I just got into an accident...

[vn2nv]

I was waiting at the light in Homebush (NSW) and suddenly BOOM!. Some dude with a bullbar hits me from behind. I get out to check the damage, and could see no apparent damage at all. I didn't have comprehensive insurance so I knew nothing could be done if there were damage anyway.

I stopped at a servo to check the rear. Upon closer inspection, i noticed the boot/quarter panel gap was bigger than the other side. The quarter panel section which holds the light is slightly pushed in, and I believe the metal part under the plastic bumper bar is also bent in cos the bumper sits funny. The quarter panel bit looks like it is bent to the left on an angle a bit. Doesn't look noticeable until you see the boot gap and the alignment of the rear lights.

There is no paint damage or visible weld cracks anywhere in the boot.
How expensive is this area to fix?
(smash repairers I plead you for a estimate)

[Infus10n]

ahh didn't you get the other guys insurance? haha silly boy!

[vinnywelsh]

Sorry to hear that man, its not cool when someone hits your ride

If the guy ran up the back of your car, he has top pay for the damages done to your car.

also can you get any pictures of the damage ?, this will help with an estimate

[rattattack1313]

Reguardless of what you are doing, if a car hits you from behind, it is THEIR FAULT.( they are obviously too close to you)...you should have gotten his/her rego number , at least...... even at the traffic lights, leagally, you should be able to see the car in fronts' rear tyres on the road.....

[geta]

Yer ratattack is spot on. If you only have third party this is how it works:

You hit someone/something = you pay excess and your company fixes their car/wall etc. Your car gets no fixing money.

Someone hits you = He pays his excess and HIS company pays for your car to get fixed. You pay NOTHING. Your rating is unaffected and your car is fixed with the only financial inconvienience being that you may have to take a bus to work for a few days while its in the shop. If someone hits you, take down their rego, car make/model/type. If they are co-operrative get his insurance company name and his drivers license #.

-dave

[rattattack1313]

yes..a quick phone call to Motor Reg just then...if you have their number plate, they will happily chase it up .......

[Mark]

ye u lucked out man.. if u get hit from behind they have to pay!!! just like if u hit some1 from behind u have to pay... and i think if some1 hits u from behind and u cannon into the back of another car u have to pay repairs for the car infront of you.. funny aye

[vn2nv]

I think i am gonna cry.. I know it was a Sydney Water Catchment ute, Toyota. I got the photos of the damage. It's hard to see, it might be a sledge hammer and wood block job.

Check out the attachments. As I said, it is hard to see but is evident and does hinder the operation of the boot. Maybe the boot is bent cos it did get hit in the centre on the lip. It shows that in the photo. But yeah, The gap difference may be because the boot is bent as well.

[VQ Stato]

Maybe not a completely lost issue mate. Try giving Sydney Water a call. Any details at all you can remember of the vehicle and driver will help. Most businesses would not be too happy with their staff crashing into others in their vehicles! Worth a shot.

Good luck.

[greenfoam]

Yeah ring the water company and tell them what happened and how you didn't notice the damage until later, I'm sure they will fix it up for you

[Blown V6 Hatch]

Probably more damage than what it looks! Would like to see behind the bumper i dair say the beaver panel will be pushed in. Look inside the boot floor for any evidence of kinks in the floor near the beaver panel joins, or any cracked seam sealer etc. I am a panel beater by trade and i would guess it would be a couple of grands damage!

[vn2nv]

Well i looked inside the boot and found no damage on the floor near the impact point. No buckling or anything. Some seams are cracked i.e welds are broken, but only on 1 or two seams. They look fairly normal and are still intact. I looked under the car and found nothing wrong except that the metal bumber under the plastic bumper is warped out of shape. I had a look at the webbing underneath and one web seems to be bent, but it looks normal as the dirt that is caked on it didn't come off, so it was like that for a while. The damage I think is there is the rear boot wall on the left. If I were to bang it out with a sledgehammer or something it would bring it out and the boot would close without stopping at the lock. The boot needs some pushing down to close it, but it closes fine. If I can't get the Catchment Authority to pay for the damage then I guess I might have to do some panel beating of my own if it is too expensive to fix.

[wildss]

looking around 1500. had a similar thing happen to me but it was a bit worse that came up to 2200

[Cheap6]

Been through this a few times.

If you can ID the vehicle/driver, that the car is owned by a big organisation is great. It means that they are insured and the people you will be dealing with will not care because it's not their money (the driver of the vehicle may care, but the people dealing with the claim won't )

I'll second that if someone hits you from behind it's always their fault. (even if you 'brake test' them (might have to say you saw an animal though )).

If there are skid marks on the road, (always) take some photos as it shows that you know/think you are in the right and are prepared to fight. It's not appropriate to a straight hit from behind, but careful selection of the angle of the photos can be used to support your story.

If you have third party insurance, ring your insurance company and see what they have to say about it. It won't be their problem but I have found them more than willing to help anyway.

Don't attempt any repair before you know how you are going to pursue it. The photos may be enough evidence but an insurance company may want to look at it themselves.

For future reference, I think that saying nothing at an accident scene is the best policy, just exchange driver's details, time place, car details, including rego., and owner etc. You can work out a story to put what happened into the best light for you later.

vpbeast: If you are hit from behind and pushed into the car in front, the car that hit you pays for both repairs, if you hit the car in front and then a car hits you from behind it becomes two accidents. In a three car accident like the latter, the occupants of the front most car will feel two hits rather than one, which can be used as evidence as to what occurred. Encourage or suggest how many they felt as appropriate to your own situation

[vn2nv]

Thank you so much guys! There is so much i don't know about post-accident actions. I called up Sydney Catchment Authority and am now waiting for the fleet manager to call me back.

I know how the driver looks like, what make of vehicle it was, I assume that he came from Prospect Reservoir catchment area and was heading home along the western mwy and exited onto centenary drv exit where then the accident occurred.
i hope that is enough information to get the wheels turning.

[vlv8vic]

goodluck mate and keep us posted.

id just like to clarify a misconception. YES when someone hits you from behind it is their fault, but not in all cases. if the driver who runs into someoense else can prove the driver in front was being careless, the driver who was hit can be found accountable and charged.

vn2nv i have no doubt your case wasnt your fault, and 95% of the time itll be the hitters fault. just thought that might need to be cleared up.

'Brake testing' other drivers can count as dangerous driving, despite someone suggesting otherise.

[Cheap6]

OK, always is pretty strong. Sure, brake testing is dangerous driving, and I'm not condoning it, but it has to proven, hence my comment about the animal.

[newo]

Man,

That really sucks. You think the driver would have had the decency to stop and exchange details. It's good that you have an idea as to where the vehicle came from, as you have a time frame for which vehicle/s was on the road, approximate time of departure/arrival to the depot, and also who the driver was. Also, chances are, there's possible paint flakes on the bullbar. I know, I know, may sound a little CSI-ey but hey, if that's what proves the incident, then so be it. Always a good idea to keep a paper, pen and a el-cheapo digital camera in the car. Never know when you might need them...