Was rear ended last week. I was stopped for a light, the guy behind me (97 Dodge Dakota) never even slowed. It was about a 35mph hit which went over the top of the rear bumper and centered on the license plate. (Thanks oversize rims/tires!) Oh, and he had no bumper- just 2x6es.

I felt like someone had reached out and given me a one handed shove in the middle of my back.

The hatch crumpled, the rear quarters crumpled, the bumper cover flew off from the rebound, the drivers seat frame bent, the rear glass fell out (glad I had tint on it!). Total intrusion was about four inches. The unibody was bent upwards enough that straightening would be needed. The body/door gap at the rear of the rear doors disappeared.

Sadly, the car is being totaled by the insurance company.

Sorry, no pics right now.

I wanted to share my impression of the crash performance with the community. The car performed wonderfully - the hit missed the bumper entirely, yet there was so little intrusion that there would have been no injury to anyone in the rear seats. And this was a hit by a loaded pickup truck with total brake failure.

I experienced so little of the crash forces that I never got stiff, sore or bruised.

Thanks to the folks at Honda for their good design and craftsmanship!!

Off to the dealership for a replacement!

 

Glad you're ok...

 

damn!

glad to hear you're ok.

 

sorry to hear it. GO TO SEE A DOCTOR

 

Glad your ok and that the other driver had insurance

 

Definitely go see a doctor just to be safe, glad your ok

 

Now that's a FitFreak! (Glad you're OK!) Already thinking about the dealership and analyzed/described how the car held up. Never mind the bruises.

Thanks for sharing the blow-by-blow description. Almost looked like a slow motion movie running in my head ala Inception or Source Code... Did the airbags deploy? If so which ones? Just curious.

But seriously, glad you're OK!

 

THANK YOU to all for the concern over my well-being. It is much appreciated!


Actually, the other driver was uninsured (and received a criminal court summons for it). My own policy covers this - and since it was not my fault, there will be no deductible.


No airbags deployed. My body never came close to where any of them would have been, either. For that matter, this was that exceptional incident where the seatbelt made no difference, as I never bounced into it.

With the way the seatback bent rearward, my upper body moved fairly little, and by the time my body was moving faster than the car (due to my brakes slowing me back down) I was in a fairly reclined position.


I am currently in discussions with the ins co. regarding the estimate to repair, and the vehicle's value - by state regulations, totaling is determined by Actual Cash Value < (Salvage Value + Repair Cost). When the field adjuster wrote the estimate, he came in $600 over the line to total. I (finally!) got a hold of the estimate, and have found a few things in it that bump the total higher than it should be. For example, the hatch license plate garnish is more costly in TW than in my car's BBP, and the part number used was TW. The biggest thing I found is that the hatch was estimated using individual dealer parts vs. an entire assembly from a scrapyard - $1300 difference right there, found at a local yard. (SSM, but the paint work was already on there for the individual pieces.)


I definitely want my baby fixed not scrapped. She just needs some TLC, and I have a skilled body shop willing to take good care of her. They are working with me on this whole process, and are currently providing me with steeply discounted indoor storage, since the ins. co. has stopped paying for it. (Ins co wanted me to consent to scrapping before they even gave me a valuation - as if!)


I WILL have pictures of all this for you folks at some point- I promise!

 

ooo man, personally i don't recommend chassis straightening no matter how good your bodyshop is... it just won't handle the same... for me, whenever a crash is bad enough to bend the chassis, that is time to move on...

 

The bend was minor, and all in the vertical. When I drove it home after the initial hit, it felt perfect.

I'm not into AutoX or any other push the limits kind of driving, I just enjoy my 30 mile each way commute.

It also happens that I have first hand experience with this shop's straightening skills- a few years ago my sister's Civic was rear ended. The damage to the chassis was similar, and after the shop was done, it handles better than before she got hit. Her tires wear better (more evenly) now than they did when the car was new too.

I hear what you're saying, but after due consideration of my driving style, I feel there won't be enough of a potential downside to bother me. Thanks though!

 

I wouldn't want it fixed. It wont ever be the same. Especially if it was totaled and you want it adjusted down. If they give you a salvage title, after it's all said and done, the insurance will only cover it for half the value after you get it back, but still charge you full price on coverage. So if you do get totaled out again you will only get half of market value for the car. I would see what they want to give you before pushing to get it fixed because market value on these cars are still so good.