Totaled Taco: what comes next?

It was raining and the road was slick. I entered the corner with a little too much speed for the rainy and oily conditions and the rear of the truck began to fishtail to the left. Thinking myself a savvy driver, I tried to correct for that slide and overcorrected, sending my truck the other direction. I tried to correct for that slide and before I knew it I collided head on with a taxicab in the oncoming lane. My truck was turned 180 degrees, my month old Badlands Baja Bumper acting as a life-saving fulcrum. My door would not open, so I climbed out the window, racing to the taxicab to see if the driver was ok. He was shaking and in shock so I called 911 and the paramedics were on their way. The Police, Fire Department and some EMT's showed up, got the situation under control and I went to examine the damages done. My truck was ruined. The bumper was bent down to the flattened driver's side tire, the frame had irreparable damage, the radiator had been punctured and coolant covered the ground. The front body panels were folded in, the headlights smashed, the grille ruined, and the wiring to the battery ripped out. The wildernest had flown open during the crash, cracked in every place it was mounted to the truck and almost flew off entirely. The reason I escaped relatively unscathed was my bumper. The shape of the majority of the bumper remains unchanged from when it was new, the only issue being the way it attaches to the frame. The frame ends, however, were totally mangled and twisted. The superior quality and durability of Badlands bumpers is the reason I am able to type this today.

My beloved truck is dead, along with it a large part of myself.

What happens next? At this point, I can not say.

 

think i will go buy a badlands bumper after this riveting tale. glad you're alright

 

To give you an idea of what it looked like before...

 

First, glad you're fine.
But, who gives a fuck about your truck? I'd be more concerned with the opposing driver and learning to drive more safe based on conditions.
Bumpers can be replaced. People cannot.

 

Other driver is ok. He was in shock at the time and ended up leaving with nothing more than a minor concussion and a little blood from the airbag. I am more worried abouthis well being than anything else in my life at this point, but I figured that discussing the finer points of someone's medical recovery was not necessarily a topic for a build thread, pardon me if I'm wrong. This was more than a truck to me, just as I'm sure that yours is more than a truck to you. I had the better portion of my money and time of the last few years invested into that truck, which was my first car, and now it is nothing more than a pile of steel in a towyard.

 

What's next? You'll be working closely with the insurance company to get things resolved. Hopefully, it won't take very long to get you back on the road again.

Hopefully the taxi driver is OK....but... worse case scenario, the taxi driver (and/or his insurance company) might seek pain & suffering. A lawyer could be involved....

You shouldn't have to worry about anything, just make sure you are in full communication with your insurance company and they are keeping you informed of what's occurring & why. Don't sign anything until you fully understand what's occurring (legally).

Glad to hear you're OK.....that's all that really matters!!