The BMW that was.....

Dyre Straits · May 30, 2007, 03:45 AM

For a little while now, I've been working evenings making pizza deliveries. I do enjoy this kind or work after years of climbing up and down ladders, on roofs of houses as well as under them to do my home remodeling and repairs. But, the pizza service is a nice change of pace from all of that and...USUALLY...a lot less stressful in many ways.

Well, I've owned a 1988 BMW 528e for a little while and enjoyed driving it. But, as of this afternoon, those days are only memories now.....

Some drunken jerk in a pickup truck decided to smash into me head-on, push my car backwards about 10-12 feet and then LEAVE THE SCENE OF THE ACCIDENT.

All the enforcement personnel is on the lookout for this blue pickup truck with temporary 30-day dealer tag and a smashed front end.

In the attached photos I took you can see the damage, the skid marks where he pushed my car backwards, and his own tire tracks as he drove around me. The last one is my farewell as the tow truck prepares to haul it off to BMW heaven...

I'm going to miss this car.....

**kris23** · May 30, 2007, 04:10 AM

woah......... that is one wreck...... are you able to get a new car for your dead one?

really sucks, good to have a camera handy.

Dyre Straits · May 30, 2007, 04:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kris23

woah......... that is one wreck...... are you able to get a new car for your dead one?

really sucks, good to have a camera handy.

Being that it just happened a few hours ago, the claims department has been contacted and is due to call back in the morning.

Also, being that this guy left the scene (hit and run) if the authorities can catch up with him, it could be months before any settlement is reached.

Dark Lord · May 30, 2007, 05:08 AM

thatll buff right out

Necrosis · May 30, 2007, 07:16 AM

Wow hope you're doing okay! I also hope they find the jerk that did this, were you able to get a good look at him to give a description?

Zardon · May 30, 2007, 07:23 AM

yeah, really lucky you werent injured man. I know its a bummer but a car can be replaced. body parts are a lot harder....

Hope you catch this idiot.

CDsDontBurn · May 30, 2007, 07:47 AM

wow. sux to hear about that one. hope they can catch the guy. did you at least get a make and model of the truck that hit you?

Dyre Straits · May 30, 2007, 08:07 AM

Hey, guys,

Thanks for all the replies so far. I'm fine...just a little tightness in my neck and shoulders from minor whiplash.

Otherwise, this jerk stuck his mug out the window of his truck as he cussed me out while driving away. It was rush hour and dozens of other drivers got a good look at him. Several stopped and offered their names/and info to the cop.

Also, tomorrow, Wednesday, I'm going to find out if he bought gas and/or beer from either of the gas stations on that corner. He may be a regular customer.

I really want this stupid jerk caught and locked up. I think you understand.

**temeteus82** · May 30, 2007, 08:29 AM

man I've heard that older cars are dangerous when you have head on collision. I'm glad that you are ok. Hope they catch that jerk.

***craig5320*** · May 30, 2007, 09:37 AM

Damn, such a shame, I saw you mentioning your BMW in another thread last week and wondered what it looked like, shame this is how I get to see it.

Hope you're able to get a settlement/conviction, and temeteus is right you're lucky a head-on crash in even a brand new car is damned dangerous.

Look after yourself

Dyre Straits · May 30, 2007, 01:23 PM

If I'd been moving forward it would have been a lot worse. But, I had actually completely stopped and he still rammed me.

Right now, my neck on the right side and right shoulder are wanting to knot up and I can't get comfortable enough to sleep. Plus, there's a lot going through my mind about what's going to happen with the insurance, etc. I just hope they can catch this idiot before he does some serious damage or kills someone.

JohnDoe47 · May 30, 2007, 01:26 PM

Damn, thats such a shame. after all that effort you put into changing the parts on the engine aswell.

I hope nobody crashes into my 1990 mk2 Polo, I reckon a scooter crashing into me would knock my teeth out , leave handlebars coming out my mouth and a chain wrapped around my neck.

So after he's caught what are your plans going to be?

Dyre Straits · May 30, 2007, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick0323

Damn, thats such a shame. after all that effort you put into changing the parts on the engine aswell.

I hope nobody crashes into my 1990 mk2 Polo, I reckon a scooter crashing into me would knock my teeth out , leave handlebars coming out my mouth and a chain wrapped around my neck.

So after he's caught what are your plans going to be?

Let's get him caught first.

Then, he should be very happy he's in lockup.

MrSpock2002 · May 30, 2007, 07:37 PM

Damn that sucks. Poor Beamer... Poor you.. It's fag's like that who I hate.

I hope you get compensated, if you catch him, I'd get the lawyer involved. I would not stop until either he, or his insurance buys you a new Beamer. And compensates you for pain/injuries.

Get a good lawyer. They will catch him eventually.

It just goes to show you though how well Beamers are built, even back then. Alot of newer cars you probably would not have walked away from that.

Makes me feel lucky to have a Buick though. I get about 750 off a year for having a Regal, because of all the safety crap.

Good luck to you.

Judas · May 30, 2007, 07:46 PM

The Tires are still good! If it is definitely totaled off, i'd definitely try and strip as much out of it as possible

Either way, sucks that you got royally nailed by the jackass.

And glad you were driving a bmw, specially 88, alot of these newer vehicles are freaking deathtraps vs older vehicles.

I've seen what a 1976 chrysler car (3+ tons AKA 6000+ pounds) has done to some of the early 90s and newer vehicles, litterly nothing left of them in head on colisions, even stationary ones IF the older card is the one hitting something.

Either way, even if they don't get the guy, shouldn't the insurance still cover it all and either repair the bmw (unlikely) or fully replace your car/pay you what it's total conditioned value was?

Dyre Straits · May 30, 2007, 09:10 PM

RE: Tires: Yes, I just had all new tires put on in the last month. I've spent some money getting this car fixed up and was hoping to do a full restoration on it as it approached the Classic designation for cars here in Georgia.

RE: Insurance: I have Liability w/Uninsured Motorist coverage. Liability won't cover anything if I'm at fault. (I'm not and wasn't ticketed at all.) The Uninsured Motorist coverage 'should' kick in since this guy left the scene.

His crime is a felony and, when he's caught, he'll be dealt with pretty harshly. One officer said it's about the same as if he'd counterfeited money. It's just going to be hard to prove he was also DUI/DWI at the time. Several witnesses are sure he was drunk.

Anyway, I'm really sore and had some restless sleep and won't be going into work tonight. I have too much to do to get my Grand Caravan ready so I can work tomorrow. I just hate using the GC because it doesn't get near the gas mileage as my BMW.

Will keep you all posted on developments....

Judas · May 30, 2007, 09:26 PM

damn...

so you gotta pay for the fuel for your vehicle when doing the diliveries?

Zelig · May 30, 2007, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Judas

I've seen what a 1976 chrysler car (3+ tons AKA 6000+ pounds) has done to some of the early 90s and newer vehicles, litterly nothing left of them in head on colisions, even stationary ones IF the older card is the one hitting something.

Newer cars are generally much safer for the occupents than older cars, however, because of the crumple design, they can look to be in far worse shape after the same accidents that don't damage older cars as much.

Dyre: Ouch man, that sucks, I don't get mad easily, but I'd be seething at the jerk who smashed you. Good to hear you're mostly alright though.

Sandok · May 30, 2007, 09:41 PM

That definately sucks big time! Come on, you were stopped? That's just the WORST luck imaginable Dyre!

I feel for ya man, hope they catch the SOB! (surely will, just a matter of time

) Sucks to see a good car go but be glad you're safe!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Judas

And glad you were driving a bmw, specially 88, alot of these newer vehicles are freaking deathtraps vs older vehicles.

Judas, you gotta be jokin no? The 88 BMW is deemed quite poor in accident situations while newer ones have top marks. Old cars aren't ever as safe as the newer things, please.

Dyre Straits · May 30, 2007, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Judas

damn...

so you gotta pay for the fuel for your vehicle when doing the diliveries?

Here's the deal, and, yes, it stinks!!

Pizza Hut charges the customers for a delivery fee, BUT, they do NOT give that delivery fee to the drivers! In our area, the d/f is $1.25 per order for delivery.

Now, what happens is this: The store gives the driver $15 when they clock in to use for change. At the end of the shift, however many deliveries have been made, the driver gets (only as of Tuesday a week ago) 82 cents for each delivery made. So, depending on how many deliveries, the driver has to either refund the difference or the store has to give the driver a wee bit more.

Even with my BMW getting 22.8 MPG, the driver allowance NEVER covered the full cost of my fuel for that shift. AND, none of the pizza stores EVER compensate the drivers for repairs, maintenance, or anything else related to the costs of operating the vehicle. The 'unofficial' statement is that it's up to the customers' TIPS to cover those expenses.

On the positive side of things, though, and the main reason I stick with it, is that I can usually count on some decent TIPS as I'm one of the more popular delivery guys. I joke with the customers (usually) and have them laughing as they go to eat. They all remember me the next time I make a delivery and that works to my benefit...usually.

Now, in the case of this accident: Pizza Hut will not offer me even one red cent of help to get the vehicle and/or another vehicle to use. They will never, ever do that as they won't accept any responsibility for damages to the drivers' car/s. They only will cover damages to a customer's property if, say, the driver runs over a mailbox or something like that. AND, if the driver has more than two incidents within a year, they can no longer work for Pizza Hut....or they have to wait at least a year to be reinstated.

Another of my concerns for my part is that I just recently achieved the 5000 Accident Free Hours benefit. That resulted in a $250 bonus for me. The next level: 7500 hours would be a $500 bonus. I'm just hoping that this accident doesn't count against me since I wasn't cited for any violation. It shouldn't!

Well, I'm off for a while to get the van ready for work.

At least I still have my sense of humor.

Judas · May 30, 2007, 10:11 PM

No you took it a bit the wrong way,

I was reffering to that while an older car would be deemed poor for accidents, they typically aren't as bad as most people would think.

I've seen the show where they actually took low star rated older vehicles, and mashed them into much newer, higher 4-5 star rated vehicles, the end result was the older vehicle litterly sheering right through the newer ones, making the 4-5 star rated vehicle into a death trap, most likely instantly killing anyone inside. The only results for the older lower star rated vehicle would be a fair bit of whiplash, and a fair bit of body work needed. Course this always depends on the vehicles, but from what i had seen, a 1988 model car isn't all that bad.

Course we don't know how new or old the pickup truck was...

I've rather drive the 73 olds, with only waist seat belts, then my grand prix any day if there was a good chance that i was going to be in any kind of an accident.

Judas · May 30, 2007, 10:17 PM

that's damn good 5000+ hours accident free running about the city...

Would be nice if you could get a nice handy dandy hybrid .. 80mpg city driving... lol

**Mousey** · May 30, 2007, 10:34 PM

jeesus that's terrible dude, glad you came out with just a few bumps and scrapes

.
Beamers are nice regardless of the age, it's a complete arse that's happened.
i hope some bent cop beats the living shit out of that guy when they catch him, he'd come out of it better than if you got him ;p

**kris23** · May 31, 2007, 03:11 AM

why arent the car frames made out of titanium? i mean, it would cost a few thousand extra to forge a titanium frame instead of steel AND THEN have aluminum on the outside to give the exterior style..... i mean its just a frame, not a freaken bank car armor. how much more cost would it be?

it could save lives since accidents like this happen so often.....

Zelig · May 31, 2007, 03:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kris23

why arent the car frames made out of titanium? i mean, it would cost a few thousand extra to forge a titanium frame instead of steel AND THEN have aluminum on the outside to give the exterior style..... i mean its just a frame, not a freaken bank car armor. how much more cost would it be?

No, it wouldn't save lives. Cars with better safety ratings perform well because they have crumple zones, which increase the time period that people in the vehicle are exposed to negative acceleration, and decrease the maximum acceleration.

Think of it as an egg inside a steel container packed with foam, versus an egg inside a soft plastic container packed with foam. Eggs in the plastic containers survive far better.

**kris23** · May 31, 2007, 03:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zelig

No, it wouldn't save lives. Cars with better safety ratings perform well because they have crumple zones, which increase the time period that people in the vehicle are exposed to negative acceleration, and decrease the maximum acceleration.

Think of it as an egg inside a steel container packed with foam, versus an egg inside a soft plastic container packed with foam. Eggs in the plastic containers survive far better.

then how come my hardboiled egg in a tupperware blew up when i jumped on it?

Zelig · May 31, 2007, 04:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kris23

then how come my hardboiled egg in a tupperware blew up when i jumped on it?

Because it's more rigid, I'm sure a titanium car would help people inside from crushing when there isn't high acceleration ocurring, it's not going to be useful if you crash into something at a decent speed though.

I'm off-topic enough in this thread, PM me if you want me to go into any real detail.

**kris23** · May 31, 2007, 04:30 AM

lol no not really

Tinkerhell · May 31, 2007, 07:01 PM

What's going to happen - assuming you have Uninsured Motorist Property Damage on your policy (because I'm about 99.99% sure that you were not carrying Collision on that old of a vehicle) you will get a very small amount of cash. Maybe. Bottom line here is you are talking about a car that is 20 years old. It has very little cash value.

That is all assuming you file it with you company of course. I suggest you do.

If you don't then obviously you get nothing.

If this guy is caught then & he has insurance then you can file the claim with his company. Under the circumstances they are going to pay you for the value of the car. Again that's going to mean that you aren't getting much of anything.

What I would suggest to you is that if you are still hurting after a day or two that you go see your doctor (not and ER visit or a chiropracter) and have them give you a going over. That will then also give you some grounds for discussion of injury claims with the other guy's insurance (again assuming he has any) or for an UM Bodily Injury claim with your own company. Keep track of your time out of work too. You can include that in an injury claim.

If you file with your own company & the guy is later caught they will go after him or his insurance to get the money back.

The only other optionis you have are to A) do nothing or B) sue the guy if he is ever found & he doesn't have insurance. Good luck with that...

Sorry that happened it's shitty for sure. The way insurance companies value cars sucks. Your ride might have been in great shape & had 10's of thousands of miles of good service left in it but insurance companies just depreciate the hell out of them so fast. Once a car gets about 8- 12 years old it's not worth anything compared to its original value no matter how good of shap it's in. Had something very similar happen to me before.

One last bit of info - if you file this with either insurance company they will declare the car a total loss. That means they will give you some small amount of money & then keep the remains of the car to be sold off as salvage. If you are good with cars & want this thing to part out or something like that you can tell them you want to retain the salvage but it will reduce the amount you get from the insurance. Normaly they pay you $X amount for the car, keep the remains & sell it to a junk yard and they get to keep the proceeds $Y. If you want the remains they give you $X - $Y.

Glad ya weren't hurt.

Judas · May 31, 2007, 07:57 PM

erg.

The way SGI works here from my understanding, while Age does have a slight impack, the overall shape and total mileage dictates the value of the car.

For example, my Grand Prix (1995), is in pretty damn good running order, i've had it excessively well maintained, it's spent 90% of it's life in a garage and not out in the harsh weather/sunlight. Not a leak, crack, scoff on it aside from litterly nailing a rabbit and cracking the little itty bit that is the molding around the passanger fog light (easy fix).

it may be 12 years old, BUT, 119,000km on it ( Call it close to 74,000 miles ).

If i were to smash into a deer, get nailed by another vehicle, it gets stolen, whatever. As long as i wasn't in the wrong at all, i would get anywhere from $6000-8000 for it right now. Rough value of it is around the $7500-9000 mark.

I don't have any package policy on it or anything, all i pay is $62 per month for registration and insurance. Course being that i haven't had an accident, my costs are low, if i were to have an accident, even accidental and not in the wrong, my insurance will go up like crazy.

I don't think i could even afford to live in some of the states for even a month.... probably could register my vehicle thier due to the costs....

May 30, 2007, 04:10 AM	#2
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,019 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	woah......... that is one wreck...... are you able to get a new car for your dead one? really sucks, good to have a camera handy. __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

May 30, 2007, 05:08 AM	#4
Dark Lord HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Grand Rapids, MI Posts: 5,945 Rep Power: 125 System Specs	thatll buff right out __________________

May 30, 2007, 07:47 AM	#7
CDsDontBurn Lurking DriverHeaven Join Date: May 2003 Location: Southern California Posts: 22,795 Rep Power: 235 System Specs	wow. sux to hear about that one. hope they can catch the guy. did you at least get a make and model of the truck that hit you? __________________ Her First Day \| A year later

May 30, 2007, 09:37 AM	#10
*craig5320* HH Administrator Join Date: May 2002 Location: Manchester, UK Posts: 8,572 Rep Power: 445 System Specs	Damn, such a shame, I saw you mentioning your BMW in another thread last week and wondered what it looked like, shame this is how I get to see it. Hope you're able to get a settlement/conviction, and temeteus is right you're lucky a head-on crash in even a brand new car is damned dangerous. Look after yourself __________________ HardwareHeaven on Facebook

May 30, 2007, 10:34 PM	#23
Mousey Synth's Long Lost Bro Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Web Design Hell Posts: 7,189 Rep Power: 245 System Specs	jeesus that's terrible dude, glad you came out with just a few bumps and scrapes . Beamers are nice regardless of the age, it's a complete arse that's happened. i hope some bent cop beats the living shit out of that guy when they catch him, he'd come out of it better than if you got him ;p __________________

May 30, 2007, 07:16 AM	#5
Necrosis HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 8,838 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	Wow hope you're doing okay! I also hope they find the jerk that did this, were you able to get a good look at him to give a description?

May 30, 2007, 07:23 AM	#6
Zardon DriverHeaven Founder Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 32,480 Rep Power: 179	yeah, really lucky you werent injured man. I know its a bummer but a car can be replaced. body parts are a lot harder.... Hope you catch this idiot.

May 30, 2007, 01:26 PM	#12
JohnDoe47 HardwareHeaven Addict Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 319 Rep Power: 0	Damn, thats such a shame. after all that effort you put into changing the parts on the engine aswell. I hope nobody crashes into my 1990 mk2 Polo, I reckon a scooter crashing into me would knock my teeth out , leave handlebars coming out my mouth and a chain wrapped around my neck. So after he's caught what are your plans going to be?

May 30, 2007, 07:37 PM	#14
MrSpock2002 Because I said so! Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Watkins Glen NY Posts: 542 Rep Power: 0	Damn that sucks. Poor Beamer... Poor you.. It's fag's like that who I hate. I hope you get compensated, if you catch him, I'd get the lawyer involved. I would not stop until either he, or his insurance buys you a new Beamer. And compensates you for pain/injuries. Get a good lawyer. They will catch him eventually. It just goes to show you though how well Beamers are built, even back then. Alot of newer cars you probably would not have walked away from that. Makes me feel lucky to have a Buick though. I get about 750 off a year for having a Regal, because of all the safety crap. Good luck to you.

May 31, 2007, 03:11 AM	#24
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,019 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	why arent the car frames made out of titanium? i mean, it would cost a few thousand extra to forge a titanium frame instead of steel AND THEN have aluminum on the outside to give the exterior style..... i mean its just a frame, not a freaken bank car armor. how much more cost would it be? it could save lives since accidents like this happen so often..... __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

May 31, 2007, 04:30 AM	#28
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,019 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	lol no not really __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

May 31, 2007, 07:01 PM	#29
Tinkerhell Not all fairies are nice. Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Georgia, USA Posts: 989 Rep Power: 44	What's going to happen - assuming you have Uninsured Motorist Property Damage on your policy (because I'm about 99.99% sure that you were not carrying Collision on that old of a vehicle) you will get a very small amount of cash. Maybe. Bottom line here is you are talking about a car that is 20 years old. It has very little cash value. That is all assuming you file it with you company of course. I suggest you do. If you don't then obviously you get nothing. If this guy is caught then & he has insurance then you can file the claim with his company. Under the circumstances they are going to pay you for the value of the car. Again that's going to mean that you aren't getting much of anything. What I would suggest to you is that if you are still hurting after a day or two that you go see your doctor (not and ER visit or a chiropracter) and have them give you a going over. That will then also give you some grounds for discussion of injury claims with the other guy's insurance (again assuming he has any) or for an UM Bodily Injury claim with your own company. Keep track of your time out of work too. You can include that in an injury claim. If you file with your own company & the guy is later caught they will go after him or his insurance to get the money back. The only other optionis you have are to A) do nothing or B) sue the guy if he is ever found & he doesn't have insurance. Good luck with that... Sorry that happened it's shitty for sure. The way insurance companies value cars sucks. Your ride might have been in great shape & had 10's of thousands of miles of good service left in it but insurance companies just depreciate the hell out of them so fast. Once a car gets about 8- 12 years old it's not worth anything compared to its original value no matter how good of shap it's in. Had something very similar happen to me before. One last bit of info - if you file this with either insurance company they will declare the car a total loss. That means they will give you some small amount of money & then keep the remains of the car to be sold off as salvage. If you are good with cars & want this thing to part out or something like that you can tell them you want to retain the salvage but it will reduce the amount you get from the insurance. Normaly they pay you $X amount for the car, keep the remains & sell it to a junk yard and they get to keep the proceeds $Y. If you want the remains they give you $X - $Y. Glad ya weren't hurt. __________________ Stupidity should be painful if not terminal. Darwin for Sainthood!! Last edited by Tinkerhell; May 31, 2007 at 07:31 PM.