Alex,
Your dealer's body shop will have laser devices to determine the condition
of your frame. No, you don't have to live with it like that if it can't be
fixed. If your insurance company were to try and give you a hard time about
it, just tell them you're going to talk to your lawyer. If the other party
doesn't have any assets it will be your insurance that will need to recover.
You may want to talk to a lawyer anyway, one of those that only collects if
you win. The lawyer will determine whether it's worth it to sue. The good
side is, they have to fix the truck (within reason) to your satisfaction.
The bad side is, if they can't and have to total it, you're only going to
recover current blue book value of the truck. I've had friends in the same
situation. Some have gained and some have lost. We're all happy you're
okay.....except for the stewing. Best of luck to you.
Ron
00 SLT QC 4X2 5.9 46RE 3.55 LSD
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-dakota-truck@BUFFNET.NET
[mailto:owner-dakota-truck@BUFFNET.NET]On Behalf Of Alex Harris
Sent: Saturday, August 12, 2000 2:40 PM
To: dakota-truck@BUFFNET.NET
Subject: DML: RE: My brand new Dak got crunched.
Hey DML'ers --
Thanks for the words of wisdom so far. I'm assuming these yahoos don't have
any insurance; I think the one guy I kept at the scene was an illegal, he
didn't speak English and didn't have an SSN or green card. In 20 years of
driving I've never had to use my insurance, so I don't really know how it
all shakes out, but I do have uninsured/underinsured. If I don't have to pay
the deductible I'll be very pleased. If the insurance co. will handle the
suing end of things that's equally delightful. I have Geico, anyone have
experience with their claims department? I'm also checking with my company
to see if they have any programs for this, since I was out on business when
I got hit.
The bigger issue is that I bought a new truck, and I want my truck to be
like new. To this end I want to cover every base to make sure there's no
permanent or long-term effects of this accident.
After taking a closer look in the light of day, I did notice that the bed
had been knocked into the cab, and the cab is dented on both sides and the
paint is cracked and chipped. The bumper is crooked (closer to the body on
one end), so I crawled under the truck and saw that the bumpers have no
"crumple zone" or whatever, the bumper is bolted solidly to the frame. I saw
no evidence of bent bumper parts or mounts. So if the bumper's crooked, does
that mean my frame is probably crooked?
I can't see owning a new car for seven weeks and then living with damaged
goods forever, while I pay off the umpty-thousand dollars I owe on it. Can I
take it to the dealer and say "if you can't make this truck like it just
rolled off the line, I don't want it back?" Does this argument carry any
weight? Am I entitled to getting my truck back like new or not at all? What
if we disagree on what's "like new?" It seems like I could remind 'em, that
the insurance is paying for it, not them, so speak up if anything's at all
wrong.
Thanks for your time addressing my worries, this has me really freaked, and
of course they can't do anything until Monday so I have the whole weekend to
stew about it. I appreciate the backup.
And I was gonna install my homebrew K&N today... grrr!
Thanks,
- Alex
00 RC SLT V6 5-Speed
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