***Update Pg. 26*** Think It'll Buff Out?

[AzScorpion]

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[AzScorpion]

Sorry this is long but it’s been a nightmare rollercoaster ride since Tuesday morning 04/4/23. It was easier to copy my messages from Rob and a few others then to try and write it all over again. lol

So originally I was just going to take a little break to clear my head of some things both personal stuff and some stuff on here. I was hit yesterday morning while going to work right in my own neighborhood. This lady drove right into my lane out of nowhere and was headed straight for me so I turned hard left to avoid hitting head on and she kept turning towards me. I thought I just made it by her but she hit my passengers rear door, rear quarter then pushed the tire back into the wheel well. She looked to be around mid 60's and it looks like she was at her daughters house parked facing the wrong direction, facing traffic. I was headed west and she was going east and was pulling out into the correct lane and darted right in front of me, probably blinded by the sun rising. She kept saying I'm sorry I didn't see you but whats worse is her daughter and son in law came out and got her and brought her inside. Then the daughter came out yelling at me that I was speeding and it was my fault. They were inside the whole time and didn't see anything so they're lying trying to get out of it. I was doing 25 mph at best as we have a lot of people who park on the street here in our community and people pull out of their driveways without looking so I always go super slow. She was lucky I reacted as fast as I did because she was turning towards me and I would've hit her right in her drivers door and crushed her inside. Oh, no one was hurt which was a blessing too.

Long story short now it's a he said she said deal but the cops issued her a citation and it's so obvious by the damage she was driving in the wrong lane. Her passengers side front fender, headlight and grille are damaged and she hit my passengers side. If she was on the right side we'd have hit drivers side to drivers side. I hate dishonest people!!! My agent said they've already found her at fault by my pictures and her being cited but they have to wait for her statement then her agent (which is very nice) said they'll have to wait for the official police report and figure it out from there. Worst case it could go to arbitration but my agent doesn't think it will. I just gave then the ok today to have it towed to the body shop so they can assess it but the manager at the shop said the earliest he could get to it would be late next week. It's hard to tell if it's totaled especially with the prices of everything today. I hope it is because I have full replacement value on it and I let him know that several times.? I do have a dash cam but it died a few months back, of course right after the warranty was up.?‍ This one was the highest heat rated cam but I guess our summer temps are to extreme for it. Her daughter has a Ring doorbell cam and I told my agent and her agent to make sure they get the footage. I'm betting they say it didn't pick it up but my agent said if it came down to it they'd request to have the files. I looked at all the surrounding houses and no one else had anything.

Friday 04 07/23

The other party still won’t answer her phone to give her recorded statement. I know the city council woman here (she's a good friend of mine) so I called in a favor for her to contact the PD to escalate the report. She pulled some strings and got me the police report Tuesday (04/11/23) morning. It usually takes up to 30 days to receive it here which is crazy. The report shows it was clearly her fault and now her insurance has accepted blame for the accident!

Saturday 04/15/23

I went down to the body shop yesterday to sign some papers and go over my truck with their estimator. So far he's up to over $12,000 (rear axle is definitely broke) and he hasn't even put it on the lift or the frame machine yet but will on Monday or Tuesday the latest. He said after he does that they send it to a Ford dealer to have them go through all the drivetrain/mechanicals. He did say the rear axle is gone and I took better pictures below. He knows I want it totaled and said he'd do everything he can to do what he can to get the numbers up there. He also said if there's frame damage and the number gets up there that some insurance adjusters will just call it a loss right there instead of racking up more charges (towing both ways plus Fords charges) sending it to the Ford dealer for inspection.

I rented a car for a couple days on my dime to get a few things done and am dropping it back off today. I had to bring Annie to the airport last night to go back to Chicago for some mandatory meetings and I can get by without one for a few more days. If there's frame damage he said on average it's a 2-3 month wait for them.? So if it's repairable I'm better going through her Insurance and getting a rental which will be unlimited unlike mine which has a $1,500 cap.

4/25/23

Body shop called and there’s no frame damage but they’re now up over $23,000 in damages with still many unknowns! The rear axles are not sold all one piece so you have to disassemble the original and replace the parts. They said if there's more damage internally (ring, gears, etc) it would drive the cost up another $2,000+ because it has to go to Ford for that. Then there's the unknown with the transmission and transfer case. He also said the lower rocker/cab corner connects all the way up to the roof. To replace it correctly they'd have to take the whole roof off.

4/27/23

Finally heard from my claims supervisor this morning and they’re going to total the truck. While I’m sad to see Money Pit go (you all know how much I loved this truck) I’m looking forward to moving on from this whole mess. I will my the Saber color as we all know it’s the best color Ranger! There’s nothing available here in AZ but I have a few options right now in some surrounding states. She said everything should be finalized by the middle of next week.

4/28/23

Just heard from the total loss dept and he said it’s a done deal. It was $2,000 under the limit but he said there was way to much unforeseeable damage that totaling it was the right thing to do. Now another agent from the total loss dept will call on Monday to go over the final numbers. Thank GOD I have replacement value on my insurance because they’ll pay me todays value including sales tax and registration.

 

[AzScorpion]

I went to the body shop today to talk to the guys there and grab a few other things from my truck. Man this was a sickening sight to see!

 

[Bob902]

Sorry, bro. That stinks. Glad you are ok!

 

[AzScorpion]

The lower rocker connects all the way up the cab and is pieced in by the roof. If I wasn't hit there it most likely would've been repaired. You have to strip the whole interior out to weld it back and make sure the other welds are ok. If not the whole roof would've had to of been removed. Crazy how a 20-25 mph crash can cause all this damage.

 

[AzScorpion]

Sorry, bro. That stinks. Glad you are ok!

Thanks Bob! Yes the good thing is no one was injured but the stress waiting for all the unknowns has really taken it's toll on me these past 3 1/2 weeks. It might be a good thing Annie's in Chicago. lol

 

[thorn726]

wow that's a rough one// did you recover all those lights or what happened? glad it sort of worked out but wow what an unbelievable hassle. no one wins in an accident like that, insurance money is nothing compared to the hassle. / so frustrating. i will have to say this though: the actual Best Color of Ranger is White hahahaha // wishing you less stress in the future, hope you can get a new one soon!

 

[Grumpaw]

First and foremost, the most important item, is that your OK. Nothing else matters...Money Pit can/will be replaced....you can't !!!
Obviously it's good to hear from you, but it's sad it's under these circumstances.
I think I speak for all here....we're glad to hear from you and glad your OK, and if you need to step away till you get all your ducks in a row, we'll understand.

 

[Bob902]

Thanks Bob! Yes the good thing is no one was injured but the stress waiting for all the unknowns has really taken it's toll on me these past 3 1/2 weeks. It might be a good thing Annie's in Chicago. lol

The waiting on the insurance is tough. When I hit a damn deer last summer, I didn't know to do. And after approval, then had to wait for parts. In your case, I would rather go the totaled route. I know they cam do some amazing things with repairs, but I would rather not chance it.

 

[RedlandRanger]

I'm glad you got the resolution you were looking for - If I were in your shoes I'd want the same thing.

I call dibs on your new tires!!!

Hope some of those options you found end up working out!

 

[AzScorpion]

wow that's a rough one// did you recover all those lights or what happened? glad it sort of worked out but wow what an unbelievable hassle. no one wins in an accident like that, insurance money is nothing compared to the hassle. / so frustrating. i will have to say this though: the actual Best Color of Ranger is White hahahaha // wishing you less stress in the future, hope you can get a new one soon!

The bed is full of parts and I'm guessing the taillights are back there. I'm going there Monday to get all the rest of the stuff and told them I need the bed cleaned out. I'm NOT letting my damper go! So if I see the lights I may just throw them in the rental. I do have a list of all the deleted items and you can bet those are all coming with me.

 

[Bob902]

Obviously, the damper weakened the frame.?

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

So glad you’re okay Dave. Dibs on the tie downs.

 

[AzScorpion]

I'm glad you got the resolution you were looking for - If I were in your shoes I'd want the same thing.

I call dibs on your new tires!!!

Hope some of those options you found end up working out!

Thanks Rob! She did say I could take the tires off as long as I had something to replace them with. lol

I just made a deal on the one I showed you in Spokane, WA. It just arrived at the Spokane rail yard so hopefully it won't take long to get to the dealer. They were super to deal with! No mark ups, no add ons and only a $200 Doc fee. It's a little farther than I'd like to go but they were so nice and no BS. I just need something to go smooth from here on out.

https://www.corwinfordspokane.com/n...plink&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=cars.com

 

[AzScorpion]

Obviously, the damper weakened the frame.?

Actually the opposite. I think it held the whole bed together! ?

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