Hit by a big rig today

I feel your pain. Just a few months after I bought my new Prius, some uninsured, unlicensed jerk tried to pass me over double yellow lines on the left while I was making a left hand turn. It destroyed nearly the entire driver's side of my Prius. My insurance had to pay and gave up on collecting from the deadbeat. I was without mine for about 5 months! I was without it all during the gas price spike post Katrina. 13 thousand dollars was what it cost to fix it. I was furious. I wish they would have totalled it so I could have gotten a new one. I can't say my car was ever quite the same after that. They had torn out my entire dash and I hear funny noises coming from in there all the time. My vents fart now when the auto air kicks on and off. I was getting a wierd beeping noise a couple months back, but it stopped. I guess it's a good excuse to go buy a new one, but I'm waiting for the next generation with some significant changes before I make that move. This all doesn't sound like good news does it? The good news is your OK! Be prepared, being without your Prius is gonna hurt.

 

The Insurance company was Safeco. For the most part Safeco has been pretty good to me. When it came to the delays in repair; the insurance company blamed the Toyota dealer "service center" on dragging their feet in making the repairs, and the service center blamed safeco for taking time for approving supplemental damage quotes. Personally, I think it was a combination of both the insurance company and the service center which caused the delay. All the work inside the dash had to be done by the Prius Tech who seemed to either be out sick, or on vacation whenever I called. It's not something I want to go through again. I hope your luck is better with a speedy repair. If there is no damage to the engine compartment or dash, I think your repairs might go a little faster. Mine had to be juggled between the body shop and the mechanical service center because there was damage to both.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(seasidetraveler @ Mar 15 2007, 11:10 PM) [snapback]406557[/snapback]</div>

Mine started out at around $7000.00 and ended up around $13,000.00. Expect supplemental estimates when they start taking it apart. This can and will cause delays.

 

Sorry to hear that, I too was rear-ended on Feb 6 and it took 5 weeks to fix my car. My total damages came out to be $5300 but thankfully the other woman accepted liability.

 

Sorry about the accident. Thank goodness you weren't hurt. Those rigs are dangerous.

 

Congratulations, Seaside! That was a long time without your car! Did you get all the details, like the bumper appliqué?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dmckinstry @ Mar 14 2007, 06:52 AM) [snapback]405304[/snapback]</div>

OUCH! I try not to linger anywhere near a big rig. Plus if you are behind them they throw rocks. Truck drivers used to be professional, careful, caring drivers. I'm convinced that changed at some time. I think in the last 3 weeks there have been 3 big rig accidents on the interstates in ABQ, closing them. Last one was a big rig that plowed into 3 large trucks including the cherry picker in the front changing the bulbs in those really tall interstate lights along the shoulder. They were following all safety procedures, and had a highway emergency vehicle and another service vehicle behind the cherry picker. The semi plowed into the rear truck at 65mph, pushing all of them into each other, the semi went to the side and overturned. The guy in the cherry picker was injured badly but survived because he had his restraint tether on. Seems like it's happening every week here.

 

I'm glad your ok, but it sucks to have your car hit and off the road. I mean you get a rental but you got to pay for that gas. They don't have Prius rentals. Did your airbags deploy?

 

Sorry to hear about the Prius, but thankful that you're ok. Looks like the Prius can take a hit and keep its occupants safe!

 

Happy ending! Did it cost you anything out of your own pocket?