Date: Sun, 19 Aug 2007 17:00:50 -0400 From: Fred W <malt_houndnospamo.com> Subject: Re: Safe but wrecked! need input
mrsegg961nospaml.com wrote: > I bought my 2002 Linear sedan about two months ago. Yesterday an SUV > hit the Saab from the passenger side with impact from the wheel well > forward. My husband, who was driving, sustained a minor scratch to > his knee. The Saab itself is a mess. The SUV, comparatively > speaking, sustained minimal damage only to the grill, bumper and one > fender. The passengers, however, seem to have sustained severe > injuries, with some of them taken to the hospital in an ambulance. If > anyone ever has any question about the safety of Saabs, I am happy to > attest that they are indeed incredibly safe! I do not intend on bursting your bubble, but pretty much any 2 cars in the accident configuration you describe would have had the same results. In a "T-bone" the softer passenger side absorbs a lot of the impact and since there were no passengers, the driver gets off with minimal if any injuries. The frontal impact, like the SUV in your situation, is far more severe to the driver and any passengers, especially if they should be so foolish as to not be wearing seat belts and/or have a non functional airbag. > > I do need to ask for help from all of you. Saabs are fairly uncommon > in our area. When the insurance adjuster comes Monday, I would like > some advice on possible issues he might not notice or look for due to > lack of experience. You won't have to worry. The car will be a total loss. With that kind of an impact the car would never beable to be straigtened again. When discussing the compensation terms with your insurance company, assuming from your description of the accident that the fault was fully with the SUV driver, you should insist that they do not subtract the deductible from your payment as the other guy's insurance company is fully liable for his negligence, and will pay them the full value of the loss, regardless of what your deductible is. If your ins. co. had subtracted the deductible from your compensation, they would still receive the full value on the car and would then be making a profit on your misfortune, hardly an equitable situation... -- -Fred W
