Well, it seems as though my luck has run out - my 2 month old 2005 MCS has been damaged by a lady who "didnt see me" in a Ford Excursion. She was pulling out of an IHOP and shooting across the traffic by the time I saw her and slammed on the brakes it was too late.

She was charged with "unsafe movement" but continued to argue with cops - I will have to deal with insurance later.

I drove it home but I am concerned about driving it - The steering wheel (3 spoke sport) is not straigh - it is more at about 60 degrees to left - she hit me on the drivers side front - tore off the mirror, messed up the webspoke 17" rims and the hood, headlight and bumper.

The flat tire and DSC lights are on but the tire is not flat - 32psi I checked. Figure she messed up the suspension somewhere or knocked a wheel sensor off. Called Hendrick Mini (thanks Dominick) and guess I will take her over to Import Paint and Body.

 

I could not post photos here but I put 4 photos in my gallery - I have pics of the damage with hood up, close up around lights, wheels, and the inside of hood (to show bending).


I must say since a Ford Excursion hit me I was surprised at how little physical damage there was -

 

Idiot SUV drivers!

Glad you are OK.

 

My MINI has been hit twice... both times by an SUV... I feel your pain.

I hope your insurance work is smooth and everything is back to normal soon.

 

That's sucks but it's good your ok. :smile:

You should have remarked to the Excursion driver that apparently they have more vehicle than they can obviously handle.

 

The damage you have pictured does not look bad, and would not explain the steering misalignment or the fault lights.
Try turning the steering wheel to "straight ahead" then looking at the front wheels/tires from in front of the car.
They should both be facing straight ahead towards you, and they should have only a very slight camber (vertical slope) from bottom to top of wheel.
I wonder if the SUV hit you high enough to climb partly "on top" and push down onto the hit wheel, so that it is vertically twisted now. If so, you should see the wheel that side leaning over much more than it should - and if this is the case, DON'T drive any more!

 

I once got the DSC light after grazing a protruding [large] rock with my right side rims in some twisties at night. It knocked the camber and alignment out of whack, and that caused the light because the tire was "hopping"/"slipping" a little every revolution. Align the thing [this will probably involve replacing suspension parts, mind you...] and it will go away. Good luck! Sorry about the luck.

 

Really tough luck. But you should be good as new soon.

I think, however, that what really hit you is properly called a "Ford Inexcusable".

 

What a drag for jreaney!

We call 'em "Ford Excessives".......


Clover

 

I understand some of your pain... Sgt. Pepper was hit while I was at work by a co-worker. Yes, she drove an SUV. The damage was minimal and fixed immediately.

Good luck!

 

The thing that gets me is that these morons that drive those idiotic things always have the same excuse - I couldn't see you. Well, could it be because your car is ten feet off the ground and you have a cell phone in one hand and your grande no whip vanilla lowfat latte in the other? Morons.

 

Ford Excretions :smile:

 

So true! But they make great pylons on the highway.

regards,
Red

 

Sorry to hear that, good luck, it happened me in June, rear ended by a Navigator, took 6 weeks to get the car back, and it was not that serious...

 

The good news is that you're OK. And your car will be fine pretty soon, too. Just so you know the people at Import Paint & Body are top-notch. The owner (Loren Koski) is a perfectionist and a MINI driver, so you have no worries. The trip down to Independence from K-Town will be well worth the inconvenience, trust me.

As for the driver of the Excretion, we can only hope she'll be more careful in the future. It never ceases to amaze me how many people simply can't drive the monster trucks they got to "feel safe". Morons.

 

jreaney

Sorry to hear about your accident. Glad you are OK.

I just wanted to add to what eMINI wrote.

You will be very happy with the work that Loren from Import Paint and Body will do on your MINI. He does great work and is a great guy to work with.

When you are fixed and back on the road please come join us at M2C2 for an outing.

Thanks
George

 

The good thing about stupid useless vehicles(SUV'S)
First ones in the ditch after a snowstorm

 

Well to make things more fun - I called GMAC - she told the officer she had Integon insurance - and guess what - they don't have her listed. So, I now have to file against my insurance and pay 250 ded and have no car because she ran over me - Any advice on how to do this - Will I have to sue her or what?

 

I believe your insurance company will handle it and they will go after her. She should (at the very least) pay your deductible. Let us know what happens. Good to read that you've got a great body shop for the repairs, though!


Clover

 

If I do through my insurance - will my rates go up = I am a good driver - no claims no tix in over 15 years.

 

Get a lawyer, just in case.

 

I suspect you will find that she does have insurance. People driving new cars usually do.

You will likely have the following losses as a result of the accident: (1) the deductible on your collision coverage, (2) the loss in the value of your car as a result of having been in an accident - even if the damage is repaired, and (3) the possibility that your insurance company will increase your rates as a result of the accident - even if the accident was not your fault.

It also makes it a lot harder to switch insurance companies if you have an accident on your record - remains an impediment for around 5 years (depends on the insurance company).

I would ask the insurance company whether this accident will increase your rates. If so, I'd consider pursuing a claim against the driver who hit you for those increased costs and lost value. Also, don't agree to waive claims for personal injury too quickly. A lot of times people start feeling soft-tissue injuries a day or two after the accident.

 

At least they dropped their plans for an SUV even bigger than the Excursion. It was to be called the Ford "Explosion".

 

I have a lot of experience with this stuff... I've already been hit twice in my MINI and too many times to think about in previous cars.

Contact your insurance company... nothing will happen for just talking to them. They should be willing to contact her insurance company to investigate. Maybe she's listed under her husbands name or something... call them back and have them search by her address or if her car's VIN # is on the police report.

If your insurance company will handle it for you, give them every single bit of info you have on her, usually it will all be on the police report.

If you do end up having to pursue the claim on your own insurance, you should be able to take her to small claims court to get your deductible back. Insurance laws cary from state to state but when I had a uninsured driver claim when someone hit my car in a parking lot.. my insurance DID NOT go up. Just ask them.. they will tell you. You pay you insruance company hundreds of $$ a year to be there when you need them and answer questions much better than people on a forum can... we all live in different states, different laws and different insurance companies.

 

MAKE SURE YOU GO TO TRAFFIC COURT AND THAT SHE IS FOUND GUILTY. Otherwise you will have trouble getting her insurance company to pay. You need to find out who her insurance is with and contact them directly. Let them know you are the injured party, that you expect them to fix your car, that your are taking it to the dealer's recommended body shop, and would like to know where to send the estimate. You should NOT have to pay a deductible or even contact your insurance carrier unless the other driver's insurance carrier refuses to pay. Did I mention you should GO TO TRAFFIC COURT AND MAKE SURE THE OTHER DRIVER IS FOUND GUILTY?

Don't rely on your insurance carrier to get the other carrier to pay. They may well decide, unless you have a judgement against the other driver, it isn't worth their time to pursue it and you will end up paying the deductible. In addition the repairs will be paid for by your carrier and it will be recorded on your policy. Been there.