crashish

It's been a while since I last posted here, and unfortunately I must return with bad news.

First, let me describe the scene before the tragedy occurred: I was parked on a residential street with a Lincoln Towncar behind me and a Ford F150 in front of me.

My girlfriend and I were visiting some family and were on our way out to the car to leave when a Dodge Ram slammed into the back of the Towncar. The Towncar then slammed into my TL, which was then pushed into the rear end of the F150.

When all was said and done, my car had been pushed roughly 20 feet forward. The Towncar, which, as I said, had been parked behind me, was now about half a car length past where my TL was originally parked.

Unfortunately, I don't yet have any pictures (although many were taken), but the trunk of my TL is now nonexistant. The damage to the front end looked relatively light, considering the damage to the rear and the overall damage to the Towncar. Ironically, the owner of the F150 bitched more than either I or the owner of the Towncar did, even though his recently replaced rear bumper was only a bit bent.

The driver's story is that he was reaching down for some kleenex and didn't see the cars. Obviously he was speeding (we estimate somewhere between 40-50mph), but it is suspected that he may have been intoxicated.

Now the important bit: everyone's ok. The driver had a bloody nose, but there were no other injuries.

Hopefully there will be someone available tomorrow at my insurance company to let me know what will happen now. Not only do I have to look for a new car, but I also had 2 laptops in the trunk which are now mostly toast. Sadly, I don't think they'll cover the Thanksgiving treats that were in the trunk when the accident happened, but I think my girlfriend can bake up some more goodies.

Anyhow, I hope you all had a better Thanksgiving than we had.

whatwasthat

aw man. sucks to hear the bad news, but atleast everyone is ok.

hm.. will insurance pay for the laptops? how do things like this go w/ insurance?

JOES05tl

my heart goes out to you, bro-

Lore

I would imagine homeowner's insurance should cover your possessions in the car. Glad to hear that no one was seriously injured!

Brewmaster

Sorry to hear ... glad everyone's ok!

leeherman

Sorry to hear about the loss of the car, but it doesn't qualify as "tragic".

Everyone's OK which is great. Loss of life as a result of the accident WOULD be tragic.

Still, glad to hear everyone is OK.

SouthernBoy

Glad you and your lady had not gotten into your TL just before the hit. Good for you.. bad for your TL, but it can be replaced.

Like the F150 driver, I would probably be mad as hell since I am very property-oriented. At least our TL's are not classic machines, like a 1966 Mustang, Corvette, or something similar.

Good thing your and your lady are fine and unhurt.

vp911

Sorry to hear about that. Glad to hear everybody is OK though, your homeowners will cover the laptops - probably not your auto insurance.

Feel free to PM me and I will host the pics for you.

crashish

I personally think it qualifies as tragic because I didn't even have plates on it yet.

Regarding the laptops, they will definitely be covered by homeowners. The auto insurance is being worked out as I type this.

Pics will be up as soon as I get them.

And to SouthernBoy, I think we would have been just fine, aside from maybe some scratches from the flying glass, if we had been inside the car. What really horrified me was the thought that one or both of us were just seconds away from standing between the Towncar and the TL loading the trunk up with food and such. Another possibility was being hit by the Towncar, as the Ram hit it at an angle which caused it to jump up onto the curb.

HEK

I'm glad you and your better half were not in the TL, the car can be replaced if not fixed, make sure you ask for "original/ new parts" and none of this "aftermarket/used" from the local recycler, trust me, last year a kid (drunk) drove into my home, taking out my mail box, rear ending my daughter's 2002 Neon and finally crashing into my house :
Insurance: We wil get "recycled parts for the Neon"
Me...Uh..NO
Insurance: "Pro rate the work on the house"
Me..Uh..NO...
Final Claim: New rear Bumper, Trunk, Lights for the Neon and brand new siding/ compensation for the work done by me at the HOUSE, speak up and stand your ground.... GRRR....

crashish

Thanks for the advice HEK, but I'm pretty sure it's a total loss. I now have pics, though, so you guys can give your input. There are quite a few pictures and they are very large, so I'll just post the url to my site. http://crashish.net/

Enjoy.

SouthernBoy

Good advertisement for Dodge trucks, based upon the light amount of damage sustained by the one in the picture.

I see yours is an automatic. I would suspect damage almost certainly was done to your transmission if you had the car in Park. Look at it this way. If the insurance company declares your car a total loss, you car get a manual next time. On the day I bought my '04 TL, the first one I test drove was blue with the quartz interior (manual, of course). Beautiful color combo. Sometimes I kinda wish that's the color combo I had.. really nice.

I know how if feels. Though I've never had a car totaled, I have been hit a few times (twice in one year - actually I hit them but it was their fault - they ran stop signs - both were found quilty in court).

A repaired car is never the same as a pristine, untouched one, regardless of how good the repair shop is. So find the best one you can in the event your TL is not declared totaled.. I would think you have that right since the accident is not your fault.

Good luck!

vp911

vp911

Now everybody can view the pics without clicking on links.

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

ouch dude... sorry for your loss.. so is downey acura gonna see u for another TL??

svtmike

Nasty. I see from the pictures of the trunk that you lost your cookies.

Mike

dmsmitty

I so grateful that no one was inside the cars. I know how sickening it is to have that happen. Been there, too.

Although the Lincoln took the brunt of the collision, look how much better the TL "crumpled". It looks like the back passenger door would still work! We are always talking about how well the TL is designed for safety during a collision. It's nice to see it in action with no person involved during the "testing". I find that most impressive.

I hope you enjoy shopping for the next TL. I agree with earlier posts stating that repaired cars are never the same. I have a friend who was hit in her '05 RX330. The guy hit her at a high rate of speed, and his car was totaled. However, they chose to fix the Lexus. The car has never been the same. It is in and out of the shop constantly.

Good luck, and sorry 'bout the cookies. Looked good, too.

w1n78

sorry to hear about your unfortunate thanksgiving. now you have another thing to be thankful for. i had an accident similar to yours (my 6 week old TL, no plates, and parked), not as bad as yours though. gf's neighbor backed into my front, left fender. i go to downey too to get my service done. good luck and hope you get a new a baby

JeffS

Sorry!! And of course he trashes your TL and lives to tell about it. There should be law about this and he should get 30 years to life for the death of the TL.

cM3go

man that is not cool, sorry to hear about your car

HEK

WOW ....I'm glad there were no casualties....

trancemission

that is ugly....glad everyone is okay..

kboosman00

Wow... It's always sad to see a car damaged like that... At least you are okay!

erdoc48

As most people have stated, I am also sorry for what happened to you- just be happy in that you and your girlfriend weren't hurt, and that based on your report, there were no serious injuries. One thing that's real important, everyone should keep a camera in the car, just in the event of an accident- your claim is much more recoverable with pics at the scene. Even a disposable camera is good to keep in the car.

da_bien1390

How come the airbag didn't deploy? Does the airbags require the ignition to be on for it to operate?

Klutch

damnnn...that suckss

sebounet2005

I think air nag need the key in ignition but also a motion, because the sensors calculate the speed and the decelaration.

neuronbob

That is TRULY a tragic loss. It would have been more so with people in the impacted cars, so I'm thankful no one was hurt.

Lancia

Man, sorry about your car. Glad to see you and your girlfriend are okay. I hope you will get another new TL soon.

03CoupeV6

The airbags can and will deploy at any time, to my understanding. However, they can't help anything in a rear-end collision and aren't designed to deploy. The TL hitting the F150's bumper wasn't severe enough to trigger them.

Good luck with your new TL.

K-80-123

Those Dodge Ram Drivers...they are worthless....oops...I drive a Dodge Ram.

Sorry this happened to your Car....thankfully it's only metal injury...no people...Best of luck with your insurance payment....Hope all works out for you.

crashish

Thanks for all the kind words everyone. I'm a little wishy washy about what car I'll get next (assuming it's declared a total) but my experience with Acura, the TL, and this community have all been excellent, so I am heavily leaning towards getting another one.

Someone mentioned the rear doors looking ok, I don't remember trying the driver side rear door, but the passenger side rear door is definitely not openeable.

ediddy

sorry about your car but at least no one got hurt.......well let us know if you get another TL.....

03CoupeV6

If the RL is in the realm of possibilities, you should strongly consider that. What an awesome car it is. Of course, the TL is, too.

vp911

^^ I think you should look at the RL if it is in your cards. At roughly $44k for an 06' or if you can find an 05' as low as $40-41k.

03CoupeV6

and after being involved in an accident or seeing your car in one, the RL's safety begins to look really good. It really offers a level of safety unmatched by other Acura cars and by most in the industry.

vp911

Safety = RL

03CoupeV6

Honda's dedication to safety and the environment really make me respect the company as a whole.

But on topic, if an RL isn't possible, then another TL would serve you well for sure.

SouthernBoy

Man I hate that. Especially when it's premature e-cook-ulation.

sweetride01

Umm... a loss of a car is not a tragedy, especially one as easily replacable as a new TL.
Cars<Human Life. I'd probably just be pissed at the Ram driver, but see that he might actually learn a lesson.