2013 Toyota Tacoma, Loaned to my brother and he wrecked it..

Hey guys

I have a Black 2013 DCLB 4x4 TRD Sport, and over the weekend while i was losing money in vegas, my brother wanted to borrow my truck.

I let him borrow it and he lost control in the rain and went into a ditch crossing over the opposite direction traffic lane before stopping. Due to CA law the insurance follows the owner, so I am responsible for the claim.

No injuries/damage to property except my truck...Il post some pictures..sorry for the quality you will have to deal with..!

My main questions are..

If the frame is bent (the truck bed is cockeyed, not sure if its just twisted on the mounts) what kind of estimate should I expect? I have a feeling with the value of the truck they won't total it, so now I'm stuck with a diminished value vehicle.

The front end is pretty much all damaged except for the front right fender. the undercarriage area as shown is also bent, and the radiator support is bent and appears to be leaking automatic transmission fluid from the oil cooler...Is the front bar where the tow hook is attached a portion of the frame?

Any suggestions to me when going through the claims process to make it so I don't get so screwed? I'm kind of already in a bad position...I am put at fault, I can't claim diminished value, and I am confident they won't total even though it may be substantial damage.


Anyways, here is the link to the pictures..I am so frustrated, but there is nothing I can do.

http://imgur.com/a/Cb7yI#0

 

Your brother deserves a good ole' fashion brotherly ass beating...

 

Shit.

 

It's just a truck...so long as your brother is alright.

 

hope your brother is okay. if the frame is bent, i would push to have the truck totaled out if you can. driving a basically brand new truck for a long life ahead with a repaired frame is not something i would be happy about.

 

LOL

 

If your frame is racked out-of-square, they can straighten it... the frame being bent will be a different story though.

 

Yeah, you can only get diminished value when you're not at fault for the accident, unfortunately.

 

Sounds like a total might be possible. Glad your brother is okay. Shit place to be.

 

I LOLD , thank you for cheering me up.

 

I hope that I can get her totaled to be honest, I feel the same way. First car I have bought new and I will be driving a vehicle that had pretty substantial damage repaired early in its life. As an aircraft mechanic I know there is always damage that cannot be seen, and I'm going to do my best to persuade the appraiser..

Yeah what he said, I can't do anything about it, even though he was driving and he is insured...wonderful.

 

Sure is...I made sure he was okay, then I continued to be pissed at him for the accident...It happened on my birthday too!


Happy birthday to me?

 

Il pm you for some help, If it is in fact bent I will attempt the same route. I also tow trailers and use the bed for camping and motorcycles very frequently.

I have USAA so hopefully they aren't known for being dicks, I have had nothing but great service with them up to this point.

 

Got rear ended back in may and the frame was bent...my 06 wasn't totaled and it was about $12k to get the new frame...In all honesty, I hated my truck when I got it back..it didn't seem the same..Had to take it back mutliple times to get it back to shape..I will say, now that its good to go, its better than it was before

don't be worried about the new frame if thats the route your ins. company goes.

As far as dealing with the Ins. company, don't fold to easily..You pay them for this exact reason. You can also PM me any questions that you may have..I am also a licensed Ins. agent in ohio and I can do my best to answer any question you may have. Good luck!

 

Maybe your brother has a hot girlfriend you could borrow to make thing a little better? Sorry your truck got messed up. If it's totaled and you part out I'd be interested in the carpet if it's the dark grey/black.

 

Okay, excuse my ignorance but which parts have the damage..in between the yellow or on the yellow marks?

 

The carcass isn't even cold, yet, you Bastards. First dibs on the seats.

 

One benefit is USAA has a lifetime warranty on any repairs if they are from the accident as long as you use an approved shop...and the rep for the shop said if the car is less than 24 months from production they HAVE to use Toyota OEM parts.

 

this is why you dont let people drive your shit.... its my vehicle I drive it, only about two people id let drive my truck and thats if im in it.

 

Haha vultures!