Totaled?

I’m going to go with total loss too.

 

Yeah looks like it will be totaled. If they say no I'd fight to get it totaled.

I had something similar happen but someone side swiped me and it had just 1k in damage under the amount it would have been totaled at. So they repaired it and i dont know if it was paranoia or actual issues but it never felt the same after. I ended up trading it in right after i paid it off because i was so paranoid.

I didn't fight it because the accident was at the 3k mile mark and I didn't have the money to take the loss on it and get a new vehicle at that time.

A big repair like that you will always have it in the back of your mind that something is wrong or a panel or the hood or something will just not line up right.

 

Did officer witness lights malfunctioning?

 

False, this is not a linear collision, it is a planar collision. And from the OP's description, I understood that he basically got front swiped.

 

Yes, he did. He drove through same intersection a few minutes before my accident. And said they were just blank not even flashing.

 

I don't think we have enough info to make that call. There is a lot of damage to the front, but how far back. Was the frame even effected? On the airbags, I bet they operated as they should. I think the Tundra took the brunt of the force.

 

with way vehicles are designed now days to absorb most impact damage i would say totaled. Crumple zones are integrated down to the frame and more than likely its tweaked. Airbags in the Tacoma are set to go off at the G equivalent to hitting a solid concrete wall going 14 mph which in reality is a pretty hard hit compared to a relatively soft truck that you t-boned. You're front crushed in, his side crushed in. i guarantee both trucks slid out of their path of travel. That's all energy being used up and not sent to you. His most likely deployed because there isn't much protecting him from a side impact and he went through a more rapid side acceleration vs your more linear deceleration.

Love physics so excuse me for nerding out

 

You're totally right. Thanks for clarifying!

 

I'm sorry I didn't explain it for you in a way you understood, maybe if you could grasp Newtons third law of action and equal but opposite reaction you would get it but... I can't understand it for you, I also don't want to argue.

 

I took my set of physics courses to get my engineering degree and tough 4 years of physics tutoring.
I also know that some vehicles have different thresholds that determine how much force is required to trigger the air bags.

OP got front swiped. OP's trajectory after the collision remained fairly the same and still
had some speed(lost 5-10 MPH of speed). The Tundra was the one who suffered the
greatest change in velocity( = change in kinetic energy), triggering the air bags.
Location of the impact detected is also a factor in air bag systems.

 

No you are the one not understanding, your link was to something talking about hitting a fucking wall, not a moving vehicle. Please do explain it to me, from your statement, I'm not sure I'm capable.

I will also point out that I just aced two semesters of Physics, but your right I can't grasp Newtons laws of motion. I will point out that the first law also plays a roll in this, you know things at rest stay at rest. Although the Tundra was not at rest, as it was traveling in one direction, the taco hitting it changed its path. thus using some energy. Also, based on your example, there should be no damage on the Tundra as all the energy should have come back to the taco, but it don't work that way.

 

Glad you are ok. That won't buff out

 

Not totaled
Glad everyone was ok

 

And since its a Friday they won't assess damages till Monday. Damn.

 

I’m gonna say that’s totalled. Did they find frame damage? It looks possible

 

I don't have a clue, but the Tundra airbags might have deployed when it sensed a side impact.

 

glad everyone is okay. looking at the damage and the fact that no airbag deployment, the impact was absorbed between bot vehicle. I doubt there will be any frame bent etc, hence it will not be a write off IMO

 

I'm sorry this happened OP.
I truly hope they total your truck since it will never be the same if they fix it.
Good luck!

 

I wouldn’t be too concerned with the possibility of death from airbag deployment at slow speeds. I haven’t seen any data from the NHTSA that suggests airbags deploying at low speeds have a higher morbidity rate than no airbag, unless the occupant is not wearing a seatbelt. The rash of folks who were dying from airbags during slow speed collisions fell into one of three categories; young children, pregnant women, and unrestrained occupants. It’s my understanding that airbag attributed deaths have dropped drastically over the last decade or more.

My own experience is anecdotal, but I’ve been responding to collisions for 22 years in the following capacities: firefighter, EMS, cop, deputy coroner, and I’ve never once seen a death caused by an airbag. Nor do I recall hearing about any in the jurisdictions where Ive worked. I believe that in a 10-year period from 1992 until 2002, there were less than 300 deaths attributed to airbags (at any speed), in the entire country. Considering the number of airbag deployments on any given day, I’d guess your odds of being killed by an airbag at low speed are about equal to being struck by lightning while winning the lottery.

Back on topic, I once drove my cruiser into a cliff face on a mountain road at night, while going to a hot call...the impact was so severe that neither of the front doors could be pried open, and I had to crawl out the window...no airbag deployment. I was a little bitter.

 

With the lights malfunctioning there seems to be some liability on the city there. Truck is totaled for sure. I would not accept any blame based on the situation.