Got rear-ended today!!! Ouch - literally

ddd269

ddd269

New member
Man... I thought that I had a good streak going without an accident. I haven't been involved in an accident for about 6 years (no fault) and about 15 years (my fault). I guess I have to reset the "not my fault" accident to 0 years. :cursin:

I was stopped at a traffic light (Hoover and Alvarado - L.A. area) today and got rear-ended with out any tire screach warning... Just a bang. Felt like King Kong grabbed my car and shook it a few times. I even blacked out for a few seconds. Fortunately, my foot was firmly on the brake and didn
 
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Although you were hurt, glad to hear it wasn't very serious. There are some things you just can't defend against, it wasn't you fault, there was nothing you could've done. The 4Runner will be fixed good as new, but you have get yourself checked on. Let us know how it's going.
Take Care
 
Good job in chasing down the dumbass! It may not have been the "right" thing to do, but i am glad that you did. I am also glad that you and your 4runner are OK.

If you don't have kidney disease, then take some NSAIDS: Aleve, Naprosyn, Motrin, Ibuprofen, BC Powder, etc...it will help with the aches and pain. Aspirin may help, but not as good as NSAIDS. You can also take Tylenol in between the doses of NSAIDS. They don't interact. Always take NSAIDS after you eat something (can cause GI upset and ulcers)...while Tylenol can be taken on an empty stomach.

Good luck...and drive your 4runner in good health.
 
I'm glad you weren't seriously hurt, but I bet you probably have some soft tissue damage and may need some meds and/or physical therapy.

Was your head restraint positioned where it would catch the back of your head, or was it in the lowest position where it just catches your neck? Depending upon height, some drivers need the head restraint raised.

To give you the maximum protection from a rear-end collision, the head restraint should align with the leading back edge of the skull. It will make contact with your head as it begins to snap backwards, whereas if the restraint is lower, the head will continue backwards until the back of your neck contacts the restraint. You get a lot more whiplash in that situation.

Did you have a trailer hitch and ball in the receiver? If so, maybe the trailer hitch punctured the moron's radiatior!

I hope you get well soon!
 
silly question, but would you advise installing a trailer hitch to "fortify" my bumper? what size? the most i'd ever pull would be a jet ski or landscaping trailer....

ps-sorry for your loss, sh*t happens, your ok, and the guy could have shot you as you chased, so remember that your fortunate!
 
Glad to hear that you are ok and there was not serious damage to your truck. I definitely would have done the same thing as you. Any idea if the cops found this guy yet? Also, were you wearing your seatbelt?
 
rraabb11 said:
silly question, but would you advise installing a trailer hitch to "fortify" my bumper? what size? the most i'd ever pull would be a jet ski or landscaping trailer....
Click to expand...
I occasionally pull a utility trailer carrying a lawn tractor, but that's not why I keep the hitch (with a 2" ball) on all the time.

The hitch sticks out far enough that it definitely protects my rear bumper from careless drivers who bump and nudge when they're trying to park.
 
Thanks for all the concern guys! I appreciate it very much.

Thanks for the med advise Thai.

I had the head restraint adjusted where the top of it lines up between the top of my head and top of my ears. So, I think I was ok in that department.

I didn't have anything mounted on the hitch receiver... It's so funny that I just ordered a hitch mounted shackle so I can prevent idiots coming close to the rear-end of the 4runner or to minimize damage to my rig such as this situation. It was suppose to arrive yesterday (on the day of the accident), but didn't! I could have at least caused some serious damage to the idiot.

The bright side of this whole thing, is that I found some tranny fluid splatter on my bumper. He probably broke the tranny cooler/hose or somthing. :D

I'm not sure if they caught the guy yet. I guess it's not a priority for the cops here. The officer taking my report said that LAPD will send a letter to the registered owner to appear to the precinct where the accident happened. If they don't appear before the date specified, a detective would be assigned to the case to go find him. This process could take weeks (4~6 or more) before they nab the guy. I gave them a description of the driver, so I might have to pick the guy up in a line-up. Crap! I can't remember very well. I remember the general description of the guy, but not exactly. I try to remember exactly as I saw him, but in my mind the driver keeps changing his face. lol

It's so stupid of me... I always keep my camera in the glove compartment, but a few days ago I was taking pitures for the 4runner to post here and left it at home! :bash: I even had my camcorder a few days before, because of my younger son's elementary culmination ceremony.

Moral of the story... Always have a camera (ready for action; battery film/enough memory, etc.) in the glove box!

Don't let my experience go in vain guys. :gaptooth:

Oh, I almost forgot. Yes I was wearing my seat belt. Had been wearing since my driver ed class in high school. :p
 
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Atomic 4Runner said:
I occasionally pull a utility trailer carrying a lawn tractor, but that's not why I keep the hitch (with a 2" ball) on all the time.

The hitch sticks out far enough that it definitely protects my rear bumper from careless drivers who bump and nudge when they're trying to park.
Click to expand...

:iagree: learn from Atomic guys. A bit sadistic, but worth the protection. :D
 
rraabb11 said:
silly question, but would you advise installing a trailer hitch to "fortify" my bumper? what size? the most i'd ever pull would be a jet ski or landscaping trailer....

ps-sorry for your loss, sh*t happens, your ok, and the guy could have shot you as you chased, so remember that your fortunate!
Click to expand...

It probably won't help your bumper because it'll just poke through the car behind you's radiator and the car might still hit you. But it'll probably be enough to keep them from running. A hitch step can probably help save your bumper more.

If you have a '06 V6 model without the hitch, you can get a Hidden Hitch for about $150. It's completely bolt-on and doesn't require any cutting. Only thing is relocating the 7-pin socket, removing two bumper support brackets and tow hook.
 
Accidents can be weird like that.

I was in a Dodge Intrepid and got rear-ended a little over a year ago. Guy slammed into the car behind me, which slammed her car into mine. Her rear was smashed up to the rear seats, and her front wasn't much better. Smashed hood, broken radiator support, busted radiator, power steering pump broke off at the block, front bumper in about 10 different pieces.

And all that was done to my car was the plastic tabs that hold the fiberglass bumper in place were broken, and the paint was scratched.

This thread is reminding me to get a shackle for my 4runner... something I've been meaning to do.

And I agree with carrying a camera in the truck all the time. I've never needed it for an accident, but have found it quite handy with some of the more humerous vehicles I see out on the road... :D
 
The next few days are typically the worse when it comes to being sore. Take it easy, ice the sore stuff, and take some antiinflammatories (Motrin, ibuprofen, Alleve, Naprosyn, etc.). Don't be surprised if it seems to get way worse before getting better (kind of like when you overdo it and get incredibly sore a few days later). Hope all turns out okay.
 

My '05 4Runner was rear-ended back in February. An overloaded Dodge Ram truck hit a Lexus RX300 SUV and pushed it into my 4Runner.

The Ram was pretty messed up, but was able to be driven away. The Lexus had damage to the rear bumper & hatch - which now would not open. His front end was in sorry shape as well and he could not open the hood very easily because of the angle and height at which he struck my 4Runner.

My 4Runner had relatively minor damge -- less than $400 to fix it -- involving the plastic bumper cover and the little plastic piece that connects it to the left-rear quarter panel. Suprisingly little daage and a testament to body-on-frame construction.

My seven-year-old son was riding with me when it happened and neither of us had any injury at all. My son said it felt as though he fell off the couch, but he was securely belted (as was I) and both of us had the headrests set properly.

The old guy in the Ram was fine, and the driver of the Lexus said he was a little sore and shaken up.....but I guess I will never know whether or not he went to see a doctor. The man in the Ram got a summons for following too closely, but the truth is that his truck was way overloaded and his brakes just were not up to the task of stopping that much weight in such a short distance.



NOTE: I now leave the trailer hitch on there, so that it will do a better job of protecting the rear end of my precious baby.
:awais:

Some photos of the damage my SUV sustained:
525a7085.jpg~original


IMG_0177.jpg~original



Before the repair at the local Toyota body shop:
e6343172.jpg~original


be6accfe.jpg~original

^^ This shot was taken about a month ago, and is one of my favorites. The back of my 4Runner is as good as new!
 
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Glad you and your son were ok.

It's a delicate situation when you have little ones in the car. I can't even imagine being involved in an accident with my family in the car.

God bless you all.
 
I had some idiot rear-end me about a month or so after I got my runner.

He hit me at about 30 mph when I was stopped. The front of his early 90's Pontial POS was completley destoyed. The rear of my runner looked pretty good. The bumper was scratched, the hitch was scratched and bent a little. The hatch had a little dent in it. The force of the impact pushed my car into the car in front of me. The guy happened to hit me right when I was taking my foot off the brake and moving it to the accelerator because traffic was starting to move again. I was able to react quickly enough to only barelly clip the guy in front of me with the passenger side of the front bumper. Dented the bumper a little and scratched the headlight.

Total bill was about $7000. The expensive pieces were the headlight assembly and rear hatch ... and of course the paint job.

I posted pics on here somewhere back in august of 05 ... don't have the link handy though.
 
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