raviis

Hi - Was hit today by a car and airbag deployed on both driver and passenger side.

Driver side headlight and front is crushed. Radiator leaki g and car was smelling. Car did start when towing.

Are there any major points to be aware of when dealing with insurance.

2010 4S, 48k miles.

Thx

CAVU

I hope that you and your passenger are okay. airbag deployments can be brutal.

If you can post some pics, that will help the collective knowledge help you. Clarify smelling please: antifreeze, freon, acidic, airbag propellant burnout...

Thoughts:
- Be picky and insist on a Porsche Certified/approved body shop for the repairs.
- There will be hidden damage, it is just the nature of the body design.
- still thinking.....

raviis

It smelt like burnt smell. Could be radiator fluid, not sure.

My son was with me and he got Whiplash from airbag deploy.

Unlicensed driver who panicked at the intersection after seeing. Tried to avoid her else would have been a front to side impact ( she was turning). All ok is the main thing.

will post pics shortly.

thx

groovzilla

1. Make sure you have "at fault" person who hit you Driver's License & insurance info. Did you get copy of Police Report?
2. Go to hospital and get checked out - Pain from accidents can happen later
3. Insist on Rental car from at fault Insurance Agent for the duration of the repairs.
4. Insist on top shelf Auto Body Shop - Find out what shop in your area repairs high end cars.

**Just read your post unlicensed driver - How old? I'm sure your Insurance Agent will deal with uninsured claim.

Glad everyone is ok

raviis

raviis

In NJ, insurance is there for car. She has no license. Driver age 50-60.

Liste-Renn

Read the full page ad on page 38 in the current (March 2023) Panorama mag.
Issue # 792
Page 38.

sandwedge

Glad to hear you and your son are both ok. As groowzilla said though, probably wouldn't be a bad idea to get yourself and your son checked out at a hospital given that both airbags blew and your son's whiplash. And as if you don't have enough to deal with, start to consider diminished value of your car which will be considerable given the damage and both airbags deployed. As someone else said, could be much hidden than what meets the eye which is a lot to begin with.

Your insurance company won't get involved in diminished value claims so just be prepared for that battle with the driver at fault's insurer because a battle it will be. Ask me how I know. Some insurance companies say straight up that they don't pay for diminished value. If that's what they tell you, don't stop there and don't give up. Your best bet no matter what you're told is probably to get a damage appraiser involved. It won't be free. I think I paid around $300 for my damage appraisal but it was worth every penny and then some. I got 5 or 6 pages in return with damage history of similar 997 accidents and the large diminished value that resulted. This will make it much harder for the driver at fault's insurer to refuse compensation.

End result for me was a check from the driver at fault's insurer in the full amount the appraiser came up with which as I recall it was about $6,500 after refusing to pay anything initially. And that was for a fairly light rear end with far less damage than what you describe and show in the pictures. And no airbag deployment either which tends to be a big deal. It won't be easy and it will take frustrating time but you should have a sizeable amount coming your way in my opinion fwiw.

raviis

Thank you all for the guidance so far. Looks like I’m going to need a lot more.

thinking of involving Bodymotion in Ocean Township in NJ. I have worked with them before.

my car is at the local towing company, the front driver window broken completely, so need to figure out how to get the car protected first. I guess via insurance is probably my best bet.

Petza914

Always go through your own insurance for repair and not the at fault party. That's going to be an expensive repair as every deployed airbag and every seatbelt will need to be replaced (even those not in use at the time) because of the pyro pre-tensioners in them. If they give you the option to total it out, take it and start over.

hollywood1053

I second this suggestion..

MSGGrunt

If totaled do not take the initial insurance companies offer. Their job is to make money and part of that is paying the least amount on a claim. You will have to do some leg work to find what like spec's vehicle are being sold for. I have been down this road, and it is one time the high selling prices on Bring a Trailer come in handy. You need to show the insurance company that you know what your car is actually worth. This is why an independent appraisal of a car done BEFORE any incident is very helpful, but this may not be the case in your situation. In Massachusetts if you and the insurance company can't come to an agreement on a value you can take the case to a state arbitrator. I have threatened arbitration twice, once on a mint low mileage Volvo 240 wagon and another on an older W124 Mercedes. As soon as the insurance company heard the word arbitration, they miraculously increased their payout to what I was asking for.

CAVU

A lot of good advice has been offered. I will add a bit more and emphasize some areas. I am not an attorney or doctor, but i have had to navigate events like this before, and assisted close friends and family members.

The burnt smell was most likely the burnt propellant that filled the airbag with nitrogen. They did their jobs.

Medical. Absolutely go see your GP for a general eval, neurologist (concussion eval at a minimum) and ortho who specializes in head and neck. Over the next 7-10 days you will have some aches and pains that just seem to appear out of nowhere. There were two events that your bodies absorbed: the first one was the airbag deployment followed by the crash. Focus 100% on getting better as quickly as possible. Those who let injuries linger tend to have a longer recovery.

With the injury, I would recommend engaging an attorney who specializes in personal injury AND has litigation experience (e.g. courtroom experience). in my accident, I wasn't focusing on my healing because of the hounding from the at fault insurance company. In frustration I reached out to a local attorney for help. He notified them that I was being represented and told me to go get healed up and helped me understand how the various insurances, medical, PIP, etc will work.

The at fault company will contact you to "check" on you and your son. That is their first step to limit their costs to settle, as mentioned earlier in the thread. You have two choices: Talk to them, or tell them that you are going to retain an attorney. Without a litigator, the other insurance company has the advantage.

YES, I concur with the earlier advice of only working with your insurance company for the repairs.

Diminished value claim, go for it if they do not total.

Will they total it? It could be close. There used to be a 75% rule of thumb threshold to total but what I have seen lately is that the auction prices for wrecks are higher which pushes the threshold to total further down AND the insurance companies are trying to pay less. Wish I had thought about the earlier suggestion about arbitration to help my daughter when her car was totaled and they paid about 70% of the car's value.

Damage, repairs and what next. As was mentioned earlier, whether totaled or not, be ready move on to your next 911. Why do I agree with that...what am I considering?
- I will have the accident damage and repairs in my mind. I am a recovering perfectionist and I do let it out if its box sometimes, especially when it comes to safety. I am concerned with the hidden damage that remained undiscovered after the repairs were complete and the quality of the repairs. Even the repair shops are having a hard time finding trained and experienced people
- a lot of safety systems did their job: unibody tub, front panel, A pillar? and possible B-pillar; bumper reinforcement and shock; airbags; seat belt pretensioners; seat frames, engine, tranny and front diff mounts; and others. Will they be repaired to the same level they were at before the accident?

Again, glad you two walked away, go get healthy and keep us posted.

raviis

Thank you all, so much for all the invaluable advice.

Trying to find an independent appraiser in NJ in case i need to cover the Diminished value or the total option.

spoke to Bodymotion from my past experience, they dont do appraisal and wondering if anyone has recommendations here.

Thank you
RS

PV997

In every decision like this I always consider the likely outcome of the encounter, and it's always one of three things:
.

• I come out ahead - I don't see any possible way this can happen from talking to them
• Things stay the same - the most likely outcome
• I come out behind - Less likely but possible if I say something stupid and undermine my own case

To me this is a no brainer, why would I engage in a voluntary conversation where the only outcomes are neutral or to my detriment? Not sure what the law is in your state is but in California you aren't required to talk to them and don't need an attorney to decline to do so (although I agree with the suggestion to get one, or at least consult with one). Just tell your insurance company you are not willing to talk to them and any questions they have should be presented to you through your own insurance company.

People get themselves into all kinds of trouble when the naively enter into voluntary conversations with adversarial parties. As a rule I *never* do it unless compelled.