Got rear-ended last Wed. - What sholud I do?

So I got rear-ended Wednesday.
young girl, parents said lets pay this w/o ins. Cool, I'll try to keep the labor costs down by replacing the bumper myself, that way I can get a CBI! Got some quotes from $1500 to $1800 to fix it! They want to see if the frame is bent (2 hrs on the rack to measure), plus paint just in front of the bumper (meaning paint the whole q. panel) & then we noticed that the bed is skewed as well! Might be just slipped in the screws or bent brackets. I was looking today & noticed the overload spring was skewed (twisted) about 1/2". I really don't want to make this girl pay for the whole $1500, but is there any way to tell if the frame is indeed bent w/o the rack? I want to try & see what I can do with the bed, but that'll screw-up any case I'd have if this would get ugly.
The bump was us both stopped, I inched forward to check traffic & she thought I'd gone. She was late for something, blah, blah. Anyway, not really a big bump, & we got the sheriff & HP involved. I want to fix my friend!!
Sorry for the book, Has anyone had their spring twisted like this? Is it a big deal? How about the bed misalignment?
I'm torn. I don't want to take advantage of this situation, but I want my truck back the way it was.
I measured between fr. & r. wheels on both sides, about 1/4" diff. I couldn't see any "movement on the u-bolts on the springs.

 

Got any pictures, they may help idk though lol.


EDIT: Ahhh beat me to it lol

 

Pics?

 

I'll take some in the morning, I shoulda known you'd all wanna see carnage!
It's really not all that bad, but sometimes bad is bad.

 

i personally wouldnt skimp. she hit you and she is therefore responsible. i would get quotes and ensure that the frame is not bent BEFORE you settle on a payout, otherwise, you might get really screwed on the deal!

 

Just a thought, since I'm not sure how things work in your part of the world for insurance, but up here, if you get into an accident, you always go to the insurance company, especially if it isn't your fault. As far as being nice goes, the insurance company will give the insured person the option to pay for the damages themselves and thereby not affect their insurance rates.

Again, just throwing that out there because it sounds like that "little bump" could get really expensive really fast as things add up. I'd rather have my truck 100% and them out some cash than be nice and have a messed up ride.

 

In the U.S.A., large companies such as Progressive, Geicko, etc will insure your RISK.

IE - if you call them and tell them something happened, even if there is no payout, your rates could go up due to your risk now being higher due to the incident.

They don't base it on payout down here. They base it on risk of 3-5 years worth of history. All of them now use a centralized system to record risk, not just the DMV records.

So, since it's not your fault, I'd call them and get it taken care of.

For everyone else, if you're at fault, or something happens and you're found at fault even though there is no payout, your premiums could very well change, depending on your history. This happened to me when there wasn't a payout, so I called back and had them repair everything. ;-)

 

i would report it to your insurance before they have the chance to backout of paying or refuse to pay what the estimate is. by then it may be to late to file a claim and the insurance company can refuse to pay.

 

At the very least, get a body color bumper (if you think you would want that). If I remember correctly, the chrome costs more anyway. That's a mistake I made after being rearended, I forgot about doing that.

 

if the cops were involved, I bet your insurance was notified. and I would get it really checked out, some parts are meant to crumple on impact.

 

You're right. When I was rear ended around 15mph, my truck was totaled because the frame was bent and coupled. I would go though my insurance if I were you.

 

If the cops were not involved, I would get them involved quick. In fact, in Illinois you are required to file an accident report if damage is over $500. (IIRC) I bet other states have similar provisions. If you don't file the report, the person who hit you may try to back out of paying later.

Also get pictures of all damage.

As far as having the frame tweaked, you can try to measure diagonal points on either side. If the distances differ, the frame is bent. If they match, then you will need closer examination on a frame rack to detect possible damage.

How are you feeling the next day? Some times stuff like whiplash does not show up right away. If you have any stiffness or other discomfort, you should see a doctor.

 

+1 on the advice of calling the insurance and filing an accident report. If it had been just the bumber, then fine. You are talking about twisted pieces and the outside chance of the frame being bent. No brainer in my eyese.

I hear what you are saying about trying to be nice. Being nice is fine for a little dent. If you feel there might be structual damage, have it looked at. Also remeber, that if you plan to re-sell the accident will drop your asking price. All these things you should consider. You paid good money for your truck, you should have it fixed to exactly the way it was, no excuses. You pay your rates, they pay thier rates. It is why it is called an accident. Shit happens. That is why you carry insurance.

If you insurance company raises your rates due to this, tell them to pound tar. Way too competitive out there to deal with that crap.

 

Make sure the bed didn't hit the back of the cab. You might be feeling good right now about helping out the girl right now. But if your truck isn't fixed right, you're not going to feel so good about it. Especially if it's not paid for.

 

Don't be a nice guy, you will get screwed. File a claim and get the job done by a good bodyshop. Don't try to skimp on frame or possible suspension damage. How you handle this could mean the difference between a truck that is worth something or worth nothing.

 

Agree.

It sounds like the amount of damage sustained is significant and needs to be fully assessed by a qualified professional shop.

Too much on the table to not cover your a$$.

 

When will people learn? I hope it works out for you and you might be chalking this one up to a lesson learned but unless the party involved gives you cash right then and there do not trust them.

I know you want to be the nice guy but learn from the rest of us including myself that have been through the "Let's avoid the insurance and we will pay for the damages" situation. It never works out. Anytime I get in an accident I call the cops, take pictures and notify my insurance carrier.

 

Just for the record... This is exactly what insurance is for.