Hope that everyone in Prime is doing well, it has been a long time since I have been on the boards or at the SCA events but I am/was still loving my car. Anyway, long story short, my immaculate 1995 T was rear ended this past Thursday on Jamboree and Dupont in Irvine. Drunk driver in a Mercedes decided that the red light didn't apply to her even though I was at a standstill red for quite a while. I saw her coming in the rear view mirror at full speed so I gunned the engine at the last second trying to get to the turn lane on my left, unfortunately I was too late and she clipped my passenger side corner of my car and pin balled into the Audi next to me. I am afraid that the damage to my beauty is not cosmetic but I survived so I can't complain. Also, lots of spectators and witnesses (including 5 police cars, ambulance and fire truck) and drunk was hauled off with her car. To get to the point, there is no question on culpability here, but I am not sure how to move forward. I have a police report number, but I didn't get the drunk's insurance info since she was being extracted from the car into a stretcher and pretty much out of it. I had my car flat bedded to my house until I can deal with the insurance issues. While I am very attached to the car, as we all are on Prime, the extent of the damage may mean I have to part with her, not sure. If not, I intend to check out MV Designz and/or Bell's for the work. Anyway, if anyone out there has been through this type of situation please let me know what pitfalls/issues I can expect to deal with. I understand that I may be lowballed up front on a settlement. I may sue the driver in any event....:frown:
After Driving My NSX for 10 Years, Rear Ended By A Drunk Driver on Jamboree
- Thread starter redrocket
- Start date
Hope that everyone in Prime is doing well, it has been a long time since I have been on the boards or at the SCA events but I am/was still loving my car. Anyway, long story short, my immaculate 1995 T was rear ended this past Thursday on Jamboree and Dupont in Irvine. Drunk driver in a Mercedes decided that the red light didn't apply to her even though I was at a standstill red for quite a while. I saw her coming in the rear view mirror at full speed so I gunned the engine at the last second trying to get to the turn lane on my left, unfortunately I was too late and she clipped my passenger side corner of my car and pin balled into the Audi next to me. I am afraid that the damage to my beauty is not cosmetic but I survived so I can't complain. Also, lots of spectators and witnesses (including 5 police cars, ambulance and fire truck) and drunk was hauled off with her car. To get to the point, there is no question on culpability here, but I am not sure how to move forward. I have a police report number, but I didn't get the drunk's insurance info since she was being extracted from the car into a stretcher and pretty much out of it. I had my car flat bedded to my house until I can deal with the insurance issues. While I am very attached to the car, as we all are on Prime, the extent of the damage may mean I have to part with her, not sure. If not, I intend to check out MV Designz and/or Bell's for the work. Anyway, if anyone out there has been through this type of situation please let me know what pitfalls/issues I can expect to deal with. I understand that I may be lowballed up front on a settlement. I may sue the driver in any event....:frown:
i'm sorry to hear that about your car. just tell your situation to your insurance company. they may be able to find out info on the other person's insurance with the police report.
Last edited:
I would just let your insurance deal with her (insurance). It wouldn't be a hit and run.
Danny
Danny
I'm sorry for your loss, I'm glad you are okay, I know you may not be thinking about this right now, but please in the near future, submit your VIN# so that we can add it to the "salvage/totaled" list of NSXs.....
Again we feel your pain, and there is always another NSX in the community for you to enjoy... cheers.
Again we feel your pain, and there is always another NSX in the community for you to enjoy... cheers.
Not a hit and run.
You have to just give the police report information to your insurance.
If you have collision insurance on your car, your insurance will take care of you right away. If not, you will have to wait until the police report becomes available. It may take a couple of week for the report to become avail. If you want a copy of the report, just go down to the agency that took the report and ask for a copy. The officers identification number should be on that card you were given.
Don't have it repaired. Just have them salvage the car and fight them for replacement cost. Don't accept any initial offer they give you. Have a complete itemized list of any aftermarket items on the car with the purchase price. Most insurance will tell you aftermarket parts aren't covered, but they really are. They must replace the car in the same exact condition before the accident occured. That includes aftermarket parts.
PM me if you need more info with dealing with insurance.
You have to just give the police report information to your insurance.
If you have collision insurance on your car, your insurance will take care of you right away. If not, you will have to wait until the police report becomes available. It may take a couple of week for the report to become avail. If you want a copy of the report, just go down to the agency that took the report and ask for a copy. The officers identification number should be on that card you were given.
Don't have it repaired. Just have them salvage the car and fight them for replacement cost. Don't accept any initial offer they give you. Have a complete itemized list of any aftermarket items on the car with the purchase price. Most insurance will tell you aftermarket parts aren't covered, but they really are. They must replace the car in the same exact condition before the accident occured. That includes aftermarket parts.
PM me if you need more info with dealing with insurance.
Last edited:
Glad you are o.k. MVDesignz is fantastic!! I had my entire NSX painted there...top notch. However, if there is frame damage, they don't repair torqued frames. Good luck.
Jeff
Jeff
I'm sorry to hear about this. I don't live too far from there and I drive down and cross those streets often. It's scary to know that there are drunks everywhere and you can't do anything about it. Glad no one got seriously injured. Your insurance will cover it. Don't worry! Listen to vsy05 everything he said is pretty spot on. Good luck!
Thanks for all of the support, Prime. I am supposed to get a call from my insurance adjuster tomorrow, so will see what happens (they haven't seen the car yet, but I guess I am assigned to someone to process the claim). I will also get a copy of the police report from the PD. If I do end up settling out and totaling the car, do I still get hit with the almost 10% CA sales tax on a new purchase or can I claim that too? I shouldn't have to come out of pocket on any of this in my mind (and yes, I do have extensive insurance with a reputable company), and if it looks like I will then I guess I will have to sue the drunk driver directly. For now, I will assume that my insurance company is going to act fair, but we will see. Thanks for the input!
Man, I just saw your car and met you for the first time like a month ago!
So sorry for your Loss. :frown:
So sorry for your Loss. :frown:
Im sorry for your loss but good thing is that you're safe and sound. I'm sure you will be able to get in an NSX again. best of luck on this case.
Kevin
Kevin
I forgot to tell you that I'm glad your OK. Property can be replaced.
Your settlement will include tax and license, so don't worry about that. You won't have to sue the driver directly if you have collision and under insured/uninsured coverage. If you have medical coverage on your insurance and your injured you can claim that with your insurance also.
I know what your thinking. You don't want to make a claim with your own insurance because your premiums will go up. This is not usually true. Given you account of the accident, the other driver was 100% at fault. Therefore your insurance premiums will not be effected. Your insurance will handle and pay everything themselves first, and go after the other party insurance or sue other party directly on your behalf. This is why we have insurance, it's their job to take care of you.
But that doesn't mean that your own insurance will deal with you fairly, regarding your claim. If your firm (but don't be offending or rude) with them, you will get everything you want. If you want your car to be totaled and replace, it fairly easy to get with the NSX because it is aluminum and part/repair cost are very high for this car. Don't let the adjuster or your insurance rep. dictate what gets done to your car. IT"S YOUR CAR.
Your settlement will include tax and license, so don't worry about that. You won't have to sue the driver directly if you have collision and under insured/uninsured coverage. If you have medical coverage on your insurance and your injured you can claim that with your insurance also.
I know what your thinking. You don't want to make a claim with your own insurance because your premiums will go up. This is not usually true. Given you account of the accident, the other driver was 100% at fault. Therefore your insurance premiums will not be effected. Your insurance will handle and pay everything themselves first, and go after the other party insurance or sue other party directly on your behalf. This is why we have insurance, it's their job to take care of you.
But that doesn't mean that your own insurance will deal with you fairly, regarding your claim. If your firm (but don't be offending or rude) with them, you will get everything you want. If you want your car to be totaled and replace, it fairly easy to get with the NSX because it is aluminum and part/repair cost are very high for this car. Don't let the adjuster or your insurance rep. dictate what gets done to your car. IT"S YOUR CAR.
So sorry brother...I am always afraid of being hit from behind by some tool...thank the stars that you are ok.
God's Speed
Dam
God's Speed
Dam
Sorry to hear about your car. Its good that you were able to escape serious injury. Best of luck on getting the right settlement from your insurance compay.
I put in a lengthy message only to lose it when trying to do spell check.
Anyway, a couple of points
Do your homework and contact a number of dealers and ask them to estimate what your car will cost you if they find it and sell it to you. Expect that it would go through their shop and everything would be to spec. You can also check the various book values and just use the retail price as a starting point. These prices will tend to be on the low side.
If the unibody is damaged then it should be salvaged. You cannot fix a damaged unibody car and guarantee the body will provide the protection it was intended to. If it is not then you should only consider replacing the panels---no bondo. You need to search out an approved aluminum body shop. All parts should be new not rebuilt or junkyard. Keep all receipts, Take pictures of everything during the repair process. Your repaired exotic will lose some of its value because of a repair. So pictures will help the new buyer see exactly what happened. Some dealers will not take a repaired vehicle in as a trade, cause they can not guarantee the repair. So be adivised.
When painting the car do not feather in the paint. It will show in a couple of years of sitting in the sun. Paint whole panels and make sure they use the factory paint formula. You can choose to have a place fix the car and another to paint the car. You may want them to remove complete items to paint rather than paint on the car. Overspray is a real turn off to prospective buyers-assuming someday you will sell your car.
An appropriate rental car should be paid for by the other guy's insurance if you did not carry rental car insurance. The rental car should not be a clunker either. Don't go to Enterprise cause that is what you will get. Do Hertz or Avis
Be calm and informed and you should get through this.
Regards,
Manny
Anyway, a couple of points
Do your homework and contact a number of dealers and ask them to estimate what your car will cost you if they find it and sell it to you. Expect that it would go through their shop and everything would be to spec. You can also check the various book values and just use the retail price as a starting point. These prices will tend to be on the low side.
If the unibody is damaged then it should be salvaged. You cannot fix a damaged unibody car and guarantee the body will provide the protection it was intended to. If it is not then you should only consider replacing the panels---no bondo. You need to search out an approved aluminum body shop. All parts should be new not rebuilt or junkyard. Keep all receipts, Take pictures of everything during the repair process. Your repaired exotic will lose some of its value because of a repair. So pictures will help the new buyer see exactly what happened. Some dealers will not take a repaired vehicle in as a trade, cause they can not guarantee the repair. So be adivised.
When painting the car do not feather in the paint. It will show in a couple of years of sitting in the sun. Paint whole panels and make sure they use the factory paint formula. You can choose to have a place fix the car and another to paint the car. You may want them to remove complete items to paint rather than paint on the car. Overspray is a real turn off to prospective buyers-assuming someday you will sell your car.
An appropriate rental car should be paid for by the other guy's insurance if you did not carry rental car insurance. The rental car should not be a clunker either. Don't go to Enterprise cause that is what you will get. Do Hertz or Avis
Be calm and informed and you should get through this.
Regards,
Manny
hey whats up, be very careful when reporting to the insurance company. Ive been in a few accidents and they really skimped out fixing certain things on the car. They treat your car as any other car and not take into consideration that the car is made ouf of aluminum and therefore requires special care and paint process. If i were you, i would just get an attorney to take care of your case. It wont cost you any money, in fact they can make you some extra cash to get mods and also make sure that you get everything on your car repaired for correctly. Not only that, if the car is deemed as Total Loss, the lawyer can negotiate a higher value for your car rather than getting an intermdiate value. Please update on what is going on. Id like to see what happens with your situation, Im also in orange county too and this stuff happens all the time
Yo bro, sorry to hear your lost. I am glad that you are okay though. 
Be firm with your insurance company and hope to see you soon with your new NSX!!!!:wink::wink:
Be firm with your insurance company and hope to see you soon with your new NSX!!!!:wink::wink:OK, here is the latest, no frame damage and I got an approved estimate to replace rear bumper, passenger quarter panel, passenger rocker panel, other related pieces and a bunch of suspension parts. All new OEM parts, no corners cut, anything that could have been impacted is being replaced new. I had Bells do a tear down and Shane at Autowave also came over to look at it when it was apart. Both Shane and Bells recommended that I don't push to total it because the repair is not complicated and there is no unibody damage. My insurance co has been great and has not fought me on anything so far. I could probably push to total but is that worth it? Alternatively, has anyone out there gone ahead with the repair and then tried to recover the "accident depreciation?" Everyone is ready to move forward with the repairs, but I just want to know my options before I give the go ahead. I am going to speak with my insurance co tomorrow about the depreciation factor, but wanted the heads up if anyone has been successful on that front.
The depreciation resulting from repairing the vehicle is difficult to determine. It might be a matter of someone deciding not to purchase versus someone else. Some folks are turned off by the knowledge that a major accident occurred. It is ususally because they do not know what they do not know. You can bridge the gap by taking a lot of pictures and clearly proving that the car has been properly repaired. The other big issue is paint quality. Most repair shops will paint the new panel and then try and feather in to the adjacent panels. It can work but it also depends on the quality of paint etcetera and how the car is taken care of. If you leave it out in the sun a lot then the paint that was recently applied will probably look different from the the rest of the car. So in my mind this is the biggest area of concern. The original paint was heat cured over many process steps. This is where I would argue for getting the car back to its original appearance. If the rest of the car has excellent paint then you need to have someone do the work who is really good. Ask Steve Riter for his guy in San Pedro. I think this guy has been painting for many years and does a fantastic job on NSXs. If your paint is bad then you might want to consider how much it would cost to repaint the whole car. That way it will look great from any vantage point. Just my 2 cents.
Manny
Manny
I am glad that you are okay, and hope that your baby is fixed soon and returned to you to enjoy.
On a different note, I normally am not a litigious individual, but I hate drunk drivers with a passion, so I would take every opportunity to sock this dumba$$ for all that they are worth and collect a settlement. You should be able to do this quite easily if she was that blitzed, and maybe...just maybe...hitting that moron in the pocketbook will make her think twice before drink and driving again. Because next time, she may kill someone, and sadly most people only care about things when they cost them lots of money.
On a different note, I normally am not a litigious individual, but I hate drunk drivers with a passion, so I would take every opportunity to sock this dumba$$ for all that they are worth and collect a settlement. You should be able to do this quite easily if she was that blitzed, and maybe...just maybe...hitting that moron in the pocketbook will make her think twice before drink and driving again. Because next time, she may kill someone, and sadly most people only care about things when they cost them lots of money.
Question to the group....what amount of $$ as a total settlement would you be satisfied with for an impeccable fully-documented 95 T red/tan 5 spd. with around 85K miles and all services to date including tb, wp and anything else that has leaked or looked like it was failing? Thanks.
I would think you should ask for the current market value or find what others in similar condition have sold for. I once had this very situation (not an NSX) but I was able to show the insurance company others like mine for sale in the paper and that mine was kept up and in tiptop shape. I got my price. In auto insurance it's all negotiable, you don't have to accept their offer if you don't think it's fair.
Similar threads
