Gadamn it. Updated with pics

"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
11/26/2019 at 11:52 • Filed to: I'm an idiot

I rear-ended someone on the way home from work today. The semi-truck started drifting towards me as he was swinging out to turn right at a tight intersection, and that pulled my focus at just the wrong time. 100% my fault though. Crunched both bumpers. Didn’t break any lights, hurt my grill, or touch his deck lid. The dude I hit was very understanding. He called the cops to report it, as the car is a dealer loaner and he wasn’t sure how to handle it. Thankfully both vehicles drove away, nobody was hurt, and I (surprisingly) did not get a ticket.

I’ll post a picture tomorrow. It was already dark and I was too pissed off at myself to do anything but go home.

I made it to 38 without an insurance claim, but I just fucked up that streak :/

Here are the pictures:

DISCUSSION (62)

CB > shop-teacher
11/25/2019 at 22:21

On the plus side, if this is the only accident you’ve had, that’s pretty good. No injuries, some scuffs on the body, no tickets? Not to minimize it, but that’s as good as it gets.

shop-teacher > CB
11/25/2019 at 22:24

You are totally correct, but I'm still quite displeased with myself.

CB > shop-teacher
11/25/2019 at 22:28

Oh, and you have every right to be. I was furious at myself for scraping a work truck on a parked van. Kept me up at night thinking of the reprimand coming my way.

My boss’ reaction of “that’s it?” reminded me of how big a deal it is.

jminer > shop-teacher
11/25/2019 at 22:34

Been bad luck around Oppo the last couple weeks for accidents for sure! My Jetta’s been in the shop two weeks from mine and we had a totaled Forester earlier today too.

shop-teacher > jminer
11/25/2019 at 22:39

Yeah, definite bad ju-ju.

Ironically, the Forester was rear-ended by a GMC, and I rear-ended someone else in my GMC.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > shop-teacher
11/25/2019 at 22:39

I rear ended a volvo a couple of years ago trying to be too good of a driver. I got distracted by a child riding a bike on a sidewalk, he was swerving and I was worried he’d ride into the road. I looked up and there was a fucking volvo stopped in the middle of the road. I just punched the back of that car so hard ... Anyway from then on I’m only focused on what’s on the road and nothing else. You will get over it and just be grateful l nobody was hurt.

shop-teacher > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
11/25/2019 at 22:48

I will, and I am. Thanks.

CTSenVy > shop-teacher
11/25/2019 at 22:50

Eventually it happens to us all.

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > shop-teacher
11/25/2019 at 22:51

I’d lightly tapped bumpers before but didn’t have my first proper accident until about a year ago at age 40 and it wasn’t that bad. His insurance took forever but in the end they paid it all and I got a nice fresh respray of the bonnet of my beautiful orange MINI out of it.

Service King did a stunning job matching the paint too.

shop-teacher > MiniGTI - now with XJ6
11/25/2019 at 22:55

Service King did a great job on my buddy's orange Tacoma too. He got stuck in a huge haul storm. They had to put a whole new roof on the cab.

OPPOsaurus WRX > shop-teacher
11/25/2019 at 23:03

He y you beat m e . I had my l iscence for a month before I went sliding into a parking lot taking out a couple parked cars

facw > OPPOsaurus WRX
11/25/2019 at 23:13

Yeah, I only made it a few months before I put the hurt on a Suzuki Samurai.

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > shop-teacher
11/25/2019 at 23:16

Only complaint is they didn’t get the door handle back together quite right so the keyhole doesn’t line up as well as it should and the (frameless) window somehow came to be not exactly right, but I was so pleased with the other repairs and the excellent painting I let it go.

GLiddy > shop-teacher
11/25/2019 at 23:45

Buck up! You’ll be 76 before you know it and have another streak to brag about.

TheRealBicycleBuck > shop-teacher
11/25/2019 at 23:58

Slacker. I had my first wreck a few months after I got my license.

pip bip - choose Corrour > shop-teacher
11/26/2019 at 02:35

shit happens

shop-teacher > pip bip - choose Corrour
11/26/2019 at 06:55

Yeah, it does.

shop-teacher > OPPOsaurus WRX
11/26/2019 at 07:00

It’s not my first accident, it’s my first insurance claim. A month after I got my first car, I rear-ended my best friend, while we were both delivering pizza, in the parking lot of the restaurant we were delivering for. No damage to his Ranger, and only a few hundred bucks safe to my car, so no claim. I've had a couple others over the years, I just paid for them out of pocket, because they were so small.

shop-teacher > GLiddy
11/26/2019 at 07:01

Lol!

shop-teacher > TheRealBicycleBuck
11/26/2019 at 07:04

Its my first insurance claim, not my first wreck. My first was a month after I got my first car. I rear ended my best friend, while we were delivering pizza, in the parking lot of the restaurant we were delivering for. No damage to his Ranger, and only a few hundred damage to my car, so no claim.

shop-teacher > CTSenVy
11/26/2019 at 07:04

Yeah, it just sucks though.

TheRealBicycleBuck > shop-teacher
11/26/2019 at 07:41

I also rear-ended a guy in my first wreck in my truck. He didn’t have functional tail lights, so I didn’t receive a ticket. However, all five of the occupants sued for whiplash injuries. Only one or two were successful. The payout was more than my premium costs for at least ten years. Since then, I’ve paid my premiums without complaint.

CTSenVy > shop-teacher
11/26/2019 at 09:05

Yeah the first few days after suck. But when it happened to me about a week later you realize on the list of screw ups, an accident with a little vehicle damage ranks pretty small and you start to move on.

shop-teacher > CTSenVy
11/26/2019 at 09:32

This is quite true.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > shop-teacher
11/26/2019 at 11:54

soooo... new bumper but not much else?

perk of driving the big thing i guess

Censored > shop-teacher
11/26/2019 at 12:03

I did the same thing a few years ago on the interstate. I had a car change lanes into me directly beside them in rush hour, which pushed me over the rumble strip and about 1' away from a concrete barrier. I changed my focus to them moving back into their lane and by the time my eyes were back forward, traffic had stopped. I explained the whole thing to the officer and also got away with no ticket and insurance looked at it as a no fault accident, so it didn’t hurt my premiums too much.

VincentMalamute-Kim > shop-teacher
11/26/2019 at 12:04

hmmm... Maybe I was rear-ended by a grayish-beige GMC? Looked like the one in the photos above.

Glad your incident is minor and you only have to wait for your self-anger to die down.

Looks like it might just be a bumper cover replacement? Maybe I should get a truck so m y next accident doesn’t have a bumper height mismatch.

Brickman > shop-teacher
11/26/2019 at 12:06

Didn’t know the chrome part was metal, I thought it was chrome plastic trim all these years. Should be easy to replace if the bumper mounts aren’t messed up. Get some fog lights too :P

Gone > shop-teacher
11/26/2019 at 12:11

I feel ya. I made it to 39. I rear ended a lady who did a quick start- stop at a yield sign underpass turnaround - no one was even coming . I started too and then couldn’t stop or steer out of the way way fast enough. I tweaked my Dakota’s bumper (pulled out with my friend’s winch) , but messed up the corner of her car pretty good (bumper, tail light, decklid, tweaked quarter panel) . My insurance company boned me on the rate increase . Sucks. Beat myself up about it for awhile.

This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja: > shop-teacher
11/26/2019 at 12:15

When one door closes, another opens.

Kinja'd!!!

fintail > shop-teacher
11/26/2019 at 12:27

Too bad, but probably worked out as well as possible. No injuries, minor damage.

I’d drive it as-is, battle damage, wear it with pride, now it is a real truck.

RPM esq. > shop-teacher
11/26/2019 at 12:30

Happens to everyone eventually. Glad nobody was hurt.

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > TheRealBicycleBuck
11/26/2019 at 12:36

So wait, you were still on the hook for that even with the malfunctioning equipment? That’s some serious BS there.

vondon302 > shop-teacher
11/26/2019 at 12:41

Dammit!

Poor truck.

shop-teacher > farscythe - makin da cawfee!
11/26/2019 at 13:06

Yep.

shop-teacher > VincentMalamute-Kim
11/26/2019 at 13:08

I need a new chrome upper bumper for sure. I may be able to reuse the lower bumper, if I accept imperfection.

I dunno, newer trucks are so much taller than mine is, it’s still a crap shoot.

shop-teacher > Censored
11/26/2019 at 13:09

I’m pretty sure my insurance will view it as my fault, which frankly it should. I’m nervous to see how much my rates go up.

shop-teacher > Gone
11/26/2019 at 13:09

The rate increase is what I’m most nervous about.

shop-teacher > Brickman
11/26/2019 at 13:11

Nah, the chrome is metal. I imagine at least one bumper mount is messed up, but that should be replaceable too.

I never use fog lights, so meh.

shop-teacher > fintail
11/26/2019 at 13:12

I considered it, but if this happens again there will be no protection for much more expensive parts.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > shop-teacher
11/26/2019 at 13:13

welp..still sucks... could be worse :)

shop-teacher > This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja:
11/26/2019 at 13:13

I won’t be going that crazy, but I am considering some sort of aftermarket steel bumper. I’ve actually wanted to do that for a while anyways, as the stock chrome bumper was starting to rust out anyways.

shop-teacher > RPM esq.
11/26/2019 at 13:13

Thanks, and agreed.

shop-teacher > vondon302
11/26/2019 at 13:14

Yeah, I’m pretty pissed at myself for hurting my truck. Well, and the other guy’s car too.

shop-teacher > farscythe - makin da cawfee!
11/26/2019 at 13:15

Precisely.

fintail > shop-teacher
11/26/2019 at 13:17

Then you can come out west and find a pristine one to replace it. They are out here.

shop-teacher > fintail
11/26/2019 at 13:21

I may do that one of these days. I’m pretty sentimentally attached to this one though.

vondon302 > shop-teacher
11/26/2019 at 13:23

Meh it happens. Don’t beat yourself up. Could of been worse.

Poor shop teacher.

;)

fintail > shop-teacher
11/26/2019 at 13:25

I understand that - t hen keep both. Is it just a bumper? Easy fix, you could do it this weekend :)

I am more tolerant of damage to a pickup than to a car.

shop-teacher > vondon302
11/26/2019 at 13:31

Lol!

shop-teacher > fintail
11/26/2019 at 13:32

When I get another vehicle, I plan to keep the truck as well. Right now I can’t afford another vehicle.

fintail > shop-teacher
11/26/2019 at 13:34

Oh come on, this is the age of 96 month financing :)

WilliamsSW > shop-teacher
11/26/2019 at 13:50

Shit that sucks. Glad it was minor and I REALLY hope it doesn’t hurt your wallet much.

Looks perfectly drivable, will you fix it?

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > shop-teacher
11/26/2019 at 13:53

Well, I guess the good news is that those pictures suggest that filling a co llision claim for your half of the damages might not be worth it. Depending on your deductible, that may just be a used bumper and brackets from the wrecking yard to make right.

shop-teacher > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
11/26/2019 at 14:07

Yeah, a new bumper and bracket should be the extent of it. I just found out I don’t have to pay the deductible for the damage to the other car, just to my truck. So, I will probably just fix it myself. I’ll have to buy a new bumper though, because all the ones around here will be rusty like mine. A cursory search suggests even that will only run me a couple/three hundred.

shop-teacher > WilliamsSW
11/26/2019 at 14:11

I am going to fix it, because if I don’t and another crash like this happens, I wouldn’t have any protection for much more expensive parts like the grill and lights. I probably will just fix it myself though. I found out I don’t have to pay a deductible to fix the other car, only if my insurance fixes my truck, so I think it makes more sense to just hang a new bumper myself. I’m nervous about my insurance rates going up though.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated!
11/26/2019 at 14:43

The insurance companies worked out a settlement. I didn’t pay a dime and my premiums didn’t go up. If they had, I’m sure my mom would have fought it.

shop-teacher > fintail
11/26/2019 at 16:12

Well ... I still have year 6 to pay off my wife’s CX-5. Which has a whopping 14k miles on it now.

fintail > shop-teacher
11/26/2019 at 21:28

As long as she’s happy, I’m sure :)

shop-teacher > fintail
11/26/2019 at 22:20

She is. Although she would have preferred to keep her '06 Mazda 3. Once baby #2 came, we needed something a little bigger.

pip bip - choose Corrour > shop-teacher
11/27/2019 at 03:28

ring some dealers see if they have some take off bumpers perhaps?

shop-teacher > pip bip - choose Corrour
11/27/2019 at 07:00

Its almost 14 years old, the dealer won’t have anything. Any bumpers in the junkyard will be rusty too, like this one is. New bumpers are readily available though . I have to decide is I just want to replace the metal part, and live with the damage to the plastic lower fascia, or do I go whole hog and replace it all? I dunno yet.