GREGGPENN

NOTE: Pictures added on page 2....

Out-of-control driver had to hit the brakes, swerved, clipped a car, and lose control tonight. He did so just in front of me. I think they were entering the highway. He was driving too close for safety...probably trying to shoot around the driver in front of him.

He clipped the car in front of him....which probably sent him traveling further to his left across multiple lanes. I was minding my own business when he slid over to my lane. I simply didn't have an "out"...though I tried. AND, I didn't have enough time to stop.

Cars ON THE HIGHWAY hit their brakes trying to avoid this driver who was out-of-control. It sorta looked like a NASCAR wreck forming in front of me.

I did mash the brakes, when I saw what was coming. I aimed for the inside shoulder but their wasn't room OR time. It was a construction area with concrete barrier to my left. All I could do was slide it sideways for a glancing blow. I contacted his driver's side first. All I could think was there goes my nice car...that I'd worked on for so long. I don't know how, but I must have avoided contact with the center wall.

We hit hard enough I just KNEW the passenger side must have be ripped from front-to-rear. I got out and wanted to kick the guy's you-know-what -- but only demanded an explanation. He said "I'm not admitting anything.". Turns out he's military and probably was told to say that. (His insurance is USAA.)

I shook my head and walked back to view my junk-yard-heap. But, I was shocked! There was barely any damage to the passenger side panels! But both front/rear wheels were literally broken/crumbled. I had ZR1 rears that protruded about 3/4". I must have hit exactly on the rear wheel -- after feathering it to match his angle! I think his front popped over and hit my front wheel after rebound.

I'm not sure it cracked any fiberglass. Possibly the right "gill" was damaged because it was hanging. Otherwise, that's it.

The big question will be whether the force damaged anything in the rear-end -- or the control-arms. Possibly, it was lucky that I'd recently installed a camber brace. Definitely, it helped that my rears protruded beyond the panels.

I'll probably need new wheels and tires. Not sure what else until I see it tomorrow. I couldn't really look at the passenger side with on-coming highway traffic looming. It had to be towed because of the broken wheels.

I'm not sure I'd even be able to find an 11" chrome sawblade anymore. Or...the 9.5" front.

The biggest worry is insurance as I was currently running liability-only. Good thing is I have witnesses AND a driver who received a citation for his driving. Kansas is a no-fault state but hopefully, I can get (or Farmers can get) USAA to pay.

This could get ugly...

I will try to post a picture when I get a chance.

-Gregg

(No one was hurt!)

enventr

Sorry to hear about your unfortunate accident.The main thing as you said is that you are ok.Cars are replaceable but you are not. I hope they cover your damage.An alignment shop will see if there is any other damage. Good luck

WVZR-1

An impact to the rear wheels is likely the most frequent cause of damage to the c-beam mounts on both the differential and the transmission which is overlooked until it becomes an issue. It may take very close inspection at the webbing on the differential and the extension on the transmission is substantially lesser material. The housing needs inspected quite closely around the pinion seal portion of the housing also.

I'm quite confident that the two catastrophic failures I've seen of the pinion end of the D44 quite likely started from damage to this area of the differential housing.

Your impact to the rear wheels doesn't sound like it was a direct "side impact" so maybe you'll be fortunate. Look closely and "good luck" with the claim and financial recovery.

blackozvet

at least your ok, could have been worse, did you see 383vett's thread in general discussion ?

My1st

Sorry to here you were hit. USAA is a great insurance company and with the driver receiving a citation you should have no problem with them.
My Cadillac STS was hit by a guy with the same insurance and they took care of everything without a blink of the eye. He was at fault as well, Good luck!

pianoguy

Wow, sorry to hear - hope you get that beauty back to normal in a hurry!

GREGGPENN

Great feedback! This is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for...to have the shop check.

GREGGPENN

I hope so. My biggest concern is whether there's a question of valuation. Obviously book price of an 1989 is far below my investment.

leesvet

Greg,
I am sorry to hear of the accident. I feel your pain dude!

I had a broadside at about 35-40 mph 10 or 15 yrs ago...

The guy ran a red and hit me as I was making a left under a green arrow. Hit me hard enough to spin the vette 2 times 360.
The damage was interesting...
The obvious stuff was door, glass, rear door jam and a ding in the rear wheel.

WVZR1 is spot on...
The real damage was under the car.......C-Beam related.

The body work was just glass repair. Not a big deal. Crafting the rear door jam took some time and lots of measuring and building up layers of glass...
The C-beam, however, acted as a lever and broke off the OD tail housing case on my tranny. Being an automatic, the OD tail shaft case bolts onto the OD unit/trans and the C-beam onto the rear case. Broken in pieces...fluid pouring all over the ground. It LOOKED fatal....

It wasn;t.

I had 2 bent control rods, chassis to hub RR wheel. Batwing mounts were moved/tweaked about 1/8 to 1/4" toward the driver side. That had to be straightened...not hard at all. Any shop with a frame machine can do that in an hour or 2.

I replaced the trans case myself, got new rods, spent the next month laying fiber glass and sanding...LOTS of sanding.
I was also driving with Liability only and the other guy was not insured, naturally.

But, to be positive and try to give you some hope, I did the work and fixed everything. Took me a month of every evening after work and all weekend for a month but I got it fixed and painted. Good as new. Learned some stuff about laying fiber glass and shaping too...lots of angles in that door jam,. I almost chickened out and bought a body section, but it just seemed like my kind of challenge to build it up and repair instead of replace. Buying would have been lots cheaper and faster, but...

I replaced the door BECAUSE....fixing it would have meant there would be tattle-tale signs of body work. Putting a door skin on MIGHT have passed a close inspection BUT the edges would tell. There was NO thru damage to the fiber glass, BUT there were soft spots, so I decided to do it right and bought a door with most of the trim and hardware for $500. That was a PITA to install, wire harness and all, but it was like new. Aligning was a challenge, but I wanted it right with as few signs of damage as humanly possible.

I've driven this car fast since then, no issues, nothing mechanical from that accident that haunts me today.

You CAN fix it and put this in the rear view...

One upside to NOT having a comp claim to pay for the work, is that as long as there is no insurance payout your VIN number will not be on a CARFAX if you ever decide to sell or trade in. Insurance claims are how cars get on CarFax and get the owner beat up at trade in....
Good luck,

I know you love you car.

MrWillys

Sorry to hear about your loss. I drop full coverage when my vehicles get less than $6000 in value myself.
You might want to check your states property damage limits. His insurance will only cover so much, and with so much damage it may not be worth your time. Also check his assets as he may have something to go after. Sue him for a judgment even if it's just small claims, because he may obtain wealth at some point. Not trying to be a downer, but rather an awareness.

JrRifleCoach

Guess you won't need to shim the camber bar any more.

GREGGPENN

It was installed. I'm hoping it helped absorb/distribute the impact.

Midnight 85

Wow Gregg I am glad you weren't hurt, I hope any unseen damage is non-existent. I hope you make out okay with compensation.

86 Pace

Happy to see no one was hurt and definitely sorry for the damage to your car, never a fun moment when it comes to an idiot on the road, USAA is actually a good insurance company and you do not necessarily have to be in the military to have it, both my sons have it. As for the Idiots response of not admitting to anything, I doubt he was told to say it but is plainly a loud mouthed *%&$&% who wouldn't take responsibility for his actions unless he had no choice and looks like he will have to. With that said, yes it is still an insurance company and will try to make out the best they can, I would stay on them and look for the other options as identified, looks like he brought this on himself and should be held accountable. My 86 was rear-ended about 4 months ago and my idiot ended up paying over $5,000 for repairs, we were both stopped at the same light, he just decided to leave earlier than me.

GREGGPENN

Now I’m hearing this guy may have a policy with $10k damage limits AND they’d repair his car first. I had no idea damage limits could be so low. I thought $25k was minimum in Kansas. I might be forced to seek litigation.

The license plate said “Veterans” with the number. It didn’t even appear to be a state–specific plate.

MrWillys

Here in Nevada minimum liability limits are 15/30/10. This means if I hit someone they cover $15,000 medical for one person, or $30,000 for two or more, and $10,000 property damage. His repairs will be covered under his collision, and comprehensive if he has it.

I personally have raised my coverage to 25/50/25, so if I'm at fault I've got half a chance of paying for damages. $10,000 isn't very much by today's standard, and I don't want anyone coming after me!

Good luck with this, and just start saving for the repairs the best you can. It may be a while before you get anything from the guy. If you have his information you could call his insurance?

GREGGPENN

I have to wait and see. I thought KS minimums were as listed above. And, the guy is CURRENTLY as resident of KS. I hope this is where he holds coverage.

I think $25k should cover all the damage from all three cars.

leesvet

They will cover the damage....
They MIGHT try to settle and give you a check and write the car off as totaled IF they see that as the cheaper way out....THEN it gets ugly;
Some will let you buy it back, then use the funds from the payment to fix it yourself and make your own arrangements. Others won't. The downside is that it sometimes can effect the title status...(salvaged).

if the other guy has liability, it will be taken care of. I know that they cannot apply A DIME of HIS liability coverage to his own repairs. Illegal. That's misappropriation of funds. They HAVE TO use the entire 10K to fix YOUR car if that's what it takes. Just make sure that you get several estimates that give you a fair idea of what the TRUE repair cost will end up being.

The driver statement of "not admitting to anything" is actually not uncommon. Its what the insurance company tells you to do. Look on the back of YOUR ins card and it will have the same instructions should you be involved in an accident. Some people take that advice quite literally. Stepping up and doing the right thing....is a thing of the past I'm afraid. As litigious as this society has become, you CANNOT admit liability in ANY situation unless you want to be sued for everything you've got...and you WILL lose the fight because you admitted it in front of a witness. Its legal BS but that's what we've become. Everything heads to the courthouse now.

Don't worry. They will be in touch and get the ball rolling soon.

1993C4LT1

My1st

Gregg, have you called USAA yet? If you exchanged info i.e. DL & INS info call USAA to make sure he started claim and that they know you were involved as a victim. The guy may not even have told USAA yet. They should have contacted you by now.