Rear Ended :-(

[clmason]

Yesterday morning while driving my son to school I was rear ended in my Model 3. I was waiting for traffic to clear to make a right on red. I was the first car at the light. Looking left for a break in traffic when.... Bang! It was loud and jarring. I didn't realize what happened for second and then it hit me... just got rear ended!

I immediately check on my 10 year old son. He was confused but no injury. I quickly made the right turn as I was now over the line into the intersection during morning rush hour. Pulled over to the right side median and hopped out to assess the damage. To my surprise there was hardly a scratch. Then looked at the car who hit me (Toyota Carola) and also hardly a scratch. Based on the loud impact noise and sudden bang I expected the car behind me to be all sorts of mashed up. I expected my bumper and trunk to be crumpled.

Luckily no one was injured in either car. Lady who hit me admitted she was not paying attention. Probably looking at her phone. Crazy thing to do when coming to an intersection with a red light...

Long story short, happy ending is that there was hardly any damage. I'll take my car in to get checked out. In the meantime, does anyone know if Model 3 bumpers are like Helmets or Infant Car Seats where they can absorb an impact once and then need to be replaced?

 

[arcus]

Glad nobody was hurt! I would let Tesla or repair shop asses the situation - there might be structural damage underneath the bumper that is not visible to you.

 

[SMAlset]

Sorry to see the need for this thread and glad no one was injured. Always more scary when your kids are in the car. Glad you will get the car checked 'cuz you never know what's beneath (having been rear-ended in my old car once). Do your sensors seem okay?

 

[jjrandorin]

Yesterday morning while driving my son to school I was rear ended in my Model 3. I was waiting for traffic to clear to make a right on red. I was the first car at the light. Looking left for a break in traffic when.... Bang! It was loud and jarring. I didn't realize what happened for second and then it hit me... just got rear ended!

I immediately check on my 10 year old son. He was confused but no injury. I quickly made the right turn as I was now over the line into the intersection during morning rush hour. Pulled over to the right side median and hopped out to assess the damage. To my surprise there was hardly a scratch. Then looked at the car who hit me (Toyota Carola) and also hardly a scratch. Based on the loud impact noise and sudden bang I expected the car behind me to be all sorts of mashed up. I expected my bumper and trunk to be crumpled.

Luckily no one was injured in either car. Lady who hit me admitted she was not paying attention. Probably looking at her phone. Crazy thing to do when coming to an intersection with a red light...

Long story short, happy ending is that there was hardly any damage. I'll take my car in to get checked out. In the meantime, does anyone know if Model 3 bumpers are like Helmets or Infant Car Seats where they can absorb an impact once and then need to be replaced?

+200 on the recommendation to let tesla check it out in case there is damage you dont know about. Hopefully you got the persons information anyway (picture of license, etc).

 

[1.21GW]

bumper "covers" can easily bend and pop back to shape. The actual bumper beneath and other structural components can be bent or damaged without being visible on the exterior.

So basically I'm saying what everyone else said.

 

[jonm93]

Bumpers have impact absorbing foam and steel beams designed to deform and absorb force. It is possible that the impact was such that the plastic bent and popped back out, but compressed to the extent that the sub structures were damaged. Paint and plastic are very ductile and don't always reveal the underlying damage. Take your car to the local Tesla approved body shop and have them take a look. It is very possible that all is well but you dont want to have a problem if, god forbid, you were rear ended again.

 

[smatthew]

You're lucky. I got rear-ended the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Stopped at a light, the car behind me didn't stop in time. Then it got strange. When I got out of my car to assess the damage, the other driver immediately started yelling at me "I didn't hit you. Get back in your ******** car and drive! You're blocking the *** **** road!". So I immediately take pictures of the two cars touching. After reminding the other driver that he should watch his language since his son was in the car, we moved to a nearby parking lot to exchange information.

Except the other driver didn't want to exchange information. He showed me his drivers license and his California bar id. Like the fact that is a lawyer was supposed to scare me into not filing a claim.

Turns out the other driver is an accident attorney. For weeks, he refused to talk to his insurance. Then, he decided to tell his insurance that he was never there! Funny thing is, I've got photos of his car, of his hand holding paperwork, his drivers license & bar ID, and he texted me after the accident asking for copies of the photos.

 

[smatthew]

Despite the other driving telling his insurance he was not even in the area on the date of the accident, I received a call from my insurance agent today and was told that the other insurance had accepted fault! Now to inform the other insurance that per California law I expect a comparable vehicle while mine is in for repair.

 

[TWANGnBANG]

Despite the other driving telling his insurance he was not even in the area on the date of the accident, I received a call from my insurance agent today and was told that the other insurance had accepted fault! Now to inform the other insurance that per California law I expect a comparable vehicle while mine is in for repair.

You can also report this to the State Bar of California: The State Bar of California

 

[devilmountain]

You can also report this to the State Bar of California: The State Bar of California

+1 on this. I would report him.

I am happy everyone here isn't hurt.

Even though I put a deposit down March 31, 2016, I was completely sold on Tesla last year. We had a freak hail storm that dumped about an inch of hail on the ground. A gentleman driving a Model S spun out at 50-60 MPH and hit a telephone pole. The car was totaled but there was no damage to the passenger compartment, and he walked away.

 

[SMAlset]

Despite the other driving telling his insurance he was not even in the area on the date of the accident, I received a call from my insurance agent today and was told that the other insurance had accepted fault! Now to inform the other insurance that per California law I expect a comparable vehicle while mine is in for repair.

Sorry to hear about your accident. Was following the wait thread when you were expecting your car. Always be glad you get as much info as possible. Cellphones are so helpful for this. Had a lady rear end my car too a number of years ago. Took my photos too aside from sharing info. No problem with my driver but wow yours was a nightmare. To think he has a bar license and lied like this. I hope you file your accident report so it's on record.

 

[smatthew]

Sorry to hear about your accident. Was following the wait thread when you were expecting your car. Always be glad you get as much info as possible. Cellphones are so helpful for this. Had a lady rear end my car too a number of years ago. Took my photos too aside from sharing info. No problem with my driver but wow yours was a nightmare. To think he has a bar license and lied like this. I hope you file your accident report so it's on record.

So other drivers can learn from my experience, here are a few post accident tips.

1. Always make sure you get as many photos as you can. Your phone probably has plenty of storage, and you can decide which photos to keep later. You can't really go back and take photos later.
2. Consider video. If the other driver is being abusive or making outlandish claims, video can help document it.
3. Get photos of the driver and passengers of the other car.
4. Including photos of the vehicles touching (if possible. Once I had a driver hit me, and they immediately throw it in reverse. Freaked me the heck out, cause it appeared they were trying to get away. )
5. Take photos of the damage to both cars ASAP - before anyone can tamper with the accident scene.
6. Call the police. Teslas are expensive to repair, so any accident will probably cause more the $1,000 in damages. A police report makes it much easier to file insurance claims.
7. Don't let the other driver rush you into moving the vehicles. Take time to properly document the scene.

 

[SMAlset]

Dash cam video is also immensely helpful as you can imagine. Last month my husband's MS was parked in a bank parking lot while he was inside. Some lady came into the bank and said someone just hit your car and was taking off until she flagged them down to go back to the bank. Yes, can you imagine that. So nice there are people like her in this world. She saw it happen and saw them pull out and onto a side street but they had to stop for cross traffic. That's when she told them she saw the accident, had their license plate and we think she even took a photo of the vehicle I guess in case they left after she went into the bank. Also fortunately for my husband he had his Blackvue 900S-2ch running in parking mode and when I mentioned if he checked the video he saw basically almost everything that happened as the vehicles were parked in angle parking spots so ended up with great wide angle views on the camera front and back (front recorded the 'escape' to the side street afterwards). The driver was driving a company vehicle and after some back and forth with our insurance and theirs they accept fault and they also know that the driver had left the scene and so it was basically a hit and run accident.

I don't know whether our Model 3s will ever get dash cam video from the rear as well but I hope so.

 

[smatthew]

I don't know whether our Model 3s will ever get dash cam video from the rear as well but I hope so.

yeah, rear video recording would help with any rear-end collision.

 

[Futuresystem]

yeah, rear video recording would help with any rear-end collision.

Even forward facing video can be a help in a rear ender. Sure it won’t identify the car, but will show when the collision actually happened, especially with audio.
Some years ago I stopped for a car turning to a tight driveway in front, third car in line, and watched in the rear view mirror with alarm as an old codger sailed in to the back of me without even touching the brakes. He hit me so hard that he pushed me forward hard into the car in front.
At the time he accepted full responsibility- but I didn’t have that recorded- no smart phone in those days. (Lesson one, record everything, video AND audio!)
Then later he claimed to the insurance that I’d hit the car in front first, which is why he then hit me. Even forward Dashcan video would have instantly proven otherwise, but luckily the guy in front witnessed it and confirmed to the insurance company.

Now I have front and rear dashcams in both our cars, worth every cent!

 

[focher]

My sympathies. I had my P3D four days when I was rear-ended. Car spent 60 days in the shop.

As always, document as much as you can - even if the driver at fault is not denying anything at the scene. Then get it checked by an authorized Tesla body shop. I'm still in negotiations for the diminished value and the loss of use portion of my claim. They covered the repair portion already.

 

[Jaywlker]

You're lucky. I got rear-ended the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Stopped at a light, the car behind me didn't stop in time. Then it got strange. When I got out of my car to assess the damage, the other driver immediately started yelling at me "I didn't hit you. Get back in your ******** car and drive! You're blocking the *** **** road!". So I immediately take pictures of the two cars touching. After reminding the other driver that he should watch his language since his son was in the car, we moved to a nearby parking lot to exchange information.

Except the other driver didn't want to exchange information. He showed me his drivers license and his California bar id. Like the fact that is a lawyer was supposed to scare me into not filing a claim.

Turns out the other driver is an accident attorney. For weeks, he refused to talk to his insurance. Then, he decided to tell his insurance that he was never there! Funny thing is, I've got photos of his car, of his hand holding paperwork, his drivers license & bar ID, and he texted me after the accident asking for copies of the photos.

The lawyer driver was a total ass. Makes us lawyers look like the jerks expected by society.

 

[smatthew]

The lawyer driver was a total ass. Makes us lawyers look like the jerks expected by society.

Thanks for that. It's always a shame when a an individual does their best to ensure a negative stereotype continues.

 

[derkan]

So other drivers can learn from my experience, here are a few post accident tips.

1. Always make sure you get as many photos as you can. Your phone probably has plenty of storage, and you can decide which photos to keep later. You can't really go back and take photos later.
2. Consider video. If the other driver is being abusive or making outlandish claims, video can help document it.
3. Get photos of the driver and passengers of the other car.
4. Including photos of the vehicles touching (if possible. Once I had a driver hit me, and they immediately throw it in reverse. Freaked me the heck out, cause it appeared they were trying to get away. )
5. Take photos of the damage to both cars ASAP - before anyone can tamper with the accident scene.
6. Call the police. Teslas are expensive to repair, so any accident will probably cause more the $1,000 in damages. A police report makes it much easier to file insurance claims.
7. Don't let the other driver rush you into moving the vehicles. Take time to properly document the scene.

Definitely agree, and I learned a bit more during my recent experience.
- Unless it's really unsafe, insist on taking photos of the cars and scene immediately, BEFORE moving any of the cars, even if other drivers around get annoyed or are blocked for a couple minutes. Don't feel pressured to move out of the way ASAP (unless it's unsafe to stay put)
- Anyone around at the time of accident, take names and numbers. They are independent witnesses. Possibly unwilling, but you should try hard. Not just pedestrians or residents, but also especially other cars in or near the intersection.
- Make sure to take lots of photos of the location, intersection etc from multiple angles. This also shows road conditions, skidmarks etc.
- When calling the police, make sure to insist they come out. Police officer told me this. Some have "policies" where they don't want to come out unless there's physical injury. Or they think the damage is minor. It is imperative that a police report be taken, only takes them 15 min and helps PD themselves because they sometimes get dragged in after the fact. In many accidents you will actually suffer some soft tissue injury that you will feel the next day so yes, somebody is probably injured and this is reason enough for the police to take a report.
- If you are obviously injured, insurances will ask you later why you didn't call 911, why you didn't take an ambulance or go straight to a hospital right away, even if you might judge it unnecessary.
- record the mileage of your car and the exact time if you can. This helps if you need to pull driving or crash data out of tesla's computers later.
- Take a picture of all vehicles from multiple angles, be sure to get front and back license plate pictures of the other car.
- Make sure to get ALL the other driver's information, not just some: drivers license, REGISTRATION, insurance card (make sure it is within validity period!), contact info.
- If possible, record the conversation with the other driver. All of it. The point isn't whether or not it's admissible into evidence or not - most cases never go to court. The point is to have some recollection of what was said vs. nothing (aka he-said-she-said).
- At the earliest opportunity, on the same day, take very detailed notes of everything that happened, and what was said. Write this down. Refer to your pictures, video, audio recording to remind you. After the police report and recordings, these notes are next best evidence.

Some tidbits from a recent experience:
- The opposing driver admitted to being intoxicated, but without a recording or police report, this was disregarded later. Other driver did not want to wait for the police to show up and left. The police refused to come to take a report and refused to follow or investigate the other driver
- My passenger did not "count" as a witness
- The other driver was driving a car with disabled person plates, which turned out to be an important factor later
- Other car's insurance card was not valid (it was last year's)
- Other driver was an attorney - and a government employee: a public defender
- Opposing insurance company lied about their driver's statement, among other things
- Opposing insurance company lied about my rights and obligations

 

[diamond.g]

I got hit two weeks ago while trying to get my son. The officer admitted to accelerating into my bumper. I decided to go through my own insurance to minimize the headache with dealing with the city. The car is supposed to be on its way to a Tesla authorized body shop. No ETA on return.