everything underneath that looked bent was after the rear wheel axle. the thing that made me think it might be worse than i could see was the fact that the bed hit the cab on the driver's side - that had to have jacked things up a bit underneath the bed.


i'm with you - but i may be a bit biased based on the feel of the impact (granted i don't know one impact from another within reason )

 

So the frame was bent from the axle back? Oh man that's bad, the rear spring hangers may be out of position and the truck may go down the road crooked. What has the insurance co said? I wonder if they total it out.

 

Nate, glad your ok. Did you go to the hospital? How is your neck? You could have whiplash and not even know it. wink, wink

 

If they total it, buy it back and throw a tube bed on it and if you dont want to do it, I'll buy it from you for a tad more than you buy it back for...hehe.

 

I had a 92 Toyota PU extra cab and I got hit by a Navigator doing 50mph, I was sitting dead still and the damage wasn't as bad as yours, granted the older trucks are a little bit sturdier then the new ones (i.e. crush zones). I would say at least 95+. My wreck involved the same "bed hitting the cab scenario" as yours. for her to have bent up the trailer hitch that much and warped the body that much she had to have been moving if you were doing 60+. Hope everything works out for you

 

Glad to see you're okay!
Nevermind the people that tell you that you should've swerved.

If I'd seen that I probably would have assumed the same thing that you did - someone speeding and cutting at the last minute just to make a point or play with you.

Only after you have all the facts can you say "should have"

Good thinking in the heat of the moment

 

Who the heck WANTS TO GET HIT? If he jumped into the passing lane to avoid getting hit and it was just some hotrod person doing the haul arse then pass at the last second he would have been at fault for pulling in front of her. If he pulled over he would have avoided getting hit MAYBE but who is that woman going to hit further down the road? A car with a family or maybe a concrete barrier killing herself. I think he handled it cool, he didnt panic and kept on as if he had not seen her coming. He was ready! He saved everyones life by taking the hit. I give you kudos for that bud. You are a rare breed. So many others do as the guy that said you should have gotten out of the way. I would have done just as you did. Your smart!

 

Glad you weren't hurt of nuffin like that. Hate to see a good truck all smashed up over some nut falling asleep.

Outkast`

 

If they don't total it, make sure you tell her insurance company that you want a "Diminished Value" settlement. Any prior frame damage can significantly impact resale value. Telling them before they begin repairs can impact their decision to repair or total a vehicle.

 

Great tip! frame damage can also make it hard to get a good alignment. Especially in the rear where there is no adjustments. I am thinking to align the rear you would need to get special leaf springs or at least move the center pin location on the springs or maybe even cut and reweld stuff. Fine tuning the rear alignment with such trial and error methods could be a nightmare. Make sure the repair shop gives you a print-out of the alignment job they do for you and confirm that everything is with-in Toyota specs. If some custom leaf springs are needed that will make it more expensive for you later on to replace them.

 

I agree, I would have done the same thing.

 

Honestly, that doesn't seem like an 80MPH hit.

Quiet frankly, at 80MPH I'd expect much more.

That seems like a 40MPH hit.

In conclusion, not bad for her hitting you at 80MPH.

 

no way - in a situation like that, you have to assume the person coming up behind you is going to go around you at the last minute. . . . chances are much more likely it's some jackass who is planning on swerving at the last minute than someone actually fell asleep and isn't watching where they're going.

i think you did the right thing in that situation; maintain your course and don't hit the brakes! at least, that's what i would have done . . . .

creed

 

Hey Nate, too bad she didn't knock that U of VA Cavs sticker off the back! Just kidding, glad you weren't hurt.

 

If he was doing 63? and she came up at 80 thats only a 17 MPH hit. I say he is right by saying nearly 100. The force of the moving impact was good enough to push his bumper in and twist the frame. Say the front end of whatever she drove took alot of damage maybe more so being when she hit him it sent him in a faster forward movement and like she hit a wall. She basically may have had the feeling of hitting a wall at 37 MPH or less. There are supposed to be new computers being installed in test rigs on the market that have object warning sensors. So if you went and fell asleep while doing 100 MPH down the highway and came up on a Toyota truck doing 63 your rig would turn into a different path being the passing lane to avoid the collision. I wouldnt want to trust them though. Ok im done being bored and blabbing on and on. Blue out

 

Looks pretty bad. I'd say that frame is gonzo. Have you heard anything from the insurance company yet? I'm glad everyone was ok. I feel for the lady cause sleep is impossible to overcome. I fell asleep at the wheel once on the way back from a snowboarding trip. Luckily I didn't hit anyone, but I did cross a lane of traffic and smashed my frontier into a guard rail blocking a 30ft drop . Needless to say I don't take fatigue lightly anymore when driving and pull over at the first sleepy blink.

 

they decided to fix my truck. i've talked to the body shop several times and they said its no problem to fix - aside from the 5K they said it would take to get it back to the way it was before the accident. the truck's blue book is around 12.5K so I was getting close to the total mark (i've heard anywhere from 1/2 the blue book to 3/4 and they total it). the good news is that i'm gonna take the $272 they want to charge the ins. co. for a new drop-in bedliner, add $150 of my own money and get a spray-in liner. $150 bucks for a spray-in liner aint too bad it's supposed to be done Friday - we'll see.

i really appreciate everyone's concern and thoughts on all this

 

You might could just pocket the money and go to Lowe's and buy the stuff and paint the bedliner yourself! Anyway, I hope everything comes out GOOD AS NEW!



Brian

 

Good luck with it. Don't forget what EricM said And get the alignment work on print-out. Hope it works out ok.

 

i talked with a bunch of people about the "Diminished Value Settlement" - body shops and a few ins. companies among others. the thing is that when the vehicle is fixed, they restore it to the value of the vehicle before the accident (at least in the eyes of the insurance companies). if i turn around and wreck the vehicle tomorrow, they see it at the same value as it was before the first wreck. they say this rule applies until there are more than like three or four accidents depending on the severity of the damage. so if I go to an ins. company and ask for this settlement, they go to the body shop and the body shop says its "good as new". i can get other body shop opinions, but chances are, they will say the same thing if the work was done properly by the shop doing the work

here's reality (and i mentioned this to the ins. companies and they agreed) - if i try to sell this truck, no one will pay blue book when they find out it had 5K worth of repairs because of a wreck. the problem is that you can't use public perception when you ask for a settlement. you have to have a professional actually document why the value of the vehicle has diminished. if fixed properly, the value hasn't diminished except in the public's mind (mine included).

FYI - i was speaking to an outside ins. company (ie. not mine or the person who hit me)

any and all opinions or objections are welcome