45gunner

It's been three weeks since the accident and I am still venting. I was stopped at a red light in my Velocity Yellow C6 Convertible. As I always do, I checked my rear view mirror to see what was coming up behind me. The road was empty so I put my head down for a few seconds to change the playlist on my iPod. I looked back up in the mirror just in time to see and feel the impact simultaneously He had to be doing about 30 to 35 mph when he hit. I pulled my car off to the side of the road and he followed. I was upset but still in control. I shut my car off and ran to his car yelling, "Did you not see the red light? Did you not see my bright yellow car?" He said he made a mistake but his wife said, "The truth is we were arguing and distracted." When the Deputy Sheriff came, the other driver was cited for causing an accident. My car was transported by flatbed back to the dealership from which it came. The next day my Insurance Adjuster called and said he had just looked at my car and estimated $1900 worth of damage and 8 days to repair. I said, "That's impossible. Did you look at the inside of the trunk or both rear fenders or down the right side of the body?" His reply was, "I really couldn't see that much because it had been raining and the car was wet." So I said to either dry the car off with a towel or come back when its dry. New estimate is $12000 and at least three weeks. Well, its been three weeks as of yesterday and we are still waiting on parts. I am wondering what the chances are that this car will be as good or better than it was. I am claiming diminished value so we'll see. Even more frustrating was this was such a great car (my third Vette) that a month ago I bought a 6 year, 60,000 mile extended warranty. I am in the midst of Corvette withdrawal.

AORoads

Hmmm, so I guess even "talking" while driving is/can be dangerous. Actually it always has been. Like texting, talking on a phone even hands free, day dreaming, etc.

I understand your venting. Glad you weren't hurt. It is possible the car will be fine...but... BTW, C7 Gen is highlighting owners who can't get parts, too. Unusual, but maybe getting less so. Used to be because of Just In Time delivery (JIT), but now it's for X reason. No idea why. Good luck.

Jeff T.

At least your not hurt or hospitalized.

Good Luck getting the car sorted.

Kenny94945

Oh boy.
Bad story.
May take some good accounting (and experts) to make you whole again.
May be a headache for you?
Yet your are okay and there are replacement Vettes available.
Good luck.

jrose7004

I'm glad that you're physically alright but with $12K in damages I'd of pushed for them to total it.

gliot1

I caught something funny here and maybe some will blasted for it. I just watched the Andy Pilgrim free video about distracted driving. He pointed out that distracted driving is as much about being distracted from seeing another driver making a mistake allowing you to avoid an accident. Many times, he points out, the accident might be avoided, but both drivers were distracted and he notes this can even happen when you are stopped, and uses the example of the type of accident you were involved in. You even noted that you were watching the mirror, but then took a look at the phone. Is it possible if you were watching the mirror that you could have got out of the way? I saved myself some years ago, seeing a guy flying up on me; I floored it, pulled on the shoulder, the other guy locked 'em up and stopped dead even with my door. With all of this distracted driver BS these days, I watch my rear view mirror as much as my windshield, when at a traffic light with no one behind me. My buddy was hit in his Avalanche by a girl texting while he was at a dead stop at the light. It was estimated she hit him at 55mph, and there were no skid marks.

As Andy Pilgrim points out, even texting or any other activity stopped at a light is distracted driving and can be a major contributing factor to a wreck.

What is so important we can't put phones down. Most people didn't even have these things 15 years ago, and we did just fine without them driving! Yes she was at fault, but you have to ask, "Could I have done something to avoid it, if I weren't busy with my own phone?"

CHEV AGAIN

c1j1c2

I'd caution about moving out of the way at a traffic stop if someone is flying up on you from behind. The reason I say this is then you're going through a red light, or into the intersection, or most likely someplace you shouldn't be, and then sometimes the insurance company will argue that it was just as much your fault since you weren't in the right place. I've had this happen, where a person pulled out in front of me, and in order to avoid t-boning them right in the drivers door, I had to go in the opposite lane and hit their front end, and the insurance company said that since I was on the wrong side of the road it was just as much my fault. If I would have gone and hit the rear end of the vehicle, I would have turned around and hit two other vehicles.

Sometimes there just is no right answer.

gliot1

Agreed, but when you take yourself out of the decision making process, only bad things can happen. In my case years ago, I had room to floor it, and whip onto the shoulder at least. Sometimes there are no options, but there are definitely no options if you never see it coming because your fiddling with a phone or some other distraction and that is Andy Pilgrim's point in his video; you need to be 100% involved in your driving, even when stopped for some reason!

ben z

Driving down here is a nightmare. It's not just the snowbirds anymore, it's all the locals in their Yukons and Silverados and similar unncecessary fad-gotta-have-one vehicles. Drivers are literally and figuratively above traffic, and seems like they don't worry that much if they hit something because maybe they figure (correctly) all or most of the damage will be to the other guy's car. Scares the heck out of me because my cockpit is about level with their bumpers.

Not So Fast

Same here, this year has been absolutely terrible with the "OTHER WHITE MEAT" snowbirds, they clog up the city something horrible, restaurants, Doctors, store aisles, repair shops, streets and I cant even tell you about their "inventive" driving habits, simply amazing.
Then the ones with the extra cab diesel dually that they drive is enough to scare the hell out of you when you get within striking distance, and parking, OH MY GOD
Its getting worse every year too, absolutely dread the season but its almost over for this year thank God
NSF

DDP

So sorry to hear that, I was in Boynton Beach last week and i know about the snowbird drivers, actually my parents winter there and my dad isn't one of the ones to worry about he is a car guy so always puts driving first. You always have to keep an eye out for all drivers young or old and I'm more cautious in my vette. I got backed into at a light last year by a guy who said he didn't see me in a BMW x3 with back up camera.

ruxvette

Some of you folks make me chuckle...
"unncecessary fad-gotta-have-one vehicles..." Like a Corvette? Nah.

"...this year has been absolutely terrible with the "OTHER WHITE MEAT" snowbirds, they clog up the city something horrible, restaurants, Doctors, store aisles, repair shops, streets..."

You must have been born and raised in Havasu. Oh, wait, you clog up the city something horrible, restaurants, Doctors, store aisles, repair shops, streets year 'round.

wayback

According to your figures he only needs 3k more in damages. It could easily get to that point during the repairs as the inspector can't see all the damage on first inspection.

OP glad your OK.
Good luck with the repairs.

Not So Fast

I live here OK Slick, have for 15 years now and am definitely NOT A BIRD that comes and goes as the seasons
NSF

JABCAT

Man sorry about your Vette. Same thing happened to my wife a couple months ago while she was stopped at a red light. A woman texting on her phone rear ended her without hitting the brakes. Hit our vehicle so hard it caused my wife to hit the truck in front of her (thus smashing both our rear and front ends). The lady's insurance company tried to argue my wife was too close to the truck in front of her & didn't want to pay for the front end repairs. They ended up paying for everything and my wife's medical, but it sucked because her car was just 4 months old.

I think drivers in general have gotten worse, are more distracted, and frankly don't give a bleep about others on the road. I find I get tailgated more in my GS than I do in my other cars as if people expect me to be going faster. The highways/tollways here have no Police presence so there is literally no speed limit followed. I had to drive downtown last week and was getting tailgated & passed like I was standing still when I was going close to 90 mph in the right lane & down here it's soccer moms in their suburbans, gigantic Lexus SUVs, and guys in their jacked up trucks that would easily demolish my GS.

enventr

Too many snowbirds. That’s why our car insurance in Florida is high. Too many no fault attorneys in Florida and they advertise on TV. Good luck.

jrose7004

You're right, my son lives in Orlando and the ambulance chasers are all over the TV and on billboards there.

ruxvette

Jeez, slick, sorry to have ruffled your...oops, not feathers.You are a transplant.
I'm sure Havasu would be a much better place if there were no snow birds. Hell, the world would be a better place if people just stayed put...instead of transplanting to a new location to retire.

ruxvette

Got any stastics on that?
I live in an area full of retirees and "snow birds" and full coverage on my '11 GS is $409 per year...