Hit something on the freeway, need advice

MacManInfi

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Ugh. So tonight on the way home from dinner, the freeway was pretty busy. I was getting ready to take my exit, following a SUV (can't get away from them in SoCal), and out from under the SUV I see what looks like a garbage bag full of who knows what. No time to change lanes and I hit it. I knew it was going to be bad. Saw three other cars pulled over that must have ran over the same thing. I took the next exit and took a look. Not good.

Front bumper is toast. Besides the paint, it has a nice crack in the bottom. There is a bracket on the front right hand side, in the wheelwell that is bent. The whole bumper is pushed down and to the right. Right headlight is pushed under the bumper, pointing downwards, and left headlight is ontop of the bumper, pointing upwards. Hood and everything else looks fine. Lost the fog light lense on the right hand side.

So here's my question. I'm gonna call my insurance agent tomorrow and see what they say, but in hopes of getting sleep tonight I thought I'd ask and see if anyone knows. If I claim this, will my insurance go up? Am I considered to be at fault? If yes, then I was thinking I'd just buy a used red front bumper and buy whatever else is broken or bent (bracket) and fix it myself. My deductable is $500.

It's hard not to start diving in there, taking stuff apart just so I can get a head start on fixing it, but I don't wanna do that if I'm going to claim it. What do you guys think?

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GTS02

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If you claim it on insurance. the damage will follow the car on carfax for the life of the car. It would be smarter to fix it without claiming it if you can.
 

big-n-italian

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i also hit something last year on the highway. paid the deductible, everything was taken care of. ins did not go up in my case.

<< "I was getting ready to take my exit, following a SUV (can't get away from them in SoCal), and out from under the SUV I see what looks like a garbage bag full of who knows what. No time to change lanes and I hit it." >>

tell them EXACTLY this. this is what ins is for.
 

Buckeye Viper

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Tough call.

My daily driver had a similar accident (in socal, of course).

My insurance agent told me that there are two situations.

1. Where something hits your car that is moving.
2. Where it is already on the road and you run over it.

The agent said for:

1. This is, I believe, a comprehensive claim and is covered and will not increase rates.
2. This is not covered.

However, it might change depending on insurance agents.
 

cyaford

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Are you sure the bag didn't fall off of another car? Or maybe the object you hit was "moving" when you hit it?

Like the guy above said, I've heard that if you hit a stationary object, the rules are different. They could raise your rates, or they could possibly cancel you. Then again, this is all hearsay. I wish you luck.
 

4B Viper

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Something very similar happened to me. Not sure if this is different from state to state, but I'm in CA as well, so here is the real scoop.

Reporting it to your insurance WILL NOT make it go on Carfax. Only accidents where an accident report was filed with the CHP will appear on Carfax. I guess it's pretty obvious krazy4u2 doesn't know the cost of repairs for a Viper. The body shop's bill for fixing the front fascia, headlight and a rim and a few misc. things totaled to about $17,500.

Anyway, Buckeye is correct. here it is simply put:

If the thing you hit is stationary, you are at fault.
If the thing you hit is in motion, it is not your fault.

This is what the body shop guy said I should have told the insurance company to not be at fault: Either the bag of stuff fell out of a car and it was moving when you hit it, or another car hit it and it came at you when you hit it. It is actually in one of the motor vehicle codes that you are at fault for hitting a stationary object since you should have been travelling at a speed to have avoided it.

Or you could be honest and report it as it was with your insurance. My insurance premium did not raise noticeably. According to my insurance agent, if you're at fault. a claim is a claim, so how big or little the repair costs are don't affect the increase in your premiums.
 
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MacManInfi

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Thanks. The car was just starting to look like it was mine. :)

Who's bright idea was it to go eat at the Pasta Connection for dinner anyhow? Ah yeah, that'd be me. Bad belly!

Yeah, really ***** bad. It's the first real incident I've ever had in one of my vehicles and it just had to be the Viper. :( The biggest let down is just that I won't be able to drive it for a long while. Gonna be suffering withdrawals. Hey, maybe I'll save some money on gas! The Pantera gets 15mpg instead of 13. :hitfan:
 

GTS02

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Reporting it to your insurance WILL NOT make it go on Carfax.

The reason I say the accident may go on carfax is because I have a chevy truck that was totaly ruined by dogs triing catch a Racoon on top of my truck. The entire Paint was damaged and alot of wiring pulled from under the chassis. No I didn't report it to the police but I claimed it with my state farm agent now its on my carfax report( when a car is flood damaged and not reported to the police and just the ins co isn't it listed as a flood damaged auto by central computer?). and yes I relize the cost of a Viper repair, new parts or salvage its still expensive. I was only refering to the carfax based on my personal experience. (Not triing to dis your commentary)
:D
 

RoadiJeff

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Tell your agent a truck ran over it in the next lane and knocked it into your path. Therefore, it was moving when you ran over it.
 

RedOne

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I would NOT turn it into the insurance if at all possible. Like it has been mentioned earlier, if you turn it in to ins it WILL show up on carfax. There in no explenation of the details, It will just be reported as "repair facility" just as if it was a 15K claim.

That will effect the value of your car down the road... Instead of having a repainted/replaced bumper, of which can be almost be impossible to tell it has been done (if done right), The carfax will show an accident indicator which you will always have to explain...
 

big-n-italian

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I would NOT turn it into the insurance if at all possible.

this sounds easy, but like 4B said, this may end up being a $15,000+/- expense. if you dont turn it into the ins co, the repair bill has to be paid out of pocket. i would rather pay the $500, and risk the carfax report alert.
and if a carfax alert did show up, i dont think it is that big of a deal, and the impact on future value would be small if fixed correctly. in other words, DONT do it yourself. now a salvage title is a differnet story of course.

you guys are also right about whether or not the item was stationary. it is best if the item was moving on impact.
 

ViperJohn

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I feel for you. I have had to run over a dead animal and a tractor trailer tire. I ran over the dead animal the first day I owned my car, I ran over the tire the first time I drove the car after getting the fascia repainted.

I cannot comment on how the insurance company will handle the claim.

With regards to the fascia. I would pop the hood and check to see if the plastic X-mas trees have pulled out on the top of the fascia. I would also check the plastic screws the hold the front inner fender wells in place. For the most part the fascia is mounted pretty flimsy.

I would also get the car up on a lift to check under the fascia and the rest of the car. I would want to know more about the damage before making a decision on trying to fix myself.

Good luck!
 

GTS02

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When looking close at the photo it looks like the top half of your snout is not damaged ( just hanging ). not sure if the front snout is two piece ( top & bottom ). if so , the lower part is a must replacement. Like ViperJohn said get it up in the air and look it over. Don't know your skills or if you have body work friends but it wouldn't be a bad idea to get a repair quote before deciding to claim it. Basically claiming is the last option when its too damaged or the cost is to prohibiting to do it inhouse.
 

C-Note

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If I was you I would turn this in to the insurance, and keep good documentation and pictures of the damage and the repairs just in case you do get a car fax indicator.
 

DEVILDOG

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Like you said the bag came out from under an SUV in front of you so it had to be moving from that impact and was thrown in front of your car. I'd file a claim and get it properly fixed. You pay for insurance so use it. You also need to get the car on a lift and get it thoroughly inspected. Good luck!
 
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MacManInfi

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I feel for you. I have had to run over a dead animal and a tractor trailer tire. I ran over the dead animal the first day I owned my car, I ran over the tire the first time I drove the car after getting the fascia repainted.

Wow! That's some tough luck you have there. You play the lottery?... yikes!

On the plus side, I'll have a front bumper with nooooo scratches.
 

Saint_Spinner

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I hit an animal with my NSX. Whole front bumper was destroyed. FIled with insurance, insurance took care of everything. No raise in premium (happened about year and a half ago) and nothing showed up on carfax. I'm in L.A.

BTW, to the other poster, the bumpers on GEN IIs are one piece. They look like two pieces, but is just one huge front bumper....bummer, really.
 

93Cobra

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Hey Chris,

That really *****! If this would have happened to me I would pay the deductible and have the insurance company cover it. Also, I would be looking for a reputable place to have the damages fixed.

As far as the Carfax concern, I would take some pics of the damages and if you ever decide to sell it, you should be fine. Try to take pics after the fascia is removed so you can confirm that moreless its cosmetic.
 

Klayfish

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Hopefully, I can help out here. I'm a manager of an auto claims unit for a large insurance company, so I deal with this kind of stuff day in and day out.

Don't ask your insurance agent if you're at fault or not, they don't make that decision. Their job is to sell policies. The claims department will make the liability decision. All too often, I get a call from an insured who tells me "My agent said xxxxxx about my claim and...." and the agent is actually not correct. That's not a slam on agents, I have a good relationship with our agents, but they don't have input on a liability decision and are often not claims experts.

Read your policy carefully to see if it will be a comprehensive claim or a collision claim. The policy language will spell it out. If you need help, let me know. From what you've said, it's most likely a collision loss, but again, read the policy. Just because it's a collision claim doesn't mean you'll be listed at fault, or your rates will go up. Your claims adjuster can certainly make it a not at fault loss. I don't work in underwriting, so I don't know all the calcuations that go into it, but if you're not at fault, it shouldn't effect your rates, or only minimally if it does.

If you report the claim, it most certainly can, and likely will, show up on Carfax. The info 4B Viper posted is not correct. The police do not need to be involved. I don't konw if Carfax gets info from police departments. They might, and if they do, it's possible a police report could make it show up. But insurance companies report their claims to a central database (almost all insurance companies use this). Carfax subscribes to this database and pulls it's info from there. So if it's turned into insurance, good chance it'll show up on Carfax.

As has been said, this is exactly what insurance is for. Turn it in, let them handle it. The repair sounds like it could get pretty costly and you'll be in over your head quickly. Lastly, tell them exactly what happened. Don't make it up or falsify anything. You're risking an awful lot when you do that....it's not worth the gamble. Before I was a manager, I spent many years as an insurance investigator. Trust me, it's not worth it.

Let me know if I can help at all. Best of luck.

Steve
 

VPRVENM97

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Before you go the insurance route or the "pay out of your pocket" route, try filing a claim with Caltrans. They are resposible for keeping the roads clear of debris. If the CHP call logs show that callers have called in and reported the debris in the roadway and Caltrans failed to remove it in a timely manner then they may cover it. There's a $5K limit for this route. I know it's a long shot but at least its worth a shot. With $5K you might be able to find a used facia and repaint it. I know a new OEM front facia from a dealer is somewhere north of $10K.

Click here for Caltrans claim form
 

Warfang

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Klayfish and VPRVENM97: Thanks for the info... you guys make being a member here a pleasure. :2tu:

As for carfax... a small accident like that can't possibly devalue the car by that much...it's not the same as a salvage. Trying to keep it off carfax makes it no better than the Florida "Resurrection Edition" Vipers. :D

I prefer a little honesty in the cars I buy... a little bump like that (although expensive), wouldn't deter me from buying it, but if I bought it and you tell me it's never been in an accident, and I somehow find out it was... what's your integrity worth?
 

EllowViper

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Characterize the incident this way when talking to your agent. If the bag-o-trash would have glanced off and broken your windshied, it would have been a comprehensive loss. What's the difference if it glances off your facia and damages that vice your windshield. Just an angle to throw back if needed (I know glass covereage is usually specifically called-out in policies...so I may be just as full of trash...JMO).
 
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One other thing you need to be aware of is that the fascia is held inplace by the fiberglass radiator support in the front and it can be damaged easily from a hit like this. Look for any small cracks that may be present. In time this can affect the fit of the front fascia to the hood. This can be very expensive to repair so be aware.

Mark
 

V10SpeedLuvr

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Tough call.

My daily driver had a similar accident (in socal, of course).

My insurance agent told me that there are two situations.

1. Where something hits your car that is moving.
2. Where it is already on the road and you run over it.

The agent said for:

1. This is, I believe, a comprehensive claim and is covered and will not increase rates.
2. This is not covered.

However, it might change depending on insurance agents.

I hit a stationary object in my DD about 1.5 years ago. Luckily, the truck who was hauling it had pulled over down the road when he noticed he had lost it. It was hit by a few cars and we all pulled over. One guy told me the driver of the truck had pulled over down the road so I caught up with him, called the police and made an accident report. His insurace company, Progressive, were useless pices of crap, so I just let my insurance co. (Geico) pay for the damage ($3k) and they got their money back from Progressive after they FINALLY admitted fault. I wouldn't insure a child's wagon with Progressive... :curse:
 

VIPER 93

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tire tread from a truck hit my CLK $3500 damage no raise in rates, $500 deductable. AAA
 
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