So, a couple of weeks ago my son was on his way home from work during a nasty snow storm. He ends up running into the back of a Ford F250 at about 10-15 MPH. Thankfully nobody is hurt. The truck has almost no damage but the kid's '94 E320 has both headlights knocked out, as well as a smashed grill, bent hood, A/C condenser, etc. It turns out the dude in the Ford lives down the road from me. He feels bad for the kid so he doesn't wanna get the police involved. They swap phone numbers, addresses and everyone drives away. We stop by the guy's house that night so I can check out the truck. Rear bumper dropped an inch but nothing is bent. I tell the guy what I do for a living and he say's it's no problem. I'll loosen the mounting bolts and realign the bumper when the weather gets a little better and he say's that's fine with him.

Fast forward a couple weeks. The kids car is parked in front of the house this past Sunday night during another storm. A township snowplow loses it and crashes into the kid's car! Now the kid's car is really banged up. Radiator, LF fender, bumper, etc. No way I'm gonna fix it now, just not worth it. Cops show up and write an accident report and give me number to call. I call the number and they send an adjuster over. I tell the guy there was already some damage but he say's no problem, just get an estimate and they'll write me a check.

Fast forward to this afternoon. The kid's car is parked in the same place during another storm. A heating oil delivery truck comes down the street and guess what? He loses it and completely wipes out what's left of the kid's car!!! WTF???

I think this is gonna be a mess......

P.S. I'm gonna have some W124 parts for sale soon....

The most recent guy owes him for scrap value

I once owned a 74 Olds Custom Cruiser which was totaled twice. Collected twice. I never stopped driving it and most people would have ever known it had been in an accident even though I never repaired it.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Classic case of "intervening cause"

Where did the other posts go?

Good on your neighbor, bring him a nice bottle of his favorite liquor.

Time to start parking on the lawn I think...

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$60 OM617 Blank Exhaust Flanges
$110 OM606 Blank Exhaust Flanges
No merc at the moment

That vehicle must've been cursed by every automotive diety from Allah to Zeus

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

They say bad things come in threes, and this tale sure reinforces that idea!

Glad your son is okay, I hope everyone else is.

Legally speaking, I think you may be entitled to a double-recovery. The third accident further damaged the car, but only because you hadn't had the chance to fix it yet. The insurance company for the second crash's driver is still liable to make your son whole (they can't benefit simply because later events vitiate a pending repair) and the later one totaled the car, so they are (at the least) liable for that. The only potential argument is the extent of their liability. I'm not saying you're permitted a huge windfall, only that they cannot escape liability for damages caused by negligence simply because someone else caused more damage, either before or after the event.

If nothing else, though, you all have a great story to share in the years to come.

Yeah, what G said!

Sounds like that poor thing may have used up its lives.

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

In general, the law disfavors a "double recovery" since the underlying basis is to return the injured party to their pre-loss position. With property, as opposed to physical injury, this is normally a mathematical calculation.

LAWYER FIGHT!

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)