One less first gen out on the roads...

Well guys... So this happened this past Wednesday. I was waiting in traffic, with two cars in front of me and one behind me, all stopped for the car in the front to turn left across traffic in a place where they weren't supposed to. The Trailblazer in the back slammed into the silver Prius, pushing it forwards into the back of my truck hard enough that I slammed into the car in front of me. Luckily nobody was hurt badly (Prius driver had a concussion and the lady in the car in the front of me had some back pain) and I was a little tight, but that was it. Overall, it could have been a lot worse.

So here's the damage. My truck is currently sitting in a salvage yard and the preliminary answer is that it's totaled, but nothing is supposed to be finalized until early next week.


The rear bumper is rotated almost 180 degrees inward, denting both corners of the bed pretty good. The truck was still driveable at slow speeds if I was careful, but the rear axle was pushed slightly forward.




The back left corner of the bed is an inch or two higher than the other corners. There's also a spot where the top part of the C-channel of the frame bulged slightly. The tailgate also barely opens anymore.





The bed was pushed up into the cab on both sides - the cab is dented inward and there's cracking paint and the seam started to buckle in the center of the picture.


Damage in the front was minimal - one of my led pod lights broke off inward, and there's this dent in the front bumper.

But don't worry guys, if my truck is totaled I'll be back in another first gen soon!

 

Wow sorry to hear and glad you’re OK. Edit: The Prius driver probably had the concussion before the accident (he did buy a Prius)

 

Thanks. It's been hectic and stressful but I'm glad I'm alright!

 

Haha true His Prius got sandwiched pretty badly as you can tell, and all four of his doors were bent and jammed shut so the EMT's had to use a giant pry bar to get the door open.

 

buy another one!

 

The driver in the Trailblazer was sleeping. I think he should be held accountable. He should be tried and sent to jail for a couple of years for reckless driving.

There is no accountability on the roads anymore. When a crash (there are very few "accidents") occurs, the insurance fights and pays, and the persons responsible go on their merry ways. Consider yourself lucky if the driver of the Trailblazer doesn't sue you for being in the way.

 

Well, at least you'll have a parts truck for the new Taco. Or part it out and make some good money.

 

He was probably texting

 

I will! If this one ends up being totaled, that's the plan.

 

@wade01taco is thinking about selling his.

 

Could have been. He certainly wasn't paying much attention to hit the Prius that hard.

 

That sucks, OP. Another episode of you can do everything right and still be stuck in the middle of a retard sandwich at any moment.

 

Glad you're ok

 

No! Not another one down.

Main things is there were no serious injuries. Those Prius crumple zones worked overtime.

With the damage you describe, sounds likely to be totaled. Time to find another and begin the journey anew.

Good luck.

 

Yes, I would say that is totaled, in the eyes of the insurance company. But, it surely looks like a fairly easily repairable. Looks like all of the damage would be back of the rear diff, other than the dings to the back of the cab. If it is good mechanically, would be a nice repair project. IMO

 

Agreed - should be totaled, but I’m awaiting a final answer. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time or resources to repair it myself, but I’m sure if it’s totaled it’ll be bought at auction and repaired.

 

I don't know if it will work the same way for you, but when my old truck was "totaled" by the insurance I had the chance to buy it back for cheap before it was auctioned.

 

Yes, generally, the price to the insured party (owner) is a mere pittance. Worth getting numbers both ways. Could probably sell it whole, as is, for much more than insurance would deduct from final payout. Especially if it is low miles/well equipped. Much would depend on how salvage titles work in your state.

 

Great beard of Zues, I love yotas but damn Prius drivers!! not to all of them but most think they can cut our trucks off when we could drive right over em. It's like a b.b. Gun took out a tank! Glad you're around to tell us about it. Those truck parts are like gold buy you're truck back if you can.