[Pics] Crap, car got hit today.

[bmwman91]

So I was on my way to the gym after work today, and well now I have a crapped up car.

The story:
I was approaching a red light to turn right into the shopping center.  There were 2 cars in the middle of the lane, both with no signal on and looking like the were stopped, waiting to go straight when the light turned green.  So, for those 2 car lengths, there was a nice 10ft margin for me to make a right turn while they were stopped (which IS legal).

Well, I pull up to the crosswalk line and stop to check for any pedestrians or turning cars that might be there.  The car at the front of the line was a Toyota Tacoma, and I could not see past it.  So, I guess the guy in the Tacoma was turning right afterall, but was in the middle of the lane and had no signal on.  He commences to turn right...

...right over the top of me.  His passenger side door/rear q-panel rode right up my fender along with his wheel.  SHIT!  Mostly, I could not believe this actually happened.  Not only was my car sticking out in front of his, but he was actually turning from the middle/left side of the lane!

We pulled into the shopping center and exchanged information.  We are both insured under State Farm, and although the truck was his parents' he had a policy with them for his Infinity something or another.  We'll see how it all pans out now that State Farm has all of his information (minus DL#...oops).  The DL# is something you don't want to forget...don't let the moment let you forget that like I did.  Luckily I had his insurance card in hand and verified his information on there.

The lunar eclipse tonight must be messing with things lol.  While my car is pooped up, it still runs fine and the alignment on the wheel seems to be just fine.  I got lucky, it could have been a LOT worse!  At least I can still go to work!

So, without further ado, here are some shots of the damage!

[haledj]

Ouch that sucks man, good luck with insurance.

[bmwman91]

So, who has some predictions for me?  From all that I can tell, I am not at fault since making right turns in that fashion are risky, but perfectly legal.  The guy apologized, which can count as an admission of fault should this end up in court.  He was generally cool about it and very polite (he looked to be ~24, so my age).  Maybe a little rushed, we exchanged info and he was on his way to wherever...said he had a business trip.

Tomorrow I guess I will file a police report.  Being that we had no injuries, I didn't want to have to wait for the cops to come during rush hour.  Apparently it is required if damage is over like $500 or something, which, well it is an older BMW so it definitely will be lol.  Shoulda got his DL#, damn.

Anyone else have advice for me?  This is the first time I have been involved in a collision with another car.  Being that he was at fault, he will be paying my $500 deductible, no?

[MikeK]

im so sorry, thats awful. accidents are such headaches. hope everything works out for you

[velomech]

it's been my experience in GA that if you dont call the police right then, then no blame is issued. A police officer has to show up and ticket someone. Because someone screwed up, so, if you didnt call the police, I doubt the insurance co will lay blame on either of you.

Sorry bro, I hope it doesnt work out like that, and I hate to sound all "parent" on you, but you should have called the cops.

Hopefully you can file a report, and an insurance adjuster can use common sense when he looks at both vehicles.

Good luck,
Hodge

[bmwman91]

it's been my experience in GA that if you dont call the police right then, then no blame is issued. A police officer has to show up and ticket someone. Because someone screwed up, so, if you didnt call the police, I doubt the insurance co will lay blame on either of you.

Sorry bro, I hope it doesnt work out like that, and I hate to sound all "parent" on you, but you should have called the cops.

Hopefully you can file a report, and an insurance adjuster can use common sense when he looks at both vehicles.

Good luck,
Hodge

Yeah, you are right on that.  I was caught up in the moment and pissed off, and being that the damage was relatively minor I just decided to file a claim.  My GF has been in 2 accidents and never called the police lol.  When it was the other person's fault, the insurance company didn't worry about that so we'll see.  In the future though, I will be doing this properly.  Practice makes perfect! (not that I want any more)

[Scany]

That sucks. But things could have gone alot worse. Seems like you just needs a new fender. Good luck!

[bmwman91]

That sucks. But things could have gone alot worse. Seems like you just needs a new fender. Good luck!

Yup, pretty much.  E30 fenders are widely available right?  I don't want them to try pounding this one out, it'll look like ass.  Hell, I'll go to the local wrecker & get one myself!

[tjts1]

Damn. Just keep reminding yourself that it could have been worse. I'm sure you can find a red fender in the local JYs.

[bmwman91]

Damn. Just keep reminding yourself that it could have been worse. I'm sure you can find a red fender in the local JYs.

That would be ideal.  Paint-matching would not be an issue then!  Any suggestions for the Bay Area?  Pick N Pull is pretty limited on late-model E30's.

[kowalski]

try and settle outside of the insurance if  its just the fender. get like 250$ from him and buy another fender and pocket the rest. that way you can avoid potential blame, and you both get off without an accident on record.

[bmwpower]

try and settle outside of the insurance if  its just the fender. get like 250$ from him and buy another fender and pocket the rest. that way you can avoid potential blame, and you both get off without an accident on record.

$250??

What about paint?  And surely the paint will be mismatched.  You'd have to paint the entire side of the car and the hood and some of the roof, no?

That's more like a $800+ job by the time you're done.

[D. Clay]

Do not let the other driver pay your deductible as settlement. This is in violation of the terms of your policy and prejudices your companies claim for payment from a third party. If you accept a cash settlement from him, you have also violated the terms of your policy - at least in Texas. Read the section: Terms and conditions. I had the same damage with the fender cracking the paint on the edge of the hood. It was $1100 at body shop rates in TX which is third world compared to CA. That was a new fender and painting the hood and fender. A $1000 is a small body repair these days. I'd also check that the bumper bar didn't carry the impact through the structure. Check the fit of the bumper cover at the right front corner.
If the other guy is at fault, you are entitled to your damages and it is not a chargeable accident on your record. You rates will not go up.
There are strict liability states, no fault states and comparative negligence states. I'm not sure which type CA is.

[swiss318is]

COOL! now you have a good reason to repaint the whole car, do some bodyworks, rims, suspension, engine etc.!!... a entire overhaul..!!! and your girlfriend cant say anything!!! its because the accident darling.... ;-)

i send you the beer directly from switzerland!! :-)

[bmwman91]

Do not let the other driver pay your deductible as settlement. This is in violation of the terms of your policy and prejudices your companies claim for payment from a third party. If you accept a cash settlement from him, you have also violated the terms of your policy - at least in Texas. Read the section: Terms and conditions. I had the same damage with the fender cracking the paint on the edge of the hood. It was $1100 at body shop rates in TX which is third world compared to CA. That was a new fender and painting the hood and fender. A $1000 is a small body repair these days. I'd also check that the bumper bar didn't carry the impact through the structure. Check the fit of the bumper cover at the right front corner.
If the other guy is at fault, you are entitled to your damages and it is not a chargeable accident on your record. You rates will not go up.
There are strict liability states, no fault states and comparative negligence states. I'm not sure which type CA is.

Well, hopefully he will be paying my deductible, along with his own.  We both have State Farm and I filed the claim 10 minutes after it happened so they know who was involved.  As much as it may be a pain, I plan to do everything "by the books."  Hopefully, this will not mean the car is totaled lol, body work + paint = $$$!  I have been browsing http://www.car-part.com and have found some undamaged brilliant-rot fenders for ~$100.  I would prefer one of these since they are probably faded similarly to mine.  I do not trust paint-matching & feathering.  I am sure shops hate it when customers do it this way, but F them I want my car looking as original as possible.

I see no reason for my rates to go up from this since I was making a legal turn and he hit me.  Let's hope he didn't just SEEM nice and end up making some sort of BS claim after he left.  He was insured, but it was his parents' truck, so I hope they don't try anything shady either!  My GF got rear-ended a few years ago, never filed a police report, and didn't cost her a dime.  I believe CA is a strict liability state...AAA found the other guy at fault and he was liable for all repairs.

COOL! now you have a good reason to repaint the whole car, do some bodyworks, rims, suspension, engine etc.!!... a entire overhaul..!!! and your girlfriend cant say anything!!! its because the accident darling.... ;-)

i send you the beer directly from switzerland!! :-)

Haha I wish.  I am all for some good Euro beer straight from the source.  The rest....well it might have to wait till the next accident lol.  I need a 2nd car before I can put it out of commission for so long!  My next BIG expenditure will be on a Metric Mechanic street-spec M42.