Is there frame damage? Will it be totaled?

If you hadn’t of reversed parked she may not have walked away from this, slamming full force into your empty bed was her only saving grace. She’s incredibly lucky.

 

I wonder if she was given a sobriety test, breath, urine or blood.
She would have lived anyway. She was driving a modern vehicle with every airbag possible.

 

You would think/hope that given the nature of the incident she would be.

 

3,000

 

Looks like new bedside, new tail light, new rear bumper (multiple pieces), new bed tub, new rim... The rear leaf spring hangar may be bent, but that is replaceable or can be straightened on a rack. Figure $15k repair so probably not totaled. You may be waiting months for parts though.

After repair, it'll drive the same as before. Solid axle and leaf springs were never that precise to begin with. Some members report the bed being 1/4" off-center on a new truck, etc., because it's just a plastic tub bolted to the frame with 6 bolts.

 

She ended up going to the hospital in an ambulance out of an abundance of caution. I'm not sure if they did any blood or urine tests at the ED, but that's a good thought. She's totally fine now.

 

That is a very good point that I hadn't even considered. There's no way the truck would've swung around and cushioned her collision if it had been parked the other way. Scary to think about that scene.

I guess I'm kind of a hero then for parking the way I did

 

This is super helpful to get an idea of what I might be looking at. I'm terrible at this kind of thing, so I appreciate you sharing your perspective. Let's hope for good outcome

 

When I was younger, my girlfriend and I were driving along in her Acura Integra and came to a stop on a main road/stoplight. Suddenly got rear ended by another sedan going at least 35/40 mph...was an elderly guy that also mixed up his brake/gas pedal. I was riding passenger and wasn't hurt, by my girlfriend got whiplash pretty bad. Older guy was OK but shaken up.

Guy ended up giving us his Home Depot card when I asked for his information while we were waiting for the cops/medical to arrive.

I'm one of those that always backs in if I can, I will use this in the great debate against the naysayers

 

That driver must’ve had a cell phone out, a seizure or something, that wasn’t accidentally mistaking the accelerator for a brake!

It’s good you weren’t driving also because she probably would’ve blamed you.

 

Wow! What are the chances your neighbor caught that on their dash cam! Crazy! Glad to hear the elder lady is okay.

 

If you've ever dealt with elderly drivers, particularly those who probably shouldn't have a license anymore, confusion causing this is absolutely the kind of thing that can happen.

 

Can't say for sure, but these frames are designed to flex in the back. The body panels are also quite a ways away from the frame rails so it is entirely possible that the damage is purely cosmetic. With any luck, it is as simple as a new box and related components. Plus maybe a little paint work.

 

Bent frames don't mean automatic total anymore.

With that being said, insurance does want to total it, so the adjuster will be looking for every little piece that's damaged. I expect much more than $15k. For example, there's likely a cut/pinched wire in a harness that insurance will say needs a full replacement as well, and those aren't cheap when you factor in labor.

 

Might not total it, no airbags deployed

 

Getting old sucks! Destroying someone’s taco sucks more!

 

Did the driver's side of the bed kiss the back of the cab
Does the bumper look like it is correct on the driver's side
looking down the length of the frame does it look straight or curved

 

Wow that is crazy! What are the odds of catching that on camera? Glad to hear no one was seriously injured. O.P. you need to buy a lottery ticket! Sorry that your new truck got hammered, hopefully it can get repaired to original or replaced. It was a gorgeous looking taco too!

 

OPs truck might not be totalled but the driver's SUV will be. I witnessed something similar before and the driver was in diabetic shock. Luckily, he didn't hit anyone but missed some kids by about 2 feet.