Sad day indeed....wrecked the truck.

[COBALT]

Ran to Home Depot to get some lumber for a kitchen cabinet project. Was dragging around, so driving relatively slow going back home with a cup of coffee in my hand. Hwy 99 at Bitter Lake has three lanes each way with a suicide lane in the middle to act as a turn lane. I see my right-hand turn at 130th coming up, and traffic in the left and center lane is a bit slow. I get in the right lane that doubles as a "BUS ONLY" and right turn lane to take a right at 130th at the top of the hill. As it turns out I entered that lane earlier than the actual turn, but that wasn't obvious to me at the time due to the signs posted.

Right before the smaller intersection before 130th (128th) a couple in a small black car is sitting in the suicide lane trying to turn left,and a hole opens up in traffic, so they do a quick left and dart across both lanes - right in front of me while I'm going about 30mph. I nailed their front right fender with my front-left. It happened so fast I didn't have time to get on the brakes.

The front-left is pretty banged up. I shut the truck off thinking the fan clutch is probably seized by a fan that can't turn. No leaking fluids or anything, but the front-left wheel is pinned by the inner/outer fenders. The bumper and grill are demolished.

Their damage is mostly localized to that front-right fender. Luckily their car is so light I just pushed them away from me. No one got hurt.

What sucks is that the Seattle police sighted me a $200 ticket for being in that lane "too early for my turn", which is basically the difference of about 100 feet. I don't know if that will translate to this accident being my fault, but I have a hard time believing they couldn't see a big yellow truck driving in the right lane.

Anyway, there's a witness, and if he feels the same way I do he'll be totally dismayed if they try to blame it on me too.

Bad day though. The truck is sitting in the Lincoln towing lot waiting for the insurance adjuster to show up tomorrow. God, I hope they don't get any bright ideas and try to total it. The frame looks fine.

[vectorit]

Dude, that sucks... I'm glad everyone walked away fine, and you are here to write about it to us.

I'm puttin a good word into the truck God's to spare your rig!

[Longhorn Man]

glad you and the others are ok. if you were wearing a lap belt, pay attention to how tender your gut geels. The pain can sneak up on you a day or two later.
Sad part is, if they gave you a ticket, then you are going to be in an uphill battle. You are probably out of luck too.
I would get the truck out of the wrecker's lot first thing in the morning. They have no legal right to keep it, nor did they have any legal right to take it there, and all they are doing is making money storing it.
You'll need to take a real close look at the frame rails... the part normally called frame horns from the core support on forward. they are probably bent, they fold over real easy.
I hope i am wrong on all of this. Plan for the worst, get ahold of your witness and see what he saw and what he thinks he saw. If your truck was a beater to decent, then got on your local craigslist and locate a local truck in the same condition with same options and save the adds for proof of value.If it was a clean survivor or a finished project, then call an apraiser and get some paper work done up on what it was worth in pre-accident condition.
Again, glad you are OK... and I hope I am wrong on all this.

[Stocker]

Sorry to hear about this... glad nobody was injured though. If you haven't already done so, write down everything about the accident that you can remember. Good luck dealing with everything.

If your insurance totals it, can you buy it from them?

[stllookn]

Cobalt, You should have come out to Monroe this weekend...it would have saved you a bunch of headaches. I picked up a really nice 12" Dewalt chop saw for $40!!!! As I recall you were at the very first "Road Flare Barbeque" we held in the south parking lot at Monroe some years ago. I have not seen you at an event since. I think it is time for you to rejoin the fold, brother! You will need some parts for your repair too. Sorry about your accident but I think there was a message in there. Make sure your insurance company talks to the witness...it will help your cause immensely.

[COBALT]

Originally Posted by stllookn

Cobalt, You should have come out to Monroe this weekend...it would have saved you a bunch of headaches. I picked up a really nice 12" Dewalt chop saw for $40!!!! As I recall you were at the very first "Road Flare Barbeque" we held in the south parking lot at Monroe some years ago. I have not seen you at an event since. I think it is time for you to rejoin the fold, brother! You will need some parts for your repair too. Sorry about your accident but I think there was a message in there. Make sure your insurance company talks to the witness...it will help your cause immensely.

I've been crazy busy with kids and work. The house remodel took over in 2004, then the craziness working for WaMu, and most of you know where THAT led. Now I'm drowning at work now working for JP Morgan Chase. They decided to keep me, which is great, but it means even longer hours than before. Weekends is mostly spent doing whatever 1-day projects I can scare up, and watching the kids. That means swap meets are literally at the bottom of the list.

I was planning on a new motor for the truck after the beginning of the next year, but I think I can kiss that goodbye now.

[unclewatts]

Really sorry about your misfortune. There is another way of looking at this. If they total your truck you can buy it back for real cheap. Insurance companies don't want an old wrecked truck. They're glad to get rid of them cheap. When you get your settlement (minus the deductible) you can use it to fix up your truck and probably have some left over!

[67ChevyRedneck]

Sorry to hear this! I haven't seen you post in a long time!

I hope it all turns out well for you and you get 'er back on the road ASAP.

[COBALT]

I'm sick about it. Insurance company wants it in the lot. Don't know what the outcome will be.

I already have a parts truck. I could get a clean inner/outer fender, and I have a couple of grills already. I'll need a new core support as well. Again, that's in the parts truck too. The frame rails are my biggest concern. I'd have to strip down the whole front-end and get in there with a measuring tape and check it out anyway.

This is IF I can get my GD truck from the insurance company. That's my big concern. I have no place to take it right away. I can't drive it, and I couldn't have the tow truck bring it to my house (I live in the city). So, I may have to figure out a way to haul it out to my Dad's place which is an hour away easy. I don't have a way to haul it at the moment so that may take some doing.

Anyone have a flatbed trailer I could borrow??? I'll have to get my dad's Ford F250 involved...

[Longhorn Man]

ain't trying to sound like an ass, but they simply don't have the right to hold it... period. They tried pulling that crap on me when my first truck got totaled, and I told the driver that if he took it anywhere other than my house that I will report it as stolen and last seen on his wrecker.
I don't care if it is your ins company, or the other guy's. Neither one has legal right to say where your truck should be right now.
The only reasin I would even think of letting them store it where they want it, would be if I know it is totaled and I planned on letting them keep it.

[COBALT]

Originally Posted by Longhorn Man

ain't trying to sound like an ass, but they simply don't have the right to hold it... period. They tried pulling that crap on me when my first truck got totaled, and I told the driver that if he took it anywhere other than my house that I will report it as stolen and last seen on his wrecker.
I don't care if it is your ins company, or the other guy's. Neither one has legal right to say where your truck should be right now.
The only reasin I would even think of letting them store it where they want it, would be if I know it is totaled and I planned on letting them keep it.

I agree with you, man, but I literally can't bring it to my house. No where to park it. I don't have a trailer to haul it out to my dads, and I would if I could. I'm stuck at this point. If I had a trailer I'd do it tomorrow first thing.

[vectorit]

Originally Posted by Longhorn Man

ain't trying to sound like an ass, but they simply don't have the right to hold it... period. They tried pulling that crap on me when my first truck got totaled, and I told the driver that if he took it anywhere other than my house that I will report it as stolen and last seen on his wrecker.
I don't care if it is your ins company, or the other guy's. Neither one has legal right to say where your truck should be right now.
The only reasin I would even think of letting them store it where they want it, would be if I know it is totaled and I planned on letting them keep it.

Tryin to keep my blood from boilin.

I agree with you totally LHM, since these tow/impound yards are a frikin scam. I have been there and done it with this element, and I tell ya you better have a good attorney to smack em back because they are full of em selves thinking they have the law on their side... Which is a joke in it's self!

I'm gonna stop right here, since I am getting angry just thinking about it.

[COBALT]

Well, no sense in getting upset. What's done is done. Meanwhile I called my dad and we have a plan. First thing in the morning I'm calling my ins policy holder's office to tell them we're moving the truck. I'm going to rent a car hauler and go up there with his heavy truck, and get it.

So it's an early rise for me.

[vectorit]

Good for you man, sooner the better!

[Longhorn Man]

take your title with you, and expect some crap there too. they think they have the right to keep it too.

[COBALT]

Originally Posted by Longhorn Man

take your title with you, and expect some crap there too. they think they have the right to keep it too.

Amen. To be fair the tow truck driver sided with you actually. He gave me a choice, but since I didn't have one I said to take it to the yard. I was also shaken all over after being forced to see the underside of my hood while sitting behind the wheel.

I'll let them know tomorrow that I'm coming to get my truck.

[oldiron]

COBALT, After you get the truck to your dad's place survey the truck then if you need parts contact Liverat. He has a good selection of parts and will treat you right.

[jsbgump]

Sorry to hear about the truck. I hope that the frame is fine so you can just do some body work and get it back going. I hope the insurance isn't a complete pain in the rear too you. Good Luck

[rcrahn]

Sorry to hear this about your truck but glad you are OK.
Too bad you aren't a little closer to the bay area.
This 69 C10 LWB frame was posted on CL - and it's FREE!!!!!
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/zip/1416284936.html

[screamin_c10]

Damn shame, sorry to hear it Cobalt...

[6erWebb]

On a side note, my neighbors daughter "totaled" a jeep once, he had 8000 in it and bought it back from the insurance company for about a grand, only damage was the tub had a kink at the rockers from where she flipped it ( unnoticable unless you looked). point being unless you got the truck for cheap, buy it back. Then at leats you could part it and make some bucks.

Oh yea an +1 on that leaving the truck at the tow lot. a tow truck did that to my renter awhile back and he had absolutly no legitimate reason other than milking her insurance company for the cash for it to just sit there.

[67ChevyRedneck]

My sister rolled her van on her way to my parents house (less than a mile away! the road was covered in ice) when I was up in NY visiting just before last christmas. My dad and I went up there to make sure she and her kiddies were OK and see if we could get the van home. One look at it and we knew it would be totaled. The driver asked us where we wanted him to bring it and we told him take it to the yard. My sister and her kids were 100% OK other than being scared.

[rwolf9653]

Any developments yet??

[COBALT]

Yes! Just got back from a 1hr drive from my dad's. The truck is rescued and sitting in the car bay attached to his shop so it's out of the way.

The tow yard folks are thieves. Just as a reminder they towed my truck a total of a block and a half. It was there over night until 11am today - roughly 17.5hours. They charged me the flat "private accident" towing fee of $225.00 plus $60 for today + tax = $314.00

I also had to rent a flatbed trailer, plus a few binders to go with the chains for the axles - $104 all day.

The only good news is that I got another look at the place where it happened. This was NOT my fault. I entered the right lane in the intention of turning right. There's a sign posted clear as day that says "BUS LANE ONLY - Except Right Turn Permitted". That's what I was doing. The lines painted on the street go to dashes right before the sign. Since it goes uphill it looks like if you want to turn at 130th you can enter that lane where the sign is posted. That's what I did. The bottom line is she failed to yield to oncoming traffic. She darted in front of me (while I was going around 25mph) and left me nowhere to go but to hit her.

I'm going to contest the citation in court. I took some pictures and will have to blow them up big enough so it's obvious what I was looking at when I entered the lane plus the pics of the accident. I haven't talked to my insurance adjuster yet OR the other driver's insurance.

I'll post some pics later.

[oldiron]

Make the insurance company reinburst you for the towing, storage and trailer fee's.
Good idea taking pictures of the turn lane also.
Good luck on getting it fixed.