At 229,800 miles the first and only accident claimed my prius's wonderful life. Its only a matter of time right? My girlfriend was hit from drivers side then onto this pole. The car bounced back like 6 feet from the pole! Its not officially totaled yet, should get a call from insurance on monday. We only had liability but the other driver was at fault (he got a reckless driving ticket too) so we should get paid from his insurance. Engine still ran but would not move. And yes everyone is ok. It sucks because I know it will be very hard to find a replacement for this car, it was in beyond excellent condition, I have every single service record from toyota down to every single oil change for that 200k! Battery was replaced at 180k, tires were in very good condition, interior is great (no kids) and exterior is great (garaged until 2013 when we bought it). This car would have made it to 300k easy. Now insurance will probably not want to give me anything for a 10 year old car with 230k miles. We will see what they say on monday.
Let me be the first to say I'm glad everyone involved came out okay as far as not being injured. Give it a couple days before you really say everything's okay ... you'd be surprised how badly you can start hurting after the fact - and if that happens go get checked out. As for the Prius - you can get another. Even so I know how miserable it is when a great suffers that kind of fate .
I'd like to echo hill above on no one being badly hurt. Especially your girlfriend walking away from that damaged Prius. A real testament to it's safety. It's unfortunate that a well-maintained automobile garners little or no value from an insurance company. They should offer policies that cover the holder for the cost to replace their automobile regardless of age or miles. Hope you can get through this quickly, and without too much more inconvenience.
I too will echo what Hill said. What is important is that everyone survived. Auto accidents and wrecks tend to bother the body over time. Don't sign any releases until everyone involved has been thoroughly checked out. I also suggest you get an attorney involved especially since you only had liability, plus those involved will surely suffer pain and possible injury or health related matters later on. Don't discount the lawyer thing. I have been in several accidents, and all but one was ruled like this one - other guys fault. The last time it happened, I hired a lawyer. My vehicle was repaired completely, wasn't totaled like yours will be. I was also hurt. All medical bills were paid along with prescription medicine plus I did get a reasonable amount of money for my pain and suffering. It was not a six digit figure like what you see advertised on the boob tube, but it was a very reasonable four digit figure. Believe me when I say this. If you simply settle with the insurance company you won't get much at all. And you will have to fight for everything you do get. A lawyer can do much much better for a small fee when you win your case. Most lawyers work on a case with contingency. If you don't win, you owe nothing. If you do win, a small percentage is paid to them right off the top. Be safe out there. Ron (dorunron)
I'd be careful what you say in the forums. You don't know yet that she wasn't hurt and a savvy lawyer for the other guy will have researches that will find your post claiming she walked away unharmed. I'm glad she wasn't seriously hurt in an obvious way, but she could have significant injuries to soft tissue she's not aware of yet.
+1 I agree about the soft tissues thing. Last wreck I was in I suffered a bad whip lash. Now I have two damaged vertebrae in the upper end of my spine. Doctors says the whiplash and the bad vertebrae is the cause and effect. I also agree that the OP should be careful what he says online. You never know who is watching or who will read it.
Agree with all the previous comments regarding soft tissue injuries not showing up right away. The 2nd and 3rd day after the accident will probably be the most painful. Taking ibuprofen will help keep inflammation and pain down. My wife still has occasional neck pain from an accident where someone rear ended her car over 20 years ago. SCH-I535
with all the records you have you should get a fair settlement on car value. make sure you emphasize the new traction battery, that's basically the equivalent of a new ICE in any other car. KBB has a value on a 2005 with 115000 miles at 8600-9900 bucks.. the down side, nowaday's insurance companies don't use KBB or NADA to tabulate values. they have a company that searches locally and gets current values for cars actually being sold usually they grab about 15-20 vehicles... the down side is that if they can't find the exact make model, specs, ect they then begin estimating values. You can request to see the documentation on how they came to your value, and you should. Also, rent a car now and begin costing them money... Generally you have one week of rental once the declare a total loss. but if you do not agree with the settlement you can drag your feet and insist on keeping the car until you have agreed to the settlement. When my Chevy tracker was totaled I had the rental car for nearly a month before we came to agreement on the value of my car. It won't cost you anything to see a lawyer...
Glad everyone involved was okay! Definitely agree with Sorka, and the comment regarding the lawyers, went through a similar experience.
That's sad. I got t-boned the other week by someone who ran a red light, thankfully she slowed down a lot, and my passenger wasn't hurt. She's paying for all the repairs. It didn't get totaled.
Ok got the news, body shop quoted $12k+ to repair. They totaled it. I wont say how much I am getting but it was much higher than I expected and higher than kbb private value. So I am pretty happy. We are in the market for another one right now.
If your girl friend had not been in the car you would have gotten peanuts. My wife's low mileage car was hit while parked. The insurance company gave us enough to maybe buy the same year vehicle with virtually no consideration to condition or miles. They have their own book of values. I'm glad everyone including the faulty party are OK.
