Unibody vs Body-on-Frame

Well Monday I was driving my 2008 Honda Accord Monday approaching a stop sign at an intersection with a 19 year old kid tried making a 90 degree turn (at 45 mph) onto the road I was on. His truck was a 2017 Ram 4 door 1500 truck. The truck was in a 4 wheel skid across the double yellow line and smashed my front end. The impact rotated my car 135 degrees, punctured the radiator and NO air bags went off. The truck front bumper rode up over my front end. He drove his truck home after the police report. Mine was towed to a wrecker salvage yard. My car is totaled but his insurance company has not yet made a determination of liability. I walked away but my neck is very sore and have seen Ortho Dr. X-rays showed no vertebra damage and the Dr said I’ll probably be sore for 2 weeks. Taking steroids and muscle relaxers. The Honda absorbed a lot of energy and I feel blessed to walk away. The insurance Company for the truck called me yesterday and told me to have my car towed to my home because after 1 week (next Monday) they will NOT pay for daily storage of my car EVEN if they accept liability. They can’t accept liability until they take a statement from the 19 year old. My take is staffing levels don’t allow timely insurance claim processing and this procedure caps their costs and removes time pressure to get anything completed. My insurance Company (Allstate) said this is how they operate now and the salvage yard said the same. My HOA rules don’t allow storing wrecked cars on my property. I don’t have Collision insurance on this car as it is my daily driver “beater” car to keep miles down on my 4 Runner. If I had Collision coverage Allstate would be handling this for me. With ONLY Liability, Allstate will process an Uninsured Motorists claim once it’s determined the other Company will NOT accept liability. The FR-10 police report said I did NOT contribute to the collision and the 19 year old DID contribute to the collision. This is a prime example of what I was debating deciding between a Rav 4 and 2nd 4 Runner for my wife’s new vehicle. Our new Rav 4 will be in within 2 weeks. The uni-body construction Honda did absorb energy and I walked away. But the higher CG, body on frame Ram Truck came out on the better end of this deal. We are still getting the Rav 4 and it’s taller dimension up front (compared to Accord) may have fared better than the Accord? It seems weird that I am shaken up, lost my daily driver car and I may have to pay to tow my car to another storage location until the 19 year old communicates with his insurance company? That could take 1-2 months? But I am thankful I walked away and my grandson was not in the child seat in the back seat of my Accord.

 

I have kept up with your previous posts (as they always bring up good questions and topics) and was very surprised to see this, first thing this morning.

I am so glad your are ok and are able to walk away from this. I hope you recover back as quickly as possible.

The insurance companies are definitely a pain to deal with.

 

It's a full size pickup vs a sedan. Unibody vs. BOF is not the only factor here.

Larger vehicle wins, that Ram would have won against a 4Runner too.

I still say, if safety is your #1 priority, look at Volvo.

 

I realize it’s not a fair fight. The Honda faired pretty well as I walked away. I’m really just pointing out that the heavier and higher vehicles have an advantage in a match-up like this. And we won’t all drive logging trucks. I am a defensive driver which is probably the best attitude to have since unfair match-ups will happen. It’s a bad feeling to see it coming, with no escape, and brace for impact.

 

This reminds me of a time I sat next to a highway safety expert that studied these things, testified in court cases, etc. I have a mechanical engineering degree and was soon to be leaving the Navy (I thought) and was really enjoying talking to him. My dad drove a Volvo DL (that old box looking sedan), so I asked him about them. The gist of what he said was:

Most car companies design a car to meet a certain look or style, then try to make it safe and to meet standards requirements. Volvo starts by building the safest car it can, then tries to style around it. Most companies have made strong advances in safety, but…in the end, it’s all simple physics. The bigger/heavier mass vehicle typically “wins”.

OP, I’m thankful your Honda performed well enough to absorb that energy (even with airbags not going off) and you were able to walk away. To me, that’s the only thing that matters. It’s a real stinker the way some insurance companies work so I hope your situation gets resolved without too much further effort on your part.

 

It seems to be a new trend that the insurance companies do as little as possible and take the longest time to do it, even when the other party is at fault. My coworker’s husband was hit and the other driver was totally at fault but they took over a month to decide to total his truck and then a few more weeks to pay him out. The insurance company did give them a rental for the whole time.

I think I’d maybe consult an attorney if this had happened to me, just because you were only paying for liability doesn’t mean you shouldn’t recover your losses.

I’ve read articles about SUV’s and trucks becoming bigger, heavier, and lifted higher to such a point that people in any other vehicle are injured more severely or killed outright. Pedestrians being hit have a lesser chance of surviving an impact from a larger vehicle as the impact is now higher than chest level.

And, to top it all off, it’s been my observation that people driving these huge, lifted, heavy trucks are usually driving too fast. I like fast, five miles over fast, not breaking the sound barrier fast.

 

I can tell you this from experience. They will never admit his fault and they will not move quickly at all.

100% get and atty and they will pay the fees for that atty IN THE END.

It is a process and a very crappy one! His insurance is your friggin enemy man! Trust me!

Be in constant communication with you insurance and IMO a atty.

I was actually a little shocked the first and only time something like this happened to me. I got schooled quickly.

 

@rmiked Im glad you weren’t more seriously injured. Will you replace your accord with another beater? Will you get collision this time?

All insurance is not the same. And For some people it’s too important to merely shop for the lowest bid and go with it. I have AAA insurance and their service is excellent. But I pay through the nose with 4 people on the policy and two of them under up the age of 25.

 

glad you were able to walk away.

 

Glad you're ok.

Best wishes.

 

OP, glad you are ok.

I agree with the above. The main reason is that there are simply too many accident-related details for you to manage while living your life. Getting an attorney doesn't equal "I'm gonna get rich off of this!" It just lets someone who does it for a living handle all that crap for you. They don't have to think because they do this all the time - you and I would have too much thinking going on, and would miss details. Also, IMO, don't go around telling everyone you're okay until a doctor says so. Stuff seriously crops up months later sometimes.

As for the damage, I think height came into play, as it looks like the damage is entirely above the Honda's bumper mount.

 

From my experience on the receiving end of a collision: get a lawyer. Tell the truck driver's insurance company that you will be retaining an attorney. Let your attorney work with both insurance companies. Track every medical expense, every co-pay, every mile you drive to a medical appointment, every hour of sick leave used from work. Do not accept a check from either insurance company offering to liquidate the damages as they write a check for the low-ball value of your vehicle.

 

What a crappy way to start the morning. I'm glad that you're ok. Talk to an attorney before doing anything else, especially with your injury.

Check with your local body shops that are approved by the insurer of the other driver. You can probably tow it there until the insurance company sorts it out. Most of the body shops won't charge a storage fee if they are working directly with the insurance company.

 

Glad you walked away.

I wouldn't look at this as a fight between unibody vs bof.
That comes down to size/mass/velocity. Physics stuff.
Difference in height was a major factor. The truck would've been undriveable if you went over his bumper.

If you look at how cars are designed for crash safety, your Honda won.
It absorbed the hit without compromising the passenger compartment.
Safety wise, I would pick a car that can absorb impacts. It's either the car absorbs it or the occupants.
Whether you drive it home or not... It would still be damaged.

 

As others have said, get yourself a lawyer. You will be surprised at how Insurance companies all of a sudden want to help once you have a lawyer. You were also injured as by what you said, if you trust Chiropractors, go and see one and let them know you were in an accident. Keep all records. You deserve to be fully compensated for your totaled vehicle and injuries. GET A LAWYER ASAP.

As for your car. If you have AAA, they will tow it to a place of your choice. See if a friend has a place you can put it for now.

 

I'm glad you are OK. The Honda gave it's life for yours, you survived and that's the most important thing. I wonder if the 4Runner would have stayed on all four if it was hit and rotated that much. If you look at small overlap collision results, the current RAV4 does much better that the current 4Runner. Both would be totaled, but the passenger compartment looks better in the RAV. Modern cars are so much better at protecting the occupants than in the past.

 

OP: what is your question ?

 

Glad your ok. Bigger vehicle always wins. Years ago I was hit from behind on interstate by a drunk driver doing probably 100 mph. Was 2 am nobody on road and I saw him approaching fast and hit me from behind spinning me into guardrail pointing in opposite direction.

Guardrail to stop me and me being in SUV and him in Honda are what I think let me walk away.

 

StarTrek, I don’t have a question. Just sharing some real world operating experience on an accident between a truck frame and unibody. The Accord did absorb the energy well. But the Ram 4 door truck was driven home. I lost all my coolant and the driver front wheel would not rotate. I feel blessed to walk away. My neck is more sore today than first day after wreck. The Ortho Dr said that might happen with some swelling. But the neck Vertebra looked fine. Captain Spalding, I will be replacing the beater (daily driver). And I may get collision insurance this time. My other Accord (2015 vs 2008) is $110 per 6 months for both collision and comprehensive. I had no idea if a I had collision my insurance company (Allstate) would be dealing with this hassle, even if the other company winds up liable because if they are not liable my collision would cover it anyway. Today, I communicated to the adjuster that if they did not accept liability by end of business Friday I was towing the car to the salvage auction Monday. I am going out of town Tuesday for the week and the idea of paying storage fees , knowing they are liable, was eating me up. Because there is no end point. They reminded me that I still own the car and therefore was responsible for storage fees. And they were arrogant about it. So I thanked them for reminding me because as the owner I can sell to anyone willing to buy it because I have the title. They asked me how they were supposed to assess the damage if I sell it. I told them maybe that’s a good reason to make a decision, not my problem. I’m not paying storage fees indefinitely while they drag their feet. I sent them pictures from every angle, interior , exterior, odometer, VIN, etc. I told them if I sell it for salvage at least I’m getting something for the car. So I go over to the wrecker salvage yard to get my license plate and the wrecker owner said they called and wanted my permission to release the car to them. They are sending a wrecker to tow it to their selected shop to document the repair costs and total loss evaluation. Bottom line is when I told them what I was doing (salvage sale) they want the car. Allstate said no way they are picking up the car unless they already know they are liable. This path won’t result in me paying storage fees indefinitely or angering my HOA storing a wrecked car at home. My Allstate agent said some shops charge $100/day. My local wrecker family business only charges $40/day. I appreciate the well wishes. Things seem to be moving my direction now. I have talked with an attorney but not retained one yet.

 

I hope I am feeling normal after a couple of weeks. I know as we age we may not recover as quickly. I am 65 but workout almost every day. Nothing crazy but at least 30 minutes of cardio and some light (100 lbs) resistance exercise. I can still do at least 10 pull-ups. I hope being kinda fit results in me recovering well from the wreck. Without your health , everything else is more challenging. My grandfather use to say that and I wasn’t sure what he meant. Now I know exactly what he meant.

 

This is a good advertisement for a dash cam

 

I'm understanding two things from this:

1. Your HOA is at the root of your troubles.
2. Your beater car got beat on, so it did it's job. You'd be in worse shape financially if your 4Runner got hit.

Don't try to upsize your beater for "safety" because it still won't win against the Kenworths and Peterbilts on the road.

 

@YetiMtnBkr
My Volvo is 16 years old and going strong. Though I don't know how much longer. It runs good, but all the little maintenance things are starting to add up. It needs all new brakes, pads, rotors, hoses, (hopefully not calipers, they're original), I think a wheel bearing is starting to out, and it's going to need the timing belt and water pump service in less than 10k miles. Also, at 233k, all the suspension components that I replaced at 120k are worn out again.

I just don't see the point of replacing all that on a car that's worth 2500 at best with all that done, and only gets 25 MPG on a good day.

I was going to trade it in in 2019 when I bought my 4Runner, but they offered me 300 bucks for it so I kept it. Registration and insurance has been cheap, I've put another 10k on it since then as an around town beater and spare car.

I really like the generation of suburban you have, I look at those on Marketplace all the time and I actually really want to get one, even though I don't need one.

 

That 2002 Volvo S80 was a good car for us. 14 years old with 238,000 miles when I traded it in for $400. Good looking safe car that I could put all three kiddie car seats in the back.

The 2002 Z71 Suburban has been a great truck! If it had less mileage (242,000) and less rust I would have decked that thing out and kept my 2016 Subaru Crosstrek as my daily driver. My son left it in Montana and flew home for the summer. No need to put 6,000 unnecessary miles round trip on that vehicle. If it gets him thru college in Montana (2 more years) it will be given knighthood by us. If it breaks down, the tow truck driver can have it! The new Suburbans don't even look like trucks anymore!

I love my 4R, but not really necessary in suburban MD despite me being very outdoorsy active! Expensive mountain bike carrier!

 

Here's a nice truck that'll keep your family safe against most full-size pickups on the road:



Only slightly bigger than a Toyota pickup:

 

Who makes that large truck? Never seen one before.

 

My Dad and I were rear ended by a 20yo texting at light and he did not stop and he had a 2017 Accord. Ironically leaving the neurologist office.

My Dad had ongoing back issues for years and he never contacted at attorney and regrets it. Thankfully his AAA insurance covered PT for a very long time

So I agree get an attorney. Also tell every doctor this is from your car accident and keep good records.

I have an old Accord 2005 like you for my daily ride. I keep the collision on it here in Michigan since the incremental cost is only $200/year. They kill us on rates here anyway. After reading your story glad I have that extra coverage.

Best wishes and hope your heath remains stabili

 

International MXT not very common for obvious reasons

https://jalopnik.com/this-international-mxt-is-what-you-need-when-a-super-du-1846701260

 

The MXT is proportionately sized for the ego of the driver of such a vehicle. Real enthusiasts would probably take the classic Toyota pick-up in the foreground.