Rip vin p01653

[Todd Burch]

Thanks for the comments so far everyone.

I have already registered a formal complaint with the county about signage at the corner.

For that drop and all that happened, could you tell us a bit more of your experience physically, as in - with that fierce flight, landing and stopping you went through, did you just get up and out of the car? Insurance companies should really appreciate they don't have to pay any medical cost for "normal crashes". Of course, the car thief that rammed cars and a building at 100+ mph is not a "normal crash"

It was actually pretty gentle. When the car landed after the 3 foot drop, there was a bit of a smack, but I felt the pain more for the car, not for myself. The stop was also fairly gentle too. With all of the mass and the fairly small size of the trees/brush that I went through, the car took awhile to slow. Because of the trees and brush I couldn't easily get the doors open without really pushing against them and risking more damage, so I ended up lowering the window and getting out Dukes of Hazzard style.

All in all it was a relatively gentle experience though.

 

[curt_toolman]

Todd, I can only send one PM per hour but you have my email address. But the answer to your question is yes.

 

[tomas]

Yikes, sorry to hear Todd… feel as if I know you from posts. It's a shame, but nobody injured is the key thing. Hope you get sorted with insurance… enjoy the next MS!

 

[ModelX]

I am so sad this happened to you, but glad you were in such a safe car!

 

[spaghetti]

Todd - sorry to hear about your experience. Glad you are safe. hope things work out for you quickly and to your satisfaction.

 

[curt_toolman]

Todd,

What did Virginia last value your car for? I'm sure they didn't take account for high mileage but maybe it can help support your claim for more money.

 

[EarlyAdopter]

All excellent points. I hadn't even thought about the lack of medical cost. Insurance companies should be grateful to cover cars this safe.

I think they are. That's why collectively our insurance rates remain so reasonable even after the high costs of repairs has come to light. While $5000 for a fender bender or $30,000 for a minor crash seems crazy high, those costs pale in comparison to repairs on humans.

 

[apacheguy]

Bummer. That's a very unfortunate sequence of events. I've never come across a 90 degree bend as you describe except at an intersection. I'll have to watch out for that when I'm in unfamiliar territory.

If it's any consolation, you'll get a P and (likely) a coveted D pack.

 

[v12 to 12v]

Sorry to hear about your accident. You might ask the local county for their official claim form. I had an accident and the local governing entity paid my claim without any questions because they didn't want to go to court. Fortunately, I was able to state on the claim that the police said that their police chief hit the same sinkhole and destroyed his car before me and the sinkhole was not marked, blocked off or repaired. No fuss, no muss.

You should look into hiring your own independent adjuster to get a valuation and give a copy to the county with your official claim form and a copy to your insurance company. Also, send a copy of the police report and a report of what the officer said to you. Be sure to send everything by registered mail so that you get a receipt and a paper trail. The county's insurance company and your insurance company would probably choose to work out a better settlement for you.

Your accident brought to mind a question I had. I knew that Tesla would call you if there was an accident and ask if you needed the police, medical assistance and if you would like them to call a family member or friend. I have always wondered what Tesla would do in a situation where someone was out of cell range or if their phone was otherwise out of reach or out of commission. Did Tesla call the local authorities or someone else? TIA for any insight.

Insist on being made whole again. That is what insurance is for. Insurance companies have attorneys and adjusters on call to meet their needs. Sometimes we need the same tool box. I'm not an attorney. This is just methods I have used to avoid the expense of an attorney. There was a time I had to resort to an attorney with an insurance company but that was a catastrophic, complex incident with other parties. Your best move was to inform your insurance company ASAP. They can decline claims if the incident is not reported promptly. (A sleazy loophole that they will use in some States.)

We'll be thinking about ya. Best of luck.

 

[JakeP]

So sorry to hear about this Todd, cannot imagine the pain you feel at losing your Model S. Hopefully the insurance resolution will be less painful in the end, and can put you back into an equally perfect Tesla configuration.

 

[djplong]

Glad to hear you are ok and wishing you luck on appealing the lowball offer.

One piece of advice going forward. Look around for insurance that guarantees a form of replacement value. Some companies advertise that they will guarantee a replacement car, sometimes up to 1 year NEWER than the one you had insured. I would imagine this coverage might cost a little more - but in "reduced hassle factor when filing a claim", it might be worth it.

 

[Bugeater]

Wow, really sad to hear this! I've had to deal with insurance companies a few times. Two cars hit and totalled while parked in front of my house...

Things I would suggest:
* Always speak calmly and politely with whoever you are talking to at the insurance company. They didn't write the rules. You may just get an advocate inside the company by treating them well! Worked for me...
* Contact Tesla. They more than anyone else have a vested interest in the resale value of the car being high! Either the local service center or a delivery specialist. Or maybe some inside contact you have at Tesla. They may be able to find comparable sales or even provide their own trade-in value to you. As others have said, make them find a comparable sale. No guesswork. Also, listing out the current value of each of the options your car has can go a long way to setting the value above what they are claiming. Their adjuster just has no idea or way to compare without that info. This way even if they can't find a comparable car, they will have a way to price similar cars and compare to yours.
* As for the county, make sure your claim is letter perfect to the law. With that, they will have no way out whatsoever. I did a claim like this once and was able to get paid with no questions asked. Detail EVERY expense, including the cost of gas for driving the ICE car in the mean time! Note the loss of sleep, time spent having to do all the work hassling with them and the insurance company... Anything you can think of. Require them to put new, very visible signage at the corner.
* Make the county pay for any difference between the price the insurance company pays you and the actual replacement cost. Include the interim costs too! That will motivate them to settle sooner than later!!!

Good luck! Really glad to hear that no one was hurt!

PS: My P85 came 2012-12-15 so I feel a kinfolk(sp) with you...

 

[wamochi]

Glad to hear you are ok and wishing you luck on appealing the lowball offer.

One piece of advice going forward. Look around for insurance that guarantees a form of replacement value. Some companies advertise that they will guarantee a replacement car, sometimes up to 1 year NEWER than the one you had insured. I would imagine this coverage might cost a little more - but in "reduced hassle factor when filing a claim", it might be worth it.

+1

i changed to liberty mutual for both cost savings and the fact they include new car replacement coverage in Year 1 up to 15,000 miles (total the car in that time, and you get a brand new one covered). after Year 1, i believe you can add a rider for better car replacement coverage which basically guarantees a "better" car (1 year newer with at least 15k less miles) than depreciated value.

not all insurance companies have the new car or better car coverages. GEICO, for instance, has neither, which is part of the reason their rates are so low.

good luck, and hope to see your new P85 on the forum soon :smile:

 

[tezco]

Years ago, I had a similar incident. I went around to 3-4 dealers and had them write me a brief letter (on their stationery) that my car in that used condition would sell for $XXXXX.

I did the same thing when State Farm's proposed settlement for my 300ZX TT was $10k too low. The driver that ran the red light and T-boned us had no insurance and was an illegal who fled the state when he got out of the hospital, so they were left holding the bag, but they did agree to up the settlement to a reasonable amount once they had more data from some independent sources.

 

[spatterso911]

Yikes, just tuned into this thread! Sorry to hear the news Todd! I hope this gets resolved quickly for you.

 

[scriptacus]

Sorry to hear about this; hopefully the county takes the blame here if what that officer said is true. Re the insurance quote: the price does seem low, but isn't it higher than Tesla's own loaner resale program by about 11k? (1% per month of age, $1 per mile) Maybe they're using something based on those numbers for their valuation instead of private market sales.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

This thread offers a great example of why "agreed value" auto policies are valuable. I just switched to Encompass with an agreed value of $106,000. If my car ever meets this fate, I will be reimbursed dollar for dollar the exact purchase price of my vehicle. This ensures that I will be in a position to purchase a new one. The annual deductible for this type of policy, with even better coverage and lower deductible, is less expensive than my previous policy with Hartford. I'm paying just over $1,300 annually for 250/500, $500 deductible and $106,000 agreed value.

 

[pgiralt]

This thread offers a great example of why "agreed value" auto policies are valuable. I just switched to Encompass with an agreed value of $106,000. If my car ever meets this fate, I will be reimbursed dollar for dollar the exact purchase price of my vehicle. This ensures that I will be in a position to purchase a new one. The annual deductible for this type of policy, with even better coverage and lower deductible, is less expensive than my previous policy with Hartford. I'm paying just over $1,300 annually for 250/500, $500 deductible and $106,000 agreed value.

I assume this agreed value changes over time? I can't imagine they would pay the $106k after the car is a year old, right?

 

[Todd Burch]

Re the insurance quote: the price does seem low, but isn't it higher than Tesla's own loaner resale program by about 11k? (1% per month of age, $1 per mile) Maybe they're using something based on those numbers for their valuation instead of private market sales.

You can't extrapolate that because those cars sell very quickly and with relatively few miles on them, so the discount isn't very large. If you assume 1% per month of age and $1 per mile, nobody's car would be worth anything after a few years of driving!

Also, if you try to sell your car to Tesla, you can't really use that either, because a) they want to turn around and make a profit on buying a used car and b) they don't really want to be in the used car business.

 

[Trnsl8r]

...
So anyway, does anyone have advice for someone who looks like he's on the path to fighting a battle with the insurance company on actual cash value?

I won't mention the company right now. If they end up making me happy, I'll praise them. If they end up screwing me, I'll let you all know and warn you that this company may not be the ideal company to insure your Tesla with. (BTW, yes, they are a well-known insurance company).

...

Sounds like you're going to name the company either way, so why hold out on us?

(Condolences on the car. Mine was picked up the same month so consider kinship felt.)