(sigh)...

A few weeks ago someone hit Schultze in the Walmart parking lot and didn't stick around. $200 deductible and picked Schultze up the morning of 03/14/08 on the way to work.

Had lunch with a friend & we went for a drive...beautiful day, great conversation, awesome scenery.

I suddenly experienced a major sneezing fit...I'm talking at least 10 rapid-fire sneezes. Finished sneezing and suddenly there was a 90-degree blind right turn!

I wasn't speeding, but I wasn't able to negotiate the turn, either.

We hit the ditch, became airborne and proceeded to plow the farmer's field...came to a stop just before hitting a utility pole.

Both airbags deployed; my passenger wasn't hurt and he didn't even hit his head on the roof or his knees on the dash (he's 6'4" & 215 pounds). I wasn't so lucky: I ended up being transported by ambulance to the hospital. The accident was so far out in the country that Nightingale was on call, but after they did an initial assessment, Nightingale was cancelled.

Initial assessment: two broken wrists; last two fingers on each hand broken; right forearm broken; 2nd-degree burn to right wrist; scrapes to both forearms; severe contusion to right forearm.

Final assessment after nearly 5 hrs at the ER: no broken bones; 2nd-degree burn to right wrist; scrapes & contusions to both forearms; severe contusion to right forearm; strained neck (thoracic area); bruised ribs; contusions to chest from seatbelt; contusions to each hip bone from seatbelt.

Final assessment for my passenger: a 1/2" crescent-moon shaped abrasion to his right elbow from getting rubbed against the door.

Oh...and here's the "funny" part: the MINI logo on the centerpiece of the steering wheel hit my right forearm with such force that there's a VERY distinct imprint (branding?!) of the logo on my inner right forearm.

I'm VERY grateful that neither of us were seriously injured and I'm even MORE grateful that there wasn't oncoming traffic.

Initial assessment of Schultze indicates that he's not totalled, but adjuster won't know until he gets into Schultze tomorrow.

Went to visit Schultze at the tow yard on Sunday...which is where most of the pics were taken. Apparently the impact was so severe that it popped the strut tower covers out of place and there's actually a DENT in the bonnet from where one of the STB nuts impacted & went through the fabric sheathing stuff on the underside of the bonnet.

I uploaded pics to Photobucket & created a slideshow...hopefully the link works:

http://s157.photobucket.com/albums/t...t=dac038db.pbw

 

Wow!
Sneezing is dangerous!!

I'm glad that Schultze kept you safe and the injuries weren't very severe!

 

Wow. Sorry to hear/see that... As a member of our county's rescue squad, you guys got very lucky...I've seen worse happen from less of a cause. Hopefully Schultze will be back on the road soon. Keep your head up, you've got some one looking out for you

 

Sorry to hear about your accident. Glad to hear you'll be ok - your MINI looks very mendable - looks like the sheetmetal damage is not too bad.

Make sure you tell the windshield guys to grab all your clingons when they swap out your windshield. Now might also be a good time to upgrade to a JCW steering wheel?? :-)

 

So sorry to hear about your accident. I am also very afraid of those sudden sneezing spells while driving. Anyway, wishes for a speedy recovery and hope that the car gets totalled. It is a R53, but you don't want that car after that accident. Wait til they start tearing it down....I am sure they'll find more damage to write it off. If I were you, I'll start playing with the online configurator..

 

When you talk to the adjuster, make sure it doesn't have frame damage. The jolt to the undercarriage looks like if it was severe enough to trigger the airbags. Also, the insurance/body needs to check for possible engine/transmission damage, which can easily push the claim towards the "Total" end of the spectrum.

 

Sorry about the accident.

It might be a moot point now, but WalMart has security cameras up the wazoo. It might be worth checking with their security staff to see if you can track down the person who originally hit you. I know it's a long shot, but it might at least get your $200 back.

John

 

We're glad, too!

The state trooper said it was the first time he had dealt with an accident caused by sneezing.

 

The volunteer rescue squad was fantastic!

Hopefully Schultze will be feeling better before MOTD...

 

LOL about the window clings...only one survived unscathed: the GWR one that was on the driver's side. I pulled the others off when I went to the tow yard--going to see if a local shop can make them into window decals.

Hmm...I didn't think about upgrading the steering wheel, but that's a great idea!

Last week I ordered brand new parts for the arches/sideskirts/bumpers because I'm going to have them painted. The insurance paid for some of the parts from the Walmart incident, so I purchased the remaining parts for the project.

Of course now those parts are going to be covered by insurance and the adjuster has already told me that I'll get "credit" for the parts that are enroute.

Let's see...I should upgrade the bumper & sideskirts to the Aero kit...aren't there two different aero kits (JCW vs. regular aero)?

I wonder if it's possible to upgrade the shocks/springs, too?

Anything other upgrade suggestions?

 

One thing I noticed when looking under the bonnet at the tow yard was that there seemed to be quite a bit of fluid which "exploded" from the transmission fluid reservoir cap. You might be able to see it in one of the photos.

Another thing I noticed was that the boot is no longer "flush" with the body when closed. There's a noticeable gap on both sides of the boot, but there's "more gap" on the driver side.

Radiator is mangled; the wiring for the driver side wheel arch light was sheared off completely; the driver side fog light housing is mangled, too.

Schultze has always been "straight & true" in terms of alignment--I'll immediately notice if something isn't right when I get him back. Schultze has always been a "quiet boy" in terms of squeeks & weird sounds, too.

 

I did check with Walmart security & the store manager...there wasn't anything they could (read: WANT) to do.

Back in January at that very same Walmart, I noticed an wailing infant strapped in a carseat in a locked BMW 330si which was parked next to my car when I got to the store. It was 9:30pm. I called 911 and my daughter went to flag down Walmart security.

It took 10 minutes for the police to get there; the mom finally came out of the store and claimed to have only been inside the store for a total of 15 minutes. I noticed the car because it was identical to my friend's (Mark) car and it was already parked when I parked to go into the store. (Mark was the passenger in the accident on 03/15/08). I was in the store for at least 30 minutes, so I knew that the mom must have been in the store for longer than the 15 minutes she claimed (which was 15 minutes too long, anyhow!).

During questioning, I asked the police officer if it would be possible to review the security cameras as a way to prove how long she really had been in the store; he said he was going to file a report & notify Child Protective Services and if they felt it was an issue, CPS would have to make the formal request to review the camera footage.

grrr....

 

Lesson: Never shop at ChinaMart!

 

Erika, sorry to hear about your MINI. Glad to hear you will be ok. Maybe the insurance company will settle quickly and you will get another MINI soon.

 

I like that!
It sort of says it all!

 

1. MINIs do not have frames. If I see one more person say that, I'm going to... correct them yet again.

2. Estimators will get insulted if you tell them to make sure the car doesn't have damage to the unibody structure. Of course they will... it's their jobs. And if they can't see it when they do the estimate, the shop will find it if and when they do repairs and they'll call the estimator back out for a supplemental estimate.

 

Those cameras are only to protect Wal-Mart's interests, not the customers... (And one documentary I saw suggested they're just there to spy on employees who want to unionize... ) But I digress...

Accidents suck. Glad you're okay!

 

If it weren't for the fact that one of the kids "suddenly remembered" at 9pm that they needed stuff for school the next day, I wouldn't have been at the store...

 

The adjuster says he should be able to start on my car today...there are two cars ahead of Schultze. I'm going to stop by the shop this morning to point out stuff that I noticed and to describe to him what happened so he knows what to look for (his request).

 

After speaking with the adjuster by phone on Tuesday, I thought it was interesting that he wanted me to stop by the shop this morning to describe what happened & point out areas of concern.

Is that common?

I wonder if my "case" can be reassigned to the other adjuster at that particular shop. They are both named Steve and the other Steve is already familiar with Schultze due to the parking lot incident. The Steve currently assigned to the accident doesn't "understand" MINIacs.

 

Oh, I agree!

Walmart offers vision insurance at no cost to qualifying employees...HOWEVER, it is NOT accepted at their own vision centers! How odd is that?!

 

I'm a little confused by the question. An adjuster is a term used by many people to describe estimators, claim reps, and even shop employees.

Is this "adjuster" an employee of your insurance company ? If so, yes, that is unusual. They'll usually give the estimate to the shop and to the vehicle owner and then they're pretty much out of the process unless the shop calls them back due to finding other problems.

Anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if the repair shop rep wants to show you some things about the work they're going to do. Perhaps they want to make sure you are comfortable with the work they're doing, if it's extensive.

And I can't really answer that last question until I understand how you're using the term "adjuster". If it is an insurance company estimator, no you can't pick and choose who does your estimate. If it's a shop employee, then sure, tell the shop foreman you want the other technician working on your car or overseeing the repairs. They're getting your money (and the insurance company's money), you have a say.

 

Sorry for the confusion...

My insurance is Nationwide and the shop I'm using is a "Blue Ribbon Repair Shop" (BRR shop) with Nationwide.

The way it was explained to me, there are two adjusters/estimators who are employees of the collision center and are authorized to write-up the estimates. Neither of these two employees actually work on the car.

I guess I'll need to get more info/details this morning...

Maybe you can answer this question:

I was told that I could have Nationwide write me the check for the damages and I could take Schultze anywhere I wanted for repairs. I was also told that I could use that check to pay for necessary parts, paint & labor. I already have a BUNCH of parts ordered for cosmetic upgrades and now, due to the accident, the insurance company will be "paying" for those parts. I do NOT want the insurance company or the collision center to buy those parts "again" because their prices are higher and I'll get less bang for my buck.

Steve #1 (parking lot incident adjuster/estimator) says that I would get credit for the parts already purchased. Steve # 2 (accident adjuster/estimator) says that I won't get credit for the parts already purchased and that I should cancel the order.

I want to know if I have legal grounds to ask Nationwide to write the check to me instead of the collision center. This way, I can get upgraded parts at a better price (more bang for my buck!) and still have plenty of $$$ to pay for the paint & labor costs.

Help!

 

Okay, the two Steves both work for the body shop. Because the shop is one of Nationwide's preferred shops and they do a lot of business with them, the shop has designated two employees to do estimates for their customers. We, here at State Farm, have a similar program, as do most major insurers.

So... what Nationwide was explaining to you is this: You can opt to take your car to any shop you want. If it's a shop not in their program, they'll cut you a check for the estimate and you arrange to take your car to the shop.

Now, since you have decided to use one of their preferred shops, that shop provides the estimate to Nationwide. Nationwide will pay them directly for the repairs, minus your deductible. It's up to you and the shop to work out an agreement if you want them to use parts you already ordered for your MINI. They should *not* have a problem with it, and they *should* reimburse you the cost of the standard part they would have used had you not supplied the part to them.

If the shop flat our refuses to use the parts you purchased and reimburse you the cost of the parts the no longer have to buy themselves.... and if you haven't already signed an agreement with them to repair your car, you can always take it elsewhere.

Hope that helps. If you are still confused or have other questions, don't hesitate to ask.

 

Thanks for the info...as always, it was very informative.

I'm headed to the shop in a few minutes...I'll post an update later today.

Thanks, again!