My '04 Tacoma totaled....insurance advice?

I was rear ended by a drunk driver Christmas Eve. I'm still
waiting for the official word but several people from the cop to the
tow driver have told me it's totaled. It's an '04 Tacoma 4x4 Extracab
TRD, 6 cyl, auto, with less than 10,000 miles on it. It didn't have a
scratch or parking lot ding on it. I was stopped at a light behind a
Ram pickup when hit from behind by a mid-eighties S-10. I was knocked
around and have a little whiplash but came out OK. I suspect that the
drunk didn't have insurance so my claim will be with my own insurance
company. Anybody have any advice for dealing with them? How about a
price on the truck?

Thanks to all

Butzmark wrote:[color=blue]
> I was rear ended by a drunk driver Christmas Eve. I'm still
> waiting for the official word but several people from the cop to the
> tow driver have told me it's totaled. It's an '04 Tacoma 4x4 Extracab
> TRD, 6 cyl, auto, with less than 10,000 miles on it. It didn't have a
> scratch or parking lot ding on it. I was stopped at a light behind a
> Ram pickup when hit from behind by a mid-eighties S-10. I was knocked
> around and have a little whiplash but came out OK. I suspect that the
> drunk didn't have insurance so my claim will be with my own insurance
> company. Anybody have any advice for dealing with them? How about a
> price on the truck?
>
> Thanks to all
>[/color]
I wish you the best of luck. Some things just aren't fair. You
likely won't be able to find an equal truck to replace that one.

On a related topic, when will our country ever get serious about
drunk drivers? It likely wasn't the first time that drunk drove.
If your whiplash turns out OK, great. But, there could have been
deaths. I think we should cut the allowable blood alcohol level to
..04, make the first drunk driving offense without an injury or death
a month in jail, and the second a year in jail. A serious injury on
the first offense is a year in jail, and a death is 50 years in
jail. The partiers will take notice, and the real drunks will find
a different way home.


Ken

Get some values; Edmunds, Kelly, Auto trader. My 04 Taco is 3200 miles,
v-6. sr5, 4wd, purchased July 04, $25.5 sticker for $23.5 b4 tax and
license. I ran edmunds, and it says 22.3 private party and 25.3 retail.
Get a rental while the dust and paperwork settles, and go get a replacement
truck. It will cost you some cash, but at least you had insurance. Let
your insurance duke it out with the other guys insurance. You shoould be
ok.

Or make me a deal and maybe I'll get a 06 myself.


"Butzmark" <me@my.net> wrote in message
news:9niar1hft9qdjl3vdrvgr4jpn1mth3v49s@4ax.com...[color=blue]
> I was rear ended by a drunk driver Christmas Eve. I'm still
> waiting for the official word but several people from the cop to the
> tow driver have told me it's totaled. It's an '04 Tacoma 4x4 Extracab
> TRD, 6 cyl, auto, with less than 10,000 miles on it. It didn't have a
> scratch or parking lot ding on it. I was stopped at a light behind a[/color]

On Fri, 30 Dec 2005 07:43:17 -0800, Ken Shelton <shelton@cablespeed.com>
found these unused words floating about:
[color=blue]
>Butzmark wrote:[color=green]
>> I was rear ended by a drunk driver Christmas Eve. I'm still
>> waiting for the official word but several people from the cop to the
>> tow driver have told me it's totaled. It's an '04 Tacoma 4x4 Extracab
>> TRD, 6 cyl, auto, with less than 10,000 miles on it. It didn't have a
>> scratch or parking lot ding on it. I was stopped at a light behind a
>> Ram pickup when hit from behind by a mid-eighties S-10. I was knocked
>> around and have a little whiplash but came out OK. I suspect that the
>> drunk didn't have insurance so my claim will be with my own insurance
>> company. Anybody have any advice for dealing with them? How about a
>> price on the truck?
>>
>> Thanks to all
>>[/color]
>I wish you the best of luck. Some things just aren't fair. You
>likely won't be able to find an equal truck to replace that one.
>
>On a related topic, when will our country ever get serious about
>drunk drivers? It likely wasn't the first time that drunk drove.
>If your whiplash turns out OK, great. But, there could have been
>deaths. I think we should cut the allowable blood alcohol level to
>.04, make the first drunk driving offense without an injury or death
>a month in jail, and the second a year in jail. A serious injury on
>the first offense is a year in jail, and a death is 50 years in
>jail. The partiers will take notice, and the real drunks will find
>a different way home.
>[/color]
Yep ... THAT's what they said when they last lowered the BA level.
THAT's what they said when 'ride home' was inaugurated.
THAT's what they said when DUI checkpoints were instituted.

The ONLY 'cure' would be some form of breath analysis for the driver AFTER
he/she/it is seated, buckled up and before the engine is started. Engine
turns OFF if the buckle is undone and/or the driver lifts off the seat for
more than 10 seconds.

"Ken Shelton" <shelton@cablespeed.com> wrote in message
news:maqdne_ccaULyCjenZ2dnUVZ_v-dnZ2d@cablespeedwa.com...[color=blue]
> Butzmark wrote:[color=green]
> > I was rear ended by a drunk driver Christmas Eve. I'm still
> > waiting for the official word but several people from the cop to the
> > tow driver have told me it's totaled. It's an '04 Tacoma 4x4 Extracab
> > TRD, 6 cyl, auto, with less than 10,000 miles on it. It didn't have a
> > scratch or parking lot ding on it. I was stopped at a light behind a
> > Ram pickup when hit from behind by a mid-eighties S-10. I was knocked
> > around and have a little whiplash but came out OK. I suspect that the
> > drunk didn't have insurance so my claim will be with my own insurance
> > company. Anybody have any advice for dealing with them? How about a
> > price on the truck?
> >
> > Thanks to all
> >[/color]
> I wish you the best of luck. Some things just aren't fair. You
> likely won't be able to find an equal truck to replace that one.
>
> On a related topic, when will our country ever get serious about
> drunk drivers? It likely wasn't the first time that drunk drove.
> If your whiplash turns out OK, great. But, there could have been
> deaths. I think we should cut the allowable blood alcohol level to
> .04, make the first drunk driving offense without an injury or death
> a month in jail, and the second a year in jail. A serious injury on
> the first offense is a year in jail, and a death is 50 years in
> jail. The partiers will take notice, and the real drunks will find
> a different way home.
>
>
> Ken[/color]

Or driving without insurance. Some serious jail time and repairation should
be in store for this driver. Along with prison there should be some
community work involving replacement or repair of property. Civil
irresponsibilty is running amuck in this country. I wish I had some good
news for ya pal, but i'd say, hire a good lawyer and take this guy down, if
possible. We realy don't have a way to control drunk driving. Just one
drink can impare your driving and reaction time. Many people drink wine
with their meal or margaritas. As much as we would like to see some serious
penalty time on the books for drink related accidents, we would all be one
step away from prison if we drank at a meal and drove home. I've changed my
driving habits so that I am not on the road during peek hours that drunks
drive home from the bar or parties. When I do, I drive with one eye ahead
and on in the mirror.

> On a related topic, when will our country ever get serious about drunk[color=blue]
> drivers? It likely wasn't the first time that drunk drove.[/color]

Yes, I ask ask the same question. Here, in south central PA, drunk driving
is rampant. I never saw anything like it. For the small amount of population
here, we have numerous vehicle crashes due to excess speed and drunk
driving. I am originally from the Boston area, and when someone got
seriously injured or died from a drunk driver, there was major concentration
on the case from the news media, police and the citizens. Here, it seems to
be over-looked or look the other way. No one admits there is a problem here.
Police patrols are sporadic and we mostly rely on volunteer fire and
ambulance crews because the public school systems eat up 70% of the property
taxes with their campus style schools and their obsession with enlarging
their administrative and extra curriculum departments.They constantly whine
for more money. In the meantime students don't know who our Vice President
is or where Alabama is on the map. When drunks know there is no police
effort they drink more and drive more. Happy New Year.

Bob Palmer wrote in message ..
[color=blue]
>Yes, I ask ask the same question. Here, in south central PA, drunk[/color]
driving[color=blue]
>is rampant. I never saw anything like it. For the small amount of[/color]
population[color=blue]
>here, we have numerous vehicle crashes due to excess speed and drunk
>driving. I am originally from the Boston area, and when someone got
>seriously injured or died from a drunk driver, there was major[/color]
concentration[color=blue]
>on the case from the news media, police and the citizens. Here, it[/color]
seems to[color=blue]
>be over-looked or look the other way. No one admits there is a problem[/color]
here.


I agree with you about the drunk driving, but I also think they need to
overhaul the whole driving system, and get back to behind the wheel
testing every time a license comes up for renewal instead of just
extending licenses year after year. Out here in CA, the very elderly
population is a huge problem as well.

Cheri

"Butzmark" <me@my.net> wrote in message
news:9niar1hft9qdjl3vdrvgr4jpn1mth3v49s@4ax.com...[color=blue]
> I was rear ended by a drunk driver Christmas Eve. I'm still
> waiting for the official word but several people from the cop to the
> tow driver have told me it's totaled. It's an '04 Tacoma 4x4 Extracab
> TRD, 6 cyl, auto, with less than 10,000 miles on it. It didn't have a
> scratch or parking lot ding on it. I was stopped at a light behind a
> Ram pickup when hit from behind by a mid-eighties S-10. I was knocked
> around and have a little whiplash but came out OK. I suspect that the
> drunk didn't have insurance so my claim will be with my own insurance
> company. Anybody have any advice for dealing with them? How about a
> price on the truck?
>
> Thanks to all
>[/color]

What do you mean by "suspect that the drunk didn't have insurance"??? Didn't
the cop check his papers and tell you? Call back the cop who should've done
that.

"Ken Shelton" <shelton@cablespeed.com> wrote in message
news:maqdne_ccaULyCjenZ2dnUVZ_v-dnZ2d@cablespeedwa.com...[color=blue]
> Butzmark wrote:[color=green]
>> I was rear ended by a drunk driver Christmas Eve. I'm still
>> waiting for the official word but several people from the cop to the
>> tow driver have told me it's totaled. It's an '04 Tacoma 4x4 Extracab
>> TRD, 6 cyl, auto, with less than 10,000 miles on it. It didn't have a
>> scratch or parking lot ding on it. I was stopped at a light behind a
>> Ram pickup when hit from behind by a mid-eighties S-10. I was knocked
>> around and have a little whiplash but came out OK. I suspect that the
>> drunk didn't have insurance so my claim will be with my own insurance
>> company. Anybody have any advice for dealing with them? How about a
>> price on the truck?
>>
>> Thanks to all
>>[/color]
> I wish you the best of luck. Some things just aren't fair. You likely
> won't be able to find an equal truck to replace that one.
>
> On a related topic, when will our country ever get serious about drunk
> drivers? It likely wasn't the first time that drunk drove. If your
> whiplash turns out OK, great. But, there could have been deaths. I think
> we should cut the allowable blood alcohol level to .04, make the first
> drunk driving offense without an injury or death a month in jail, and the
> second a year in jail. A serious injury on the first offense is a year in
> jail, and a death is 50 years in jail. The partiers will take notice, and
> the real drunks will find a different way home.
>
>
> Ken[/color]

It might change if there were more district attorneys with a little
imagination. A few years back, some drunk woman got on route 390 (south of
Rochester NY) going the wrong way, with no lights on. She hit a car and
killed both occupants. The DA charged her with first degree murder, and the
grand jury went along with it - it went to trial that way. His argument was
that after 10-20-whatever years of anti-DWI advertising, she *had* to know
the results of her actions before she began drinking. Since she knew, it was
premeditated. She intended to kill. The DA was aiming for life in prison.

It didn't work, but I think the DA knew it wouldn't. She plea bargained, but
still got more prison time than if she'd been charged with vehicular
manslaughter, and bargained down from there. IIRC, she got 20 years.

I don't know about other places, but around here, a lot of people realize
that the next DA could be successful with a murder charge, and you could be
the one on trial.

On Fri, 30 Dec 2005 12:53:29 -0800, "Cheri" <gserviceatinreachdotcom> found
these unused words floating about:
[color=blue]
>
>Bob Palmer wrote in message ..
>[color=green]
>>Yes, I ask ask the same question. Here, in south central PA, drunk[/color]
>driving[color=green]
>>is rampant. I never saw anything like it. For the small amount of[/color]
>population[color=green]
>>here, we have numerous vehicle crashes due to excess speed and drunk
>>driving. I am originally from the Boston area, and when someone got
>>seriously injured or died from a drunk driver, there was major[/color]
>concentration[color=green]
>>on the case from the news media, police and the citizens. Here, it[/color]
>seems to[color=green]
>>be over-looked or look the other way. No one admits there is a problem[/color]
>here.
>
>
>I agree with you about the drunk driving, but I also think they need to
>overhaul the whole driving system, and get back to behind the wheel
>testing every time a license comes up for renewal instead of just
>extending licenses year after year. Out here in CA, the very elderly
>population is a huge problem as well.
>
>Cheri
>[/color]
Not to mention womern with screaming children chatting gossip on their cell
phones ...

"J. A. Mc." <jaSPAMc@gbr.online.com> wrote in message
news:ugcbr1pu7fenkb3k8fc5sgcfb1k0cvokb1@4ax.com...[color=blue]
> On Fri, 30 Dec 2005 12:53:29 -0800, "Cheri" <gserviceatinreachdotcom>
> found
> these unused words floating about:
>[color=green]
>>
>>Bob Palmer wrote in message ..
>>[color=darkred]
>>>Yes, I ask ask the same question. Here, in south central PA, drunk[/color]
>>driving[color=darkred]
>>>is rampant. I never saw anything like it. For the small amount of[/color]
>>population[color=darkred]
>>>here, we have numerous vehicle crashes due to excess speed and drunk
>>>driving. I am originally from the Boston area, and when someone got
>>>seriously injured or died from a drunk driver, there was major[/color]
>>concentration[color=darkred]
>>>on the case from the news media, police and the citizens. Here, it[/color]
>>seems to[color=darkred]
>>>be over-looked or look the other way. No one admits there is a problem[/color]
>>here.
>>
>>
>>I agree with you about the drunk driving, but I also think they need to
>>overhaul the whole driving system, and get back to behind the wheel
>>testing every time a license comes up for renewal instead of just
>>extending licenses year after year. Out here in CA, the very elderly
>>population is a huge problem as well.
>>
>>Cheri
>>[/color]
> Not to mention womern with screaming children chatting gossip on their
> cell
> phones ...
>[/color]

.....and morons in 45mph bumper to bumper rush hour traffic, reading the
newspaper. I see this regularly.

On Fri, 30 Dec 2005 21:46:59 GMT, "Doug Kanter"
<ancientangler@hotmail.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
>
>"Butzmark" <me@my.net> wrote in message
>news:9niar1hft9qdjl3vdrvgr4jpn1mth3v49s@4ax.com...[color=green]
>> I was rear ended by a drunk driver Christmas Eve. I'm still
>> waiting for the official word but several people from the cop to the
>> tow driver have told me it's totaled. It's an '04 Tacoma 4x4 Extracab
>> TRD, 6 cyl, auto, with less than 10,000 miles on it. It didn't have a
>> scratch or parking lot ding on it. I was stopped at a light behind a
>> Ram pickup when hit from behind by a mid-eighties S-10. I was knocked
>> around and have a little whiplash but came out OK. I suspect that the
>> drunk didn't have insurance so my claim will be with my own insurance
>> company. Anybody have any advice for dealing with them? How about a
>> price on the truck?
>>
>> Thanks to all
>>[/color]
>
>What do you mean by "suspect that the drunk didn't have insurance"??? Didn't
>the cop check his papers and tell you? Call back the cop who should've done
>that.
>[/color]

The drunk had a small scalp cut at the hairline so they took him away
in an ambulance. I'll find out from the police report soon. It has to
go through channels and the holidays are dragging it out. When he got
out of his truck he wanted to talk about his trip to New Orleans, no
sorry ,,nothing. He did say that he was talking on the phone to his
girlfriend and didn't see me...kind of like it was my fault for being
there.

"Butzmark" <me@my.net> wrote in message
news:9niar1hft9qdjl3vdrvgr4jpn1mth3v49s@4ax.com...[color=blue]
> I was rear ended by a drunk driver Christmas Eve. I'm still
> waiting for the official word but several people from the cop to the
> tow driver have told me it's totaled. It's an '04 Tacoma 4x4 Extracab
> TRD, 6 cyl, auto, with less than 10,000 miles on it. It didn't have a
> scratch or parking lot ding on it. I was stopped at a light behind a
> Ram pickup when hit from behind by a mid-eighties S-10. I was knocked
> around and have a little whiplash but came out OK. I suspect that the
> drunk didn't have insurance so my claim will be with my own insurance
> company. Anybody have any advice for dealing with them? How about a
> price on the truck?
>
> Thanks to all
>[/color]

Take two Coronas, and call us again in the morning.

Your insurance carrier will try to set the value of your loss at what you
could SELL your truck for. This can be thousands of dollars below what you
owe, which will be painful indeed. You need to do yoru homework today.
Gather up ads of other trucks like yours that are for sale. The value of
these sales will help to define the value of your loss.

"Butzmark" <me@my.net> wrote in message
news:vavbr1dd0a53v1uae8f7klr49cc425neue@4ax.com...[color=blue]
> On Fri, 30 Dec 2005 21:46:59 GMT, "Doug Kanter"
> <ancientangler@hotmail.com> wrote:
>[color=green]
>>
>>"Butzmark" <me@my.net> wrote in message
>>news:9niar1hft9qdjl3vdrvgr4jpn1mth3v49s@4ax.com...[color=darkred]
>>> I was rear ended by a drunk driver Christmas Eve. I'm still
>>> waiting for the official word but several people from the cop to the
>>> tow driver have told me it's totaled. It's an '04 Tacoma 4x4 Extracab
>>> TRD, 6 cyl, auto, with less than 10,000 miles on it. It didn't have a
>>> scratch or parking lot ding on it. I was stopped at a light behind a
>>> Ram pickup when hit from behind by a mid-eighties S-10. I was knocked
>>> around and have a little whiplash but came out OK. I suspect that the
>>> drunk didn't have insurance so my claim will be with my own insurance
>>> company. Anybody have any advice for dealing with them? How about a
>>> price on the truck?
>>>
>>> Thanks to all
>>>[/color]
>>
>>What do you mean by "suspect that the drunk didn't have insurance"???
>>Didn't
>>the cop check his papers and tell you? Call back the cop who should've
>>done
>>that.
>>[/color]
>
> The drunk had a small scalp cut at the hairline so they took him away
> in an ambulance. I'll find out from the police report soon. It has to
> go through channels and the holidays are dragging it out. When he got
> out of his truck he wanted to talk about his trip to New Orleans, no
> sorry ,,nothing. He did say that he was talking on the phone to his
> girlfriend and didn't see me...kind of like it was my fault for being
> there.
>[/color]

It's amazing - people are robbed, or get into accidents, and the information
you need afterward somehow vanishes into the sky. Then, you receive the 11th
carbon copy of a report written in scribble with a soft pencil, by a cop who
couldn't write the word "Help" in 10 foot high letters on beach sand, if his
life depended on it.

On Sat, 31 Dec 2005 15:34:13 GMT, "Doug Kanter" <ancientangler@hotmail.com>
found these unused words floating about:
[color=blue]
>
>"Butzmark" <me@my.net> wrote in message
>news:vavbr1dd0a53v1uae8f7klr49cc425neue@4ax.com...[color=green]
>> On Fri, 30 Dec 2005 21:46:59 GMT, "Doug Kanter"
>> <ancientangler@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>[color=darkred]
>>>
>>>"Butzmark" <me@my.net> wrote in message
>>>news:9niar1hft9qdjl3vdrvgr4jpn1mth3v49s@4ax.com...
>>>> I was rear ended by a drunk driver Christmas Eve. I'm still
>>>> waiting for the official word but several people from the cop to the
>>>> tow driver have told me it's totaled. It's an '04 Tacoma 4x4 Extracab
>>>> TRD, 6 cyl, auto, with less than 10,000 miles on it. It didn't have a
>>>> scratch or parking lot ding on it. I was stopped at a light behind a
>>>> Ram pickup when hit from behind by a mid-eighties S-10. I was knocked
>>>> around and have a little whiplash but came out OK. I suspect that the
>>>> drunk didn't have insurance so my claim will be with my own insurance
>>>> company. Anybody have any advice for dealing with them? How about a
>>>> price on the truck?
>>>>
>>>> Thanks to all
>>>>
>>>
>>>What do you mean by "suspect that the drunk didn't have insurance"???
>>>Didn't
>>>the cop check his papers and tell you? Call back the cop who should've
>>>done
>>>that.
>>>[/color]
>>
>> The drunk had a small scalp cut at the hairline so they took him away
>> in an ambulance. I'll find out from the police report soon. It has to
>> go through channels and the holidays are dragging it out. When he got
>> out of his truck he wanted to talk about his trip to New Orleans, no
>> sorry ,,nothing. He did say that he was talking on the phone to his
>> girlfriend and didn't see me...kind of like it was my fault for being
>> there.
>>[/color]
>
>It's amazing - people are robbed, or get into accidents, and the information
>you need afterward somehow vanishes into the sky. Then, you receive the 11th
>carbon copy of a report written in scribble with a soft pencil, by a cop who
>couldn't write the word "Help" in 10 foot high letters on beach sand, if his
>life depended on it.
>[/color]
Hope your state has a 'seizure law' applicable for uninsured drivers. House,
other cars, etc.