Hi all,
Unfortunately yesterday while waiting for to make a left hand turn, I was rear ended. Not full on, the driver did hit the brakes and tried to swerve but clipped the rear corner of the car. Not hard enough to knock me off, but hard enough to spin me around in my lane, luckily not into the oncoming traffic, and luckily no one was behind her as I was left sitting in the lane facing at 90 deg. I'm sure she'll simply say "I didn't see him" although her passenger did! He admitted to me that he yelled at her, twice, before she hit the brakes. She just plain old was not paying attention. At least she was cited for reckless driving.
Good news is no one was hurt. EMS responded and turned it over to the state trooper when he showed up. Bad news is I'm worried the hack is a loss. Had to call a flat bed to get it home. The car is a Champion Daytona, 2000 or 2001 model. The tail light is smashed. The outside rear corner is torn up pretty bad. The wheel is cocked in about 25 degrees. The rig looks like it's had a poor set up job, severe toe in and severe lean in. I'm nervous that this may be the result of the car and or bike frame being twisted.
Anyone ever had to deal with insurance companies for claims to a hack before? I have Progressive and so far they've been great. Right on the ball. I contacted them about 5:30pm to report it, got a call within minutes of hanging up from another rep saying the motorcycle division would contact me in the morning, and at 8:15 this morning they did. The rep took all the info and put me on a 3 way call to the other driver's insurance co. (Geico) and we filed the claim with them. To my knowledge the other driver hasn't contacted Geico yet, she had not as off 12:45, and I recieved no confirmation by the end of the day. Guess she's not too worried about it. Meanwhile I have to wait because Geico won't proceed until they get a statement from her. I can't even detach the car from the bike to access the damage until geico decides what happens next.
I just purchased the rig this spring, and after repairs have had it on the road maybe 6 weeks. At least it was an awfully fun 6 weeks. I may not be back on 3 wheels for quite a while as I've only made 2 payments on a 4 year loan for this rig and there's not a snowball's chance in hell I'll get enough out the insurance settlement to cover what I owe.
I'll keep you posted as this unfolds.
Turtle
Glad you were not hurt badly. Sorry about the rig. Welcome to the world of the insurance companies. My wife borrowed my Mazda truck and was hit by a fellow who was driving the biggest U-Haul truck they rent. He had no experience at all. The person in the car behind him was his mother-in-law. He wasn't looking and pushed my wife into a retaining wall as he moved over. Seemed like a pretty good case for us and we even had Gap insurance on the truck. 6 weeks later we were still providing info to the three different insurance companies. My truck was totaled and Gap never paid half of what they had said they would. We ended up paying out about $1500 on the truck as a pay off. Apparently, if the truck had been a Ford, we would not have had it totaled, as the parts are the same, but much cheaper to replace on a Ford than a Mazda. Go figure! Any rate, I lost my truck that had almost no mileage on it, spent countless hours in arguments with the insurance companies, found out the other folks were complete liars and so forth.......I also learned to never let my wife borrow my truck. 🙂
Hope your insurance experience goes better then mine did. It was a very bad one for us, but didn't deal with motorcycles. Just don't believe the truth will be told by the lady who hit you. Forks are real funny that way.
Again, glad no one was seriously hurt. Good luck.
Hello Turtle:
Be carefull in these days!
Depending on your age and health (over 45, diabetics, over weight...) better think about embolism prevention. My grandmother and one of my best friends had a stroke within the first 3 days after an accident....Both passed over being relatively healthy because of a grease plug that came off an arteria.
I myself never had an accident with a rig, but enough cars. Sorry to hear about the damage and the financial bindings. But in deed: feel yourself lucky to be OK. On a solo bike possibly you would be hospitalized.
Insurances seem to be in 70% a pain to deal with. The opponent behaviour is a 50/50 change. "As you shout into the forest, the echo shouts back!" But some people are definitely irresponsible and there you must take care with a firm consequent follow up by yourself. (don't trust your lawyer does his job. They are only good for to charge you - not to charge your opponent)
Since somebody hit my 1960 Willies in 96 I try to arrange things myself without involving the insurance. Result. Better pay and repair (in one occasion within 2 hours) myself then loose many hours of valuable work time following up a transit trial.
(96 I won the trial and never got paid, I would have earned minimum 5 times the amount of my own damage in the time I spent at the court => The Willies is still in the same bad shape because of the negligence of my lawyer...but the door shuts as new...plop.)
Best luck
Sven Peter
My scooter sidecar got bumped from behind about a year after I got it. I was at a red light, stopped dead. Car behind me was stopped. Light turned green, I started moving, she moved faster. Bumped my hack and caused me to pop a small wheelie. All this at 5 mph.
The lady apologized.. said she was looking right at me, the scoot was so cute.. then she HIT me.
Damage was only around $800, but I had to find a metalworker who could straighten the body of the sidecar, and re-do the trunk door. Her insurance didn't argue at all. They had no one who could assess the damage, no experience with scooters. They trusted the guy at the motorcycle shop where I bought the scoot, with finding a reliable repairman. The insurance she had was Geico. Within about 3 weeks I was scooting again.
I'm glad you were not hurt. I suggest continuing to be calm and polite, if you encounter resistance, simply ask to speak with the next person higher up the organization chart.
Originally written by Pat Huey on 8/1/2008 7:21 AM
Glad you were not hurt badly. Sorry about the rig. Welcome to the world of the insurance companies. My wife borrowed my Mazda truck and was hit by a fellow who was driving the biggest U-Haul truck they rent. He had no experience at all. The person in the car behind him was his mother-in-law. He wasn't looking and pushed my wife into a retaining wall as he moved over. Seemed like a pretty good case for us and we even had Gap insurance on the truck. 6 weeks later we were still providing info to the three different insurance companies. My truck was totaled and Gap never paid half of what they had said they would. We ended up paying out about $1500 on the truck as a pay off. Apparently, if the truck had been a Ford, we would not have had it totaled, as the parts are the same, but much cheaper to replace on a Ford than a Mazda. Go figure! Any rate, I lost my truck that had almost no mileage on it, spent countless hours in arguments with the insurance companies, found out the other folks were complete liars and so forth.......I also learned to never let my wife borrow my truck. 🙂
Hope your insurance experience goes better then mine did. It was a very bad one for us, but didn't deal with motorcycles. Just don't believe the truth will be told by the lady who hit you. Forks are real funny that way.
Again, glad no one was seriously hurt. Good luck.
CHANGE ALL CONNECTION BOLTS, CLEAVISES, AND CHECK AND DOUBLE CHECK EVERYTHING AGAIN. I HAD A PICK UP TRUCK HIT ME WHILE MY RIG WAS PARKED. IT CRUSHED ONESIDE AND PUSHED THE WHOLE RIG 3 FEET SIDEWAYS. I AM PRETTY SURE WHEN 2 WEEKS LATER THE BOLT SHEARED OFF , BUT NEVER CHECKED THE CONNECTOR BOLTS AND I THINK THEY WERE DAMAGED IN THE ORIGINAL ACCIDENT. MY 2 CENTS.
What David tells here is TOO true. I had once a scary encounter with a bus and my wifes 1974 Landcruiser because of a sheared of bolt....
Sven
Dang Turtle!
You have had some bad luck with that rig. Good to hear no one was hurt. You might call California Sidecars in the Lynchburg area. They might be able to take on the job of repair or replacement etc... At least you might get some professional help and advice from someone in the area.
Roy
Hello Turtle,
how is it coming out with the insurences and the repair?
Do they move?
Best regards
Sven Peter
Well everything finally got settled. The end result is that I'm in the market for a rig again. Geico decided they didn't want to get into repairing the bike so they totalled the whole rig. I think they would've replaced the sidecar, but a new frame plus any as yet unknown repairs on the bike put it over the top for them. Geico sure isn't wasting any time trying to recoup some of the settlement though, the auction people called me about picking up the rig even before I confirmed the settlement! so the rigs already gone at this point and I'm on two wheels again for now. I'm not giving up on sidecars, they're just too much to drive! Urals are what first got me interested in sidecars in the first place so I might see what I can find out there. In the meantime I'll keep lurking around here!
Ride Safe everyone!
Turtle
Hello Turtle,
Yesterday morning I had to think about your case and about the thing I said: "Drive just as fast as far as you can see!"
On my way to work I was about to take in a Johnny Surtis way monkeying in between bike and sidecar a up going right bend. In the last moment I let of the gas a little, and bang.... in the peek point of the bend a huge 4wheeldrive came up to me in my lane. => Deeper and into the ditch was my only change. (Claude: as you say only with a high old style sidecar that is a good advice, a modern street rig would have had the spark / hook / flip effect)
If I would have gone as I first thought this comment would have come out of the hospital.
So better stay calm... at driving.
Congratulation with the insurance, often it becomes a long story, it seems like you will get a good treatment.
Best regards
Sven Peter
