RedneckJeep

Yes. The crossmember has pulled the frame rails toward the center. That is very repairable. It oughtta be like new with a reputable shop.

trick50

Very simple situation.....and you can avoid your insurance from even getting involved. If the explorer really only has a scratch on the bumper...and your insurance deductible is standard $500 it is most likely beneficial for you to pay in cash to fix his car. Get his bumper wet sanded stripped and re-painted. Or maybe the explorer doesn't even care.

As far as the BMW is concerned. Simply call his insurance company put the claim in take the Jeep to YOUR body shop. Do not allow for his insurance company to tell you "oh just take it to our claims center" thats there way of saying...take it to us..so you have no one with professional auto knowledge to make sure you don't get fucked and we can screw you.

Whatever damage you have will be fixed under the BMW's insurance. You are entitled to a loaner car while the Jeep is in the shop. Have your body shop inspect the chassis and frame of your Jeep for any bends etc. (a good shop should have a rack with a laser frame alignment thingy or something.

Don't worry about stickin it to the BMW. if his car is that banged up he is already putting a claim into his insurance so you might as well do the same.

Who know's maybe the BMW has allstate with accident forgiveness and his insurance doesn't even go up.

I was involved in a hit and run with my 2007 BMW 335i coupe back in december where some ass hole sent me into a tree head on at 30mph and then took off on me. I had to put a claim in with my insurance (allstate) they wound up totallying it after like 5 months..and laid out damn near 60k to pay off the car (which they gave me sticker on a 14 month old car with 18k miles on it...sticker was 8k more then what was owed on the lease) plus they paid for a rental for me for 6 months...4500 storage at my body shop, hell I don't even think I paid my deductible I got a check for 8 grand. And a week after I got my JK allstate sent me a letter that went something like this " We are sorry to hear about your recent auto accident, because you have the platinum protection you can rest assured that your insurance premiums will not increase due to this accident"

Just try to work something out with the explorer to keep your insurance out of it...and fix your Jeep on the BMW's insurance.

Good luck
Glad to hear that the Jeep managed to keep it's precious cargo safe.


Hope this helps-
Lou

trick50

In most states...the law regarding liability in this type of accident puts Sgt. P's wife at fault for hitting the explorer.

In terms of liability you must have control of your vehicle at all times..If someone hits you from behind and you get pushed into the car in front of you...then you were too close to that car in front of you. Now obviously we all now that shit happens and sometimes you have to stop short and get close to other vehicles...

This can be argued, but the end result might split the liability 50/50 between the Jeep and the BMW in this case. Since we are not talking about significant damage the insurance companies prolly won't bother to argue it.

berg

Wadda ya think the Marines ate?

Sgt P

Is this the way to go, or insist on "totaling" it due to frame damage??!??

Sgt P

Great advice Lou!

berg

Ok using that senario. When does the liability shift completely to the car that made the first hit. What determines "flying".

How far back are you supposed to be if an 18 wheeler rams into your back at 5 or 10 mph? It's certianly not "flying". But 80,000 lbs moving at 5 mph is an awsome force when concentrated into the rear of a 4000lb car

Are you supposed to standing with both feet and all of your weight on the brake petal in case someone rams you from behind?

Even if you did that, a large enough vehicle moving at sufficient speed will over ride any braking force you have applied and push your car a certain distance; possibly more than a car lenght (or what ever distance that has been determined as safe), into the car in front.

There is no way to predetermine a safe distance between two stopped vehicles. There are just too many variables.

As for liability, suppose you're in a Smart car which is only about 8 ft long or less. So you are one car lenght back from the car in front (8 feet) You can see the car's tires and your foot is on the brake. A Mercedes 450 SEL rams into your back at 40 mph and drives you into the car ahead. Where does your liability fall.

What if the Mercedes is going 20 or 10 or 5 mph. At what speed does the liability shift to you?

As I said, it defys logic.

The only practical solution to the liability issue is to lay it completely on the vehicle that initiated the accident.

CIJeep

If someone hits you and your foot comes off the brake because of it, you are not liable. They were the sole cause of the accident.

Even if your foot were strapped to the brake pedal your foot would lift due to the impact. So how can anyone maintain full control of a sudden unexpected hit. They cannot.

TBJK

Frame damage is pretty nasty.Even if you get it fixed (if you traded it in for a newer jk)your trade in value would go down. Costing you out of pocket. I think i would shoot for total and hope you have insurance to cover any mods that you may have done. In what ever case i wish your wife well and luck with the insurance company.

TINMAN080

ON a scale of 1 to 10, this damage ( including the frame) is not quite a 2. I'm not trying to minimize the accident and I'm very glad your bride is okay, but seriously this is very light damage. You should have NO ISSUES after the repairs are completed. Normally the rear crossmember is repairable, but with the way the JK hitch bolts on I would look at replacement. Before the old crossmember is removed the vehicle should have the bent one pulled back into shape. This does 2 things (1) It speads the rear frame horns back into proper position, and (2) it gives the autobody repairman something to align the rear of the frame with, without damaging nearby frame areas. Best of luck!!!