Last May my girlfriend had an accident in her '96 Lumina. Driver pulled out left fast and swiped her front left. Damage wasn't too bad. Threw in a new tail light, hammered the steel bumper and hood back in to shape, and got a new plastic bumper and fender from the local junkyard.
Best part was the insurance company totaled it and let her keep it for 1400 bucks. Repairs only cost $185! :biggthump Back on the road to this day and running strong.
However after picking up three jobs and on the verge on moving in to her first place, she humbly requested to use the Ex to get her to work and back. Thought to myself, theres no way another accident would possibly happen. Our explorers are invincible, aren't they? Well, a mere FOUR days after I lent it to her, she pulled a late shift and made the tired drive home. Halfway into the journey the '03 kissed a telephone pole.
My understanding is: She drifted to sleep just at the right moment - the right of the front right corner drifted into the pole, and the wheel was turned right. The pole caught the wheel, ripped it back in to the fenderwell where it pressed in the side of the frame and pushed in the passenger foot area up into the cabin. The upper ball joint shred apart, the inner tie rod bent and tore off the mount location on the steering knuckle, and the bushing side of the lower control arm got twisted and pulled out as well as the crossmember side of the control arm bent the flag-bolt. The shock in the strut bent, and the sway bar link broke. Finally, the wheel, knuckle, and cv axle got ripped out of the front diff, and in the process took half the axle tube with it. All of which got catapulted a quarter mile behind the accident. She (the Ex) got pushed in to the opposite lane (no traffic thank God), but she (the Gf) somehow steered her (the Ex) back in to the right lane where - by some sick joke of cosmic forces - a beautiful parallel park was executed with the sidewalk. I said earlier she slept at the right moment, because had it been a second earlier, the FRONT of the front right corner would have made contact with the pole, which would have gone IN to the engine bay, set off the airbags, and potentially have done damage to her (the Gf), as opposed to glancing off.
Not a scratch on the woman in either accident. Just a small bruise, gone in two days. Thankfulness for her miraculous safety far outweighed my criticism of her driving so tired as well as the state of the Ex. When the day is done, none of our trucks mean peanuts to the safety of those riding in them.
But it got better. After taking the following day off of work (due to grievance, of course
) to sort through the insurance, I come to the realization that neither plan will cover anything 
. I elected not to purchased collision because of the rates for drivers under 6yrs (in Mass) were astronomical. I instead pay for limited collision, which will cover me with the usual deductible as long as I am not at fault. I stood by the decision that if I were to ever be the one at fault, then I made my choice by 'getting what I deserve'. She has the same plan as me (same insurer too), so there was no coverage on her part either. I was previously under the impression that her coverage line of '$100,000 for Damage to Someone Else's Property' would be applicable here since she damaged 'my' property, but because it was a single-car accident it didn't apply.
After a day of true grievance, I brought it home from the tow yard. Chatted with the owner who mentioned, 'don't get rid of this. with only 90K on the engine and purring like a kitten as you said, don't get rid of it. A shop is gonna bleed you 5-7 grand, but take your time over the summer [summah] and you can get it back on the road for only a couple.' All in a classy, exaggerated Boston accent of course.
The girlfriend was, needless to say, a basketcase after the accident - in terms of feeling horrible for having ruined the Ex. Always reminding her that the Ex means nothing if she isn't safe, I omitted the information regarding the fix. Unbeknownst to her, the truck is just about road ready (summer project got extended due to school and work). She'll be needing a new pair of shorts when I surprise her with the same truck lifted and fixed. She cared a lot about the truck, even before the accident, so the repair becomes a great piece of closure for her. (And I love surprises)
And that's the rant. Figured I'd spin a yarn for you all and keep things interesting. A follow up to all of this (in a separate thread) will come in a few weeks when it's all over and on the road.
-Dubya
Best part was the insurance company totaled it and let her keep it for 1400 bucks. Repairs only cost $185! :biggthump Back on the road to this day and running strong.
However after picking up three jobs and on the verge on moving in to her first place, she humbly requested to use the Ex to get her to work and back. Thought to myself, theres no way another accident would possibly happen. Our explorers are invincible, aren't they? Well, a mere FOUR days after I lent it to her, she pulled a late shift and made the tired drive home. Halfway into the journey the '03 kissed a telephone pole.
My understanding is: She drifted to sleep just at the right moment - the right of the front right corner drifted into the pole, and the wheel was turned right. The pole caught the wheel, ripped it back in to the fenderwell where it pressed in the side of the frame and pushed in the passenger foot area up into the cabin. The upper ball joint shred apart, the inner tie rod bent and tore off the mount location on the steering knuckle, and the bushing side of the lower control arm got twisted and pulled out as well as the crossmember side of the control arm bent the flag-bolt. The shock in the strut bent, and the sway bar link broke. Finally, the wheel, knuckle, and cv axle got ripped out of the front diff, and in the process took half the axle tube with it. All of which got catapulted a quarter mile behind the accident. She (the Ex) got pushed in to the opposite lane (no traffic thank God), but she (the Gf) somehow steered her (the Ex) back in to the right lane where - by some sick joke of cosmic forces - a beautiful parallel park was executed with the sidewalk. I said earlier she slept at the right moment, because had it been a second earlier, the FRONT of the front right corner would have made contact with the pole, which would have gone IN to the engine bay, set off the airbags, and potentially have done damage to her (the Gf), as opposed to glancing off.
Not a scratch on the woman in either accident. Just a small bruise, gone in two days. Thankfulness for her miraculous safety far outweighed my criticism of her driving so tired as well as the state of the Ex. When the day is done, none of our trucks mean peanuts to the safety of those riding in them.
But it got better. After taking the following day off of work (due to grievance, of course
) to sort through the insurance, I come to the realization that neither plan will cover anything . I elected not to purchased collision because of the rates for drivers under 6yrs (in Mass) were astronomical. I instead pay for limited collision, which will cover me with the usual deductible as long as I am not at fault. I stood by the decision that if I were to ever be the one at fault, then I made my choice by 'getting what I deserve'. She has the same plan as me (same insurer too), so there was no coverage on her part either. I was previously under the impression that her coverage line of '$100,000 for Damage to Someone Else's Property' would be applicable here since she damaged 'my' property, but because it was a single-car accident it didn't apply.After a day of true grievance, I brought it home from the tow yard. Chatted with the owner who mentioned, 'don't get rid of this. with only 90K on the engine and purring like a kitten as you said, don't get rid of it. A shop is gonna bleed you 5-7 grand, but take your time over the summer [summah] and you can get it back on the road for only a couple.' All in a classy, exaggerated Boston accent of course.
The girlfriend was, needless to say, a basketcase after the accident - in terms of feeling horrible for having ruined the Ex. Always reminding her that the Ex means nothing if she isn't safe, I omitted the information regarding the fix. Unbeknownst to her, the truck is just about road ready (summer project got extended due to school and work). She'll be needing a new pair of shorts when I surprise her with the same truck lifted and fixed. She cared a lot about the truck, even before the accident, so the repair becomes a great piece of closure for her. (And I love surprises
)And that's the rant. Figured I'd spin a yarn for you all and keep things interesting. A follow up to all of this (in a separate thread) will come in a few weeks when it's all over and on the road.
-Dubya
