I was rear-ended this week while driving my 78 F-150. I was wondering if anyone that views this website is an insurance adjuster? I'm worried that i'm not gonna get a fair settlement because my truck is 25 yrs old, and does not have a book value. I have put a good bit of time and money into my truck, and i would hate to not get a fair shake. If anyone is an adjuster, or has any experience with settlements and old Fords, please respond to my thread. I will have pictures of the damage in my gallery soon. Thanks a million.


scott barr

P.S. the other guy was driving a chevy

CHEV hER Off a cliff and let her LET

 

That truck will probably come in at about $800.00

The best thing that people can do is Get their Truck
*Appraised* by a vintage vehicle appraiser.

Don't wait until it is too late.

I would also suggest to get your insurnace company fight for your right to have you truck brought back into shape that is was in before YOU became the VICTIM

 

Thanks a lot! I'll look up an appraiser and call my insurance company first thing tomorrow.

 

The other thing to look out for is if they write it off as no value. Make sure that you get first option to buy it back. That way you can fix it yourself. Otherwise they may just crush it.
JK

 

wow, you are going to make this guy cry!

 

Yikes! I was just there a month ago. Someone ran a light and I creamed them. Insurance company wanted to total it out (estimate was $2600) and I told them there was no way in hell my truck would be replaced for that. After haggling with them they sent an adjuster to look at my truck who valued it at about $8500. I got my check and spent it on really stupid stuff instead of fixing the damage but that's another story.

One more thing I can't stress enough. GO SEE A DOCTOR!!! I don't care if you don't feel a thing right now or don't think you ever will. If you see a doctor within days after an accident you WILL get an injury settlement. If you don't see a doctor now and you DO have pain later it is very tough to get insurance to pay for it as they'll blame it on everything under the sun except for the wreck. You have 3 years to settle and they know this so take your time.

When I got hit in December I didn't go just because of my insane work schedule. I didn't have time to make it in. My woman went to her doctor because she had some soreness in her neck. One $50 visit and the insurance company offered $500 to sign off on it. If you put it off you will kick yourself for it later, like I am doing now. Last time I was hit I got $4K for minor pain.

General rule of thumb is you get 2-3 times your medical expenses for compensation which means large medical bills in a short amount of time (can you say osteopath?).

I rant more about the medical than the truck because in all likelyhood you will not get much for your truck. They'll total it out and you'll be in the hole trying to fix it. I tell you all this because in a situation like yours it can save you from getting screwed when they try to total your truck out.

Good luck!
Ivan

 

He had a brand new silverado. I was almost stopped for a deer in the road and he hit me at 30mph. The entire front end of his truck is smashed in, the motor is pushed back and the radiator is cracked. The chevy was undrivable. I drove away with the step bumper bent under (the bottom bolts sheared off), the tailgate dented, and the corners of the cab wrinkled. The bed hit the cab pretty hard, that is gonna be the worst thing to fix, but i hopefully won't have to pay for it. My reese hitch saved my frame getting bet (it sure did a number on the chevy). The chevy guy was down right angry that i didn't have any more damage. They sure don't make em like they used to, not that they ever knew how to make a truck

CHEV hER Off a cliff and let her LET

 

Thanks for the advice Ivan, i'm gon try to work the medical angle. I went to the ER and then followed up with the family doctor, i have whiplash, and a concussion, my head hit the rear glass and popped it out. The doctor gave me tylenol with codene, i'm ok but i have one heck of a headache

scott barr

 

Geez - if anything hit the back of my truck it would look like a train ran over them.

The whole back end of my flatbed is doubled. An extra 24 inches right about was welded in when it was modified, including a completely different tow hitch welded into the socket of the original one.

There is more iron in the back of my rig than I have seen anywhere, but that won't save me from a neck brace if it gets right down to it. I wish I could lose some of the gross weight.

Funny what you learn from an old truck...

 

Thats exactly right Greywolf. You have no crumple zone so when you get hit or when you hit there is no cushion. It's hard on hard and I guaranty that's going to hurt! I've laughed off a lot of low speed impacts with solid chassis/bumper setups. Stupid plastic cars etc. When you are hit by something more substantial the effect is somewhat different. For instance on a rear impact, your pelvis and legs are propelled forward while your upper torso is thrown back at twice the velocity. Usually this destroys the structure of the seats leading to cervical injuries, lower leg & foot injuries. In the event of front impact, Flail Chest (not pretty), Frontal Lobe Concussion, Basal Concussion, Fractured Pelvis, Seperated Joints etc.
Wait a minute... as long as you only get run into by a plastic car you should be fine
JK

 

Any receipts you have for parts and such will help demonstrate greater value. Also, if they try to total it then you can tell them that you want a replacement vehicle in similar condition and value. By doing this, it places the financial burden of full replacement cost on them. I've done this many years ago and it was amazing how fast they opted to fix my car rather than replace. BTW, hold off on signing a medical release until the truck thing is worked out. Also, when you call their insurance company, tell them that you need a rental car (at their expense) to get to work. Many people overlook this and sometimes you gotta fight for it; I've won rentals every time. Rentals give you leverage; it's costing them $$$ the whole time they are arguing with you and it can encourage them to settle up faster.

 

good thing you went to the dr. i got rearended 7 years ago, and didn't go... boy am i paying for it now.

best of luck with your insuing fight

 

"I've Been Rear-Ended!"

That wouldn't happen if you'd be more careful about the bars you hang out in......

 

I used to investigate accidents and claims.
your truck will prolly be valued low heres how ya boost that
get all receipts for any mods youve done. maintenance and replaced parts. now if you put a new motor in for example and you put a stick motor, thats co nsidered repair for maintenance but if you put an upgraded motor or heavy duty parts in replacement for lesser duty part that could be considered a modification and could add value to the truck. after market accessories , the hitch etc add value. Prior body damage or rust will detract fromt he value. Its not going to be classifed as a historical car or anything like that unless you have collectors insurance on it and it is registered/used accordingly. If the vehicle is used for commercial use any business rquipment can be added to the value, such as tool boxes, winches plow etc.
like the other guy said watch they dont try to claim salvage to the truck . If your frame isnt bent youre in good shape to fix it. Dont be too quick to settle. Get three estimates for body repair ( when youre up to it) and insist that they pay you the middle one . If the insurance company refuses sue the owner of the truck, you may do better in court although it could take longer to get $$$. One trick here in NY is you fix the truck and submit a paid bill to them and they will be forced to repay you.
My next advice to you will prolly raise a ruckus but retain counsel IMMEDIATELY. you have a medical claim and a PI claim. you stand to collect money for that and pain and suffering too ( no big settlement but youll get a few thousand out of this if you are legitimately hurt. Whiplash andconcussion are serious enough. you may have damaged your C spine ( C3,4,5,6 discs) make sure you continue to seek medical advice if you have pain. and Chiropractic helps as does physical therapy. Feel free to email me or PM for further advice

 

What really sucks is with the damage the truck sustained, box hitting the cab and all, they'll definitely total it out. I was amazed at how expensive these are to get bodywork done on.

Check out my gallery if you get a chance. I've got a couple pics in there on the damage to my truck. Repair consists of replacing the fender, paiting it, new grill surround, headlight door, and misc. lights/trim. It was a $2600 estimate. I estimate it will cost me more like $600 to do it myself, having someone else just paint the fender.

Cowboybilly had a good point about the rental too. What I've done in the past is ask them for reimbursement for being without my vehicle. I drove my other car but was paid like I was driving a rental. Every bit helps.

One more thing I've learned is not to tell the claim rep anything about your personal history, hobbies, etc. Anything he needs to know he can pull from your medical records. Outside of that anything he knows can be used later on to dispute medical claims. I had a tough time with this (yes, I am an extremely unlucky person when it comes to driving . . . lots of wrecks but never my fault).