[RIP.Kiki]

I was rear ended while sitting at a red light last week. A JEEP Grand Cherokee slammed into the back corner of the passenger side, making it undriveable (hit by an older gentleman who “didn’t see us”). Luckily I have dashcams for the front and back, so it captured everything and the guy admitted he was at fault and was very polite about it.
Insurance still hasn’t gotten back as to whether they’re going to repair or total it, so I thought I could maybe get some opinions here to prep myself. Hurt my heart taking pictures and seeing it get towed away, I spent the first two years of my first real 9-5 job paying it off, named it, vacuumed it every month, washed it regularly…I really really hope it’s repairable!

(pushed all the way into the next lane! Good thing there weren’t any other cars there)

 

[FlNiro]

Glad your ok, that's the most important thing. I hope your dealing with the other persons insurance company and not your own since he caused the accident. If you deal with your company it will show up as a "claim" on your records even though your company will subrogate it to their insurance. What ever don't let emotion cloud your judgement. From the pics it looks like maybe your gonna have rear suspension damage and maybe ever structural damage. Hopefully they will total it and you can get a new car. If your friendly with a Kia dealer maybe they can help you making sure your get the correct number for your car. Don't wait for the insurance company bug the **** out of them for action. They should be paying for a rental (your might be still making payments on your car that your denied use of due to the other guys negligence, you need to go to work and to the doctor to get checked out, keep mentioning that). If it gets fixed make sure your the one that can choose a body shop. Make sure you get a good one. Good luck.

 

[jmurphEV]

If the rear doors don't open smoothly then the structure is buckled and it'll likely be totaled.

While I agree with @FlNiro in principle that going through the other driver's insurance is a good idea don't be afraid to loop yours in if you feel you are getting a raw deal. We had a similar situation where the other driver's insurance company tried to low-ball us on the value of our car. Could I have fought it myself? Maybe, but I pay premiums for a reason. Insurance companies have teams of flesh eating lawyers kept starving in dark rooms for just this type of situation. I just called my company, submitted a claim, got a fair value and several months later got a check for my deductible back after my guys pummled the other driver's in arbitration. My rates didn't really change much if at all as a result and I didn't have to do anything but make one more phone call. If you don't have a big history of claims then getting creamed by one old geezer won't do much harm to your risk profile. I tend to err on the side of lowering my own stress and letting the professionals deal with it when I can. YMMV obviously. Good luck and hopefully you get it sorted out quickly.

 

[Bob.is.Here]

Also Demand a second party survey (body shop) of the car before accepting it. I had a truck that was hit from the rear and the frame was bent. The garage just put some Bondo on it and let it go. It tracked like a crab on the street, however they had adjusted the alignment off center to compensate so it felt ok while driving it off the lot. They called me on a Friday to pick it up late (closing time) in the day. The following week I took it back and was told that I must have hit a big hole in the road. The long story short, It took 3 more months and 2 law firms to get the truck totaled and a check for a replacement. The check was prorated at first and I had to get another lawyer involved to get the full value for the truck.

Come to find out that the insurance adjuster and the body shop were greasing each other hands and taking a cut. The insurance adjuster went to jail and the shop had their license revoked, but was was under new ownership the next week and never missed a beet (funny how that works). I would never sign another another paper for accepting a auto that had been repaired again with out a test drive to another shop to inspect the repairs. Or take some one with you that can survey the fix and test drive it with someone following you for a mile or two.

 

[FlNiro]

I should have also added.....If you get any kind of push back from the insurance company consult a GOOD lawyer. Unfortunately in this day and age it seems you need lawyers for everything to protect your interests. Remember personal injury means more than just physical, your also injured personally in other ways like your pocketbook and other things that may have escaped your train of thought.

 

[D-zone]

Luckily I have dashcams for the front and back

RIP.Kiki, are your dashcams installed by Kia, per the LX trim, or did you go on your own to have them installed? I only have the rear-view camera. I wonder if it even saves images, such as when a rear-end collision occurs, and how to get them out from the info system for evidence purposes.

 

[RIP.Kiki]

Glad your ok, that's the most important thing. I hope your dealing with the other persons insurance company and not your own since he caused the accident. If you deal with your company it will show up as a "claim" on your records even though your company will subrogate it to their insurance. What ever don't let emotion cloud your judgement. From the pics it looks like maybe your gonna have rear suspension damage and maybe ever structural damage. Hopefully they will total it and you can get a new car. If your friendly with a Kia dealer maybe they can help you making sure your get the correct number for your car. Don't wait for the insurance company bug the **** out of them for action. They should be paying for a rental (your might be still making payments on your car that your denied use of due to the other guys negligence, you need to go to work and to the doctor to get checked out, keep mentioning that). If it gets fixed make sure your the one that can choose a body shop. Make sure you get a good one. Good luck.

Thank you for the advice! Currently I have the claim submitted with the other party’s insurance. I do have a rental, though I’ve had to tell them to provide me with a comparable car like a compact suv rather than the basic sedan. Doctor appointment is lined up and the Norm Reeves collision center by my place has a decent amount of good reviews. Hope it goes smoothly but I’ve started looking around dealerships in my area for the 2023 Niros just in case. Thank you again!

 

[RIP.Kiki]

If the rear doors don't open smoothly then the structure is buckled and it'll likely be totaled.

While I agree with @FlNiro in principle that going through the other driver's insurance is a good idea don't be afraid to loop yours in if you feel you are getting a raw deal. We had a similar situation where the other driver's insurance company tried to low-ball us on the value of our car. Could I have fought it myself? Maybe, but I pay premiums for a reason. Insurance companies have teams of flesh eating lawyers kept starving in dark rooms for just this type of situation. I just called my company, submitted a claim, got a fair value and several months later got a check for my deductible back after my guys pummled the other driver's in arbitration. My rates didn't really change much if at all as a result and I didn't have to do anything but make one more phone call. If you don't have a big history of claims then getting creamed by one old geezer won't do much harm to your risk profile. I tend to err on the side of lowering my own stress and letting the professionals deal with it when I can. YMMV obviously. Good luck and hopefully you get it sorted out quickly.

Oh.. That’s what I was worried about, since the other party’s insurance seems to be dragging their feet, I wondered if they were going to give me a value way below my expectation. It was still a baby, just 27,660 miles! This is my first time being involved in an accident so I’m kinda in the dark with how things should go, I have over 50 tabs open with google. Did you have to cancel the claim with the other party’s insurance in order to open one with your own insurance? Thank you for the advice!

 

[RIP.Kiki]

Also Demand a second party survey (body shop) of the car before accepting it. I had a truck that was hit from the rear and the frame was bent. The garage just put some Bondo on it and let it go. It tracked like a crab on the street, however they had adjusted the alignment off center to compensate so it felt ok while driving it off the lot. They called me on a Friday to pick it up late (closing time) in the day. The following week I took it back and was told that I must have hit a big hole in the road. The long story short, It took 3 more months and 2 law firms to get the truck totaled and a check for a replacement. The check was prorated at first and I had to get another lawyer involved to get the full value for the truck.

Come to find out that the insurance adjuster and the body shop were greasing each other hands and taking a cut. The insurance adjuster went to jail and the shop had their license revoked, but was was under new ownership the next week and never missed a beet (funny how that works). I would never sign another another paper for accepting a auto that had been repaired again with out a test drive to another shop to inspect the repairs. Or take some one with you that can survey the fix and test drive it with someone following you for a mile or two.

Oh wow, I really hoped that my car was repairable but it sounds like the easiest way to get through all of this is to have them total it. I feel like I’m putting down a loyal steed thinking about it, but maybe it would be for the best. Thank you for the advice, I’ll definitely get a second party to check over any repairs! There are a couple of KIA service centers/certified KIA body shops I know of that aren’t too far.

 

[RIP.Kiki]

I should have also added.....If you get any kind of push back from the insurance company consult a GOOD lawyer. Unfortunately in this day and age it seems you need lawyers for everything to protect your interests. Remember personal injury means more than just physical, your also injured personally in other ways like your pocketbook and other things that may have escaped your train of thought.

Will do! I’ve had a few coworkers refer me to lawyers that helped them in similar accidents that I’m keeping on hand. There’s a whole list of expenses that I’ve been putting into an excel sheet to keep track of like the researched averaged ACV, license registration, vehicle registration, sales tax, diminished value, loss of wages, etc.

 

[jmurphEV]

Oh.. That’s what I was worried about, since the other party’s insurance seems to be dragging their feet, I wondered if they were going to give me a value way below my expectation. It was still a baby, just 27,660 miles! This is my first time being involved in an accident so I’m kinda in the dark with how things should go, I have over 50 tabs open with google. Did you have to cancel the claim with the other party’s insurance in order to open one with your own insurance? Thank you for the advice!

I would just think you should just call your insurance and start a claim. You can explain that you've contacted the other driver's company and they can help you from there. In my case I just refused the other companies estimate and let my company handle it.

 

[RIP.Kiki]

RIP.Kiki, are your dashcams installed by Kia, per the LX trim, or did you go on your own to have them installed? I only have the rear-view camera. I wonder if it even saves images, such as when a rear-end collision occurs, and how to get them out from the info system for evidence purposes.

I installed my dashcams myself, the VIOFO A129 Pro that I got off Amazon. You do have to purchase the micro sd card separately, but Best Buy has sales pretty often. I got them in November 2021, so after all this time I was kinda thinking that spending about $200 maybe wasn’t worth it, but now it’s saved me thousands of dollars so I don’t regret it at all! I don’t believe the camera view that shows up when you reverse records anything, it’s just to help you to see behind. Maybe on the more premium trims they do?

 

[RIP.Kiki]

I would just think you should just call your insurance and start a claim. You can explain that you've contacted the other driver's company and they can help you from there. In my case I just refused the other companies estimate and let my company handle it.

Ahh I see, okay thank you very much!

 

[Sstr Maria]

Same thing happened to me sitting on I-76 in in backed up Philly traffic returning from the beach to central PA. A car hit me on the rear corner on the driver's side and then backed up and took off down an exit ramp (it was a hit and run). I could tell it was a maroon sedan with 3 male occupants, but other than that I had no evidence. Damage looked similar to yours. After I bent back some sheet metal that was rubbing on the tire, my Niro was driveable, so I drove home and filed a claim. After 2 weeks in the shop, my car was repaired. I was lucky the impact was not harder, or it could have ended up much worse.

 

[RIP.Kiki]

Same thing happened to me sitting on I-76 in in backed up Philly traffic returning from the beach to central PA. A car hit me on the rear corner on the driver's side and then backed up and took off down an exit ramp (it was a hit and run). I could tell it was a maroon sedan with 3 male occupants, but other than that I had no evidence. Damage looked similar to yours. After I bent back some sheet metal that was rubbing on the tire, my Niro was driveable, so I drove home and filed a claim. After 2 weeks in the shop, my car was repaired. I was lucky the impact was not harder, or it could have ended up much worse.

I’m glad your car was repairable! Those guys are horrible, seriously, a hit and run? I think some of the whiplash force was dissipated by getting the corner hit instead of dead on in the back, glad you’re okay too!

 

[kia_niro_bob]

RIP.Kiki, sorry for your accident, and hopefully your dashcam data will help if needed. I'm concened how the wheel definitely looks off. I wouldn't cancel the other person's insurance company working on the issue, but would contact my insurance agent (I have an agent that is in my neighborhood and will talk to him or assistant (who I prefer since she is very knowledgeable and in more than my agent)... Not that I have submitted any claims... LOL

 

[Academiguy]

Oh wow, I really hoped that my car was repairable but it sounds like the easiest way to get through all of this is to have them total it. I feel like I’m putting down a loyal steed thinking about it, but maybe it would be for the best. Thank you for the advice, I’ll definitely get a second party to check over any repairs! There are a couple of KIA service centers/certified KIA body shops I know of that aren’t too far.

As much as you were attached to the car, at this point you have to detach emotionally and think of it as a twisted hunk of metal. If it can be fixed, great. If it’s totaled, fine. The important thing is that you are taken care of, physically, and made whole, financially.

 

[RIP.Kiki]

RIP.Kiki, sorry for your accident, and hopefully your dashcam data will help if needed. I'm concened how the wheel definitely looks off. I wouldn't cancel the other person's insurance company working on the issue, but would contact my insurance agent (I have an agent that is in my neighborhood and will talk to him or assistant (who I prefer since she is very knowledgeable and in more than my agent)... Not that I have submitted any claims... LOL

If I don’t hear from them by tomorrow afternoon (adjuster hours are 8-5CT M-F) I will definitely contact my own insurance to reopen my claim with them. Thank you for the advice!

 

[RIP.Kiki]

As much as you were attached to the car, at this point you have to detach emotionally and think of it as a twisted hunk of metal. If it can be fixed, great. If it’s totaled, fine. The important thing is that you are taken care of, physically, and made whole, financially.

Yes, I blame Toy Story and the Brave Little Toaster for making me so sentimentally attached. People can’t be replaced though, so it did its job well in keeping us safe. I’ll think of it fondly in my memories and start asking around for quotes in case it is to be totaled.

 

[markjosh51]

I was rear ended while sitting at a red light last week. A JEEP Grand Cherokee slammed into the back corner of the passenger side, making it undriveable (hit by an older gentleman who “didn’t see us”). Luckily I have dashcams for the front and back, so it captured everything and the guy admitted he was at fault and was very polite about it.
Insurance still hasn’t gotten back as to whether they’re going to repair or total it, so I thought I could maybe get some opinions here to prep myself. Hurt my heart taking pictures and seeing it get towed away, I spent the first two years of my first real 9-5 job paying it off, named it, vacuumed it every month, washed it regularly…I really really hope it’s repairable! View attachment 8302
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(pushed all the way into the next lane! Good thing there weren’t any other cars there)

I think that even if they do repair it really well, it’s going to have a lot of handling/alignment issues. I would just total it.