NEED ADVICE: Tundra Hit by Distracted Driver

Talk to the dealer. Tell them what happened. Get them to make an offer on the truck. That offer less your purchase price is your loss. Take it to the insurance company & tell them what you want. Tell them you will take them to court if they don't fix the issue which is you don't want that truck and you don't want the diminished value either.

 

Wow, that hurts to look at! I don't want to be Debbie downer here, but another thing to seriously consider is the repair time or even the ability to repair. I would think that should / could play a part of your negotiations. From what I have experienced first hand as well as read on here from others, trying to get a simple part for a warranty repair can take a ridiculous amount of time, five weeks in my case for one simple part for a leaking hose. I'm going on three months waiting on replacement fender flares! I can only imagine what rebuilding a rear end would involve with the supply chain as it is.

This is really a nightmare, I feel for you! Good Luck

 

Every state has a different bar as far as what is considered totaled. In mine, it is 50% value. Be sure that when they are calculating the cost to repair your truck, they are calculating based off of using OEM Toyota parts. They may argue this point with you but it is your right. My know someone who's truck got hit and he was arguing with the insurance company for months over just that point. He won out in the end.

 

You got hit by a jeep huh? Freaking Jeep people?

My advice: Tell the truth. As someone who investigates accidents for a career I can’t even begin to tell you the fabricated stories I hear. From looking at the photos I believe you that the Jeep crossed the centerline. However you should know with 10 minutes and a laptop in your truck I can see every action you made prior to the collision. The Toyota “black boxes” are some of the best at recording data. Things like Speed, Throttle input, Steering wheel angle were all recorded along with a bunch of other data. If insurance companies really start digging all of this will come out so be honest up front.

Stand your ground. You are a paying customer of the insurance company. They want to pay you as little as possible, you want the most value and fair as you can get. The fight is on. The simple fact is they owe you for the value and condition your truck was in 5 seconds before this wreck. Do not let them ever forget this. Years ago when my Tundra was totaled the adjuster gave me the first offer over the phone and I just started laughing. He asked if something was wrong and I very sternly corrected him. Long story short the second offer was 4,000-5,000 higher.

Find the official police report. This varys by what state you are in but can generally be purchased online a week or two after the accident. Read it, look for the factors the officer list for the crash. Hopefully they put the blame on the other driver and you can show this to your insurance company.

You need as much evidence to prove blame on the other driver as well as value of your truck. Photos, listing/cost of a replacement truck. Everything you can dig up.

Will be interested to see how insurance offers to value this as new truck prices are crazy now with dealer markups ect.

 

Gap insurance. My wife totalled her jeep that had 6k miles on it and actually got money for it. Never heard of getting paid to total your own car before. But she did

 

That doesn't help me here... If I had gap insurance my OP would have been worded completely different.

Thanks!

 

Thanks for the reply. I have told the whole truth and nothing but the truth! I have no problem with the insurance company reviewing the "black boxes".

I am hoping to have the police report tomorrow and also go see the truck and have the adjuster walk me though the damages.

Once I have a bit more info, I will let you know.

Thanks!

 

Tough luck OP; hope everything works out in your favor.

Just a friendly PS reminder to everyone that a $100 (or $400 if you like Toyota badges with 1/2 the quality but triple the cost) dash cam goes a long way in situations like these.
I'm surprised how many ppl don't consider having one in their cars/trucks.

Mom's Rav4 got hit in a parking garage only 3 days ago; were it not for the cam's "parking mode motion detection video recordings" we'd never know who did it, and she'd be using her own insurance policy to cover the repairs. Instead I have a lovely video of a lady in a Ford Fusion which rounds the corner, doesn't straighten out, hits 2 cars, stops, ponders her life for a few seconds, then casually backs up out of view...only to drive by and out like nothing happened a moment later.
A pic/vid is worth a 1000 words, and lic plates of the offenders are even better.

Good luck.
-99

 

Not to hijack, but do you have a cam you can recommend? I want to get one for my truck, especially with a parking mode. Three days after owning my truck, someone at work tried to squeeze in the parking spot beside me, that had a light pole 1/3 of the way into it. Sideswiped my fender cover and took off. Worst part is I work at a secure facility, cameras everywhere, not open to the public, and they still wanted to be a dirt bag. Also had someone two days ago drift into my lane forcing me to swerve to the next lane, which was thankfully empty. I used to ride motorcycles and thankfully have decent situational awareness when driving, but people suck more and more these days

 

I use VIOFO 2K dash cam, but do your own homework and decide on one you like.
100s for makes/models out there; equal number of praises and complains as well.

There are dedicated sites/forums for dash cams, so spend some time on them if you want to make a good informed decision.
Whatever you do, get a cam with a capacitor and not a battery in it.
(My old Viofos had batteries; each broke after 2-3 years....they're are replaceable, but not something an average buyer wants to be doing).
Times change, and these things improve with time tremendously.

-99

 

Find a slime ball attorney who will only get paid after the trial/settlement.

Don't sign anything with your insurance company to finalize your claim and payment until you are 1000% there are no other bills. I totaled my last vehicle in the fall and went to the ER. Settled with insurance in January, and got hit with a separate ER bill for the doctor in APRIL. Call the hospital if you went to one and ask what all of the charges were, imaging, docs, general hospital, ambulance, etc.

 

UPDATED: I received the Market Evaluation Report from my insurance carrier.

I paid MSRP for my 1794, they are offering me $77k, $10k over what I paid.

I have to say in pretty impressed. I still have a few questions about the numbers, mainly about their calculation of “optional” accessories and the taxes. But it is a pretty fair number.

Just thought I would share. Now the hard part, finding a Tundra without waiting 2,3,4 months.

 

I'm glad they are treating you right; it's bad enough to have the accident itself, but it's just as stressful sometimes to feel like you have to prepare yourself for a fight to be taken care of. I do think you're way better off having it replaced than repaired. Plus your wait time will probably be less to find a new one than to repair... Good luck on finding a replacement soon!!!! Hopefully, you can find a dealer near you that is sympathetic to your situation and takes good care of you!

 

Great news! Even better that you didn’t need an attorney. Insurance companies get a bad name but many of them are run by honest people trying to do the right thing.

Spend a tiny portion of that extra money on a dash cam. I recommend the Vantrue E1.

 

yes, I will be purchasing a dash cam.

 

What state do you live in? Cause that’s not the case here in California!!!

 

Sweet, sounds like you just traded the 1794 for a new TRD Pro!

 

That's not possible.

 

So you are saying she received more then she paid for it including sales tax and doc fees?

 

Not sure where you are located but I cancelled my booking of 1794 hybrid at Cedar Rapids Toyota. This is slated to be made on 1st sep.

 

No, its necessary.

@MetalManEd , I'm in socar.

 

What?

 

It was interstellar reference. I thought you were aware when you posted that line.

0:34

https://youtu.be/c4tPQYNpW9k

 

Another fascinating piece of footage.

https://youtu.be/OA3Txp94pjs

 

Glad it worked out for you!! I feel as though I need to go for a ride now.

 

Wow, that is actually an impressive outcome. Still a pain in the ass, but at least you came out ok. Congrats

Not sure if I missed it, but who is your insurance company? I'd like to deal with a company that treats customers in the way they handled this.

I've used a couple different dash cam brands over the last 10+ years. I currently have a Rexing installed in my Tundra. No complaints and pretty good video for under $100.

 

I inquired. Let’s see if it is still available.

 

virginia.

 

USAA. You need to be affiliated with the department of defense or be directly related to someone who is a member.

 

Interesting, I used them for years and switched. I have been thinking about going back, maybe this is a sign, lol.