Idiot driver ran me off the road

So I got off work and was about to merge onto an off ramp to get on another highway, I was behind another fellow tundra, when an Altima swerved in front of the tundra in front of me from the left lane. The tundra slammed on brakes and I had to hit the ditch to avoid damaging both trucks, I side swiped a tree. Pretty upset as this is my first "new" truck. Gonna call my insurance agent in Monday. I have a 1000 deductible. Any advice? Cant upload pictures at the moment for some reason

 

I don’t know the law in Louisiana but in Canada as long as you have a police report and a witness the insurance company will waive the deductible . I’m sorry to hear about you and your truck .

 

Sorry to hear about this. Thankfully you didn't get hurt.

 

Unlsss you filed a police report And can maybe even supply a license plate of the Altima along with a witness, the burden is on you alone. Sucks. But I had this happen to me when I car swerved into my lane in the rain and I braked to avoid but wound up slamming the wheel into the curb, damaging both the wheel and tire but was driveable. The insurance asked me for a license plate of the car, a police report and a possible witness.... I had nothing because I wasn’t about to chase somebody down in pouring rain. I just paid out of pocket.

 

Thanks for the advice guys. Unfortunately the car sped up and got away. I just drove back to my hotel hoping the damage wasnt bad, but it got roughed up a little bit. I've been talking to my buddy. And his best friend Ford paint and body work. Might end up getting the whole truck repainted since its scratched up all over anyway and I'll be getting a "buddy deal". I gotta send him pictures tomorrow. He painted my buddy's 4 door duramax for 2500 and it looks amazing after 5 years. I know I wont get off that cheap, but if I'm gonna spend 1k I may as well shell out a little more and get it fixed anand painted how I want, with nothing on the car fax. Itll gimme an opportunity to ceramic coat or myself too. Can anyone get me the part number for the passenger rear bed fender? I cant seem to pull it up in Google. Thanks guys!

 

Sorry to see that did you feel the VSC kick in? Looks like you took a ride.

 

Vsc? Not quite sure what that is. And it was quite a ride, but I didnt think I damaged the boat any, I didnt even know I scraped a tree till I saw my mirror was folded in. as soon as I got around the truck that pulled on the shoulder in front of me I hit the ditch and I had to stomp the throttle to get out and not go into the bayou, because it was a downhill slope. Luckily I was able to think quick an have good reflexes. If I would have stayed on the brakes I would have lost my truck in the swamp. I honestly believe God was with me in that moment and the scenario played out as well as it could have. I'm very grateful to be alive and unharmed. And learn from this experience. Going to get a dashcam very soon and better brakes too.
Edit. I'm also extremely lucky there are not dents in the cab or the doors. Only the rear part of the bedside.

 

I would check your agents website. They usually have their email address on it. I would let them know asap.

 

I have my agents cell number. I called and left a voicemail and texted as well. I'm gonna ask how much my insurance rates would go up, if its alot I'll just pay out of pocket. I pay around 1150 every 6 months for both my trucks. I dont want it to get any higher. My old truck is only 50 of that

 

VSC is vehicle stability control. Thinkware is an excellent dash cam. I have them. You can order directly from them and Best Buy has a couple of their models as well. As for brakes, @eccracer104 can help you out with great pricing. I just got StopTech Sport slotted rotors and PosiQuiet pads.

 

I also have the Thinkware front and rear facing cameras. Totally worth it for this one time assclowns attack the highway.

@Roman should be able to help you with parts info.

 

You're not sure what VSC is? No Owner's Manual

 

Uhh my 95 f250 didnt have all that fancy stuff so I'm unaware of it lol and I've skimmed through the owners manual but haven't read it front to back. I know about the traction control and stuff. But not about the vehicle stability control or its functions.

 

Uhh, skimming through the manual ain't enough. Make the effort to learn about your truck,you'll save yourself some grief!

 

I will whenever I get time. Which probably wont be for another 4 weeks.

 

Wow that sounds like a white knuckle event Glad you're okay.

 

@Sumo91 , so thankful you're alright, and sorry to see the damage to your ride. Great plan to get it ceramic coated after paint.

@CMB , the guy just went through a harrowing experience where he could've been seriously hurt, thankfully he's OK but damaged his beauty, and you're going to give him grief about not reading through an almost 700 page owner's manual and remembering every exact detail?

 

Glad you are ok. Trees are about the worst things you can hit. Hope you don't take too much of a hit on insurance.

I don't think having witnesses or telling the insurance company the story will help. They will chalk it up to following too close. I have been in a similar situation once upon a time while on a motorcycle and was told the hard truth by my agent. "You must leave enough room between you and the vehicle in front of you incase they initiate an emergency stop". Unfortunately we must drive like everyone is out to get us.

 

BTW, if you need some black nerf bars to go with those black wheels when you get this settled.

 

This^^^

 

I had about 3 car lengths of space. I dont tailgate people, I've always driven bigger trucks so thats a big no no to tailgatr. It was a very unpredictable situation and I was caught off guard, as was the driver in front of me.

 

Might hit you up about these after I get it taken care of, I'm about 3 hrs from shreveport

 

Thanks for all the kind words guys! This is a great forum and community of people!

 

VSC=Vehicle stability control since he just said check your owners manual.

 

Is that the traction control button to the right of the steering wheel? Or is it a different function?

 

Wasn't aware I was giving him grief."Remembering every exact detail"? Everybody's different, some of us grab the manual to read through it before taking delivery of the truck and some of us have never seen it. OP didn't seem but-hurt, you have my apologies if you were!

 

I agree with you but that’s unnecessary.
My dad used to say “You can be right, but wrong for saying it.”. I’m sure he’s already kicking himself, no reason for us to do it. We’ve all Fd up at some point. No reason to dwell on the negative.

PS welcome to the forum!

 

curious how it’s set up. Do you have pics for front and rear cameras? I did a little research a year or two back and thinkware was the benchmark

 

Sumo, sorry to hear. And very mature reply to the guy who accused you of tailgating. Way to keep this place civil! Good on ya!

 

See you know more than you think! It’s all a bit confusing, even if you read the manual, but here is a cheat sheet. You’re going to want to know how to toggle this.
This may also help you at boat ramps.

I asked because Once I was driving distracted and drifted onto the shoulder. By the time my wife yelled at me I was close to hitting a sign post. I emergency brake and swerve the wheel... hard.

I could feel the truck keeping the rubber side down. It was a very weird sensation to say the least.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/understanding-driver-nannies-a-cheat-sheet.47079/