Head-on hit

2014.5 Toyota Camry LE
4-cyl engine
6 speed automatic transmission
approx 25,000 miles

Was stopped at a red light with foot on the brake when hit square head-on by a GMC full sized pickup driving on the wrong side of the road. Police and firemen estimated the truck was traveling about 30 mph at impact. My airbags did NOT deploy.

Front bumper damaged and partially separated.
Drivers window now rattling and slight trouble going down and up.
No apparent loss of coolant either at scene, where it was parked several hours while I was in the ER, or in several hours parked in my home garage.
Was drivable home. Handled/tracked okay but seemed “different” whether real or due to my being upset. All headlights and turn signal lights still functional. Will look in daylight for any small cracks in the headlights plastic shells.

When having the car assessed for damage and estimates from multiple shops I plan to request thorough exam of:

  • All suspension/steering components such as struts, bushings, ball joints, tie rods, steering rack
  • Entire body frame from front to back
  • Proper alignment. NOTE: four wheel alignment was done with tire rotation a couple months ago
  • Any misalignment of body panels or doors or windows
  • Check for small cracks in the radiator and/or overflow tank
  • Check all electrical wiring and hoses for anything jarred loose
  • Check for bent wheel rims

QUESTION:
What else/more/different should I be sure is examined in getting estimates???

Marnet
…rattled, damned sore in body, pissed off, but mostly profoundly thankful to be alive

If the moron had insurance you don’t have to do anything. So don’t waste your time getting estimates because there is almost always hidden damage.
If you are having to use yours just let the adjustor do their job. Either way you will have to sign off on the repair or amount of settlement and there will also be a period of time to correct any problems after all is said and done.

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I hope you’re okay :worried:

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I agree with what Volvo said, and add that I’m happy you walked away from a head-on collision with a truck.

I survived! Scuffed and damned sore and told I will be lots more sore in coming days.

No clue about the jerk who hit me and tried driving off. He hit another car before mine. Not sure if that driver was hurt. Have to get a copy of the police report. I was busy getting hauled to the ER and got no info at the scene.

Contact your insurance soon as you can. They might have access to the accident report. To save time and trouble they may have to have your vehicle repaired and you pay your deductible which will be refunded to you when they get it from the moron’s insurance if he had any.

Claim already initiated by phone. Will talk with my agent in the morning and should get a call from the adjuster.

Wow. I guess the thing that would concern me is if the window isn’t tracking right. That might mean the door has been pushed out of alignment or something so you for sure want to mention that. You’re just not having much luck with cars.

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Yes, the window suddenly rattling and straining to move tells me something got shoved back. The observable bumper damage is worst on that side too.

@Marnet, hope you are on the mend. +1 to @VOLVO_V70, let your insurance company deal with it. Once the shop gets it and starts working on it they will find the hidden damage. Your insurance company will duke it out with the pickups insurance. Be careful signing any docs, do not release the other insurance co from anything until you are 110% sure all is OK

Thank you everyone. I appreciate all your feedback.

Coming days will sort how much damage both I and the car actually sustained. But I lived to walk away so I am going to call it a good day and tackle the hassles in the morning.

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Cars are replaceable, people aren’t :slight_smile:

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Glad to hear you’ll be okay, once you’re over the initial shock

Anyways, if you’re an auto club member, or something like that, I highly recommend using a shop that’s approved by them, in case things get ugly. You’ll want somebody in your corner, fighting for you

For example . . .

My mom’s car got hit a few months ago, and we had it repaired at an auto club approved shop, after seeing the good work they did on my brother’s car a few weeks earlier.

Anyway, it’s now become clear they didn’t do such a great job on my mom’s car, after all. We contacted our auto club insurance agent and made it clear that we’re not happy with the repair, because it’s not in pre-accident condition. I won’t bore anybody with the exact details, because that’s not the point, and this discussion is about @Marnet and not me

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The part about the drivers window would concern me a bit and I agree with Bing about having the car inspected with a fine tooth comb.
Offhand, the damage doesn’t look that bad BUT the way modern cars are designed the impact is transferred much deeper into the car than may be apparent.

When my youngest son’s Camaro got wrecked the nose did not look much worse than your car. Unfortunately, I found the subframe buckled, floor pan buckled, firewall wrinkled, and a few other not so pleasant flaws. In other words, it was junk.
A body man bought the car for himself and after getting into it he surrendered and sold it as parts.

The most important thing is that you’re seemingly ok. Sheet metal is fixable. Sometimes the human body is not.

Anywho, I advised you a few years ago to delve into the occult. It might be a good idea to buy two; one to hang on the rear view mirror and one to toss in the trunk. Seriously, you need spiritual help… :smile:

http://conjuredoctor.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=15

LOL. I’ll pass on the mojo. :grinning:

But, seriously, thanks for the advice.

Years of reading here on the forum, asking questions, learning just a little bit although not hands on, has taught me to consider more than what superficially meets the eye. That’s why the immediate negative difference in the car window concerns me; just how much collision force transferred, where to, and to what damage effect.

Worst case scenario is if I have to replace the car and take a financial hit as a result. That would be an extreme hardship. But, frankly, to have the Camry hold up to a truck that much taller and heavier is impressive. And it makes me that much more convinced that my pre-purchase research that led me to get the 2014.5 model with the beefed up front end rather than the earlier production 2014 just proved a good choice.

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Remember after all of this is repaired that if something still isn’t right and additional works is needed you have to right to an “amended claim”. Work with your insurance. Don’t contact his insurance directly. And don’t sign anything; you might be indicating that you’re satisfied with the repairs.

Sincere best.

Wow, glad you are OK! Based on the lack of damage to the Camry, I can understand no airbags given the damage and the fact you are are talking about it! It does sound like the car is “compressed” a bit on one side. Agree with all here, let the insurance handle it. If they find more damage when they get the car apart, the insurance co will adjust their figures.

There is no way that truck hit you at 30 mph. Looks more like a 10-15 mph impact and that is why the air bags did not go off. I have seen Camry’s like yours in sub 10 mph impacts that had a lot more damage, but there are other factors besides speed that determine the amount of body damage.

You had your foot on the brake for the stop, but I’ll bet it wasn’t on hard so when the truck hit you, the car bounced back some distance, which would lessen the body damage to the car, but increase the body damage to you. It would also jar things in the car more so just the sudden movement could have broken something in the door, even if there was not transfer of energy from the actual impact.

Glad to hear that you are OK though. Hope the other guy has insurance. Was he drunk? Did the police even check him for alcohol?

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No clue if he had insurance, was impaired, or was cited. Police gave me zero info. Just collected my info while paramedics packaged me for transport. Called today to get the pd report and was told it takes 14 working days before I can get it and that I have to drive 20+ miles to headquarters to ask for it in person. But the officer did give me the report case number and names of the officers who responded. So I then immediately gave that to my insurance who said they can retrieve the report. I feel like I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole and am at the Mad Hatters tea party.

Car went to the body shop and I wait to see what they and insurance have to say. In the meantime have a rental Chevy Cruze that has a teensy slit joke for a rear window. This too shall pass. :confused:

Oh yes, although I thought I pushed hard on the brake pedal his truck shoved my car back almost a full car length. No one was behind me so I didn’t get sandwiched.