I need some advice...my son Brad, was recently rear ended in his classic truck by a school bus ON school property. The bus driver is at fault and Brad is not at fault in any way. As some of you know, we had been fixing this classic truck up and it was running good after lots of hard work getting it dependable by both of us. This truck is not perfect but a good old truck with a cool look to it. The impact did not damage the paint but it appears to have damaged the rear bumper, mounts, steering box, battery and shift column. The force of the impact knocked the battery out of the mount and now the truck is not drivable due to the damaged steering (it initially was).
Since this is an old truck, I do not want to total it out but I fear that this is what they will want to do. Plus, I want to be sure they repair all of the damage. the steering was fine prior to the impact, not it feels like the box is stripped. Not sure about that but it was fine before. Any tips on how to be sure that we don't get taken by the insurance company? The bus driver was 100% at fault and we should not have to pay for his negligence. As it stands now, Brad has not been able to drive the truck for over two weeks. the insurance company is taking it's time getting out to us.
I got rear-ended by a guy a few years ago. In my case, he just sheared the bumper mounting bolts, and dented my rear quarter panels. The truck was "totaled" which means that the cost to repair the damage was more than it was worth. What it really meant was that they were only willing to write me a check for $2600 and call it a day. No one came for the truck, no change to the title was made. I sawed the wrap-around sections of the bumper off, and re-mounted it, and continued to drive it. Sad to say I used the money to pay bills.
The battery issue should be easy enough to address. I'm sure someone on this forum could set you up with an old rear bumper they replaced, and a quick trip to the hardware store will provide the bolts, and mounting a bumper is dead easy assuming that the frame wasn't damaged. I don't have enough experience with steering to be able to comment on that.
Long story short, take it to a mechanic you trust and get a solid quote for the work. It may exceed the monetary value of your truck, but probably not its actual use/emotional value. Get the check from insurance, and decide how you want to invest the funds, and what you want to do yourself as a father/son bonding experience.
Best of luck!
Cheers,
Duane
1971 F100 - Ugly on the outside, but purty under the hood... 1968 Chevrolet Impala - Family car since 1970, My car since I was 16, in need of bodywork/paint, but otherwise straight. 2004 Mini Cooper S - Daily driver and grown up go-kart
Talk to an attorney. Honestly, the insurance company's job is to pay as little as possible and get you to sign off an indemnity to them. You're not an ambulance chaser for doing this, just be patient through the process, get a referral from friends or coworkers to a good lawyer, discuss it with him/her, make sure you TRUST them and see what remedies are available. They can't restore the truck (or your son's state of mind, let alone any injuries - God forbid) to the way it was before, so they should make you whole with money. This is what the law provides for. There's no shame in suing them to accomplish this, and trust me, they'll likely want to settle quickly for a reasonable sum.
1969 F-250 390 Camper Special
Candy Apple Red/Wimbledon White
Tell the attorney to start on a lawsuit against the school, school property on school property used by a school employee was improperly used and damaged your property.
Make the school administration do the work of getting their insurance company to do what they pay them for.
You can stop the lawsuit or settle it at any time until the judge hands down a ruling.
So if they do the right thing you can stop the proceedings.
Be aware that out of court settlements may be taxable, judgements are not.
Tell the attorney that you are not interested in any settlement that does not get that truck returned to the condition it was in before.
I do not know what your state allows for punitive damages but the loss of the use of the truck should be paid for as should lost time and other expenses in dealing with this.
The school and insurance co. are taking advantage of you by not making this right.
... I've got skills, ingenuity and no regard for maintaining any kind of historical preservation/authenticity...
Duaneo has the right answer. Absent alcohol and bodily injury all you have is a property damage claim for $2-3 ,000, not worth any attorneys time. Your own company would tell you the same if you had collision coverage. Unfortunately, sentimentality doesn't count for anything.
67 F100 2wd SB Flareside. 240 I6 3 sp column shift. Originally Dept of Agriculture vehicle, now an urban pinestraw hauler.
An attorney usually won't get involved in a property damage issue since they only get paid a % of the personal injury. Look in your area for comparable vehicles. That is what the insurance company will base the value on. Sorry to say but you will not like the end result. You never get what it is worth to you. Also get estimates. If the repairs are low enough, compared to replacement, you may get it fixed. If they agree to fix it and the body shop finds damage they did not originally estimate, the insurance company can be stuck with the additional cost (not always, insurance companies rule everything from health care costs to the value of your home, vehicle, even your body parts and life). The insurance company is also entitled to have their body shop check out the vehicle but in most states you are not required to use their shop. Check online for your state's laws regarding property damage.
Sorry to hear about the loss but I am glad your son was not hurt. The steering column probably got jammed forward and could be binding.
I have a hard time seeing how the column could have gotten damaged from a rear end event unless there was some underlying issues with the cab mounts. It's hard to tell from the pic but are the mounts in good shape? Did the body lines shift? Can you put a floor jack under the rocker area of the cab and lift the mounts? Can you see any obvious damage to the rag joint area? Loosen the firewall bolts for the column and the dash mounts as well and with the front end off the ground see what's shifting as you turn the wheel.
I don't see any of this being a reason to condemn the truck. Get it driving again while you deal with the insurance folks. Pretty much any bumper up through the early '90's will work on these trucks. Do a salvage yard column grab and rebuild it before putting it in your truck (or tear yours down and post pics for help)
I hate to break it to you guys but the Attorney General just resigned so I don't think your Federal Case is going anywhere soon.
A really nice used bumper, a rag joint kit, and a battery bracket should be what? $500? Add three hours labor at the dealer for another $450 How much was the tow?
I think a hospital trip was needed to get pain&suffering $$$
I had a lady pull out in front of my 69 and wiped out grill, hood, fenders and radiator. Insurance adjuster played that exact game with me. Told me it was just an old truck and if he wanted he could just total it give me $800 and call it done! I called an attorney. He wouldn't bother with my case but he did say not to sign jack until I was satisfied. In my case (state of Arizona) her company had to get me to sign a waiver stating I was satisfied and would never come back and seek more damages. I made it clear I wouldn't be satisfied until my truck was back in my driveway as good as before. plus, since the adjuster keep threatening my with sending my truck to the crusher I submitted a bill for loss of transportation $15/day X 2months was nearly $1k. He finally sent my truck to a body shop I WANTED and agreed to pay my loss of transportation. I sat in his office across from him for an about an hour with neither of us talking and his release on the table between us but he finally agreed to pay.
My advice, don't sign anything until you are satisfied.
I'm on your side when it comes to getting your truck back to the condition it was prior to the accident.
However, based on the only picture I see, this truck was in an accident before. When it was rear ended, did it get pushed into anything?
When trying to play hardball with an agency such as the school district, you might be in for a real game.
When trying to sue "Deep Pockets" you'll lose most every time. Unless there was human harm, drugs and or alcohol involved.
Being rear ended and causing the damage you claim maybe hard to prove. The school district has every right to have that vehicle inspected
for the damages you claim.
If there is rust issues to the cab supports, If there is major rust anywhere that their inspectors can find,
they may give a report back that this vehicle was unsafe to be on the road in the first place.
They can open a can of worms you might not be prepared for.
Insurance: Did you have insurance? if so, is there an agreed amount value of your truck? Classic car insurance is what you needed.
For instants, my truck is fully insured but if it gets totaled I only get the value of my truck regardless what I put into it.
Now let's say I have full coverage with classic car insurance and we have an agreed value of $30,000.00 then that's what I'll get if it's totaled.
(restrictions apply)
Your truck, while it looks cool and to all of us is priceless is not going to get you what you would think.
When you push a government agency, they will push back. And as you know they have time and money on their side.
1964 f100
292 yblock
1969 Ranger
Loving all ford vehicles
It is sad to hear but as long as you can prove fault then it does not matter who you sue. We won a major lawsuit against the state of Georgia cause we did not have to prove fault. We did not look to get rich nor were we arrogant about it. Reasonable heads can come together.
On another note, what was posted above is correct. They'll comb that truck over just be ready with comps. Do your homework. It sucks but with reciepts, a list of what you've done and time it took as well as comps you should come out fine.
Well, update to this story, the insurance company settled and paid almost $2,000 in damages for the truck. I was pleased with the result as it was more than I expected to get. Now, the bad news, it appears the cab mounts were damaged in the impact. That is why the steering is not working properly. I need to look into replacing the cab mounts to get her back on the road.
