IT IS A SAD, SAD DAY!

Hello fellow Tundra friends,

The other night I was hit by a drunk driver in the side wrecking my wrecking my brand new Toyota Tundra sr5. I just got my wheels and suspension put on a week ago and have invested a lot of money into this truck and my heart is truly broken. I don't know what I'm going to do. This is my livelihood as I use it to run my business. I'm trying to figure out what's going to happen next? I do have full coverage of course but was wondering if anybody could give me some insight as to you if you think the insurance company will try to repair it or consider it totaled.? Does anybody have any experience with these trucks being wrecked? As far as damage goes: I do know that every panel on the passenger side will have to be replaced as they all are damaged, I do believe that my air ride suspension is messed up, 3.5" RC suspension lift is bent, the tailgate won't open on its own anymore and has to be jerked open.. . I also see some small dings on the frame from where the brackets attached to the Body bumped against It during impact. I posted a pic of the underbody from the passenger side where it was hit, to show how close the brackets are to the frame. There's only about a half inch of space between them while the driver side has about 2 inches of space between them (does anyone know if its supposed to be like this, or was this caused from the wreck) . Is it true that if the frame is bent, the insurance companies will consider the truck a total loss? And if so does it have to be bent seriously or will just a small ding on the frame make the insurance company total the truck? Any help or insight into what happens next with the insurance companies or any suggestions or any tips on what to do that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks y'all for letting me join your forum. I built my truck strictly from things that I saw and learned on this forum. I also learned a great deal about Tundra's and have a great deal of respect for them. Hopefully, I will be able to get a new one sometime in the future and I will see y'all here again. Until then...

 

Oh wow I'm so sorry that happened to you. I hope they total it for you so you can get another Tundra. Hope that you are ok and weren't injured. I can't "like" your post unfortunately for obvious reasons.

 

So so sorry for your loss. Heartbreaking doesn’t begin to cover it. We all share your pain. We know how much blood sweat and tears you’ve put into your beautiful truck! Awesome setup you’ve built BTW. Personally I would get it totalled don’t take no for an answer. There’s too much damage to ever make it right again IMHO. Yes the parts could be replaced but there is structural damage that will be under the radar. It’s a brand new truck and you need to be made whole with a brand new truck. I’d lawyer up right now. As it was a drunk driver you are in a good situation. You are clearly not at fault and the driver was intoxicated which, though I’m not a lawyer, seems to be a helpful argument for insurance purposes in your favor. I would argue that it’s a brand new vehicle and you need to be put into an identical or better vehicle. Make 100% sure that you also calculate every mod and all labor put into your vehicle so that your new truck also has the same or better mods installed by the dealership. Also, because this truck is for your business and livelihood, you should file claims for damages to your income. You need to be compensated for every expense that you incur from the moment that accident occurred. Keep and scan copies of every receipt and start a spreadsheet adding dates, costs of every added expense or missed opportunity.

 

I'm glad you are not hurt. Make sure you are compensated for the fact that you now have a wrecked and repaired truck, if they don't total it. It will always be worth less money due to being wrecked once.

 

Trucks are different that cars has been my experience of friends dealing with insurance. They are body on frame so you can separate the two and theoretically replace the frame. Insurance used to go that way years ago with heavy duties because they were expensive compared to your average 1500. Now all trucks are big price Car if frame is bent you it is 100 percent total. Whether that is cost effective vs a total is the between the beancounter and his pencil

The thing that will kill that is likely parts availability. Odds of Toyo having a spare frame for a new release vehicle is zero. Availability of parts will be a huge PITA is my guess either way. Even if insurance fails to total it the repair time might be quite long and you find yourself in a few months flighting with insurance because you are still in a rental Corolla.

Good luck my friend

 

Ouch! Sorry to hear about this. It might be tough to get it totaled, but that's what I would shoot for.

 

This is where you sincerely pray they have liability insurance, because you're going to sue them for loss of income. Stop talking to us, and call a lawyer that specializes in these things. (Really; stop posting things online until the legal dust is settled and check is in your hand.)

 

Sorry to see/hear this. The main thing is you are okay. Hopefully everything works out for you in your favor.

 

Truly sorry for your misfortune but glad that you were not injured. Best of luck in getting things resolved. I don't think getting a lawyer is a bad idea at all. You need to make sure you protect your interests.

 

x2
Stealth = wealth

 

I would get several different estimates. A lot will be determined by how the body shop writes up the estimate. My guess is the frame could be okay but the cab floor substructure is crushed or pushed in. Once metal is flexed it looses strength when you straighten it back out. This could weaken the structure and safety of your truck if you were hit again. If estimate calls for a new cab or cab floor panels they will likely total it. Hope it works out for you to get a new truck.

 

Sorry buddy

 

1. Glad you’re ok.
2. Did any of the air bags go off?
3. If frame is tweaked you might be a total loss.
4. If they try to fix it, make sure you provide receipts for the suspension and all other mods done…..and then you can TRY to recover diminished value.

 

Ouch that hurts in more ways than one. I hope you get things settled as fast as possible and back into the drivers seat.

 

that sucks. Get yourself checked out asap. I got into a minor accident and now have permanent damage to my neck

 

This is the way

 

Ugh, so sorry to hear this.

Effing drunk drivers should be strung up by the nuts and whipped with Tundra antennas in the public square... Seriously. How hard is it to call a freaking Uber?!

I hope you're made whole and then some. (By the way... I'm pretty sure your neck hurts.)

 

This accident cost the Genesis owner 106k plus her own repairs. Get an injury attorney asap. Insurance companies will not look out for you like the attorney will.

 

Jesus...

$2200 for a donor car, around $500 for new parts (that I had to replace soon anyways, like old radiator) and about 2 months working evenings to swap EVERYTHING (drivetrain, suspension, interior). Plus I was left with tons of spare parts. Riding an old unpopular vehicle could be beneficial in such unfortunate events.

 

Sorry this happened, I hope it all works out well for you.

 

OP, can you post pictures with doors opened? How much damage is there? From what I see, at least both doors need to be replaced, which perhaps is not sufficient for totaling the truck. If the pillars are not bent, or not too much, the cabin can be saved.

The rest of dents can be pulled off. I did fix a few on my Gen 2.5, Toyota is very easy for working the dents out (unlike old Volvo pictured above, it is a tank).

 

This is a good reminder that if you spend a lot of money upgrading your truck, you should let your insurance know, and pay for increased coverage. On my 2002, I pay around $200/year for an extra $8,000 in coverage in case my vehicle is totaled.

Sorry this happened @Yardshark

 

It's been over a year since my accident (Prius girl on her cell phone) and I'm still dealing with the insurance company because she didn't have enough coverage. Get a lawyer, I wish I had.

EDIT: Wasn't on my Tundra but my Kia Stinger that I had for a total of three weeks.

 

About a year and a half ago I had similar damage, plus the right axle was bent. Wasn't totaled, just over $13.5K repair on a nine year old truck.

 

I’ve been down this road with my 2022. It wasn’t considered enough damage (even at $24k) to total it.

There are companies out there that will buy it as is. If you can get the price you need with the insurance payout it’s a way to pay off the note and put money down on another Tundra.

Takes time but worth it if you want a Tundra

 

I defend insurance companies. Hire a lawyer yesterday.

 

Sorry to hear about this, Yardshark. Gotta just go thru the process now. Hang in there.

 

I'd like to thank all yall very much for all the help and feedback. I have since, hired a lawyer. As for the truck being considered a total loss. I do believe it will be. Since my first post, I noticed that the tailgate will not open or close unless forcefully pulled out or slammed shut. I'm not a mechanic by any means, but I'm going to have to assume that this is due to the frame being Bent. Anybody agree or disagree with that? Could it just be the body? Also here are the pictures with the front door open. It's hard to tell from the pics but those are some large dents .. It's pretty banged up. Also heres pics under the truck. It looks like the entire cab has been pushed over judging on how close those brackets are to the frame. I can't even squeeze my little finger between the bracket and the frame on the passenger side but there's about 2.5" of space on the drivers side. Plus, I don't know what this is, but it looks to me like it has shifted over and same component on the drivers side is pushed over in the same direction. Once again, I'm not a mechanic, but I would think that the these things should be centered on whatever these are. Thoughts anyone?

 

I wouldn't assume any symmetry underneath the truck. It could be the cabin was pushed to the driver's side, but you would see that discrepancy in uneven cabin-bed gaps.

Yeah, C-pillar damage could be a write off. It is still repairable via drilling out the welding spots and replacing the whole quarter panel, but that's a lot of work, so it may be just cheaper for insurance to total it. Though repair is technically doable and it can even be in Toyota's lengthy repair manual, like it was 20 years ago.