Well, damn.

Linda was driving east on Grant when a carload of Arabs blew out of a parking lot and broadsided her. Ripped the rear door skin right off. Looks like the front fender took a hit, but the rear quarter damage is minimal. Linda is going to take some pics from the inside and sighting down the rh side of the car tonite.

No confirmation on whether or not they have insurance, Infinity Insurance refused to disclose if they were covered or not. Called the police, but of course since they did not see it, they only exchanged info. Linda did have a witness, thank goodness.

Sure looks like they will total it if insured. If not, I'm not in a position to fix the the car remotely.

She drove the car home after crash, and reported that it drove normally, oil and temp were fine. Car had a slight pull to the right, not much at all.

This car had one of the nicest OM617 engines I've seen lately (229K), and there are a lot of replacement items under the hood. All the water hoses, belts, A/C lines and components, and oil cooler lines are new. We just changed out the air, fuel, and oil filters last week. Tires are new in back, two years old (but low mileage) in front. Matching Michelins, plus a new spare.

I'll post better pictures tonite when I get them.

Anyone in Tucson or AZ interested? I'm sure it will drive fine to Phoenix or further if needed. If not, I'll likely offer it to the mechanic that maintained the car for the last 13 years.

I'm really bummed, my wife was bonding with this car bigtime.

Jim

Attached Thumbnails

   

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14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles

Sorry to hear of this. Fortunately put wife is unhurt. That is quite significant damage though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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1987 300TD
1984 300D
755,000 KM and going strong
BC Canada

My condolences. Uninsured motorist will probably cover the damage. I had a hit and run on my black 85 and didn't call the police. The insurance company wouldn't cover it without a police report. It was their responsibility since I'd been paying for that coverage for eternity so I got creative.

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84 300SD
85 380SE
83 528e
95 318ic

I wonder.

VA, which is the state I live in and where the 300TD was registered has uninsured motorist coverage if you can pin down the perp as having no insurance.

My concern is, will I be covered if the accident occurs out of state (AZ)?

Jim

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14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles

Anyone driving your car is covered to the limits of your contract wherever they are. Coverage doesn't stop at the state line. Time to pull your contract and read it. Also talk to your insurance agent. A good one can give you good information. A bad one won't and you need to find another regardless of how this claim works out.

The other person is liable and their insurance is the first payer. If they have neither insurance or money, everything falls back to your carrier. You could help them become wards of the state if they don't have insurance.

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85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.

I am curious how the door skin was pulled from the door? I've never seen this happen, aren't these pinch-welded?

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

Yea, I'm not clear on that either. But then again, people who get hit by a car can come out of their shoes, and that seems odd too.
It's possible that my wife was mistaken, and the door frame is missing as well. One could think looking at the poor pics that the only part left is the interior door panel. But then, why would the window frame still be there?

I'm hoping the better pictures tonight will tell a story.

Jim

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14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles

It does not fall back on my carrier if I did not elect to get collision coverage. Which I do not as a matter of course on low value cars. Liability, of course. comprehensive, usually low enough to justify. Collision coverage on a brace of low value cars, the cost exceeds the risk quickly.

What I'm curious about is whether the state of VA will cover me under the uninsured motorists pool. They certainly would if the accident occurred in VA. Whether that coverage extends to a VA registered car in another state is the question.

Jim

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14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles

I don't think VA has an uninsured motorist pool. UM is coverage you purchase with your coverages. For coverage to your car, you would need to ask your agent if the UM would cover it without collision. It would usually cover un and underinsured motorist but you may have to elect to carry collision for it to be available as a coverage option. I do believe you are correct in that the policy should apply anywhere in the States, mine does.

Collecting from people, if they are uninsured, is a hassle at best. A judgement is easy to get. Money is hard to get. If they drive without insurance, they generally aren't worried about their credit.

In VA you can register your car without insurance by paying a $500 fee. That fee goes into a general fund that pays out to victims of uninsured motorists. Until the money runs dry, which it does periodically. Several years ago, a friend at work gt hit by an uninsured driver here in Chesapeake, and he was able to collect from the fund. This only works if you can prove the driver did not have insurance. Hit and run accidents lack this proof and you are out of luck.

Jim

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14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles

I do claims all day but not many auto claims. You may be right but the DMV website states the fee gives you no coverage. If there's a pool, I learned something new. I don't do auto because I HATE dealing with liability claims. It's a never ending hassle. Either way, I hope the guy gets paid. Collecting from people is rarely fruitful. People simply don't pay very often. Disturbing actually.

IF they are uninsured, I do hope you are correct. The DMV doesn't make it well known based on the info they have on the website. The government should garnish wages and hold all tax refunds until uninsured parties have paid all debts.

Sucks about the TD, it looked very nice indeed. I'm glad your wife wasn't injured. If you don't have structural damage, you might be able to repair it. Hopefully the pillar isn't bent. Lot of nice folks on here. One or more might be willing to sell you some spare parts cheap because of what happened if the guy doesn't have coverage.

Every person registering an uninsured motor vehicle shall pay a fee of $500 at the time of registration. Payment of this fee allows a motor vehicle owner to operate an uninsured motor vehicle. Payment of this fee does not provide the motorist with any insurance coverage. The uninsured motorist remains personally liable if he or she is involved in an accident. The fee is valid for twelve months but may be prorated for the unexpired portion of the registration period.
Uninsured Motorists Fund
As provided for by Motor Vehicle Code 46.2-710, all revenue collected by DMV as a result of registering an uninsured vehicle is paid into the state treasury and held in a special fund known as the Uninsured Motorists Fund. The purpose of the Fund is to reduce the cost of uninsured motorist insurance coverage.
Monies are distributed annually from the Fund among the insurers writing motor vehicle bodily injury and property damage liability insurance on vehicles registered in Virginia. Monies are distributed in proportion that each insurer's premium income for the basic uninsured motorists limits coverage bears to the total premium income for basic uninsured motorists coverage written in Virginia during the preceding year.

From the DMV website

This suggests that I might get some relief through my own insurance company, who access the fund, eh?

Maybe that's how my friend got his car covered.

Jim

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14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles

Would you turn down a free car?

There are some before pictures on this thread...... post #50.

Jim

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14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles

Well, I hope the guy was covered. If not, I hope your carrier helps you. I always try to FIND coverage for my insureds instead of trying to find a way NOT to help them. Best of luck. That car looks like it's worth fixing.