Got Into Accident- Need Your Help for Damage Estimate! (Photos Included)

[Immortal]

Got Into Accident- Need Your HELP for Damage Estimate! (Photos Included)

Hello everyone,

I just got into accident. The Ford F150 in front of me stop all of the sudden in the middle of the road and RAN. I would like some advices from fellow 4Runner owners out there!

1) Do you think "Uninsured Motorist" claim would be applicable to my insurance company since I did not cause the accident and the fact that the F150 driver ran?

2) How much would it cost to get my 4Runner fixed with Toyota Original Manufacturer parts? (Please see photos below.)

3) Do you think it would cost more to fix everything than the total worth of the car?

Photos:

1)

2)

P.S. The passenger fender needs to be replaced too. ;(

Thank You for y'all help! Greatly Appreciates it!

 

[BTO]

Doesn't look so bad to me. How about look for a bumper and lip at the junk yards, fix/bend the the rest back into shape, then call it a day.

 

[zachb_NW]

Take it to a repair shop they do free estimates!

PS: I would be very careful taking to your insurance, this will most likely be seen as being your fault as you described it.

 

[Immortal]

Take it to a repair shop they do free estimates!

PS: I would be very careful taking to your insurance, this will most likely be seen as being your fault as you described it.

But he braked in the middle of the road so he CAUSED the accident.

 

[zachb_NW]

But he braked in the middle of the road so he CAUSED the accident.

Yes but traffic law states you must be following far enough behind a vehicle to stop.

Just do a quick search online you will see hundreds of examples of this. It sucks but it's true. My insurance company blamed me for a piece of wood that can of a truck in front of me on the freeway. I had no way to avoid it.

 

[MAD 69]

But he braked in the middle of the road so he CAUSED the accident.

You hit him from behind so it's your fault(according to the law). Go to certifit.com and buy new bumper $65, new valance $16 and new headlight $38 instead of going to the dealer or body shop. They also sell quarter panels - haven't priced them though... You should be able to do the work yourself as long as their is no major damage.

 

[Markjr]

If he braked in middle of the road then the insurance company will say you would have rear ended him.

What is the cost of the deductible from the insurance company to have them fix it? Take that price and see if its just worth fixing yourself.

 

[Immortal]

Yes but traffic law states you must be following far enough behind a vehicle to stop.

Just do a quick search online you will see hundreds of examples of this. It sucks but it's true. My insurance company blamed me for a piece of wood that can of a truck in front of me on the freeway. I had no way to avoid it.

Which insurance do you have?

You hit him from behind so it's your fault(according to the law). Go to certifit.com and buy new bumper $65, new valance $16 and new headlight $38 instead of going to the dealer or body shop. They also sell quarter panels - haven't priced them though... You should be able to do the work yourself as long as their is no major damage.

Those bumpers probably aren't strong enough like the Toyota Original Manufacturer parts. I drive on the highway everyday and don't want a bumper that won't protect me from another accident. I do appreciate your link though. :thanks:

If he braked in middle of the road then the insurance company will say you would have rear ended him.

What is the cost of the deductible from the insurance company to have them fix it? Take that price and see if its just worth fixing yourself.

I did rear ended him since it was unavoidable; it is the fact that he RAN after the incident. They don't open on Sundays; won't know until tomorrow.

 

[zachb_NW]

Which insurance do you have?

I did rear ended him since it was unavoidable; it is the fact that he RAN after the incident. They don't open on Sundays; won't know until tomorrow.

That was when I had allstate, but I did get them to drop it being my fault but they had me pay a higher deductible.

Mad69 is right it is the law, every state has one. He prob ran because he didn't want to deal with the cops for some other reason.

Example here is texas
§ 545.062. FOLLOWING DISTANCE. (a) An operator shall, if
following another vehicle, maintain an assured clear distance
between the two vehicles so that, considering the speed of the
vehicles, traffic, and the conditions of the highway, the operator
can safely stop without colliding with the preceding vehicle or
veering into another vehicle, object, or person on or near the
highway.

 

[Nunyabiz]

I don't think it matters one way or another that he ran.

I had some woman that must have been 3 sheets to the wind that flew by me in the right hand lane, cut right in front of me then started making a left turn in the left hand turn lane that I just pulled into. The light was a GREEN ARROW and after cutting me off, just missing my front bumper she starts to make the left hand turn and then for absolutely no reason slams on her brakes in mid turn. I slammed on my brakes but tapped her rear bumper and still got the blame for "hitting her"?

Probably not worth contacting insurance company.
If I were you I would replace it with a Addicted Offroad tube bumper.

 

[Immortal]

That was when I had allstate, but I did get them to drop it being my fault but they had me pay a higher deductible.

Mad69 is right it is the law, every state has one. He prob ran because he didn't want to deal with the cops for some other reason.

Example here is texas
§ 545.062. FOLLOWING DISTANCE. (a) An operator shall, if
following another vehicle, maintain an assured clear distance
between the two vehicles so that, considering the speed of the
vehicles, traffic, and the conditions of the highway, the operator
can safely stop without colliding with the preceding vehicle or
veering into another vehicle, object, or person on or near the
highway.

From the looks of my photos, what do you think its a total ROUGH estimate cost to repair with Toyota Original Manufacturer parts? (I am planning to go to my local mechanic tomorrow but have him buy Toyota OEM parts.) My 4Runner has 166k; not sure if its worth the cost?

 

[Immortal]

I don't think it matters one way or another that he ran.

I had some woman that must have been 3 sheets to the wind that flew by me in the right hand lane, cut right in front of me then started making a left turn in the left hand turn lane that I just pulled into. The light was a GREEN ARROW and after cutting me off, just missing my front bumper she starts to make the left hand turn and then for absolutely no reason slams on her brakes in mid turn. I slammed on my brakes but tapped her rear bumper and still got the blame for "hitting her"?

Probably not worth contacting insurance company.
If I were you I would replace it with a Addicted Offroad tube bumper.

So neither their or your insurance pay you for your car damage? What insurance did you and she had?

Thanks.

 

[MAD 69]

From the looks of my photos, what do you think its a total ROUGH estimate cost to repair with Toyota Original Manufacturer parts? (I am planning to go to my local mechanic tomorrow but have him buy Toyota OEM parts.)

OEM parts and labor maybe $2000-$2500.

 

[Nunyabiz]

So neither their or your insurance pay you for your car damage? What insurance did you and she had?

Thanks.

No, my insurance paid for both even though it without any question the other drivers fault.

You "might" have a case since the other drive ran, were the police called and did YOU get a ticket?

I actually did NOT get a ticket because the cop that showed up clearly saw she was at fault, all he did was write an accident report and the damage to her car was almost non existent just a tiny dent on the left corner of her bumper but her bumper road up over mine and smashed our grill. Was my wifes old Oldsmobile.

We have Geico Ins

 

[JWaldz]

looks to me you need a new bumper, grille, headlight, and maybe the piece that goes under the headlight.. Hood can be realigned and fender pulled out. Then again, it's really hard to tell what's all wrong without taking stuff apart. How bout a picture farther away.

 

[Immortal]

No, my insurance paid for both even though it without any question the other drivers fault.

You "might" have a case since the other drive ran, were the police called and did YOU get a ticket?

I actually did NOT get a ticket because the cop that showed up clearly saw she was at fault, all he did was write an accident report.

We have Geico Ins

Yes. I called 911 and the police filed a report. I didn't get a ticket but only got a receipt that I filed the report.

Is 1st Party Insurance REQUIRED for the insurance company to pay for the damages? This would really suck if I need to pay out of pocket. :roadkill:

 

[hogester]

I work insurance in california, and if you were one of my clients, this is how it would roll out.

Unfortunately since you hit him from behind, you are at fault, as others have said. Doesnt matter if he slammed the brakes for no reason, law states you should have been following far enough back to avoid him.

Uninsured motorist coverage if you have it will only apply if you are not at fault. Even though he ran, since you are "at fault", with my company, it would not cover it.

For instance, I was driving my truck on a residential road, and a lady pulled out of her driveway to go the way opposite of me, and she came into my lane and side swiped me. She stopped, gave me here info, and didnt have insurance. Since I was deemed not at fault, and they were able to prove she didnt have insurance, my uninsured motorist coverage applied, and i got a nice check. Had i been the one at fault, i would have to use my collision insurance and pay my deductible if i wanted to get my repairs taken care of.

Even if they catch him, and he has insurance, you will still need to file a claim with your company under your collision insurance, or pay out of pocket for your truck. He will get a hefty fine or whatever the law requires for running, but it doesnt change the accident outcome unfortunately.

Hopefully that answers your questions regarding that. Its nearly the same in all states

 

[Immortal]

I work insurance in california, and if you were one of my clients, this is how it would roll out.

Unfortunately since you hit him from behind, you are at fault, as others have said. Doesnt matter if he slammed the brakes for no reason, law states you should have been following far enough back to avoid him.

Uninsured motorist coverage if you have it will only apply if you are not at fault. Even though he ran, since you are "at fault", with my company, it would not cover it.

For instance, I was driving my truck on a residential road, and a lady pulled out of her driveway to go the way opposite of me, and she came into my lane and side swiped me. She stopped, gave me here info, and didnt have insurance. Since I was deemed not at fault, and they were able to prove she didnt have insurance, my uninsured motorist coverage applied, and i got a nice check. Had i been the one at fault, i would have to use my collision insurance and pay my deductible if i wanted to get my repairs taken care of.

Even if they catch him, and he has insurance, you will still need to file a claim with your company under your collision insurance, or pay out of pocket for your truck. He will get a hefty fine or whatever the law requires for running, but it doesnt change the accident outcome unfortunately.

Hopefully that answers your questions regarding that. Its nearly the same in all states

Oh god. I don't know if I have Collision Coverage on my 4runner.

If it's gonna cost $2500 to repair all the damage, do you guys think its worth it? My 4runner already has 166k on it and According to Blue Book; it is worth $6750.

 

[hogester]

A quick call to your insurance company will give you the lowdown on your deductibles, and coverages. Dont even need to mention the accident.

As far as being worth it, all depends on you. My runner is a project, and I would just fix her up, but shes not my DD. If its just a car to you (not a bad thing) then maybe it wouldnt make sense. I personally think, if there isnt anything mechanical wrong with it, do what BTO said, bend it back, and replace as you can afford it with salvage parts.

 

[Immortal]

A quick call to your insurance company will give you the lowdown on your deductibles, and coverages. Dont even need to mention the accident.

As far as being worth it, all depends on you. My runner is a project, and I would just fix her up, but shes not my DD. If its just a car to you (not a bad thing) then maybe it wouldnt make sense. I personally think, if there isnt anything mechanical wrong with it, do what BTO said, bend it back, and replace as you can afford it with salvage parts.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate everyone quick and detailed responses.

Special Thanks to: BTO, zachb_NW, MAD_69, Markjr, Nunyabiz, ARKRWLR, and hogester.

Once again, THANKS for everyone input! Hope for the best!

P.S. It is a magnificent thing that 4Runner owners have the opportunity to share what's going on while owning their 4Runners on this forum. :cheers: