2 Sweet
HMS 4-life
I've been driving for over 21 years, and never once been in an accident....until today.
Some girl in a Wrangler pulled out right in front of me. I swerved left of center to avoid her, and she ran right into the passenger side of my Escalade. Luckily nobody was hurt, both cars are still drivable, and thankfully she was really pleasant to deal with. She apologized immediately, gave me her phone number, and sent me a text with her policy info. The fact that she actually stopped and is insured was a huge relief.
We didn't call police (Columbus won't take a report unless it's an injury accident) but while I was taking pics of the damage with my phone, I covertly switched it to video and got her on camera admitting it was 100% her fault. I called her insurer (Allstate) when I got home and they told me she already called in a claim, so I think I have all my bases covered.
HOWEVER, I'm 100% expecting them to lowball the value of my car, and although I've never been in this situation before, I'm sure it'll be a huge PITA. Due to the age of the car (it's a 2002, 142k miles) and the cost to fix it, plus repaint (pearl white) I guarantee they will total it. Which is fine with me, because I'll gladly buy it back and either try and fix it myself or pull the motor and part out the rest. Or even use it as a parts vehicle if I replace it with a similar Escalade. Anyway.....
Whenever I get an adjuster assigned to the case, I'll be ready. I don't care what they think it's "worth", all I care about is how much it will cost me to replace it with a similar Escalade with similar mileage in similar condition. I've found several links on Autotrader for reference, and I don't think it's unreasonable to ask for a value above the "median" price. I think that's justified considering almost any vehicle I find with that age/mileage will likely have some kind of issues that the dealer/seller hasn't disclosed, and my Escalade is mechanically flawless. It runs and drives great, and everything works as it should. Finding one as good as mine won't be easy, and I'm sure I'll probably have to travel to get it. Considering all these factors, I'm not asking to be reimbursed for my time and efforts. I'm not pretending to be injured. I'm a reasonable man, and all I want is a check that will be enough to buy something as good as what I have, and I think that's fair, especially since none of this was my fault.
Any feedback would be welcomed. Like I said, I've never been in a wreck before so I'm not familiar with this process, but I wasn't born yesterday. If these insurance jackals want to dick me around and play hardball, they are in for one hell of a fight.
Annnnnd the pics......
Both doors are clearly damaged, the running board and quarter panel are scuffed up, and there's a chunk taken out of the wheel. My concern is that it'll be more severe than just finding a junkyard door and throwing it on there. Looking at the gaps, you can see how the rear door is shifted back quite a bit.
Some girl in a Wrangler pulled out right in front of me. I swerved left of center to avoid her, and she ran right into the passenger side of my Escalade. Luckily nobody was hurt, both cars are still drivable, and thankfully she was really pleasant to deal with. She apologized immediately, gave me her phone number, and sent me a text with her policy info. The fact that she actually stopped and is insured was a huge relief.
We didn't call police (Columbus won't take a report unless it's an injury accident) but while I was taking pics of the damage with my phone, I covertly switched it to video and got her on camera admitting it was 100% her fault. I called her insurer (Allstate) when I got home and they told me she already called in a claim, so I think I have all my bases covered.
HOWEVER, I'm 100% expecting them to lowball the value of my car, and although I've never been in this situation before, I'm sure it'll be a huge PITA. Due to the age of the car (it's a 2002, 142k miles) and the cost to fix it, plus repaint (pearl white) I guarantee they will total it. Which is fine with me, because I'll gladly buy it back and either try and fix it myself or pull the motor and part out the rest. Or even use it as a parts vehicle if I replace it with a similar Escalade. Anyway.....
Whenever I get an adjuster assigned to the case, I'll be ready. I don't care what they think it's "worth", all I care about is how much it will cost me to replace it with a similar Escalade with similar mileage in similar condition. I've found several links on Autotrader for reference, and I don't think it's unreasonable to ask for a value above the "median" price. I think that's justified considering almost any vehicle I find with that age/mileage will likely have some kind of issues that the dealer/seller hasn't disclosed, and my Escalade is mechanically flawless. It runs and drives great, and everything works as it should. Finding one as good as mine won't be easy, and I'm sure I'll probably have to travel to get it. Considering all these factors, I'm not asking to be reimbursed for my time and efforts. I'm not pretending to be injured. I'm a reasonable man, and all I want is a check that will be enough to buy something as good as what I have, and I think that's fair, especially since none of this was my fault.
Any feedback would be welcomed. Like I said, I've never been in a wreck before so I'm not familiar with this process, but I wasn't born yesterday. If these insurance jackals want to dick me around and play hardball, they are in for one hell of a fight.
Annnnnd the pics......
Both doors are clearly damaged, the running board and quarter panel are scuffed up, and there's a chunk taken out of the wheel. My concern is that it'll be more severe than just finding a junkyard door and throwing it on there. Looking at the gaps, you can see how the rear door is shifted back quite a bit.
