I was rear ended on Friday by 2 vehicles in a chain reaction . I was at the front, at a stand still in my 98 ranger. Im angry, frustrated and stressed out right now because autoshops say that itll cost 2600-2900 to repair/replace a quarter panel , a bumper and tailgate. Im pissed because I was also almost killed in february when a CRV turned left infront of my motorcycle when I had the right of way in a green light intersection. It took me all year to get a truck, and when I got my ford ranger , 2 months in i got slammed into by 2 idiot drivers. What should I do? Im told by every autoshop I go to that its gonna be totaled. Yet its mechanically the same,the frame is not damaged, nothing was damaged but the highlander behind me and my bumper/fender/tailgate. Any suggestions? Is it worth rebuying and ordering the 240 dollar fender online, the 186 dollar tailgate, and getting a bumper off a junkyard truck? I need some advice, im gonna lose my mind right now.

 

==================
Pics pleaz.......If you got tagged by 2 vehicles, I'd be surprised if there isn't any frame damage. Don't take much on these trucks to tweak the frame when hit from behind.

 

Here are clear photos, I was able to avoid collision in the front by braking hard and turning sharply to the right, while being pushed by a 2012 toyota highlander, that was hit by a piece of crap chevy van.I had stock lights, and had to throw these generic aftermarkets on to keep driving. My truck drives exactly the same as before, the frame is fine, i looked at everything, no bends, no cracks, the bed can be replaced if need be by a junkyard one for 500-550 if I find a good one. Fenders are sold 240 a pop, tail gate 186..but I have a feeling the insurance will try to rob me. The insurance companies now days want to take your house away when it gets a broken window, and give you a portapotty in exchange. What should I do?

 

I am sorry your truck got wrecked, At least you are OK Right?

If you are not OK I suggest going to your primary care Doctor and get evaluated right away.

Your truck as important as it is is secondary to your body.

Even if you think you are OK I would still get checked out.

Case in point, I have and had a bad back and neck for a long time.

My entire spine was evaluated by a spine surgeon. at the time I needed a major lower back operation (multiple fusions) and a minor neck operation.

I went for the lower back first recovered enough to get back to work and ride my motorcycle. yet I still had lower back pain and neck pain.

While still going through physical therapy and waiting for my neck operation which was scheduled for I got in a motorcycle wreck that I thought was not terrible.

Sure I was in more pain than normal but I thought I was OK and did not get checked out and even drove my wrecked motorcycle home and repaired it.

When I finally went in to get my minor neck operation, the doctor scanned my neck again to find out that my minor surgery turned into a major surgery that required a new disk and two fusions.

The doctor asked me what I did to cause this, only then I thought to tell him about the wreck which I thought was minor.

Had I gone to the doctor immediately I would have still needed the major neck surgery but I may not have suffered permanent nerve damage.

As far as your truck, from the looks of it you can tell it was a nice truck that you cared about.

However because of its age, the truck just does not have the value to keep it from being totaled.

Sure you could fix it with cheap aftermarket or salvage yard parts but it will never look the same and you may not be as happy with it as you once were.

The only good thing here is used Rangers are inexpensive and normally plentiful.

I would buy another Ranger close to the same year and keep the wrecked one ( buy it from the insurance company if cheap enough ) and use the wrecked ranger for parts as needed.

Fixing could be a viable option, yet in today's society trying to get anyone to do a good job and get what you paid for is another story.

Not to mention the wreck will show up on the title making any future sale of the truck that much harder.

 

I found 2 flareside bed boxes in great condition for $278 with warranty from a junkyard out here . Im a do it yourself kind of person, I already put 3 autoshops in their place when they attempted to tell me that the rear window needed to be removed, or that a left fender is 1000 dollars...makes them nervous when they have to hear their own BS thrown back in their face. this one is nearly the same exact color as my truck



Im going to pull one of these beds, preferably the dark hunter green one. I got a buddy who has a trailer to pull it, my frame is fine. The autoshops are clowns,so are the insurance company, Ill make them pay. I got a lawyer

 

Keep us posted with any updates.

 

thanks, I will. I plan to pull a truck bed from a junkyard within a week from now.it drives great

 

Update* looks like Im going to file a claim or lawsuit against the person who caused the accident, ...they lied to the cop, they have no insurance. what a bunch of BS, "america" , where your property is damaged, insurance robs you of your house when your window is broken.

 

That sucks.

 

Do you have insurance coverage? You should be able to collect a claim under your own collision coverage (you did include that on your policy, yes??) then your insurance company will file the lawsuit on your behalf to recover that plus the deductible.

Unless you have experience with pursuing torts pro-se I don't recommend trying this by yourself. Hiring a lawyer for property damage will require money up front.

Find out the limits on Small Claims at the local courthouse and follow your own instinct from there. Small Claims are usually pretty easy for a pro-se litigant.

Makanak

 

screw the Insurance companies, and the people who won't pay for my damage. I pulled a truck bed box with tailgate for 240.00 dollars myself, and installed it in the same day. Im fed up with how dishonest this country is, and how wasteful it is.

I fixed my own bumper too for temporary until I get an offroad bumper that will destroy anyone who rear ends me next time. I might even just fabricate my own bumper out of 1/4 inch plate steel, to teach them a lesson. Ignore the poor beads on that bumper weld...it had a 1/8th inch gap I tried to bend as close as possible, the heat lines are good though....its back to being flat and straight, fits around the fenders properly

 

Good job getting it working for yourself, hope you get *something* from the other party.