Any insurance adjustors/lawyersbodyshoppeople here?

[ibified]

I may need some help this week. My wife got rear ended today onn the way home from the store. She's fine, but the car is effed up pretty bad. It's a 2007 civic with about 20K miles on it, and the back end is all caved in, the trunk is popped, the spare tire was sitting up at about a 45 degree angle, and the bottom of the trunk where the spare tire well is got all wrinkled up to the point where it looks like elephant skin or something. Also, the rear quarter panel on the passengers side got pulled in and bent, presumably from being pulled in from how bad the back end got deformed.

My concern is that they are going to want to repair this car. I don't want that. i think that in order to fix it, they would have to cut the spare tire well completely out and weld something back in place there. We planned on keeping this car for a while, and i dont know if i would really want something thats been cobbled back together. Also, if they dont total it, can i get some kind of compensation for the lost value on it from it having been in so severe an accident?

I just kinda want to know what my options here are. I've already told them that anyone other than the dealership where we got it doing the repairs is out of the question. I'm not going to have anyone but certified honda people working on this.

 

[sweet tea man]

I need pics of the car to be able to help you out here. I have been in the collision industry for 5 years. Though I'm a painter, I see alot of vehicles get towed in and totalled.

what insurance company to you have?

 

[ibified]

I have state farm, but i have no clue who the guy who hit her has. he was, to say the least, not cooperative. we wont know until we have the police report, which we cant pick up until tomorrow.

 

[SAMBUSA]

Glad the wife is okay

 

[ibified]

well the only pic i got was of the spare tire well. the rear bumper pretty much disintegrated, same for all the tail lights on the trunk lid. the trunk hinges are bent and there is enough deformity that the trunk wont even come CLOSE to closing.

Here's the inside of the trunk where the spare tire goes.

 

[racerV]

Odd, I thought insurance info, address, ph numbers, and license numbers were supposed to be exchanged at the time of the accident...not after.

 

[SANDFLEA85]

Glad the wife is ok

on that note,im not a fan of state farm,they fight everything,compared to Nationwide who basically writes blank cks

I just went thru this with my sons car a month ago,adjuster showed up at the house(from travelers ins) and the first thing he asked was,do you want to keep the car or total it,long story short,he cut me a check for $100 less then the cut off to total it would have been,I took the check,deposited it and got the car repaired for 1/2 the cost.other then being out the car for a week,my son made out, I believe state farm makes you use their ppl though???


their ins would have covered a rental for up to $25/day

dont think you will get any other compensation unless you file a law suit

 

[ibified]

well you would think so, but as i said, the guy wasnt what you would call cooperative. he wouldnt give my wife anything and even asked her to not call the police....um, yeah spin again azzhat. I'm sure they have all the info on it, and we'll get it tomorrow. then i can call his insurance company and let them know they just bought us a new car.

 

[sweet tea man]

judging by how that lower body panel is crumpled, you are going to need that, two quarters, a decklid, rear body panel, possilbe work on the inner quarters, rear bumper brace, rear bumper, two taillights, possible suspension on both sides, and work on the rear doors. thats not including the time on the frame machine.

I say dont sweat it.......that car is toast.

you really cant have damage like in the pic without most of what i said being F'd up too

 

[In10SS]

On a property damage claim, the insurance company can't be liable for more than the full market value of your vehicle. By the way if it needed floor, 1 rail, 1 qtr, lid, it should total. Laws vary from state to state on the threshold for a total loss. Diminishment of value would only apply to a partial loss. I am an insurance adjuster and can give you a better idea of what to expect if you want to PM me, but I am licensed in another state. Just glad your wife is OK. Nice if you could get that car you want!

 

[ibified]

Thanks. message sent

 

[ibified]

heres some pics of whats left of the back end of our civic:

ANyone want to guess what the dollar amount on this repair is, or if they are even gonna repair it?

 

[sweet tea man]

its totalled. dont worry about it

 

[ibified]

Yeah i think you're probably right there. Ive had some people say that the body shop will probably be able to fix it, but i have my doubts there. We'll see what the insurance guy says when he sees it.

 

[pbghost]

glad your wife is ok. that's one heck of a wrinkle in the trunk. it would be real suprising if it wasn't totaled. they'll have to replace the back section of it. it is fixable...that's one of the many ways salvage title cars are on the road. hope it all works out for you.

 

[PandaNin]

Aren't crumple zones great? Now where's the duct tape. Let's get this thing back on the road

 

[rusheriv]

Wife get checked out by physician? Soft tissue injuries are a b!tch, usually not felt until the following day when the stiffness sets in. Neighbor got T-boned at +-10mph, she just completed 2 months of physical therapy (insurance tapped out) and is still not 100%.

As for the car, hope they total it! If they can fix it, it'll probably never drive the same.

 

[Fastfrog007]

Maybe you can sue the other driver if its not totaled, to recover the lost value of the repaired car

 

[Gurley]

Man that sucks glad your wife is ok.... I had a similar experience last year with state farm insurance and more than likely they will wanna fix it. Even if there is a considerable amount of frame damage as was mine. You should have an option to take the car to a body shop of your choice and have them look at it though and acecss the damage. If they want to fix it and you dont have an integrity report done by the body shop that you pick. My grandparents have been in the body shop buisness for years and that is what we had to do with my car and in the end I won. Good luck!

 

[SANDFLEA85]

Yeah i think you're probably right there. Ive had some people say that the body shop will probably be able to fix it, but i have my doubts there. We'll see what the insurance guy says when he sees it.

yeah,they can fix anything but like stated earlier,if it cost more to fix then what car is worth,they will just want to buy it from you (book value),if you know a body guy,you may be able to get it fixed and make some $$