I got into a car accident yesterday...was rear ended on a busy street, the car spun and smashed into a fire hydrant. I have never been as scared as I was as the car spun 180 degrees into the hydrant...there was this weird pause where I wondered if water would start spraying out (it didn't.) Luckily the other driver and I are both ok, no major injuries and everyone was alright.
My car is another story. It is at a body shop right now awaiting appraisal...the rear bumper was torn off completely (it actually landed a good 2-3 ft from the car), the left rear tire was bent and it was unclear if that was the tire or the axle, the driver's side door is dented up from the fire hydrant, the tow truck messed up the front bumper, and it was leaking transmission fluid.
I know my insurance company probably has a scale they use to determine if the car is totaled; it is a 2000 nissan altima with less than 30,000 miles on it. I have little concept of how much the sort of repairs in question will cost; does anyone have experience with auto body repairs and understand the cost involved (roughly) in the repairs that my car would need?
On the upside, my insurance company has been fantastic so far; they arranged a rental for me while I was reporting the accident, and have been very friendly and extremely calm.
It's just on my mind (obviously) and I thought I'd post here...it sucks that this happened on a friday, it means I am stuck waiting until Mon/Tues to hear the outcome of the appraisal. Worse, I am moving this week, and if the car will be repaired I'll need to come back for it or arrange for a friend to drive it down to me.
But, again, the most important thing is that everyone is alright and we all walked away intact.
Anyone have any nasty accident stories to share/commiserate?
My car is another story. It is at a body shop right now awaiting appraisal...the rear bumper was torn off completely (it actually landed a good 2-3 ft from the car), the left rear tire was bent and it was unclear if that was the tire or the axle, the driver's side door is dented up from the fire hydrant, the tow truck messed up the front bumper, and it was leaking transmission fluid.
I know my insurance company probably has a scale they use to determine if the car is totaled; it is a 2000 nissan altima with less than 30,000 miles on it. I have little concept of how much the sort of repairs in question will cost; does anyone have experience with auto body repairs and understand the cost involved (roughly) in the repairs that my car would need?
On the upside, my insurance company has been fantastic so far; they arranged a rental for me while I was reporting the accident, and have been very friendly and extremely calm.
It's just on my mind (obviously) and I thought I'd post here...it sucks that this happened on a friday, it means I am stuck waiting until Mon/Tues to hear the outcome of the appraisal. Worse, I am moving this week, and if the car will be repaired I'll need to come back for it or arrange for a friend to drive it down to me.
But, again, the most important thing is that everyone is alright and we all walked away intact.
Anyone have any nasty accident stories to share/commiserate?