Another accident thread :(

folks,

Sorry for another accident thread. I was pulling into a left turn lane at a stoplight today when the car behind me failed to stop and knocked me into the car ahead of me. Aside from a stiff chest and shoulder, I'm fine but they took my poor baby car away on a flatbed! I'm deathly afraid she's been totalled. :rip:

I was sandwiched, so there's damage to both the front and the rear. Both bumpers are toast, my hood was bent up, several head/taillights gone, etc. What really worries me though is this. After the impact, I tried to roll a few feet to the curb. The car had power but aside from the slowest of rolls, there was zero response to the accellerator. There was also this really odd, low grinding sound. At first I thought a tire was rubbing on something, but all 4 looked like they should roll clear on my walk around. There was also a strange hissing sound under the hood, even with the car powered off. Sounded like a gas, not a liquid. I didn't notice any fluid leaks. None of the windows broke and the airbag did not deploy.

The lady in front of me was transported with neck/chest pains, so I hope she's ok.

Any theories? Is a Prius easy to total? My baby's an '05 top of the line model with 49k miles and HOV stickers. I want her back!! She even had a CA whale-tail vanity plate that says SAVN RTH.

Please send prayers, good wishes, and general good karma (carma?) for both my poor Prius and the driver in front of me.

Thanks in advance,

Diotima

P.S. apologies for a possible duplicate posting. I thought I posted already but I can't find it and my profile says 0 posts?

 

I'm having the car towed to my dealer. They haven't seen it yet but based on my description of where the damage is and the no-power roll, the head Prius guy says that my - I'm going to murder the name - ATV battery may have been damaged? This is the big hybrid battery, right?

I read most of the collision threads here, and with major damage to both bumpers and the hood, I'm looking at 9 grand. Add in the big battery and it's 12 grand. And that's without significant repairs to things like the AC (the hissing noise), he wiring or other hybrid goodies.

Sigh!!!

I'm gearing up for a fight with the insurance companies. Fact is, there ISN'T a comparable vehicle within 150 miles of me. The 2005s I've seen listed either don't have the stickers or don't have the navigation package and they're listed as high as 30k! I've accepted the fact that I will probably lose my access to the HOV lanes, but that doesn't mean I'm pleased about it.

My service guy says he will try to look at my baby today, so if I hear from him I'll let you know.

Cheers,

Diotima

 

I'll see if I can get pics tho my dealer may already have started taking it apart for the estimate. It doesn't look all that bad compared to some of the pics I've seen here, so maybe there is hope for her afterall.

 

Unless they find more damage when doing the repairs, my Prius is NOT totalled. 2k in mechanical work, not sure yet how much in body. They're supposed to give me the details tomorrow. All I've been told so far is 'not a total'.

 

all,

Here's an update:

Total cost of repairs: $12,000, approx. Not including car rental (paid by at-fault insured)

Time to completion: 90 days!!! (Accident was on Halloween, got the car after New Year's)

Repairs done by: Dealer and dealer's sub-contractor

Satisfaction: meh

Recap: Sandwich accident with me in the middle. Damage to front and rear. I was at a full stop, got plowed from behind by a minivan and shoved into the car ahead of me at a slight angle. Air bags did not deploy.

Damage areas: Front and rear bumper, hood, one front headlight, radiator punctured, water pump damaged.

Issues: Annoying squeak in the dashboard now. Wipers were adjusted poorly, scraping and stuttering across the windshield. Had to go back for an adjustment. *Might* be an issue with the car not keeping an alignment - I sure hope not!