Hit and run yesterday, I was stopped at a stop light and got rear ended at highway speed. Got underneath and saw the frame looked odd. Still waiting for the adjuster to come out. Hoping it's totaled, so much damage. The seam where the rear passenger door is is so tight and the back part of the rear well is so close to the tire. Also, feels like it's pulling to the right when being driven. Thoughts?
Hit at highway speed? You're still driving the car? Thoughts: The car looks remarkably 'in one piece' for a stationary object having been struck by another vehicle at highway speed. What was the other vehicle? A Byrd scooter? Vespa? If G5's were not so horribly expensive, I might look into them for my granddaughters when they get their learner's permits. There's 'tha thing.' SO..... Now it's just YOU and your insurance company. Hint: Your insurance company is NOT in YOUR corner on this one unless you own enough stock to get regular mail and phone calls from them about 'non insurancy' issues. Advice: 1. The most important thing to restore to a 'pre-accident' condition is YOU. Make sure that you get checked out for your own crumple-zone and alignment issues! MOST people that survive a car accident at highway speed differentials suffer an injury. NOT all of them are detected same day. 2. Be careful what you wish for!! You might be about to discover the difference between replacement value and actual cash value. You said 'hit and run' and you identify as a person that lives in the 'USA' which probably means that you live in a place that local authorities do not take property crime very seriously. PRAY daily for a not-totaled car! The first question that insurance companies always ask is NOT: "have you ever been in a wreck?" It's: "Do you have a driver's license." What this means is that all of the insurance companies share information and they don't care about ANYTHING except for their customers. YOU aren't their customer - unless you have a BUNCH of their stock, in which case you would be driving something different than a Priuis. 3. If (when) they total the car, see if you can get it back under a salvage title and cash-flow the repair. SOMEBODY is going to do that! May as well be YOU. You can turn this frown upside-down by getting the car fixed, driving it for 15 years or so, and cash flowing your next car - or? -perhaps thinking about getting off of the hamster-wheel and setting your kids up for college or you for your retirement.......
All that exterior plastic needs to come off to do a proper assessment. Flimsy plastic bounces back well. You'll be horrified at the actual damage to the sheet metal within - If you have an idea of what the structure should be. I'm pretty sure that entire quarter panel needs to be cut out and re-welded with a replacement/donor unit - if it's properly repaired or someone can just cover it up with new external plastic. Hazards of buying a branded titled car.
Stopped by my local Toyota dealership today, snapped this pic of a fresh Prius. Mine is F'd :| Waiting for the adjuster's estimate still.
As someone who just went through a collision with my Gen 4 Prius, I saw the quoted advice and it is pure poppycock! A 4Runner hit my front passenger door & totalled the car. They were trying to make a left hand turn without looking first.I received actual cash value for my Prius but had to negotiate the number higher than their first offer. Your insurance company has nothing to do with it if somebody else hit you. THEIR insurance company is the one you need to work with. Sometimes your insurance agent can assist if you run into issues with that. If your car detected a collision, it likely disabled the high voltage Hybrid system. From what I understand, you CAN get the car repaired but it would likely need to me inspected by a dealer for safety to get the Hybrid system re-enabled. be sure you get a copy of the police report. If you got checked out medically, keep those receipts for reimbursement. I got checked out & was just prescribed a muscle relaxant. The insurance company paid me $750 for pain & suffering without negotiating. I chose to get a 2025 Camry XLE to replace my 2017 Prius trim 2. IMO the new Prius is too expensive compared to a Camry now they are all hybrids.
i missed that part. no video in the area? It would be cool if the Prius could have saved video from its rear camera. i guess YOUR collision insurance then plays a part in this.
Yep, that is pretty much it. I was in shock and couldn't make sense of the situation, told 911 dispatch the direction they headed. I do plan on stalking all the local body shops for the next few weeks. Karma is a vengeful mistress.
That's why everyone is installing drive cameras. If you get the license plate, the driver will just say it wasn't him. My state places the driver at fault not the car. A drive cam picture would not only find him at fault, but he'd also get charged for hit & run. It doesn't do you much good if the guy doesn't have insurance, but I got the last two guys that hit me to pay up. No drivers license, no work, multiple points against his current license & ID - if I filed charges. Unfortunately that probably going to be north of $15K in damages, that's a really tough ask, even if you catch the guy. You never know, maybe mommy & daddy will bail this guy out.
Glad you are okay. My symptoms after last rear end accident took a few days to appear. DUI and he basically used the back of my car to stop at the light. I was in shock too although he wasn’t going highway speed. Wishing you the best outcome possible for you and your car replacement or repair!
Finally got the notification that's it's a goner. Only took 6 weeks. Body shop said more rail damage was found up underneath the rear seats. They were prepared to do a 15k repair, and as they continued, the frame wasn't measuring the right way. Gonna go buy another!
I'm sorry you had to deal with all this but this seems to be the best outcome. Hopefully you'll be able to secure a replacement quickly. Selfishly, I hope your car makes it to a salvage yard in short order. I'm searching for a wrecked XSE+ with a good interior so I can trade for the seats and steering wheel. As far as I can tell, all wrecked Primes at auction are either getting purchased to be repaired or are not meeting the reserved price the insurers are asking.
I highly doubt the car will make it to the salvage yard. Some rebuilder will either snatch it up and rebuild it and then sell it or the insurance company will keep it for parts.
