RIP old friend (Hwy crash and totaled 07 Tahoe)

[Jolly Roger]

I should have named this thread "INSURANCE INSURANCE INSURANCE!!!"

Its been almost a year long fight with them, and its still not over yet. I haven't driven for almost a full year!
PLEASE PLEEASE PLEASE have a long conversation with a trusted insurance agent about YOUR protection!
Ask questions about comprehensive and UNDERinsured protection! You need to factor in your assets too in case its your fault one day.
The other party was so grossly underinsured that we would have been better off if they had no insurance at all!
Our underinsured policy may be the only thing that saves us. Medical bills have piled up and family has stepped in to help us with our bills the best they can. Ive sold all my toys to pay my mortgage and God has blessed us with a garden that feeds us.

 

[Jolly Roger]

Do you think you would have survived this particular crash without the airbags?

And was the Tahoe still driveable?

Yes. Our faces never touched the airbags. The seat belts did all the saving in this particular instance. This is not to say that airbags dont have there place in a crash though. The only thing they accomplished in this crash was giving me chemically induced pneumonia. That was really fun at my sons wedding. I feel guilty complaining at all though. Im alive.

 

[Jolly Roger]

Thank you State Troopers!

So the Tahoe was totaled and impounded due to the involved death. When the insurance company automatically issued a mileage of 200k on it to appraise the value... I got pissed off.
The Tahoe had just hit 100k but their appraiser couldn't turn the Tahoe on to get mileage from the dash.
For safety reasons the impound yard cuts the battery cable.

BUT I HAD A TRICK...

The State Trooper offered to drive to the impound lot to get my mileage for me. I explained that the yard had cut the battery cable but I had a trick up my sleeve...
I installed a dual battery system in the Tahoe and after instructing the Trooper how to engage it with my switch he was able to get a picture of my odometer reading and even started the truck! He said "What a waste!.. the work you have put into this thing is amazing!"

So the dual battery system and State Trooper saved the day!

 

[Geotrash]

Very thankful to be alive.

My wife and I were actually on our way to my sons wedding shower. We were traveling at hwy speeds when a vehicle pulled right in front of us. I had seconds to react, 1.5 according to the black box data.
I remember standing on the breaks. We hit hard. I remember wondering why my wife's air bag was a different color than mine as I felt the centrifugal force spin us around. All I could do is hold on and brace for what I thought was going to be a roll. To my surprise we came to a stop as the air bags deflated. My wife screamed "SMOKE!" I could see it coming through the vents. The Tahoe was no longer running and the emergency flashers had automatically been activated. I didnt know where we came to rest, last thing I knew we were in the middle of the hwy but I had to get my wife out of the Tahoe. I got my door opened and realized we were on the side of the road now pointing opposite of the direction we were initially heading. My wife's door was jammed but I pried it opened. I checked her from head to toe, she seemed to be ok but in a state of confusion and shock. The smoke had dissipated (probably just airbag powder and coolant) I turned my attention to the other car. By this time there was a line of cars on the hwy. I cut the side curtain airbags away expecting to find the other party just as dazed and confused as my wife and I were. Unfortunately that wasn't what I found. My wife was still sitting in her seat of the Tahoe watching me. I look up at her and shook my head "no". She began to cry.

Its been a long road to recovery. This happened last October and were just now starting to get back to normal life again. I remember that night we both sat on the edge of our bed just kinda staring at the wall gathering our thoughts. Our kids could have very well both been sitting in our living room trying to figure out what to do if we had also died that day.
Our lives have forever changed. Our plans, our priorities and outlook of the time we have left on this earth are all different now.
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Thank you for sharing your story, and I’m glad you’re alive to tell it! RIP to the souls in the other car - a tragedy their loved ones will likely struggle to overcome for years. So sad, and I’m sure they’re on your mind all the time, too.

I’m sorry you’re still fighting the insurance company and that you had to sell all of your toys to make ends meet. That seriously sucks - the whole point of insurance is to indemnify you against loss.

The fact you were both able to walk away is precisely why we drive these vehicles, too. They’re a huge source of security for us driving up/down I-95 where people drive like asshats. We narrowly missed hitting a RAV4 a few years ago, just south of Fredericksburg It was late at night and the RAV4 was hit from behind by a truck and careened in front of us. I slammed on the brakes and thought for sure I hit the guy but when we got out there wasn’t a scratch anywhere. The truck flipped on its side and slid off the road and down an embankment. The guy in the RAV4 was in shock, so we got him and his car off the road. People driving by refused to slow down so we got back in the Yukon and hit the road because we weren’t safe. Everyone was okay, thankfully.

Our daughter was with us, and both my wife and daughter still have ptsd from the event. My wife gets antsy on that road now and my daughter worries every time we drive that stretch of road.

 

[Jolly Roger]

Thank you for sharing your story, and I’m glad you’re alive to tell it! RIP to the souls in the other car - a tragedy their loved ones will likely struggle to overcome for years. So sad, and I’m sure they’re on your mind all the time, too.

I’m sorry you’re still fighting the insurance company and that you had to sell all of your toys to make ends meet. That seriously sucks - the whole point of insurance is to indemnify you against loss.

The fact you were both able to walk away is precisely why we drive these vehicles, too. They’re a huge source of security for us driving up/down I-95 where people drive like asshats. We narrowly missed hitting a RAV4 a few years ago, just south of Fredericksburg It was late at night and the RAV4 was hit from behind by a truck and careened in front of us. I slammed on the brakes and thought for sure I hit the guy but when we got out there wasn’t a scratch anywhere. The truck flipped on its side and slid off the road and down an embankment. The guy in the RAV4 was in shock, so we got him and his car off the road. People driving by refused to slow down so we got back in the Yukon and hit the road because we weren’t safe. Everyone was okay, thankfully.

Our daughter was with us, and both my wife and daughter still have ptsd from the event. My wife gets antsy on that road now and my daughter worries every time we drive that stretch of road.

Absolutely Sir! If by sharing a quick story on here results in someone rethinking their insurance policy, a final decision to add those grill or marker lights they've been contemplating to be more visible on the road, or get their wife or kids out of that Subaru they drive and into a Truck, whatever it is... I hope it helps someone.

We dont give insurance or the possibility of something like this happening to us enough thought. Half of the insurance policy of the at fault party went to the deceased and left us clawing and arguing for what was left of the other half which isn't enough to pay our medical bills or pay back our family who sacrificed to help us out.

Ive spent almost a year reading law articles trying to figure out the system and best argue (beg) for a settlement. The insurance company lied repetitively and ran me through the gauntlet. Its a game plan they have down very well in hopes you'll just cave and give up. Its been mentally exhausting.

Im glad you and yours are safe! The PTSD is real for sure!, we all handle it differently. I was watching something on TV not to long ago that had cars crashing in it. I realized my wife had excused herself and started doing other things in the kitchen where I found her crying. She cant handle the crashing noises. The trash truck set her off a few times as well. Shes not the fragile type of woman either that cries at the drop of a hat.

 

[Jolly Roger]

99% of insurance policies only carry a 25k property damage...AND thats a POTENTIAL payout. They pay what your vehicle was worth 1 second before the crash (according to them not KBB)
IF YOUR VEHICLE IS WORTH MORE THAN the 25k total potential payout and you can prove it, its up to YOU cover the remainder to replace your vehicle. Thats right! If you drive a 80k truck and that drunk driver slams into you, its up to YOU to come up with anything over 25k. Your ONLY recourse is to sue that person for the rest of it, and good luck with that when they drive a 1987 Mazda and live in a trailer court. This is why you need underinsured insurance!

My truck payout was nowhere near 25k. They barely paid KBB for it and refused to pay any extra for ANY of the modifications I had made. This is after they said they would and had me spend a week retrieving and providing receipts and invoices. They also had me arguing the worth of the vehicle by supplying them with "like" vehicles on the market. I could only use dealerships, no FB marketplace. Impossible task with no results so I used out of state listings which they refused and changed my comparables list to "2007 Tahoe with 100k miles in my state only" while they sent me their "found" comparables in my state. I called each of these provided places that they said had a 07 Tahoe with like mileage. THEY DIDNT EXSIST.

One of the places they listed as a dealership that supposedly had a 07 Tahoe with "like mileage" even all the sudden had a listing for one. (6k) I found out that they get paid by insurance companies to provide fake listings for comparatives!!! The whole thing is a scam!

 

[Just Fishing]

Glad you both survived!
looks like the tahoe did really well considering.

It also makes me think i should really light a fire under my ass and get my passenger airbag replaced.

Chrysler sent someone to my house to replace the one in the wrangler.
I wish GM would something like that!

Reading through the insurance bs, it got me wondering. What company is it?


On my wrangler, iirc it was farmers.
That was a frustrating experience.
No injuries, but they never did pay me a cent for the suspension damage.

It probably would have been better if i didn't insist that i do all of the work myself.


For your issue, have you spoken with an attorney?
If you haven't, do it.

 

[LSCALADE]

I love my minivans, they are amazing for family duty but on a number of occasions I had people run red lights, cross into my lane because on the phone etc and that was the primary factor for me to choose to get into the biggest SUV I can find, and after searching for Z71 Suburban for a while I gave up and got an Escalade which is basically the same thing. It blows my mind how people treat you on the road because you are in a big vehicle that will cause a lot of damage if you were to hit them.

Glad you guys are ok, the whole situation is terrible for the other party and your path to recovery, but you will get to buy another one of these and continue to provide that key safety for your family.

 

[Tonyrodz]

99% of insurance policies only carry a 25k property damage...AND thats a POTENTIAL payout. They pay what your vehicle was worth 1 second before the crash (according to them not KBB)
IF YOUR VEHICLE IS WORTH MORE THAN the 25k total potential payout and you can prove it, its up to YOU cover the remainder to replace your vehicle. Thats right! If you drive a 80k truck and that drunk driver slams into you, its up to YOU to come up with anything over 25k. Your ONLY recourse is to sue that person for the rest of it, and good luck with that when they drive a 1987 Mazda and live in a trailer court. This is why you need underinsured insurance!

My truck payout was nowhere near 25k. They barely paid KBB for it and refused to pay any extra for ANY of the modifications I had made. This is after they said they would and had me spend a week retrieving and providing receipts and invoices. They also had me arguing the worth of the vehicle by supplying them with "like" vehicles on the market. I could only use dealerships, no FB marketplace. Impossible task with no results so I used out of state listings which they refused and changed my comparables list to "2007 Tahoe with 100k miles in my state only" while they sent me their "found" comparables in my state. I called each of these provided places that they said had a 07 Tahoe with like mileage. THEY DIDNT EXSIST.

One of the places they listed as a dealership that supposedly had a 07 Tahoe with "like mileage" even all the sudden had a listing for one. (6k) I found out that they get paid by insurance companies to provide fake listings for comparatives!!! The whole thing is a scam!

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If i was you I'd start taking all of your added on parts from your Tahoe. They're not paying you for your extras, so why let them have them for free? If you have your stock wheels swap those too.

 

[Jolly Roger]

If i was you I'd start taking all of your added on parts from your Tahoe. They're not paying you for your extras, so why let them have them for free? If you have your stock wheels swap those too.

It was impounded and I needed a State Trooper to ****** me to retrieve anything from it. It was also buried in snow by that time, neg 30 and I was taking care of my wife who suffered far more than I did from the crash.
I did get them to come up in the settlement price after I claimed I was headed over to strip it. They said if I took anything off of it, it had to be replaced by OEM parts. I told them I was headed over to get my wheels and would replace them with OEM donuts. I honestly didn't even want the wheels after the collision but it was the idea that they refused to pay for them that pissed me off. Not to mention I lost my stereo system, HAM radio and that custom console I built with the secret drawer. So much time put into her!
At the accident scene my son thankfully striped it of all personal belongings.

 

[Jolly Roger]

Glad you both survived!
looks like the tahoe did really well considering.

It also makes me think i should really light a fire under my ass and get my passenger airbag replaced.

Chrysler sent someone to my house to replace the one in the wrangler.
I wish GM would something like that!

Reading through the insurance bs, it got me wondering. What company is it?


On my wrangler, iirc it was farmers.
That was a frustrating experience.
No injuries, but they never did pay me a cent for the suspension damage.

It probably would have been better if i didn't insist that i do all of the work myself.


For your issue, have you spoken with an attorney?
If you haven't, do it.

We had no choice but to get an attorney to fight the insurance Co. for us. The insurance company had lied to us so many times at this point during the property damage portion and was now refusing to give me a copy of the other parties policy. I didn't even know what amount I was fighting for. They gave vague answers and facts over the phone that when I asked for in writing admitted were "opinions". They then disclosed that the driver of the car didn't own the car and was insured with an entire different company. Now we have three insurance companies at play!
Hiring a lawyer is not easy. All but one refused when they found out we didn't go to the hospital via ambulance and we didn't loose limbs. They want PAID! $$$$$$ They also want 1/3rd of the payout.

We're not the suing type of people, so suing the other party was out of the question. And besides, how could we sue a family who had been through such a tragedy and loss of life? (We do unto others...)
We let the attorneys battle it out between the insurance companies. God is in control.

 

[Jolly Roger]

 

[bigrhino]

We had no choice but to get an attorney to fight the insurance Co. for us. The insurance company had lied to us so many times at this point during the property damage portion and was now refusing to give me a copy of the other parties policy. I didn't even know what amount I was fighting for. They gave vague answers and facts over the phone that when I asked for in writing admitted were "opinions". They then disclosed that the driver of the car didn't own the car and was insured with an entire different company. Now we have three insurance companies at play!
Hiring a lawyer is not easy. All but one refused when they found out we didn't go to the hospital via ambulance and we didn't loose limbs. They want PAID! $$$$$$ They also want 1/3rd of the payout.

 

[Tonyrodz]

Unfortunately all people(insurance companies, lawyers, doctors)care about is money

 

[Marky Dissod]

Primary purpose of _____________, is to make money; its 2ndary purpose is whatever it says it actually is.
Y'all'd be annoyed at how many things can fill in that blank and make that sentence true. (Don't mention to your kids before they're ready.)
Today's word is 'insurance', that's why, after paying monthly premiums for several years, an attorney had to get hired,
to convince an insurance firm to pay their client what he is owed.

 

[Jolly Roger]

Primary purpose of _____________, is to make money; its 2ndary purpose is whatever it says it actually is.
Y'all'd be annoyed at how many things can fill in that blank and make that sentence true. (Don't mention to your kids before they're ready.)
Today's word is 'insurance', that's why, after paying monthly premiums for several years, an attorney had to get hired,
to convince an insurance firm to pay their client what he is owed.

I believe many churches could fill that blank.....it also makes me think about the "Mattress Ranch".. Has anyone actually seen a mattress bought there?

 

[mikez71]

... This is after they said they would and had me spend a week retrieving and providing receipts and invoices. They also had me arguing the worth of the vehicle by supplying them with "like" vehicles on the market.

... The whole thing is a scam!

Been through that! Big waste of time!
Why I don't feel like buying any MORE insurance ya know?

 

[Jolly Roger]

Been through that! Big waste of time!
Why I don't feel like buying any MORE insurance ya know?

This is their insurance that was being such a PITA. My insurance so far has been great.

 

[NoNamesLeft]

What a bummer in every way possible. Hope it eventually works out for you.

It was impounded.......

At the accident scene my son thankfully striped it of all personal belongings.

Being impounded is also something people don't think about. I had a car stolen and when it was recovered it went to the impound lot. I went there and looked in the car where there were still some personal items. The vehicle wasn't driveable since they stole the wheels and tires, stereo, etc. Went to the office and was told the impound fee was due before I could retrieve anything from the vehicle. I was like someone stole my car, stole my stuff and now I have to pay to get what is left back?? I was young and nieve and hadn't yet learned the world loves to kick you when your down. The dealer retrieved the vehicle from the impound lot and when I saw it at the dealer many of the personal items had gone missing. Point being, grab anything important out of the vehicle first chance you get because once its out of your possession who knows who will have access to help themselves to your stuff.

Thanks for sharing your story. I'll have to check our insurance since I assumed it would pick up any medical the at fault person's insurance won't cover. We are also a no fault state so again I assume our insurance would cover the medical related to the accident.

 

[Jolly Roger]

What a bummer in every way possible. Hope it eventually works out for you.



Being impounded is also something people don't think about. I had a car stolen and when it was recovered it went to the impound lot. I went there and looked in the car where there were still some personal items. The vehicle wasn't driveable since they stole the wheels and tires, stereo, etc. Went to the office and was told the impound fee was due before I could retrieve anything from the vehicle. I was like someone stole my car, stole my stuff and now I have to pay to get what is left back?? I was young and nieve and hadn't yet learned the world loves to kick you when your down. The dealer retrieved the vehicle from the impound lot and when I saw it at the dealer many of the personal items had gone missing. Point being, grab anything important out of the vehicle first chance you get because once its out of your possession who knows who will have access to help themselves to your stuff.

Thanks for sharing your story. I'll have to check our insurance since I assumed it would pick up any medical the at fault person's insurance won't cover. We are also a no fault state so again I assume our insurance would cover the medical related to the accident.

YES YES YES! Call your insurance and get to talking. I cant stress this enough. Term like no fault states vs at fault states should be brought up especially if you live in one of the only 12 "no fault" states. This can be the difference of you and your family losing your home and moving in with the mother-in-law. At that point you'd probably wish you died in the crash!