Totaled my truck today-need advice

[1low4x4]

hey guys. Driving down the freeway today about 3:30 I looked down to set my drink in the console, looked up and a TX Dot truck was about 15' in front of me, moving about 10 mph. I was doin 70mph. He was the "crash truck" that rides behind the sweeper. I saw him, immediately swerved to the right let go of the steering wheel (scared the impact would hurt my joints or something) and hit HARD.

I was so freakin scared. Ive been in this before, with another 2001 truck. I walked away from that one too. In this wreck when I realized I was gonna hit the truck I thought of my baby girl, I thought "Im not ready, why now"!!! I literally thought I was gonna die.

Anyways, trucks totalled. I walked away with a few scratches and cuts. Burns from the airbag dust.

I have a lot done to the truck. Its paid off-I kept full coverage though. I was issued a ticket by the trooper for failure to control speed. Even tho the limit was 70 I guess I shouldve seen the dude. Anyways....I was wonderin how the insurance goes about valuing the vehicle and how much they pay. LAst time I wrecked my other truck it was like 5 years old, and I owed like 11 on it. They gave me like 13,500.

This time its a 10 yr old truck, I did the KBB on it with its miles and options and it is valued at $9,900 in good condition and thru a private sell. Do you think I'll get that or close? I do have an attorney (sister in law) and so she could rep me for free.

I'm SO lucky to be aliv I realize that and I said a thank you prayer but now reality is I need to get another truck. I'm driving old red now.

Will the fact that the wreck was my fault dictate whether I get paid? Or do they have to compensate me either way? Thanks people... ALso, would you consider buying the truck back from the ins after they pay me for it? It has a lot, including the stainless header and exhaust, engine, trans, lowering parts, etc that could be salvaged.

Heres pics

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you can see where I swerved.

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This is what I'm thinking as far as my next truck

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[DirtyC30]

Holy Hell! I've never been in an accident that bad (knock on wood). Glad you hear you're ok, relatively. I do like your pick for your next truck

 

[1low4x4]

Thanks. Heres my last wreck.

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[Irishman999]

Wholly **** dude! Glad to see your okay, that looks like one hell of a ride!

I could be wrong but I think your insurance will pay close to what your kelly blue book is. As far as trying to get your truck back... you might have to go to the wrecking yard and try to buy the truck back from them or take a hit on the insurance money and keep your truck, I say stick a fork in her she's done. I would not even worry about the after market parts, judging by the damage the spindle could be slightly bent and whatever you lowered the back with might be trash now too.

The truck you are looking at is a very cushy ride, A couple years ago I was driving a 2007 Sierra and it was a nice truck. It felt like a couch and had the same extra cab as the one in your picture, My sons car seat fit behind me alright and the little doors that flip open in the back were a nice feature. The motor I had sounded like an animal but was really low on power and the best mileage I ever got was 17mpg. Mine was 2wd and that was the single reason I did not like it.

I think it was only a feature on the GMC models but it had the most irritating climate control ever. I would not buy a truck based on that feature because every morning it pissed me off to no end.

I had remote start which was really cool, but if I left the climate control on say 75 it would be freezing ass cold when I got in the truck. I would crank it up to 85 and by the time I got to work I was roasting my ass off. Changing between the temperatures while driving was hard and distracting and took a while since you have to let it cycle through all the numbers up or down.

Other than the climate control nonsense it was a nice ride.

 

[towman]

insurance companies use nada and another source we don;t have acess to, that will get you real close to what you will get for the truck, plus they pay sales tax on what they give you

 

[Old77]

Wow man!!! Glad that you made it out ok man! I can see how that'd shake you up.

Do you have any pics of the truck that are pretty recent before the wreck. Sometimes they try to low ball you and say your ride was in 'fair' condition prior to the wreck and give you lower value. Definitely fight that and show them pics for proof.

Nice choice on potential next truck!

 

[crazy4offroad]

You may want to check with your insurance company and see if you can go with the adjuster when he looks at the truck so you can show him mods you have done. Maybe get some receipts together and see if they'll let them be submitted but I think it has to be an agreed upon value before the accident as said in some other part of the forum (my4by2's build thread??). If they wont work with you, you may want to shop around for a different insurance company, the big names are less likely to be helpful, but I've had great success with Erie Insurance. And I can't help but wonder why a street sweeper was in the fast lane?? Did they have their warning lights on and signs up? How bad was their truck damaged? You may want to call a lawyer for a free consultation, but that's just me. If it could make the difference of a couple thousand I would do the leg work, hell for even a few hundred lol. As far as buying it back just see what they want for it and try to think if you can make money off reselling the usable mod parts, or re-using them on your new ride.

 

[davbell22602]

The auto insurance companies go by black book value which is half of what KBB values vehicles at.

 

[f1shman]

Anyways, trucks totaled. I walked away with a few scratches and cuts. Burns from the airbag dust.

I'm glad to hear you were able to walk away from the accident and are in good shape considering. When someone tells me about a 70mph accident, I usually think of the worst.

I was wondering how the insurance goes about valuing the vehicle and how much they pay.

Insurance companies pay out by the book. When they total a vehicle they look up the current NADA value for it. Then, if you are collecting from your insurance like I think you'll have to, they will subtract your deductible from that amount. You can haggle with them a little bit based on the condition of the vehicle prior to the accident or if you have had any recent work done, but you won't see them changing the amount by much.

Will the fact that the wreck was my fault dictate whether I get paid? Or do they have to compensate me either way? Thanks people... Also, would you consider buying the truck back from the ins after they pay me for it? It has a lot, including the stainless header and exhaust, engine, trans, lowering parts, etc that could be salvaged.

The accident being your fault will cause you to deal with your insurance company on the matter, that means your deductibles come into play. As far as buying the truck back, I looked at the photos you posted and I couldn't tell how bad off the engine compartment was damaged. If the drivetrain on the truck is still decent it might be worth it to part it out on the side depending on the price the insurance company wants for it and if you have the extra space and time to put towards stripping it.

The truck you are looking at next looks pretty sharp. Just remember to keep it shiny side up.

 

[Old77]

As far as buying the truck back, I looked at the photos you posted and I couldn't tell how bad off the engine compartment was damaged. If the drivetrain on the truck is still decent it might be worth it to part it out on the side depending on the price the insurance company wants for it and if you have the extra space and time to put towards stripping it.

He could take the drive train (if still in good working order) out and put it in a square (or other old iron project)!!!

 

[dhamp]

Whoa! Glad you weren't seriously hurt. Your truck looked pretty bad! Good luck finding the next one. Like Dave said, the ins co usually goes by the black book. I haven't seen 'em go as low as 1/2 of KBB, but they're ALWAYS a good bit lower. Go ahead and print some local ads for some other trucks as close as possible to yours in year, options, mileage, condition, etc in case you find the settlement unacceptably low. They'll usually want to lowball you right off to see if you'll take it, then you have to negotiate with them. Especially if it's not one of the big companies.

 

[1low4x4]

I have state farm. Thanks guys for all the replies. Today I had blurred vision, headache and nausea. Thought it might be a concussion so I went to the ER. Doc said it could be a mild concussion but not worth a 1000 dollar CT scan. Said if I feel this way tomorrow come back.

I remember when I wrecked the red truck...it was 5 years old and 130,000 miles. They (farmers) gave me $13,500 for it, and I owed like 11 on it.

Hopefully they won't try to screw me too much. I have a lawyer so I'm not worried

 

[Old77]

Did you hit your head on the door window?

 

[1low4x4]

Dont think so!!! When I saw the truck, I yelled "OH ****!!!" and swerved to the right, thought the worst, and let go of the wheel cause I was afraid of impact. I hit hard and thought my arms were broken cause they were numb, probably because of the airbag hitting them. I heard that you can get a concussion sometimes from impact to your body as well as your head.

 

[Old77]

Yeah, that makes sense I'm surprised you don't have whiplash or something....