Got rear-ended - the fun begins

[widebody911]

No good deed goes unpunished. I stopped to let a lady cross the street before I made a right turn, and I got rear-ended by a camera crew from News 10. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me, and I couldn't convince them to set up theirs. Ow. It's 108 and this is my only car with A/C. Oh well, at least it wasn't the lowlight/split/T34/single cab/single cab/panel

It's an '02 M3 with just a schmidge over 100k on the clock - the insurance guy wants total it sight-unseen!

[Zeke]

That's too bad. Are you OK?

Let them total it and get it back. I'm sure it can be fixed. However, if you can prove you paid $500 for it, go LeMons!

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Of course he does, that way you'll buy a new car and pay a higher premium. Yes, they do think this way (I had an adjuster admit to me they're encouraged to total out accident vehicles for this and other reasons).

I hope you're okay (sounds as though you are) - stinks about the car; looks like it was a nice one.

[nostatic]

what they said - hope you're ok.

I already got a check to repair my car, but not nearly the same amount of damage. Evidently the news van has a bit more mass behind it than an '86 Accord...

[techweenie]

Give yourself some time before you pronounce yourself "unaffected" by the bump. Soft tissue damage can take some time to appear. Get in front of a doctor. Ask me how I know.

[Don Plumley]

Owie. Shame on such a nice car. At least you can be moderately sure the news van is insured...

[Baz]

Sorry for your accident and glad you are OK.

I hope you will continue to be a nice guy - despite the associated dangers associated with it.

I see this happen on a regular basis and FWIW - I don't think to myself "Holy cow! What they did was risky!" I always think "Wow! What a nice gesture....it's a darn shame they got rear-ended."

[gatotom]

like techweenie said, soft tissue damage may not appear right away, I have seem many people that the damage doesn't appear for maybe 5-6 yrs, its too late to claim anything then. I local Chiropractor can be your best friend sometimes. Yes, on x-ray 5-6 yrs later, I can tell which side you took the impact on, usually with a rear end, your seatbelt shoulder strap will torque your C5 body left. 5-6 yrs later aggravating headaches, maybe hand tingling or numbness, can't sleep good, restless.

I have no doubts that what they will settle your car out will not buy you another one that nice, bummer.

The pain and suffering part might offset the loss of the car. Typically if you use up 3-4K of your PIP coverage your pain and suffering settlement will be double that.

You owe it to yourself to be checked out, with PIP it costs you nothing and you have a lot to gain but you really never win cause the damage is done and now you get to live with it, forever.

[widebody911]

Thanks for the support. I'm a little sore and I can already tell tomorrow will be fun. I spent most of the afternoon relaxing, laying on ice packs. I'm going to try and get in to the Dr tomorrow AM.

[ninelevenick]

I admire your composure. I would be fuming right now. Glad that you are okay, but it is a heck of a shame to see your beautiful M3 wrecked.

[porsche4life]

That was a cherry E46 M!

Let them total it and then buy it back if you feel like fixing. Or make sure they give you enough to buy another one!

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

I hope you are OK! Getting hit from behind can cause issues.



Oh, and the attempt to move the rear end closer to the wheels to match the front is NOT a good look! Does nothing to improve upon BMW's appearance. I suggest moving the bumper back about another foot. Just my $.02.

[dewolf]

That is going to require a whole new rear floor pan. That job alone requires most of the interior trim to be removed and all the rear suspension, fuel tank etc. I would not want that back with a beaten out floor. It will be the same job as basically doing the rear subframe repair. All sorts of hidden damage there. Total it and buy another one. I have the same year M3 with 80K and they are a dime a dozen, even over here.

[911SauCy]

It's a dang shame as that is/was a gorgeous car.

If you have the "fire in your belly" I'd take the check and build a Hot Rod, LSX powered maniac car.

Just my $.02.

[Seahawk]

Sorry for your troubles...nice ride, WB, that is a shame.

Don't be a hero at the Docs...if it hurts let the right folks know.

Best.

[Steve Carlton]

I'm no expert, but that looks like $15K worth of damage, which I would think would be enough to total the car. If the insurance does total it, you get money for sales tax for the next car, which you don't get if you sold it privately. If it's not totalled, you'll probably have diminished value for an accident on your Carfax. My opinion- take the money and buy another one, hopefully something you'll like better. You can buy the wreck after the fact if that's worth it to you and it will have a salvage title.

[widebody911]

If the insurance does total it, you get money for sales tax for the next car

That's interesting - I've never heard of that before.

The MIL is saying I should lawyer up, but she's a court reporter, so I think its in her blood.

[techweenie]

Originally Posted by widebody911

If the insurance does total it, you get money for sales tax for the next car

That's interesting - I've never heard of that before.

The MIL is saying I should lawyer up, but she's a court reporter, so I think its in her blood.

Give 'em a chance to do the right thing. A lawyer will up your award but take 35% of it. And you'll be feeding a nasty system. Insurance companies are bad enough. Insurance companies+PI attorneys=crime family.

[Tobra]

At least it is a car that you can replace, shame though, that was a sweet M3. Will the drivetrain fit in one of those 318 hatchbacks?

You are going to want Xrays and a doctor checking you out. I would be surprised if you are not injured worse than you think you are.

My back is probably jacked up for life from my minivan vs miata adventure. Have not run more than 50 feet at a time since then or been able to swing a golf club. Was pretty athletic prior to that.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by widebody911

That's interesting - I've never heard of that before.

The MIL is saying I should lawyer up, but she's a court reporter, so I think its in her blood.

You don't have to get a lawyer just yet. Just do the doctor thing and don't say anything about any old injuries.

Originally Posted by techweenie

Give 'em a chance to do the right thing. A lawyer will up your award but take 35% of it. And you'll be feeding a nasty system. Insurance companies are bad enough. Insurance companies+PI attorneys=crime family.

What? When does anyone in the Bermuda Triangle of injury cases do the right thing? They have no concept beyond the price.