The Saddest Day of My Life (HIT AND RUN)

[rx900]

Wow. I am speechless. Sorry to hear about your accident. I don't want to sound awkward or anything...


But ok if one car (or wagon or whatever) hit the 4R, then why in the world is the running board all bent up also? I would have presumed the car went under the 4R towards the back, but what kind of car would not bend up the rear rim/axle or whatever AND bend the running boards up?

Be patient with insurance. They will be d**ks at times and just play along with it. In the really far end, you will thank yourself for putting up with the insurance and the results you will get in the end.

 

[snowjay]

But ok if one car (or wagon or whatever) hit the 4R, then why in the world is the running board all bent up also? I would have presumed the car went under the 4R towards the back, but what kind of car would not bend up the rear rim/axle or whatever AND bend the running boards up?

It appears the rear axle was pushed forward into the running board.

 

[jeffrosheen]

It appears the rear axle was pushed forward into the running board.

Yeah the running board was bent when the rear wheel was pushed into the wheel well.

I picked up the police report yesterday and was surprised to find out that at the same time that my oh so helpful police officer was helping me, there was another officer pulling over a 06 blue Chevrolet Impala that had major damage to the front left and was disabled.

But the kicker....... when I called to file a claim with State Farm I was shocked when I found out that the guy who allegedly hit me had already filed a claim stating a hit-and-run.

Funny. The cop took the body parts that were under my car that were not my own over to the Impala and they fit perfectly. Not to mention the blue paint chips that matched too. But they said there was not enough evidence to cite the gentleman or arrest him.

 

[snowjay]

Yeah the running board was bent when the rear wheel was pushed into the wheel well.

I picked up the police report yesterday and was surprised to find out that at the same time that my oh so helpful police officer was helping me, there was another officer pulling over a 06 blue Chevrolet Impala that had major damage to the front left and was disabled.

But the kicker....... when I called to file a claim with State Farm I was shocked when I found out that the guy who allegedly hit me had already filed a claim stating a hit-and-run.

Funny. The cop took the body parts that were under my car that were not my own over to the Impala and they fit perfectly. Not to mention the blue paint chips that matched too. But they said there was not enough evidence to cite the gentleman or arrest him.

What more evidence do they need?

Is the guy now going to get in trouble for insurance fraud since it wasn't a hit and run?

 

[jeffrosheen]

What more evidence do they need?

Is the guy now going to get in trouble for insurance fraud since it wasn't a hit and run?

Man who knows. I can't even get the detective or the officer to call me back after 10 phone calls!

Joke

 

[big04runner]

Sounds like they proved which car hit you but proving who was behind the wheel at the time, beyond a reasonable doubt, will be another; unless that driver admits that he was the one driving. Or unless there were witnesses who can put that guy that was stopped in the Impala behind the wheel at the time of the crash.

 

[jeffrosheen]

Sounds like they proved which car hit you but proving who was behind the wheel at the time, beyond a reasonable doubt, will be another; unless that driver admits that he was the one driving. Or unless there were witnesses who can put that guy that was stopped in the Impala behind the wheel at the time of the crash.

But this guy was behind the wheel when the cop had pulled him over. And he was in the car when he lied to the officer about trying to find who hit HIM!

Hopefully i will hear more tomorrow. I think the State Farm adjuster will have to go estimate the car out now.

 

[snowjay]

I hope you insurance doesn't take a hit now since you have found the other parties car responsible for the damage.

 

[Kmvreter]

But this guy was behind the wheel when the cop had pulled him over. And he was in the car when he lied to the officer about trying to find who hit HIM!

Hopefully i will hear more tomorrow. I think the State Farm adjuster will have to go estimate the car out now.

I wouldn't worry about what the other guy says, does or gets charged. It's good that both of you are with the same insurance. They will straighten it out internally and he willl take the "hit" in future insurance. Your're not at fault so just make sure you get everything you are owed and get your upgrades/mods off the truck.

 

[riverider]

Man who knows. I can't even get the detective or the officer to call me back after 10 phone calls!

Joke

Be on your highest guard when discussing it with the State Farm Rep. They start out being your best friend but really all they want is to cut their own loss's as much as they can.

If all fails I think you have a great case to take that guy to Court, no matter what the lazy Cops think about not enough evidence. They are just thinking about criminal charges. You just want the money, not the same items.

 

[riceandpho]

get a lawyer, i have state farm too wen i had the hit and run, so i sued and got 10g from the case and since it was hit and run, i knew be4 that the insurance company wont give any money back. atleast they pay 5g for my medical bills, total out my truck for 6200 and gave me money back for the tow and rental. so all in all i had some money back, my lawyer took 1/3 out of my 10g but i had some in my pocket to spend

 

[Annoyed]

Yikes.. Sorry to hear about your truck. That looks like a total to me.

Sadly, you're probably frakked financially.

Either you'll need to settle for an underpayment by the insurance company, or you'll need to pay a lawyer to get them to cough up what it was really worth, and paying the lawyer will leave you with about what the ins. co. offered in the first place.

On the bright side, if this is the worst that has happened to you, you are leading a charmed life.

 

[flashbolt]

This really sucks man. My advice would be to just talk to the insurance people, and certainly don't accept what they first tell you.

As long as you don't be a jerk about it to them, and just explain that you just want them to make this right by giving you a fair price for the truck you'll probably come out of it ok.

It's also helpful if you keep a notebook with dates/times and the people you've spoken to about this. It would probably be a good idea if you can talk to a friend that's a lawyer or cop or someone who's had to deal with a similar situation. The Insurance company can screw you over big time if you say the wrong thing on the phone.

Also call around your area to dealers and figure out what the cost of a replacement vehicle would be.

 

[Kmvreter]

jeffrosheen,
I noticed you have another thread on the go looking for a replacement. Did you get word that it's totalled?

 

[jeffrosheen]

jeffrosheen,
I noticed you have another thread on the go looking for a replacement. Did you get word that it's totalled?

Man I am frustrated as all get out. No word back from adjuster, detective (who is a temp), my insurance company, or State Farm who covers the guy who hit me.

I have had people tell me there is no question it will be totaled and then have had people tell me it is absolutely fixable.

 

[GottaBeTRD]

ya i see this every day. if your driving a rental its prob for the company i work at. ive seen some claims take up to 3 weeks to even get the decision if its totaled or not. but with a hit and run i dont know it seems like it would (for whatever reason) take a while to map out what happened, who's paying, hopefully in the end it will work out for ya.
luckly they found the possible car.

 

[CO_FlyFisher]

I don't think I saw it mentioned anywhere - was the driver who hit you cited with anything when he got pulled over by the other cop (thinking DWI or DUI here)?

If you are having trouble getting in touch with the detective(s) (sounds like it), don't be afraid to ask for a supervisor, esp if the one assigned to your case is a temp. If you don't assert your rights, they will treat you like yesterdays garbage (because you are yesterday's news). Be assertive (but don't be an a$$), and tell them EXACTLY what you want.

The same goes with the insurance company. If you don't stand your ground and act passive, you WILL be treated unfairly. Don't be afraid to threaten with a lawyer, especially now that you know who hit you and their ins carrier. Your ins company should be a good proponent for you, as they're trying to cut their losses and pin it on the other guy. I'm not the litigous type personally, but people have gotten a lot of money for a lot less. You have a pretty cut-and-dried case given your police report, and the fact the guy who hit you was pulled over at the same time as an officer was speaking with you.

One other thing - you said that the Impala had damage on the front left side. How is this possible given that it appears that the direction you were hit was from back to front? That would mean the Impala should be damaged on the front RIGHT side, or am I completely missing something?

 

[jeffrosheen]

I don't think I saw it mentioned anywhere - was the driver who hit you cited with anything when he got pulled over by the other cop (thinking DWI or DUI here)?

If you are having trouble getting in touch with the detective(s) (sounds like it), don't be afraid to ask for a supervisor, esp if the one assigned to your case is a temp. If you don't assert your rights, they will treat you like yesterdays garbage (because you are yesterday's news). Be assertive (but don't be an a$$), and tell them EXACTLY what you want.

The same goes with the insurance company. If you don't stand your ground and act passive, you WILL be treated unfairly. Don't be afraid to threaten with a lawyer, especially now that you know who hit you and their ins carrier. Your ins company should be a good proponent for you, as they're trying to cut their losses and pin it on the other guy. I'm not the litigous type personally, but people have gotten a lot of money for a lot less. You have a pretty cut-and-dried case given your police report, and the fact the guy who hit you was pulled over at the same time as an officer was speaking with you.

One other thing - you said that the Impala had damage on the front left side. How is this possible given that it appears that the direction you were hit was from back to front? That would mean the Impala should be damaged on the front RIGHT side, or am I completely missing something?

Thanks for the advise. Luckily I have been off work for a couple of weeks and have been able to stay on top of things. The cops have been unhelpful at best but the insurance companies have BOTH been very helpful so far. State Farm rep handling my claim all but said it is their clients fault and have been supportive so far. I am hoping to get most of this resolved as I will be out of the country for 2-3 weeks starting in March. Thank god for email or I would be SOL.

i may have typed it wrong but the Impala that was pulled over had damage to the front right of the vehicle. The driver was not cited or arrested. When i asked the cop who was helping me why not he said that "he did not APPEAR to be intoxicated" and there was not enough evidence to do anything.

Not really sure how much more evidence one needs. Hopefully i will know more tomorrow

 

[snowjay]

Not really sure how much more evidence one needs. Hopefully i will know more tomorrow

I probably wouldn't care what the police do at this point since the insurance companies are handling and his insurance seems like they are going to take care of you. He's probably in a heap of trouble with them for filing a false claim and with any luck he'll get dropped and have to pay to have his own car fixed.

 

[smokey7722]

Man this sucks, I feel for ya!

I had an accident in my first '03 Runner which was my fault - fell asleep at the wheel with cruise on on the highway. Ended up flipping it on the side of the highway in an embankment. When I looked at it, I immediately knew it was totalled. The tow operator showed up and said he thought it was fixable based on what he's seen (which I took with a grain of salt). Had to have some family drive up to pick me up from the hospital (i wasn't hurt but wanted to make sure) and then we went to the lot where the car was towed to remove all my belonging as I knew it was gone. My father looked at it and it was like he saw a ghost, surprised I even walked out without being hurt.

T4R Posting about my accident
Pictures of '03

So once I started dealing with insurance, I gave them a list of all upgrades, which weren't many at the time and within a week I had an offer. The offer ended up being about $2,000 more than what I paid for it. It was a used '03 with 35k on it when I bought it AND I know everyone at the dealership and they gave me a hell of a deal (my sister worked there too). I wasn't going to dare fight that first offer. Given that, I wouldn't say the first offer is going to be horrible. Who knows, it may be ok.