Drunk driver rearended us...

Glad you, and your pregnant wife, are OK. It could have been much worse.

It all depends on the $$ amount of damage. It looks to me like it would be totaled, especially with a bent frame. When my '02 Tacoma was rear ended at a stoplight by a woman on her phone the frame was bent in three places. Geico totaled it because the cost of repairs exceeded the value of the truck. I don't know about Wisconsin, but it CA (from what I was told) one CANNOT insure a vehicle with a bent frame and since my truck had a little over 130,000 miles it was written off as a total.

Good luck.

 

Bed hit the cab, hate to say this, but your ins company will total this.

 

Similar thing happened to us when my wife was pregnant with our first. Rear ended by a trash truck. Make sure she isn’t worried about the baby. You can schedule an ultrasound. Not much they can do but look and give peace of mind. Since it’s related to the accident, any charges can be forwarded to the drunk’s insurance company. Family first bro.

 

Glad you guys are alright. Looks totaled to me.

If the insurance company is on the edge of totaling just tell them you want tit totaled and don’t feel safe driving this truck anymore. They usually listen pretty well.

 

Any chance you might be found contributing to the accident?

Was the drunk driver ticketed for DUI, or accident?

Was it a controlled intersection? What was the speed limit at the intersection?

People often slow down or stop for no apparent reason, surprising other drivers behind them.

 

Afaik drunk driver is always at fault 100% since they could have possibly avoided the situation if they had been driving under lawful circumstances. Even without the alcohol person is at fault for not leaving a safe distance between them and the vehicle in front of them. My mom hit a car signaling the wrong way one time (they signaled left, she went around them on the shoulder and then they turned right) and she was 100% at fault for being the following vehicle.

 

Then it would appear that "brake checks" are legal, which apparently is not:

https://www.quora.com/Is-it-illegal-to-brake-check-someone-and-cause-an-accident-in-the-state-of-AZ
https://www.quora.com/Are-there-any-laws-against-brake-checking

 

Foo?

Causing a drunk to crash into them?

Officer: "Here's your ticket for being in the drunk's way."

 

Didn't have time to read that but I'm assuming you'd need a pretty good lawyer to shift the blame here. And I guess I was only considering people driving without malicious intent.

 

I think they should be shot before they do it again and kill someone--our 17-year-old daughter was killed by a drunk driver in October 1998, he had no license, having been arrested for DUI 12 times before, the last in July of '98. We need "common sense asshole laws...

 

Auto correct on the phone got me. I hate this thing. It should have said fixed.

 

There was another thread here recently where the person had 3rd gen rear damage and the insurance elected to replace the frame. He said it had a 2 month time table to get one from Toyota before repairs could start. I don't recall his bed cracking or cab damage though. It's around here somewhere.

 

I totally agree !!!!

 

Glad your ok , if frame is bent bad it will be totaled !

 

At an uncontrolled intersection (such as a private driveway off a highway) the vehicle making an "unprotected" left turn will be at fault (even when rear-ended; hit in the rear).

 

Glad you're both ok.

From the pics I would of never guessed the other driver was going 60mph. I'm impressed that your truck doesn't show more damage.

 

***
My daughter's friend's brother died about 1 year ago on 101 SB from an idiot that gave him a break check. Dude came from behind in front of the guys truck and slammed the breaks. He was able to avoid a collision but lost control and hit the tree on the side of the 101. Idiot got away and not found yet. Brother was 24 y.o.

 

Guess I spoke above my pay grade - I don't even know what that means

 

The auto body shop called today. The estimated repair is at $19,196.50 before disassemblly. New frame, bed, tailgate, bumper, leaf springs, ect... insurance company has not called me back yet. Hopefully it is totalled. The impact is really a 30mph hit. We were slowing down for the light and the impact happened when our truck was moving between 25-30 mph. I don't know for sure but the back wheels probably came off the ground. There was white paint all over the back and bottom of my leaf springs. His car definitely went under the back of the truck.

 

Hope they total it for you and give you the correct amount of money for a replacement.