Rear ended again!

[Brentbba]

On the way to work this morning in Corona Del Mar. I'd slowed as traffic slowed allowing a big rig to make a right hand turn on green a couple of cars in front of me. Next thing I know, I hear crunching metal behind me and I look up to my rear view mirror just in time to see a fairly new '06 LX470 hit me. She was munched by a '98 MBZ ML320. ML320 front end is toast. LX470 has both rear and front end damage. LX hit my Kaymar tire carrier and bumper. From what I can tell so far, the latch is bent to the point that I'll need a crowbar to realign the latch on the bumper to get it open. The real PIA is that the tire carrier flexed on impact and has put a good dent in my rear hatch. It looks like the tire carrier is bent and is now sitting much closer to the truck than it used to. Lady in the LX was taken to the hospital in obvious neck and back pain. Now sitting here at the office, my neck and back are beginning to stiffen up as well. 20 year old gal that started the chain reaction was new to the area and had just missed her turn and was probably not paying attention to the slowing traffic in front of her and slamed into the LX. Lady in the LX had her two kids with her on the way to school. Fortunately, the kids seemed ok.

No pics as I don't keep a digital camera in the truck. Will post pics of my truck later.

For anyone with a Kaymar, I need to know what the distance is between the top of the tire carrier riser and the rear hatch. It appears to be slanting backwards. I don't know yet if the spindle itself is bent or just the tire carrier. No visible damage to the main bumper as the impact appeared to be on the tire and tire carrier.

Fortunately gals insurance and mine are with the same company and there will be no issues, outside the obvious PITA of having to deal with the repair. I don't yet know if there's more damage to the rear hatch outside the dents I can see. The lock mechanism and lock on the tire carrier are what hit first and the dent extends out to the center of the rear hatch on the name plate to the end of the tire.

Just hope the mom in the LX is ok. Newport Beach police and paramedics were great with her! Kudos to them.

 

[CreeperSleeper]

That sucks dude. Glad your okay.

BTW- I used to surf in Newport Beach when I was in college... The Frog House rules.

 

[Brentbba]

Request - Anyone with a Kaymar bumper and rear tire carrier. Please snap a pic showing the distance between the tire carrier and rear of the truck. I'd like a few examples to show that the tire carrier is actually bent inward on my truck. It certainly appears that way. Send to my email via the PM section. TIA!

Steve-O at Man-A-Fre has graciously provided some good photos as well.

 

[bigdog]

I am glad to hear your are okay.

The 98 MBZ ML320 caused the collision so it would be her insurance that will cover the injury to you and damage to your LC plus the other LC she hit. If you meant that she and you have the same insurance then there should be no problem. I hope the police gave you a traffic collision report number and that someone took pictures of the collision scene. It helps a lot when you file a personal injury/property damage claim with driver #1's insurance.

 

[Brentbba]

I am glad to hear your are okay.

The 98 MBZ ML320 caused the collision so it would be her insurance that will cover the injury to you and damage to your LC plus the other LC she hit. If you meant that she and you have the same insurance then there should be no problem. I hope the police gave you a traffic collision report number and that someone took pictures of the collision scene. It helps a lot when you file a personal injury/property damage claim with driver #1's insurance.

MBZ was absolutely at fault and I do have the police report and file #. When I reported the claim to my (and her) insurance, they said no problems getting it all taken care of. I know it's not my insurance that will be impacted here.

Nobody had a camera to take photos at the scene and police said they only take photos if there will be an investigation. He stated there was no need to in this accident as it was very clear as to fault.

 

[LX_TREME]

I'm really sorry about what happened , I hope the pic help you …

 

[Bluetribal]

Glad all are OK, I wish I could get in a little fender bender like that and score some $$ for an IPOR bumper. It's always a little car tailgating me that would waste my time because they would get creamed by my hitch. Of course already having the bumper it is just a total hassle for you, sucks...

 

[80krazE]

Glad all are OK, I wish I could get in a little fender bender like that and score some $$ for an IPOR bumper. It's always a little car tailgating me that would waste my time because they would get creamed by my hitch. Of course already having the bumper it is just a total hassle for you, sucks...

You WISH you could get in a wreck to SCORE $. That is sick! And second, how do you know all parties are okay?

 

[phxtlc]

how can you tell you're in Newport? A Lexus rear ends a Land Cruiser then the Lexus gets rear ended by a Benz....

not quite DaHood huh?

Good to see everythings alright...one draw back to all these sweet steel bumpers is that since they don't bend very much, all that energy is directed to the frame / driver a bunch more.

how did the benz fair in all this?

 

[CreeperSleeper]

how can you tell you're in Newport?

He mentioned the Newport Beach PD and he's from Cali...

 

[Brentbba]

how can you tell you're in Newport? A Lexus rear ends a Land Cruiser then the Lexus gets rear ended by a Benz....

not quite DaHood huh?

Good to see everythings alright...one draw back to all these sweet steel bumpers is that since they don't bend very much, all that energy is directed to the frame / driver a bunch more.

how did the benz fair in all this?

LOL! Definetely not DaHood. Lots of Lambos, Ferraris, Porsches, Bentelys, etc. in that neck of the woods. BTW, the Benz got the Lexus and the Lexus tagged my LC. Thank god I didn't tag the little car in front of me. Don't recall what it was, outside of small. The ARB would have done it's dirty work on it if I had.

Benz is a cheap car in NB and my '94 would be considered a classic given it's age!

Benz is probably close to totalled. The entire DS was smashed in to the rear of the wheel well and the engine was spouting steam, so the radiator is toast. It was a '98 ML320 so doubt it will be worth repairing if the engine is gone as well.

 

[bigdog]

Nobody had a camera to take photos at the scene and police said they only take photos if there will be an investigation. He stated there was no need to in this accident as it was very clear as to fault.

In a three car collision with children involved they should have taken pictures. It's not that difficult to snap a few digital pics to document the collision scene. All traffic collisions are investigations. The good news is that your insurance company will take care of it.

 

[cruiserdan]

Time to upgrade to a Slee or a Luke Porter bumper.....

 

[Brentbba]

Time to upgrade to a Slee or a Luke Porter bumper.....

Maybe it's something I don't see on the Kaymar that says hit me in aussie speak! This is the second time. First one was so slow speed that there was no damage at all and I just drove away laughing at the damage the offending party had as a result of a big steel bumper!

 

[EricG]

In a three car collision with children involved they should have taken pictures. It's not that difficult to snap a few digital pics to document the collision scene. All traffic collisions are investigations. The good news is that your insurance company will take care of it.

A cousin who works in insurance adjusting told me once that digital pictures are considered worthless for the purpose of claims & etc. due to the ease of manipulation. Even film is 2nd rate - he uses a polaroid.

 

[EricG]

In a three car collision with children involved they should have taken pictures. It's not that difficult to snap a few digital pics to document the collision scene. All traffic collisions are investigations. The good news is that your insurance company will take care of it.

MBZ was absolutely at fault and I do have the police report and file #. When I reported the claim to my (and her) insurance, they said no problems getting it all taken care of. I know it's not my insurance that will be impacted here.

Nobody had a camera to take photos at the scene and police said they only take photos if there will be an investigation. He stated there was no need to in this accident as it was very clear as to fault.

My experience when I got in a wreck in SoCal ... the opinion of the police regarding fault on the accident report is worth exactly zilch once the insurance companies & lawyers get involved. They told me exactly that in so many words.

I was the last car of a 4 car pile-up, in a little honda civic. I was to close due to trying to squeeze into rush hour traffic. According to the police, I was only responsible for the damage to the back of the mazda pickup I hit. According to the opposing insurance companies, my little honda hit that mazda pu hard enough that I pushed him into the full size bronco in front of him, totalling the Mazda's front end, and that bronco was then pushed hard enough to hit the mini van in front of him hard enough to do damage to both vehicles.

And yet, my honda, which went under the pickups bumper, only had a wrinkled hood. I drove home. I doubt the mazda ever drove again. But my insurance company rolled over like a dog on a rug and paid out for the whole thing because I was last in line

 

[Marc311]

Just an FYI . . Some insurance companies treat claims differently when they insure both parties - and it is not necessarily good for you. AAA is this way and I imagine many others. What their policies say is that, regardless of fault, each party's insurance policy will cover their own vehicle. That is not to say your rates will go up (it shouldn't as you were not at fault), it just means your policy is paying.

In my case, it mattered when they said they were going to use aftermarket parts to repair my 3 month old vehicle. I told them I don't care whose policy it's under - their insured hit me and if I did not get new OEM parts I will sue them (as in my own insurance company). I really don't like threatening suits (even though I am an atty) but I also don't like insurance companies playing games.

Your policy may not be this way but don't be surprised if it is. Just remember, their insured is at fault and they need to make you whole. IMO, you shouldn't try to get anything more, but you should not settle for anything less either.

Hope everybody is ok.

 

[NorCalDoug]

glad to hear you're okay. same with the others involved.

I second CDan's "hint" to move up to a 4x4labs or Slee rear bumper.

 

[GXO]

indeed. If someone were to hit me I would be cracking open the spray paint and driving on my way, once I pryed the carcass of the benz out from under my rear bumper. Slee = Good.

Glad you came out relatively unscathed.

 

[landtank]

Brent, what exactly do you want a pic of and I'll get it for you today. I've been rear ended 3 times, once by a semi and the worst I've had is a cracked Land Cruiser piece, but then again you got hit by another LC.