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Ever wonder what would happen if a Buick hits a Prius broad?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by viffer_pilot, May 13, 2005.

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  1. viffer_pilot

    viffer_pilot New Member

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    So there I am, driving along and minding my own business when a 96 Buick pulls away from a stop sign and plows into me at about 20-25 MPH. Thank God for side curtain airbags...although I'm not really happy with Him about the accident in the first place!!

    The car held up remarkably well. Gotta hand it to those Toyota Engineers. They sure know what they're doing. If you have any insight into dealing with the insurance companies, let me know. I don't want the car repaired since she'll never be the same. I, on the other hand, should heal nicely. My face is sore where my eye broke my sunglasses against the side curtain air bag and I have a small abrasion on my knee where the door panel hit me. Other than that, I came away without a scratch.

    I have an eyewitness who told the police that I had right of way. I was not cited and the other driver drove away...yes drove away... with a ticket for failure to yield. There is no justice in the world. Aparantly the Prius will not go into gear after the airbag deploys....who knew? Actually I'm sure lots of you did. Anyway, any insight is helpful. Enjoy the pics and drive safely because the other idiots out there definately are not!
     
    #1 viffer_pilot, May 13, 2005
  2. RonH

    RonH Member

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    So were the cops, towers, etc worried about being electrocuted by all that voltage?
     
    #2 RonH, May 13, 2005
  3. viffer_pilot

    viffer_pilot New Member

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    Re: Ever wonder what would happen if a Buick hits a Prius br

    No one had any concern about the electricity but you should have seen the confused look the wrecker driver had when I handed him the key fob!!! He actually said "This is the key?"
     
    #3 viffer_pilot, May 13, 2005
  4. flyingprius

    flyingprius New Member

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    Re: Ever wonder what would happen if a Buick hits a Prius br

    Viffer_Pilot-
    I'm happy to hear that you walked away from the accident relatively unharmed. I'm glad the side airbags and curtains worked well. It's likely the car is totalled---if it isn't, I wouldn't drive it anymore. I'm sure your insurance company will help you out with what you need since you weren't at fault. Accidents suck; my experiences have always been some moron in an American car barrelling on into my car without a clue. It sucks that they were able to drive away, but most importantly, you're safe.

    On the bright side, you'll get an upgraded suspension if you opt for another Prius.
    Take care,
    Flyingprius
     
    #4 flyingprius, May 13, 2005
  5. DanMan32

    DanMan32 Senior Member

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    I doubt it will be totalled. There have been postings of even worse damage not totalling the car. It should be fine though once repaired, the body other than the doors look OK.
     
    #5 DanMan32, May 13, 2005
  6. jeromep

    jeromep Member

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    Re: Ever wonder what would happen if a Buick hits a Prius br

    I don't know. That "b" pillar looks really messed up. I would hope that the insurance company would see the vehicle as a loss. It is going to require a lot of body straightening, etc, which never really works out right in the end.

    I'm glad you survived it.
     
    #6 jeromep, May 13, 2005
  7. viffer_pilot

    viffer_pilot New Member

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    Re: Ever wonder what would happen if a Buick hits a Prius br

    I estimate that the pillar is moved in about 6 inches. Both door panels are a total loss and the driver's seat and rear seat are damaged. Additionally, the front quarter panel is damaged. The roof is buckeled from the pillar being displaced. I'm not planning on accepting a repair. I will never feel safe putting my family in that car. I don't care how good it looks when they're done fixing it. The metal will never be as strong after they bend it back in place. If they want to fix it and sell it, they're more than welcome.
     
    #7 viffer_pilot, May 13, 2005
  8. Godiva

    Godiva AmeriKan Citizen

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    Re: Ever wonder what would happen if a Buick hits a Prius br

    The other guy (or his insurance company) will be paying....right?

    If he was cited, then he was at fault.

    And if he (or his insurance company) pays, then your insurance company should have no problem declaring your car totaled. And since his insurance company (or his bank account) will be footing the bill, your rates shouldn't go up either.

    So...are you getting the same color/package?
     
    #8 Godiva, May 13, 2005
  9. popoff

    popoff New Member

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    Re: Ever wonder what would happen if a Buick hits a Prius br

    Sorry for your loss but glad you weren't badly injured. When I crashed my Audi a few years back, the insurance company told me the repair cost would have to be over ~75% of the replacement value before they would consider it totalled.

    Apropos the over 70 year old thread, how old was the driver of the Buick?
     
    #9 popoff, May 13, 2005
  10. Robert Taylor

    Robert Taylor New Member

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    Point number one:

    It is a total loss, there is far too much body damage.

    Point number two:

    Start getting some solid documentation about current USED Prius values, get some pages printed of current Traderonline.com ads for used Prius, you should be able to find where there are several where the asking is higher than MSRP. You will need this to document what the value was of your Prius prior to the accident.

    Point number three:

    Get ready for two battles, one, to insist that the car be totaled out, because if repaired, it will ALWAYS have a vastly lowered value, a "salvage" value, so you gotta fight to to get the car totalled, and then the insurance company owes you the full value of your used Prius, which is within a grand of MSRP. They will not be happy doing this, so you are going to have to have the documentation handy and BE firm, insistent and persistent.

    Good luck, and thanks for those pics, the car truly is a major piece of engineered crash safety wonder.
     
    #10 Robert Taylor, May 13, 2005
  11. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Actually, an old American car (~1970s?) T-boned my aunt's 96 Camry LE V6 (no side airbags). Both doors had to be imported from Japan and they repaired the car. There was absolutely no damage to his chrome bumpers. His excuse? I'm sorry, I didn't brake. Note, I was in the passenger seat (12 yrs old at the time) and he hit the passenger side. Given the pointy design of those bumpers, there were 3 puncture holes where the pointy bits were. You could've killed me by not pressing your stupid brake pedal!
     
    #11 Tideland Prius, May 13, 2005
  12. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    Awww, that's a shame. I'm so sorry.

    I was broadsided by an SUV when I was 16.

    The damage was substantially less than yours and my insurance didn't hesitate to call it a total loss. Of course the car was 8 years old at the time.

    However the structural integrity of the whole car is ruined from the look of it. I fully understand why you hesitate to put your family in that car again.

    Best of luck to you.
     
    #12 galaxee, May 13, 2005
  13. Fredatgolf

    Fredatgolf New Member

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    It is incumbent contractually on the insured to "prove" their loss. However, insurance companies usually take the lead on this process. I would suggest you contact numerous people to document your position. You WILL be able to find them. Body shop foremen, appraisers, etc. I am sure the claims people insuring the other party know the liability exposure already and would like to get you to document that you received no injuries. Be reluctant until you are "sure".
     
    #13 Fredatgolf, May 13, 2005
  14. Isabelle

    Isabelle New Member

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    Re: Ever wonder what would happen if a Buick hits a Prius br

    DanMan wrote:

    >>
    It should be fine though once repaired, the body other than the doors look OK.
    <<

    First, thank goodness nobody is hurt. Eery for me because that is my car...color, upholstery....your misfortune seems like mine.

    DanMan may be right, but I'm sure the appraisers will want to look at the frame at the bottom of the driver's door...if it's pushed in...ciao baby.

    Anyhow, thank goodness you can write about it with relatively good cheer. One way or another, you'll have a good as new car.

    Look on the bright side: maybe you can sell the MFD?

    Thought a joke might help. :oops:
     
    #14 Isabelle, May 13, 2005
  15. chrism07924

    chrism07924 New Member

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    Re: Ever wonder what would happen if a Buick hits a Prius br

    For the uninitiated (me), what happens exactly when the car is deemed "totaled"? Is it sold for scrap / used parts or demolished? Seems to me that ur prius might be a great source of parts.
     
    #15 chrism07924, May 13, 2005
  16. Fredatgolf

    Fredatgolf New Member

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    The definition of "total" is when the cost of repair plus the salvage costs exceeds the ACV of the vehicle at the time of loss. That's why you need an appraiser. If you just use the insurance company's appraiser, you have only one opinion.
     
    #16 Fredatgolf, May 13, 2005
  17. priusdave

    priusdave Junior Member

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    #17 priusdave, May 14, 2005
  18. genalex

    genalex Member

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    Re: Ever wonder what would happen if a Buick hits a Prius br

    When my 96 Camry was sideswiped in 98 (still in warantee)I took it to my Toyota servicing dealer's body shop.

    My insurance company (USAA) had a strict policy requiring use of aftermarket body parts that met industry association specs where available.

    Toyota had an equally strict policy requiring dealers to use Toyota body parts only.

    The body shop manager got the USAA adjuster to back down.

    Point being: You may be able to get help from your Toyota dealer in battling the insurance company. You certainly will get the highest possible estimate from them to restore the car to new condition. And that may take you over the threshold for totaling and replacing it.

    OBW, count on the Toyota body shop to do an absolutely perfect job if you choose to go that way. (As long as someone else is paying.)
     
    #18 genalex, May 14, 2005
  19. viffer_pilot

    viffer_pilot New Member

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    Re: Ever wonder what would happen if a Buick hits a Prius br

    The poor guy couldn't have chosen a worse person to hit. I was traveling on my way to an appointment at the Naval Hospital in Charleston in my summer white uniform. I am an ensign with 11 years of enlisted service so there I am, sharp pressed uniform, ribbons, warfare insignia...the other guy is in a T-shirt and jeans...about 40 something I would guess. Needless to say, I automatically had a little more credibiliity.

    The person who hit me stated at the scene that he didn't see me after proceeding from a stop. In his defense, the stop sign at that intersection is set back probably 80 feet from the actual intersection. It is very possible that he could have looked, not seen me (35 MPH is approximately 50 feet per second), accelerated away from the stop sign without looking again. The only thing that really gets me is that he never even hit his brakes as far as I could tell. I'm going to take pictures of the intersection today or tomorrow so that I can incorporate that into my evidence if needed.

    Thanks for the support. I have total loss coverage on my car as well as uninsured and underinsured (in S. Carolina this is a necessity since the minimum liability coverage is only $15,000) I'll come out of this fine. I'll start gathering information of the value of my car this weekend so I am armed when his adjuster calles on Monday.
     
    #19 viffer_pilot, May 14, 2005
  20. popoff

    popoff New Member

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    Re: Ever wonder what would happen if a Buick hits a Prius br

    Score 1 for the under 70 group. :wink:
     
    #20 popoff, May 14, 2005
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