I hit a monster alligator (truck tread) coming home a few nights ago. complete tread about 35/40 pounds....dreaded looking underneath when I got to light...NO damage! I was thankful and amazed.

I hope that pic of the oil just LOOKED grungy;-)

Stipulated: I own a trucking firm and drive 200K per year..(Not in a rig that can shed debris;-)
I believe you are deserving of being "made whole", however, there is another side.
Truckers, especially owner operators are regularly accused of scraping, hitting, running off road, denting, breaking lights-fenders-bumpers etc.
A company in Chicago has very cramped access to their loading ramp. SO tight, the other side of the street is covered with no parking signs.
One of our drivers had to dock with a Mustang blocking the dock. He worked for 30 minutes getting inside by having two workers stand on the corners and direct.
Mustang bright red...truck metallic emerald green.
Mustang gone when time to leave.
2 hours and 100 miles later, the insurance company(ours) called the driver about his "accident" which caved in the entire LEFT side of the Mustang. (Left side had been next to the curb..after our departure was re-parked the other way.
We had driver reverse and meet adjuster back in Chicago...NO green paint..rust around damage..and several employees who offered to testify that the other company had employees who watched from their windows, took down the truck info on the door, and claimed truck damage (as they KNOW all commercial trucks are heavily insured.)
Our trucks average over 1,000 miles a day 365 a year...government contract, BIG insurance.
Adjuster took testimony, agreed impossible for damage to have been caused by our trucks...and proceded to pay the complainant over $5,000 over our very loud suggestion that it was a racket. Insurance stance: "Cheaper to pay than to litigate."

Wonder why your insurance costs so much?

 

I don't think a skid plate would have really helped with an object of that size. Glad you're OK, and that you nailed the truck driver.

 

I stopped by the shop today to take a look at the damage. The parts are on order woo!


If you guys can see, that cooling unit is bent a bit.

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Radiator Fan housing is cracked, for those of you who have taken off your front end you should recognize that there is something missing from that left side haha.
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Ah yes, and the oil pan. New one is on the way!

Not to mention the Power Steering fan... which is probably on the road somewhere on assembly street haha since it is pretty much gone.
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awww poor Mini looked like it was dying in that first picture...

glad to see it won't be off the road for too long!!

 

I live in Fort Wayne, IN (which is known for it's craptastic roads). My husband and I were out driving home from the grocery, down a road that had some road construction that had just been finished. Little did we know that in the middle of the road there was a platform base from a road construction sign. We didn't even see it until it was 2 ft in front of my MINI! It flipped up under the car and smacked the under body. The car behind us ran over the part of the sign base that was sticking up too. We pulled over right away and checked the under side of the car. Luckily there was no damage that we could see and hasn't been anything pop up wrong since then (which was like a year ago). But the city would had one pissed off MINI owner that would raising heck if there had been damage, let me tell you haha. Good luck with your repairs and getting your baby back on the road.