[jay]

Not so much my first accident, but my Pilot's, and the very first for the lady in the Hyundai who rear-ended me this evening. Guess that's what I get for talking at the D.C. meet about averaging getting rear-ended every 21 months (24 this time, as I recall), and today posting in the roadside assistance kit thread about needing to keep a pen, pad of paper, and camera in the car to document accidents.

I'm fine, the other driver is fine, my Pilot's lower gray bumper cover is scratched, her Hyundai is "tore up." She's already called it in to her insurance and admitted fault.

This accident occurred just after 4pm edt today. The light in front of me went yellow, and I, having been rear-ended so many times, instinctively checked my rearview mirror. That car wasn't going to stop. I had to make a couple of split-second decisions.

First decision, I started through the intersection on a red light. Next came the biggie decision. The third car didn't see, at all, what was occurring, and started to accelerate through their now green light, while I was running a red with a Hyundai on my A$$. Such choices, broadsided by an old Explorer or rear-ended by a Hyundai.

Through the wonders of cell phone technology and digital cameras, I'd documented the accident, which occurred just after 4 pm, scheduled the body shop for an estimate, and reported it to my insurance, all by 4:40 pm. The accident, and stopping at the grocery store for beer (because I didn't have any in the fridge and knew I'd need one when I got home) added only 45 minutes to my usual commute.

I realy felt sorry for the lady, as she struggled to pull her door open to get in and leave after exchanging information. The hood and left fender of her car really buckled, making it difficult to open the driver's door.

Here's the Hyundai, post accident, at the scene of the infraction:

 

[jay]

I was impressed by how the Pilot took it. I rapidly decelerated from about 20 miles an hour to stop in the middle of the intersection pictured above, and the Hyundai was going at least that fast.

I didn't know, from the loud thump I heard, what to expect. Here's the Pilot at the scene of the infraction:

 

[jay]

Just the lower gray cover was scratched. No structural (that I can tell) damage. Not a scratch on the paint. Kemosabe's chrome exhaust tips would have suffered damage, because they're a hair longer; not even a scratch on mine. That lower cover has to be replaced, though.

 

[RipRocK]

Youch! Sorry about your mishap there, jay. But glad nobody was hurt and doesn't look as though your Pilot suffered too much damage. My Pilot was rear-ended early this year as well.

Make sure to take it to a good bodyshop and have the bumper inspected thoroughly to see if there are any structural damages. We ended up with a new bumper, but the damage to our bumper was more extensive than a cursory visual inspection led me to believe. One thing's for certain, it's just a big hassle until its over!

 

[Ziploc]

I was impressed by how the Pilot took it. I rapidly decelerated from about 20 miles an hour to stop in the middle of the intersection pictured above, and the Hyundai was going at least that fast.

I didn't know, from the loud thump I heard, what to expect. Here's the Pilot at the scene of the infraction:

As you might expect, the Hyundai certainly got the worst of the encounter--thank goodness both you and the other driver are fine.

I really had to look hard at the first photo to see the scratch marks on your bumper cover, but they do appear considerably more prominent in your second pic. I've disguised similar marks fairly successfully with "blackening agents" on my '98 Civic, but I certainly understand your wanting a full-blown fix on your still-young Pilot! Plus, you'll want assurance there's no "hidden" damage.

jay, maybe you better reconsider talking about the average durations between getting rear-ended....at least for me, such things tend to encourage "bad karma"!

 

[RipRocK]

Just a couple of pics of the bumper I took shortly after the rearender we had. Notice the slight tail pipe damage in this pic. The whole darn exhaust pipe and the muffler was replaced as well, on top of getting a new bumper. I had no objections to the bodyshop's advice on that (Moderators, if the pics are too big, feel free to resize them)

 

[teachinkids]

That lower cover has to be replaced, though.

Any idea how long she'll be in the shop? I think the worst thing (after the deductible, of course) is the fact that you might have to drive a Ford Ka as a rental.

 

[jay]

Any idea how long she'll be in the shop? I think the worst thing (after the deductible, of course) is the fact that you might have to drive a Ford Ka as a rental.

I'd guess only a day, to replace either just that gray cover or the entire bumper. I'm hoping that it's just the gray cover, since there's not a scratch on the rest of it.

 

[teachinkids]

Ford Ka as a rental.

====slight thread drift====
I guess these are pretty cozy. My brother in law has one, but he's about 5 foot nuthin'. It's got nothin on the Pilot.

 

[guitarman]

I'm sorry Jay...

to hear about your accident. From the looks of things, it might be as simple as replacing that gray bumper.

If you feel any stiffness in your back or neck tomorrow morning, I would suggest seeing a doctor. The last time I was rear ended, I didn't feel any pain until the next day.

Take care.

 

[jay]

If this diagram and pricing are correct, the repair cost for the Pilot should be:

- $44 for parts
- $90 for labor ( 1 hour max.)
- $ 60 for rental car for a day (if you can't wait for it)

- Nobody was injured- PRICELESS.

 

[jay]

Re: I'm sorry Jay...

to hear about your accident. From the looks of things, it might be as simple as replacing that gray bumper.

If you feel any stiffness in your back or neck tomorrow morning, I would suggest seeing a doctor. The last time I was rear ended, I didn't feel any pain until the next day.

Take care.

Thanks g-man. Good advice, that I'll follow up on. Some posters, in other threads, have b*tched about the head restraints not being comfortable, but so far I stand by my point that they are restraints and not "rests," and appeared to function correctly today. Tomorrow morning will tell, though.

 

[jay]

Just a couple of pics of the bumper I took shortly after the rearender we had. Notice the slight tail pipe damage in this pic. The whole darn exhaust pipe and the muffler was replaced as well, on top of getting a new bumper. I had no objections to the bodyshop's advice on that (Moderators, if the pics are too big, feel free to resize them)

RipRock, that's a pretty good hit you took. I just realized that the black step piece popped out completely. At what kind of speeds were you and the offender moving?

(Side note: Ziploc, I almost phrased that last sentence ending with a preposition - "at." I heard my Mom yelling at me, and you mumbling about dumbA$$ proposal managers who can't write. )

 

[kemosabe]

jay: Aw man, so sorry to hear/see about your fender-bender this afternoon...

...but I'm glad that no one was injured seriously from the mishap!!! :4:

I may have to include your photos in this thread...

 

[guitarman]

jay:
I may have to include your photos in this thread...

Aren't we getting a bit carried away Kemosabe?

 

[jay]

jay: Aw man, so sorry to hear/see about your fender-bender this afternoon...

...but I'm glad that no one was injured seriously from the mishap!!! :4:

I may have to include your photos in this thread...

And another Silver one, to boot.

 

[borg]

Sorry about the crash jay, but am glad to hear no one was seriously hurt.....tis also good to see your sense of humor intact

Your Pilot looks to have sustained minimal damage compared to the Hyundai......good to know that rear bumper can take a hit like that and maintain its integritiy, but most of all it shielded borg's Pilot collectivefull size spare

Take care & be safe

 

[jay]

Sorry about the crash jay, but am glad to hear no one was seriously hurt.....tis also good to see your sense of humor intact

Your Pilot looks to have sustained minimal damage compared to the Hyundai......good to know that rear bumper can take a hit like that and maintain its integritiy, but most of all it shielded borg's Pilot collectivefull size spare

Take care & be safe

borg, I thought the same thing when I saw that close-up pic that I posted.

 

[RipRocK]

RipRock, that's a pretty good hit you took. I just realized that the black step piece popped out completely. At what kind of speeds were you and the offender moving?

Yeah, it was a pretty good hit. I wasn't there. It was just my wife and the girls in the Pilot at the time and she figures the other car was travelling at the very least 50KM/H (30MPH). My wife said that she sensed something approaching fast in the rearview mirror and when she actually looked at it, she saw the car coming and the car wasn't slowing down at all and knew she was gonna be hit.

The other car was a mid to late 80 small domestic sedan. I didn't even bother to look at the other car because I was so furious when I got there assessed the situation. If say the road conditions were slippery, or if my wife was even least bit at fault for causing the accident, then I would've felt differently. But the roads were perfectly clear and my wife was at a redlight and had just started to slowly drive off because the light had turned. The other driver was completely oblivious to the traffic ahead of her.

Anyway, the other car was a total write off. The whole frontside caved in and the radiator was pushed back to where the dirty, rust carburetor was. She decided not to repair her car do away with it since the repair cost was going to be more than the car itself. Good thing. I don't think she deserves to be on the road at all driving like that.

 

[florida_guy]

Bummer Jay. I hate to think about this kind of stuff happening. Glad no one was hurt.