My story......
 

As some might remember I had recently purchased a yellow 370Z about a month ago and on the way home one night something fell from an overpass of the highway I take home every night. Whatever it was it hit and bounced up the hood scratching and denting it pretty bad.

I took the car to my insurance drop-off point for a review to see how much the total cost would be. I received a check for about $700 to pay for the repairs. I had a place in mind to take the car to and I went past it the same day I got the check. The person I spoke with said he had the materials to repair the car right away but instead of dropping the car that day (it was a Thursday) I decided to keep the car thru the weekend and drop the car off the following Monday morning.

How I wished I had dropped it off instead. That Monday, 9 March, I was on my way to drop the car off and get myself a rental for about 3 days while the car was being repaired. The road that the body shop is on is a 4 lane road, 2 going either way. I was in the left lane but I knew the shop was on the right side so I moved over into the right lane. I noticed the right lane was going to merge back over into the left lane but I assumed I had some time to move over and the road would be a "smooth" merge....I could just drift over.

Well, the road has no lights, it was about 6:50 AM and still pitch black. The right lane actually turned into a right turn only and I had no time to react. I hit what my aunt called a "bur"....basically landscaping for the road I would have turned right on. I ended up hitting the side of the car on my left and removing his side mirror. After that I was basically just going for the ride.

What I found out from witnesses and the police is that my car lifted off the ground and while flying thru the air I ended up T-boning an oncoming car on their drivers side. After what felt like just a few seconds and a total of 4 crushing hits my car stopped. The airbags deployed, drivers and side, but I knew I was ok. I got out of my car and looked around and saw what I hoped wasn't true.....I had hit another car.

I ran to the car and my body was filled with adrenalyne and I didn't realize at the time I had a broken left foot. Thankfully the driver was alive. End result - he ended up with a broken pelvis in two places and cuts to his head. The first driver I hit only suffered some minor swelling and under the muscle tightening. In fact, the driver of the first car I hit ran to the other car and we tried to get his door opened....to no avail, unfortunately.

So, now here I sit with no 370Z....yes, it was totalled....and with a vise with a metal bar in my left foot extending from my big toe to just below my ankle. If ever anyone thinks these cars aren't well designed to handle impact or an accident, just send them my way.....I'll tell them my story.

My insurance paid for the Z and since the car is so new it hasn't depreciated much at all. With the deal I got on the car I even got a check from my car insurance that will work well for a downpayment on....yes....a new 370Z. It won't be yellow this time......I've chosen blue with all the same options. This one even has the illuminated kick plates!

I'm just glad everyone survived. It was a close call from what I heard. Even the police department sent out the lead detective who usually has the unfortunate duty of notifying families when people die in car accidents. He said this was the first time he had two families smiling and he didn't have to deliver any bad news.

Sorry for making this so long but I had to share it here. It's sorta theraputic typing it. I start physical therapy tomorrow and hope to have the metal bar out of my foot by next Thursday.

Sorry to hear about this, and very glad everyone survived.

Wow!

man i thought you had your baby fixed already and i was waiting for the pics to pop up on the other post.

but next time try to be a little bit more careful.

Trust me....I'll be having a one on one conversation with the new 370Z when I get it. I guess yellow just wasn't the right choice. Two incidents in under a week. Blue was going to be my original choice. Karma, anyone?

I'm quite curious of your age.

I have allways known the Z's are safe. But this just proves it even more. That Z kept you safe and i hope your new one keeps you even more safe!

Not as young as you may expect.....40.

OMG! Speechless :eek:

Edit: Just glad your alive, and yes you are lucky

Wow, you got air. Thats nuts.

Saturday morning around 5am I had to drive out for a conference and on the way to the highway I came across a car that had been t-boned (drunk drivers). The impact actually more or less put the right side of the car within a foot or so of the other side of the car, it was a pancake, almost split the car in half. One cop holding the scene while fluids slowly streamed down the street. Glass everywhere and eerily quiet.

First off .... glad you are alive ... glad you are OK.

Second ..... I need not tell you what "***-u-me" really means.

Third .... This a lower than normal vehicle ... therefore it takes a little more time to see what is ahead and hence what to plan for .... Careful next time round.

;)

all I can say is wow and glad you're ok for the most part.

Glad everyone made out kinda ok.................

OP, glad your OK!
hope you recover from the accident asap :icon17:

Glad that everyone is ok

and hope you get your new 370z soon

Sorry to hear about everything. Just be thankful that you and everyone else involved is ok. That could of turned out a lot worse..

Sorry to hear...glad you and everyone else is ok. At least you get a new 370z since that yellow Z was infected with some bad joojoo.

Happy to hear that nobody was killed. Congrats on the new Z, do you have any pics of the car after the accident?

No, I don't. Part me wants to call the detective and ask for them but part of me doesn't. And the doesn't part is winning. All I know is the back of the car looked perfect but there were parts of my car laying on the road. And the drivers side wheel was bent like what you expect to see in a NASCAR accident. I'm sorta glad I don't have images of the car to remind me.

My thoughts exactly....I was going to replace it with a duplicate but I think I better try a different color! :tup:

it might be painful to see but at the same time, your pics could be the first of a wrecked 370z on wreckedexotics.com... :ugh2:

Sorry to hear. Glad all is relatively ok. What insurance co do you use? I'm impressed at how fast they responded. Did you have GAP coverage?

Did your insurance co settle with the other drivers yet? I have a buddy who was rear ended and the driver who rear ended him won't discuss a settlement until he's no longer having his back pain and headaches.

Good Luck and enjoy the new Z..just not too much.

-ZCarGo-

I just read the original post... Wait a second.... WAIT A SECOND!!!! Now I'm pissed... I'm pissed.


The whole incident was your fault, you totaled a perfectly good Z, injured other people, and you receive a check for the car that's more than what you paid for it? It's like they rewarded you!!!!

What kind of world is this? And now you can put a down payment for the car? I'm assuming you didn't put a down payment for the car you totaled? That's ridiculous...

Ridiculous. Ludicrous... How the hell?

Damn! Ain't life a b*tch sometimes? Glad everyone is ok. Sorry to hear about your Z.

I must have gotten the yellow one with GOOD karma.. :icon17:

Yes and no! The 350Z was one of the most deadliest car a few years ago!

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/...ath-usat_N.htm

Yes it was his fault, but it was still an ACCIDENT. If he was speeding, driving recklessly, drinking texting etc he should be called out, but **** happens. I totaled a brand new Explorer Sport Trac when I lived in Alaska. It had less than 2k miles on it. I hit black ice on the highway and it rolled numerous times. Even though it was "my fault" it was an accident and I got 100% of the money back that I paid for it. That's why we have insurance!

http://72.35.72.219/~library/2255/STAfter3.JPG

http://72.35.72.219/~library/2255/STAfter1.JPG

http://72.35.72.219/~library/2255/STinside1.JPG

im sorry to hear that man

Glad to hear you're ok. I just wanted to say that the $700 estimate for your original hood damage was almost assuredly incorrect. Our hoods, hatches, and doors are aluminum. A shop can't (shouldn't) just bang them out and slap on some bondo like steel parts.

A shop that is experienced with aluminum work is critical, and typically bent aluminum panels are replaced outright. I'm positive that a new hood or quality aluminum repair work costs more than $700. I highly doubt your insurance estimator knew enough about the 370z.

Just another tip, shops that fix aluminum have a completely seperate set of tools for aluminum work. When steel contacts aluminum (say, steel shavings or dust settles inside an aluminum door), the aluminum will "rust" over time via galvanic corrosion. Fyi.

I can tell you how....I paid under 6,000 invoice for the car.....that's how. Welcome to the world of America the beautiful.

Agreed.....I was expecting they would replace it and not just repair it, too. And I did ask about it but the estimator did in fact say it could be repaired without replacing it.....even the shop I took it to said the same thing.

Yes, I did have GAP on the car. I selected every possible plan on this car.....never did before but glad I did this time. However, since I had such a good deal, GAP didn't come into play. As far as the other drivers, I believe the driver with the muscle and bruises is still hanging out there since he elected to get an attorney. The driver with the broken pelvis is home but in physical therapy. I was told he will make a 100% recovery...thank goodness!

Oh, and yes, I did put a down payment on the original Z....I had a Tiburon for trade-in (fully paid off) and got $5000 for that and I also put another $5000 on a credit card for a total down of $10000.

i suspect that its a sports car that is quite fast that "all can afford" and most likely alot who bought it planned to go really fast in it and jacked up the death rate. But facts are facts and they hard to argue with.

Interesting. I tend to think that neither the estimator or shop have much experience with aluminum. Not that you're in this situation now that you'll get a new car, but I'd locate a shop that does a lot of high end cars and ask them for a second opinion.

At a minimum, I'd ask if they even have seperate tools and work area for aluminum. If they respond with "why would we do that?", just walk away.

well atleast everyone is ok . also is great to hear you are getting a new z. im happy to hear you will recover.

how much did you pay for the car otd? if you dont mind me asking.

Glad you're okay. Kinda makes you appreciate waking up each day all the more, doesn't it?

With all due respect, I think somewhere along the line you missed the point of insurance.

Awesome! Well, I certainly love my new death trap! :tup:

How did you get your Z for 6,000 below invoice?? I'm assuming you're not counting trade-ins, etc.