pain I received.

Sadly, I had the MO flat-bedded to my choice of repair facilities and the initial estimate is $10,000 in damage. But they expect that it will be more when they really get into it. They don't have an estimate on how long it will take to fix because they don't know what parts they need yet. And they are 100% certain that they won't be able to total the car because $10,000 is about 27% of the car's value. Apparently for a new car, it's got to exceed 75% of the car's value before they'll consider totalling it.

More as it unfolds...

Bob K.

 

[rtking]

Location

BTW, the accident was southbound on Campus Drive at Dove Street. (This is by the John Wayne Airport)

I agree... it seems that there's a bit more "un-focused" drivers on the road lately. All I can say is that Nissan built us a pretty safe vehicle.

Bob K.

 

[pkhona]

Sorry to hear this

Hi,

I am extremely sorry to hear this. Its good thing that you took Dr. advice. I would go one more step and take a legal advice from a lawyer who specialises in accidents - not to sue anyone but to make sure that all grounds are covered.

pkhona

 

[XSternMinator]

My sympathies

I used to live in Irvine and I always felt a little uneasy driving around Irvine...Seems like there are alot of crazy drivers. You have the riceboys, short and middle aged Asian ladies, and testosterone charged Escalades etc... (btw I am Asian and I've always been scared to death when I ride in my mom's car...)

Anyways, my sympathies to you as I know how much that sucks! My MO was 2 weeks old when it got hit parked on the curb of my house. I lived next to Tustin ranch.

Another bad luck incident was with my A4. I just got it for 3 days and I got hit parked on the street by a street cleaner truck in NY...

Make sure you see a doc ASAP!

 

[Enforcer]

He was probably talking on his cellphone.
:soapbox:

We're all hoping everthing turns out good for you.

 

[rainbowfarm]

One Serious, One Funny

Since the recent full moon, the storm/hurricane, and whatever else (Mars in proximity), not only have drivers been weird, but it seems that everyone and everything has been weird.

An accident like that is always very upsetting, but especially in a new MO! I have heard from car people that frame damage cannot always be repaired, and that there can be recourse (if it ain't like new, then it's still damaged, and if replacement is the "repair" that is required, then you may be entitled to it).

But I'm in Canada.

For the funny (warped black humour?), I was thinking about the rubber sides, bumper guard, (and maybe front crash guard rails, etc.)... you put it all on to prevent WalMart parking lot fools from doing too much damage, and then a cement truck drives right through the middle of your MO.

In the end, it is not in our hands. Some things just plain happen that are very much out of our control.

 

[TikiMan]

In light of all of this accident talk and idiot un-caring drivers, I thought this thread up on a 350Z web board was kind of funny and depressing...

http://www.my350z.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=40647