These cars don't last!

Bought a 2013 Prius in March of last year, and it was a wreck before Christmas. Fewer than 8000 miles, and it was a total piece of junk.

At 9:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve, my wife was on her way to work. Only two cars on the road. The other one ran a red light and hit our Prius on the side near the rear, deflecting it into a utility box support on the corner. It was a 3 x 3 x 2 foot piece of solid concrete, and the car hit it head on at 25 mph. The air bags did their job -- and more importantly so did the two child seats in the other car, so no one was seriously hurt. My wife was pretty sore and found out about a week later that she'd broken three ribs, but not a really big deal. The Prius was totaled by the insurance company. Like I said, a total wreck. A couple of small chips were knocked out of the concrete.

The passenger compartment was completely intact even though the front end was completely demolished. The front passenger door was a bit jammed but all the others worked normally. Driver air bags and both side air bags had fired. The other driver wasn't insured. We got first class service from our insurance company, State Farm.

Bought another one today, 2013, same color even, but with 63 miles on the odometer, so we're starting over. Hope this one lasts longer!

 

Policies in this state (Oregon) have to include uninsured motorist coverage, which would pay if they're found at fault. We have collision insurance which pays if my wife were at fault. So our insurance pays either way. There were no witnesses outside the cars, and both drivers claim the other ran the red light, so it would be difficult -- and expensive -- for either to prove that the other was. I'm told our insurance company will assume my wife is correct, which means they won't pay the other party for damages unless the other party sues and proves my wife was at fault (good luck with that). They could sue the other party for damages but it's unlikely they will, since the other party probably has no money, and it would be expensive for the insurance company to try to prove the other party was at fault. But since the insurance company will assume my wife wasn't at fault, our claim will technically get paid by uninsured motorist coverage rather than by collision coverage. The only difference to us is that the deductible is lower for the uninsured motorist coverage so we get a little more.

The other driver almost certainly got a citation for driving without insurance, and will lose her license for a year, as in the last paragraph below.

[Quote from Oregon DMV web site]
Driving without liability insurance could result in fines, suspension of your driving privileges, and your vehicle could be towed. If your vehicle is towed, you are subject to the towing and storage fees. This is in addition to any fines you may have to pay.

If a judge convicts you of driving uninsured, you will need to file proof of future responsibility (SR-22) with DMV for three years, or your driving privileges will be suspended. This is in addition to any fines you must pay the court.

If you are driving uninsured and are involved in a crash, your driving privileges will be suspended for one year. After the suspension ends, you can reinstate your driving privilege by filing proof of future responsibility (SR-22) with DMV for three years. Otherwise you will remain suspended.
[End of quote]

I really feel sorry for the other folks. They gambled and lost, big time, and now are in a real world of hurt.

 

They don't investigate if there are no reported injuries. Even though the police came as a result of several people calling 911 and presuming injuries, no one reported an injury at the time, so no police report was made. If you have an accident and call 911, the police won't even come if you say there are no injuries -- regardless of the physical damage.