So apparently I'm competing with Jiggles

[Old Lemon]

hot

[NewbieNinja]

Originally Posted by Jiggles

Welcome to the crash club, here's you're gif

[n4mwd]

I should also point out that this should be a lesson to everyone that you should never let the tow truck guy just take your bike (or any other vehicle for that matter) back to their impound. Insist that it only go to your house or some other place where you have control. Sometimes they will want you to pay them for towing it to another location, which is OK, the insurance will reimburse you later.

If they take it to their impound, its really hard to get them to give it back. Chances are that it will have a few less parts than it did before it went too. If you are too injured, call someone to come and supervise the towing back to your house.

Once its back at your house, any decisions about what happens to it will be yours. Remember, its your bike and you have title papers to prove it.

[Yakaru]

? What lesson are you referring to? Nothing like this happened with me. Wrong thread?

[n4mwd]

Originally Posted by Yakaru

? What lesson are you referring to? Nothing like this happened with me. Wrong thread?

Didn't you say this?

I cried when they towed my bike off the mechanic's lot back after the estimate came in totalled yesterday; I can't help but feel like it's my fault that bike never got more of a chance.

If I misunderstood and you had the bike towed to your house after the accident, then

Too many times, people are addled after the accident and just let the insurance/tow guy do whatever they want.

[Yakaru]

Yeah, it never got into an impound or anything. It went straight to the shop I picked out via a towing company I also picked. Basically:
I called insurance, they said get it checked out and I'd be reimbursed
I picked the shop
I picked the tower
the shop declared it totalled to me
I informed my insurance
My insurance took the bike to their own facility to confirm the shop's diagnosis/make an estimate.

[n4mwd]

Originally Posted by Yakaru

Yeah, it never got into an impound or anything. It went straight to the shop I picked out via a towing company I also picked. Basically:
I called insurance, they said get it checked out and I'd be reimbursed
I picked the shop
I picked the tower
the shop declared it totalled to me
I informed my insurance
My insurance took the bike to their own facility to confirm the shop's diagnosis/make an estimate.

Did you get a written agreement from the insurance company as to how much the bike is worth and how much they will pay you for it - before you let them have it? If not, you are at their mercy. They do not have to give you a fair price.

I'm not saying you did anything wrong, I'm just saying that the insurance and tow guys always try to do something wrong.

A friend of mine was in an accident, other guy's fault, and it destroyed his truck. By using Kelly Blue Book, craigs list, autotrader, and a few others, we determined the fair market value of the truck to be about $8000 considering mileage, condition and age. The insurance company pulled out a year old ad in some obscure paper in some other part of the state that offered a similar truck for only $1500 and then said here's your check for $1500.

After a vehicle is totaled, you are entitled to another one exactly like what you had - same year, same miles, same exhaust. You are not automatically entitled to a Ninja 300.

If the insurance company does not give you a fair offer for Hotaru, then the best thing to do is go out and buy a used one with similar miles and same year. Then present them with a bill. If its reasonably fair market price, then they really can't refuse to pay it. After the dust settles, you can always sell it and then get the 300.

[Yakaru]

Originally Posted by n4mwd

Did you get a written agreement from the insurance company as to how much the bike is worth and how much they will pay you for it - before you let them have it? If not, you are at their mercy. They do not have to give you a fair price.

I'm not saying you did anything wrong, I'm just saying that the insurance and tow guys always try to do something wrong.

A friend of mine was in an accident, other guy's fault, and it destroyed his truck. By using Kelly Blue Book, craigs list, autotrader, and a few others, we determined the fair market value of the truck to be about $8000 considering mileage, condition and age. The insurance company pulled out a year old ad in some obscure paper in some other part of the state that offered a similar truck for only $1500 and then said here's your check for $1500.

After a vehicle is totaled, you are entitled to another one exactly like what you had - same year, same miles, same exhaust. You are not automatically entitled to a Ninja 300.

If the insurance company does not give you a fair offer for Hotaru, then the best thing to do is go out and buy a used one with similar miles and same year. Then present them with a bill. If its reasonably fair market price, then they really can't refuse to pay it. After the dust settles, you can always sell it and then get the 300.

At a minimum it is with my insurer, not the other party's; if push comes to shove I will ask for my bike back and work directly with the other insurer. If they give me trouble I get out my title and we can do that song and dance then.

I know I'm not entitled to anything but a replacement of what I had and my other losses (e.g. I'm on my 4th day out of work now); I'll pay the differences if it's not too much, or if the offer isn't solid I'll buy a 250 and send the bill

[Motofool]

What about a rental car to go to work?

Did they offer one?

There is right to get one?

If so, for how long?

[Yakaru]

The other party and I discussed it -- I could get a rental car but then I have a guaranteed overflow into my underinsured policy -- they have the minimum insurance of $15k from what I was able to gather.

[n4mwd]

Originally Posted by Yakaru

At a minimum it is with my insurer, not the other party's; if push comes to shove I will ask for my bike back and work directly with the other insurer. If they give me trouble I get out my title and we can do that song and dance then.

I know I'm not entitled to anything but a replacement of what I had and my other losses (e.g. I'm on my 4th day out of work now); I'll pay the differences if it's not too much, or if the offer isn't solid I'll buy a 250 and send the bill

Oh yeah, good point. When someone has an accident and its the other guy's fault, you can either make a claim with your own insurance company or the other guy's.

When dealing with your own insurance, you are at the mercy of your own policy - what ever it says - including any deductibles.

The other guy is legally liable for your damages, injuries and lost wages. If you ended up having to go to court over this, you would need to go after the other guy - not his insurance. You have no right to claim anything from his insurance. You go after him, and his insurance backs him financially according to his policy with them. There have been more than a few people lose a pile of money in court costs going after the other guy's insurance company. So don't make that mistake.

Also, if you go through the other guy's insurance, because its the guy who is liable and not them, you have a right to go directly after him for anything his insurance doesn't pay.

Also, chances are, the bike is at an impound right now. State Farm is a big enough company that they have their own, but smaller companies just send it to a tow yard. Once it goes there, they are charging you a daily impound fee. If you refuse their wonderful offer, they will charge you that fee before they will let you have the bike back. That fee can be anything up to whatever the maximum a state allows.

If you haven't noticed already, having an accident, really sucks.

[Miles_Prower]

Originally Posted by Yakaru

The other party and I discussed it -- I could get a rental car but then I have a guaranteed overflow into my underinsured policy -- they have the minimum insurance of $15k from what I was able to gather.

who drives a benz and carries minimum insurance!?? damn.
sorry to see this, glad you are ok!!!

i absolutely hate it when there's multiple lanes and other drivers think it's ok to let people turn across, like they are controlling all lanes. I never let anyone pull out in front of me if they are turning across other lanes because I've seen too many accidents that way. I even was on my bike once, and some guy wanted to pull out..I blocked him, and then when I started moving forward again, the car behind me let him pull out. 2 seconds later I hear a huge crunch..pulled out and got hit by someone in the next lane!!

[Yakaru]

Originally Posted by Miles_Prower

who drives a benz and carries minimum insurance!?? damn.
sorry to see this, glad you are ok!!!

i absolutely hate it when there's multiple lanes and other drivers think it's ok to let people turn across, like they are controlling all lanes. I never let anyone pull out in front of me if they are turning across other lanes because I've seen too many accidents that way. I even was on my bike once, and some guy wanted to pull out..I blocked him, and then when I started moving forward again, the car behind me let him pull out. 2 seconds later I hear a huge crunch..pulled out and got hit by someone in the next lane!!

Yeah, read my mind. *sigh*
But hi Miles, looks like I got both the foxes in my thread so that's at least something to smile about.

[Miles_Prower]

Originally Posted by Yakaru

Yeah, read my mind. *sigh*
But hi Miles, looks like I got both the foxes in my thread so that's at least something to smile about.

haha that's quite foxy
very cute picture! well, today is a new day, just gotta make the best of it, that's all!

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by Yakaru

.........I could get a rental car but then I have a guaranteed overflow into my underinsured policy.....

It sounds complicated to me

Do you mind explaining this a little more?

[Yakaru]

Originally Posted by Motofool

It sounds complicated to me

Do you mind explaining this a little more?

Sure, I'll give it a shot.

So from what I gathered the person who hit me has an insurance policy that maxes out at $15,000. This is California's minimum.

I added up all my receipts -- for my bike + gear + mods the total hits just about 10k. Add in missing work, medical, loss of use and that will hit 15k quite easily. When I have amassed enough to max his policy then no longer will they cut me a check -- I have only two places to go. I can sue him (and I suspect he has no money) or I can go through my own insurance "underinsured" policy -- basically it's a policy that says "if someone damages me and doesn't have enough insurance we will step in".

My understanding is that if I use that then my insurer goes after him later but that's not really my direct concern. Anyway, if I have to do that then this case gets WAY more complicated in ways I don't understand.
For example, how do the payments his insurance pays out get evaluated by my insurance company. If SF thinks the bike is worth (to use round numbers) 3k and his paid 6k, how does that work? I honestly don't know.

[Motofool]

I see; thanks, Yakaru

[SMman]

That doesn't seem right. He's only insured for $15k? Better hope he doesn't hit someone else in a Mercedes. I received my rental car with no questions asked. I'm crossing my fingers for you to get a good deal and have this over with soon. It seems like its taking forever to be resolved. Good luck.

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by Yakaru

I love my agent but it may be worth moving just my bike policy elsewhere for better coverage.

Wow... Let them know that they're losing business because they refuse to cover gear. That's not acceptable.

[Yakaru]

So I found a shop that is willing to give me a solid deal on a 300; it's out of the way but I can get a friend to bring me out. I also got clearance to go get my plates off Hotaru and now have those in hand (so I can just transfer to the new bike which should save some $ at the DMV). So unless there is a REALLY good reason not to, because I've missed 4 days of work already, I may have a new bike tonight.

[lgk]

thats great news.

what color did you get?

[choneofakind]

Steal the headlight for me while you're in there!!!

[BlueHairSar]

Congrats, Yakaru!

[csmith12]

Fingers crossed for you!

[Yakaru]

Bike acquired!
I will be talking about it here:
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=124949
We can keep this thread to the crash, insurance, etc.

[Yakaru]

So, I think it is more appropriate to broach this here than in my new 300 thread.
Holy heavens riding back home was scary. Every car seemed to miss me, constantly lane changing into me. I suspect it is no worse than normal but I was just absolutely on edge and being super-aware of the risks of riding. The good thing is just that - I was aware. The bad thing is that I was much more frightened than I feel is healthy for riding ('respect fear' is good, this was a bit more... panicky?) It's possible I just ran into a bunch of dumb drivers, but I thought I'd mention it to see if anyone has gone through similar and how long it took to get over it (without going back to bad complacency).

[allanoue]

I was freaked out with adrenalin for 2 weeks every time I saw a car on my right at a stop. People looking at me just a few feet away and not seeing me is not just an academic exercise for me. Just take it easy it will fade.

[n4mwd]

Same here. I'm still freaked about my tires letting go. But I'm starting to trust them more each day. Before long, I will be just as reckless as before.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by Yakaru

..........I was just absolutely on edge and being super-aware of the risks of riding. The good thing is just that - I was aware.......

It just takes time: the more you ride the quicker the improvement.

Stay aware !!!

[antiant]

It's a little bit of PTS (post-traumatic stress), some things will trigger that whole scenario internally for you, where you become very uneasy or anxiety prone. Of course, the level of stress fluctuates depending on the person and triggers.

[rojoracing53]

Just wait till the dreams startup.

You'll be ripping down some road carving the corners having a great time when suddenly a car appears right in front of you leaving you no escape. You slam into it and as you fly over the car......you wake up!

I've been told by fellow racers who have had big highsides that they have dreams of highsiding and waking up right when they get thrown into the air. Ill don't have any experience with the dream but can tell you if it feels like the real thing it can be gut wrenching.

Sweet dreams

[mlj2093]

Glad to hear you are ok.

Impressive roll.

Congrats on the 300.

[Yakaru]

Originally Posted by mlj2093

Glad to hear you are ok.

Impressive roll.

Congrats on the 300.

Thanks, I'm in the busy waiting stage now, hoping to hear from insurance so I know I won't be floating this bike's cost for too long. Thankfully it's not an emergency if it takes a while; just frustrating.

I still miss my little 250 though

[Miles_Prower]

Originally Posted by Yakaru

Thanks, I'm in the busy waiting stage now, hoping to hear from insurance so I know I won't be floating this bike's cost for too long. Thankfully it's not an emergency if it takes a while; just frustrating.

I still miss my little 250 though

my 250 got taken away too..got a check for it the very next day..they gave me the MSRP of a 300 though! Kind of rode the 250 for free for a year lol hopefully you get your new bike soon

[S1att3r]

Originally Posted by Miles_Prower

my 250 got taken away too..got a check for it the very next day..they gave me the MSRP of a 300 though! Kind of rode the 250 for free for a year lol hopefully you get your new bike soon

She already got a black 300.

[Miles_Prower]

Originally Posted by S1att3r

She already got a black 300.

whoops, yeah i read it a little while ago, I must have been a little distracted when I last posted haha

[SMman]

Its crazy that you didn't get the money for your bike yet or a rental car. I hope you aren't getting the run around. I would have told them I need a bike NOW, and waited for them to hand over a cheque before buying a new bike. If they know you already have a new bike, they might not think they have to rush to get things settled. This is just my view from the outside so I could be wrong. I hope it all works out for you.

[Yakaru]

Originally Posted by SMman

Its crazy that you didn't get the money for your bike yet or a rental car. I hope you aren't getting the run around. I would have told them I need a bike NOW, and waited for them to hand over a cheque before buying a new bike. If they know you already have a new bike, they might not think they have to rush to get things settled. This is just my view from the outside so I could be wrong. I hope it all works out for you.

I haven't told them I have a new bike for that very reason. Supposedly today is the first I might hear anything since it's the first day they said an adjustor might look at it. I'm pretty perturbed about the speed, but I imagine everyone in an accident feels the same.

[Jiggles]

You didn't give them the video did you?

[Yakaru]

Originally Posted by Jiggles

You didn't give them the video did you?

Not yet.