Saturday marks the day I got involved in the accident because lady in front braked hard and I ended up nailing her from the back, cant wait to hear her story that she is going to make up. Long story short here are some pics. Don't want to go into details of the scene, overall just disappointed how people are willing to do anything to get away when it involves law and money. Do you guys think my baby is totaled and I should start shopping for another one?
The pictures you post are looking at the big ticket items to repair, but the question on if it is repairable or not in the first place lies more in the A-Pillars. In one photo they are somewhat visible. I don't see any buckling there. I am guessing doors close well and otherwise looks OK? I doubt it will be totalled for a 2012 unless something else is going on. I understand about CA driving where if there is a car length between you and the car in-front, that will be filled by another car in a couple seconds. This is where auto-braking would come in handy. Maybe for your next purchase...
I hope you have good insurance because............... I think it is universally true (in the US) that when you rear-end another vehicle, YOU are automatically at fault. Unless maybe the other vehicle was going backwards at the time. Or to put it another way, regardless of circumstances present, the LAW says you are guilty of "following too close".
If you have a video cam of them speeding up to pass you, get in front of you and slamming their brakes maliciously for fraud, or they have dead break lights, 99 out of 100, you'll be liable. been there twice, not good Hope your okay and the other person better have a legit reason to slam their brakes
I feel your pain, but in a different way...I was slowing to 15 mph for a school zone and a teenage boy behind me missed it. He plowed into me going about 30 mph. Sorry to say - my Prius was a total loss. I was fine, but had there been someone in my back seat, they would have been hurt. It doesn't take much to total a Prius, unfortunately. I now drive a Camry which is a bit sturdier car but I really enjoyed my 6 years of Prius ownership. I miss that hybrid system which is one of the best on the market. Consider your options when you replace your car, if it's totaled.
Sorry for your loss. I recently lost my Prius (2013) due to a rear ender as well. Now I also drive a Camry, but the Hybrid. Looking at your picture it looks like the other party's vehicle didn't look too badly damaged, it was your car that had most of the damage. In my situation, the guy was probably going 40-45 mph and his car was the one that was damaged the most (the engine compartment was messed up and had fluid leaking out).
It looks like an expensive repair if it's not totaled, but it definitely looks border-line for sure. The radiator from the outside looks bent inwards and that might have messed up the cooling system inside maybe even the power control unit. I'd certainly to go KBB and get an idea of what your car is worth and judging from that, see if you think that'll be enough to fix the damage to your car. If not, then I'd start shopping for a new car immediately.
In most of the country, she doesn't need to make up anything. It will be on you to show that she did something unreasonable or fraudulent. I now have dashcams in both my cars. Not for the particular issue you suggest (which is rare here), but for the many other kinds of misconduct and issues on the roads.
Definitely start pricing cars. In order to negotiate with the insurance company, you will absolutely need to know how much the same make and model car, with the same number of miles, is going for in your area.
Slamming on brakes to avoid a small child, dog chasing a ball, deer crossing, debris on the road, or if the car in front also slammed on brakes, etc... even in these cases, I figure the driver behind is responsible for keeping a safe distance. But I digress. Orange County relies on TLF. TLF refers to the "total loss formula": cost of repairs plus scrap value must equal the pre-accident value of the car. The insurance adjuster could give the OP some hints on how they arrive at the pre-accident value. If the insurance company uses blue book value, then estimating the OP's car at 70k miles and in very good condition, then the pre-accident value would be ~$13k to $15k (shown here) . In this case, if the estimated repairs + scrap value > $13-$15k, then the OP should gladly take the check. Good luck.
Received a call today from inspector and yes it will be totaled unfortunately. in his years of working for insurance companies he had never thought and seen that such a Prius loaded even existed lol. He was blown away by all the techy things in Prius - he mentioned to me first thing when he called me. I felt so sad though listening to all of those and how I lost an excellent condition vehicle that could of been great to me for a long while still. I was disappointed how easily Prius gets totaled after looking through some posts on this forum and other forums. He said that the hit is called some "high hit" in insurance which means where the hit pushed many parts in the engine. Waiting for the "third party" evaluation company that will give an estimate on the price by Monday, found exact the same Prius just different color, (even the miles at 59k same as mine). Hopefully it will be no less than $13,5k from evaluation. To be honest, I loved this car so much, and now I feel like I might be changing completely because I won't find exact the same one, been browsing some new Mazda 3's, Civics, and Volt got my attention as well. Its just feels like I will be downgrading if I get another Prius. I will post official pictures on here as soon as I get them from insurance, I am really interested on what happened under the hood.
I know exactly what you are going thru...I had a hard time accepting that my Prius was totaled too. Take your time selecting a replacement vehicle as many dealers are slashing prices on 2017s and older. With a clear mind not to buy right away, consider test driving a pre-owned certified Camry 7th generation. There are some Camry hybrids to be had if you look around. It was a great version...roomy and it feels like a sturdier car. If you like comfort, look at LEs and XLEs (more options). The firmer ride is with the SE and XSE, but keep in mind you will "feel" the road more. Also, there were several complaints on the Toyotanation forum about sun roofs. I'd stay clear of them - too many rattles. Even a Camry non-hybrid (like mine) will get about 28 mpg in town and close to 40 mpg on the road if you drive carefully. I'm not sure what the Camry hybrids will get, but obviously better in-town mileage. Good luck - always request a dealer provide you with a clean Car-fax report too. I found out the hard way that to get your own Car-fax report is close to $40 per vehicle.
