Rear-ended on the freeway

No problem, I'm glad you asked. I don't want anyone getting a head injury because of it and I want to make sure everyone is aware of it before it's too late.

Here's the picture of the rear headrest. You should be able to feel it. My mom hit her head on that part and she suffered a mild concussion. The headrest should protect you, not give you a concussion... I will definitely look for an aftermarket replacement for the rear headrests after this whole thing gets settled.



I was also reading about the diminishing value you mentioned and you're right about it. I will make sure to push for it if they did not total the truck. I did purchase a brand new Tacoma, not a "repaired like new" Tacoma.

I use the truck mostly for family trips and I think it will never feel the same again concerning safety and security if the truck was just repaired. It definitely protected my family on that first collision, but having it repaired just doesn't feel right anymore. There will always be that doubt riding my shoulders while driving my family on a long trip.

 

Thanks for the photo and description. You may look into swapping headrests with a 2005-2011 Tacoma. I say this as I had a 2010 up until last month at the same time. The 2010 Tacoma I had seemed to have much larger rear headrests, than my 2014 for what that's worth.

 

Wow, metal bars in headrest that caused your mom a concussion ? Seems to me a safety item should be safe .. this sounds like a lawsuit against Toyota just waiting to happen.

Probably would settle out of court to avoid massive recalls.

 

Glad everyone is okay. What freeway did this happen on?

 

Too bad about your truck. Hope everyone recovers OK. In Nevada there is a 70% rule meaning if the estimated cost of repairs comes to 70% of the appraised value the insurance company will total the truck. Frame replacement quote on my 2004 Tacoma Xtra cab was $3300 for the part and about 30 hours of labor.
Seems every medical provider handles insurance claims differently. Ask if they will bill your insurance directly. Usually the person who handles the medical side is not the same person who handles vehicle damage.
Stay in touch with your insurance company adjuster; these people are sometimes overworked. Make sure to document everything.
Let us know how it turns out.



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I'm glad you all are okay. With that being said: rant time.

Insurance pisses me off. We all pay out the ass for it, and when we get in accidents that aren't our fault, we should just know we're going to be covered. They should either replace our vehicle with the one we had before or a newer model. And pay all medical bills due to the accident. So here's a big fuck you to all the insurance companies out there. Rant over haha

 

Glad you're all ok!

 

Good brakes but good reaction on your part. Glad to see everyone was ok. Hope your mom feels better.

 

Whenever I see pictures of such new trucks in collisions it make me want to cry...and leave my baby taco in the garage all day every day...

Glad everyone is ok, hope your mom recovers quickly.

 

+1 hope everything turns out OK. Your own insurance company is probably the best route to handle it. They should cover everything then they will file for reimbusement from the at fault person's company. Most likely including any deductables you may have plus diminished value.

 

Yeah I don't understand why they designed it like that. I'm not sure if it's just my truck though since I haven't heard from the others if theirs are also the same.

 

It happened on 55 North Bound.

 

The insurance towed my truck today and sent it to their preferred body shop for an estimate. The adjuster still hasn't called me yet... They say the police report would be available in 8 days so I'm guessing that's when everything would start rolling.

As for the medical bills, the person in my insurance I talked to told me to keep all the receipts and bills for now.

I'll keep you all posted.

 

Thanks for the boost of confidence and great advice! I read your thread and I'm glad it turned out well for you. I hope I can do the same on mine.

My truck was towed to my insurance's preferred body shop today and they did a preliminary inspection for a partial estimate. The guy told me the truck had a substantial damage especially on the entire bed. The cab was damaged as well. He reiterated that the parts on the bed are bolt-ons and are easy to replace. When I asked if the frame was damaged, he said the right rear frame may have been bent, but they'll have to disassemble the truck to know for sure. He's requiring me to sign a contract stating that I agree to have it repaired in their shop if I want it disassembled for a full estimate. I refused it and just went for the preliminary/partial estimate. They will send the partial estimate to me and my insurance once they get it done and I'll know more from there. He also said that if the frame is bent, they will just pull it.

 

Same thing happened to me last month man milk em for all they are worth! i told em to leave the bumper off n cut me a check so i could order a steel one n they cut me a check for 875! so i order a front and rear...good luck man sucks to be without a truck for a month tho!

 

I agree on this. Frame work shouldn't be about the cheapest and ok quality. Your truck is carrying your family and you. I would never cheap out on "ok" work. It should be brought back to condition it was before the accident happen.

I remember when my truck was rear ended (minor). The truck didn't have any frame damage but the shop my insurance preferred wasn't up to my standards. I went to the stealership and they had a shop that did nothing but the dealership cars. My insurance company (USAA) took good care of me and had the other guys insurance pay for everything including my deduction and rental cost.

BTW glad your family and mom is ok.

 

earlier this summer i had a minor rear ender, just bent the bumper mounts down, but still take notes of your conversations with insurance and body shops etc. sadly people will try to screw you where they can. pictures of any belongings in your vehicle before it goes into a shop for work. as stated before your insurance will take care of it and it wont affect your rate because your not at fault. its going to be a hassle taking time off work and getting loaner vehicles, but hopefully it will all work out for the best. also if you need to leave work early to deal with things try to get that reimbursed as well. in the end if your insurance is good it shouldnt cost you a dime. just a bit of hassle.

 

Which insurance company do you have? I just went thru the same ordeal. I have State Farm. From time of reporting the claim to receiving a payoff check for a new truck is exactly a month time. No games, no silly back and forth.

The worst part about all this is the waiting and not knowing. Not to mention the mental stress on yourself and your family members involved. I hope everyone a speedy recovery, and just be happy you are all alive.

 

If you need to get into a rental, be sure to tell them to find you a truck to drive in the mean time. Most Toyota dealers, rent Toyotas as part of their business (Look up Toyota rental) My dealer rents everything from Prius, Yaris, Corolla, even FRS's, Fj's, Tacoma's, Tundra's, 4R's, even saw a LandCruiser in their rental fleet for like $150/ day but still cool.

Tell them you need a truck to drive in the interim for work.

 

Wow...glad everyone is ok. Crazy about the head rest...that's definitely I would contact Toyota about.

I would most definitely push for the truck to be totaled. I can say with a decent amount of confidence that your frame is damaged - you do not want a repaired frame...it's never the same, no matter what people say. If your frame was bent, and they attempt to pull it straight again, it's the same concept as bending a piece of metal, and then bending it back. But think about it...keep bending that metal a few more times and it snaps. Why? Because of something called strain hardening. Additionally, the crumple zones that are designed to bend will never be the same.

Also, +1 on taking it to a high end body shop. The other guy's insurance should be paying, so find the BEST body shop you can. The "recommended" shops from insurance do it on the cheap.

In the event that they won't total your truck DEFINITELY push to get a reimbursed for diminished value. If they do total your truck you should push for the BRAND NEW cost of the truck, considering it's less than 6 months old.

Good luck.