GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

So I havnt been around for a while, I have been travelling down south for work.... Well on my last trip I was really sick, my cousin came along for the ride so that was nice... Anyway enough of that.So Saturday January 5th were in Spartanburg, SC we get up and we had planned on leaving at 10 but i was feeling so awful we didnt get going until 11. I took some nice drugs for my cold so she was driving my car (she is the only one who has ever driven it more than 10 miles other than myself.) Anyway, were driving along and notice that a woman in front of us is just stopped, i swear she wasnt using a turn signal and we didnt understand why she was stopped but we stop, and it was a hard stop but she got it done. I just remember thinking oh man, that was a hard stop i hope there wasnt anyone behind us then BOOM!! We get hit by a '93 GMC pickup and they push us into the BMW SUV that we stopped for. So, my car, that I just got in October, is totaled. I will post pictures whenever I get them. I'm so sad, I really loved my Vibe!! I called the dealer that got me this one and hes gonna look for a Wave blue or Stealth colored Vibe for me.What pisses me off is the Guys insurance company is blaming us for hitting her so they dont want to pay for the front of my car and the back of hers (I dont even think the black plastic molding stuff around the bottom was cracked and thats all we hit. I know we didnt hit her first because the sound is so loud and you can feel it and there was no sound or jerk like we hit her, i dont know why shes saying that we hit her then we hit her again when he hit us. The police report even said that we were not at fault. Plus, the guy that hit us said that we didnt hit her. he took full responsibility.We went to the ER to get checked out I think he was doing around 40 when he hit us. We got some pain meds and x-rays. They better pay for that, my neck still hurts sometimes when I move cetain ways.Im just looking forward to this being over. i really need a car for work. My insurance company is taking care of everything for me and then they will go after his insurance company since they are going so slow about it.

aww sorry to hear about the Vibe but at least you guys are ok.

Ouch!!!Glad you are both relatively OK! Take it easy and I hope all goes well with dealing with the "Red Tape."

damn...glad to hear the the good ol' vibe did its job protecting its passengers, it really is a good car...i hope you can get this settled and hopefully get a new vibe or have the old one fixed...keep a close eye on your neck, issues can spring up later that can be pretty serious...

Yikes! sorry to hear that! glad you are all ok though. a car is replaceable, people's lives and health are not.

Glad to hear you guys are ok.

That sucks, Amanda. I remember how happy you were when you got that car. At least ypu're safe. Maybe you can be the first to get a '09 Vibe.

darnit...sucks to hear that you were in an accident...hope your injuries heal quickly and your back driving another vibe soon as well....good luck...best wishes!

thanks for all the well wishes! I miss my car so much! Ha, when we got out of the car and called the cops and everyone was ok and all that, I was just like pacing, trying to be calm just saying its just a car its just a car. lol. I loved it so much! My mom was really glad that it help up really well. the a bar was buckled and there were other areas down the car that were buckled, but the passenger compartment held up really well.I have never been rearended before... my dad said something about the insurance company might want to give me a settlement. What have your experiences been with this? As far as my car goes, its totaled, my insurance company is taking care of that then going after the other guys insurance company. I just didnt know what to expect medically. ive been in accidents (never been driving) but they havnt been serious.

Honestly?, your neck will probably bother you for a long time following the accident from time to time. Thats pretty much a given. As for the insurance, it all depends on your company and what goes down in the long run. Glad to hear your safe though!

Glad to hear you both are ok, Sorry about your Vibe, I hope everything with the insurance company goes well

Sorry to hear about the accident and hope you get a nice Vibe to replace yours soon. Note that internal injuries sometimes take awhile to show up. So don't be too quick to sign any statement offered by the insurance company that exempts them from any further liability in exchange for some payment. Wait until you're really sure that no additional symptoms will appear.It's good to see that in real life collisions the passenger compartment of the Vibe seems to hold up very well. Unfortunate that the sacrificial front and rear crush spaces frequently lead to a totaled vehicle, but it's far better than the alternative of subjecting the occupants to more of the impact forces.

Glad you are alright!The fact you sought medical attention automatically increases your cash value. Failure to seek immediate medical attention usually negates any real injury cash. A 40 mph whiplash may feel somewhat ok now, but it all adds up. If you get tagged again in a few years, there may be lasting effects from the first accident which increases your recovery time next time. It all adds up with age. Your insurance may cough up all but the gap, then proceed with Subrogation. That is the right of one who has taken over another's loss to also take over his right to pursue remedies against a third party. This means your guys negotiate with their guys, and maybe even sue each other. That's their job.You need the police report. You should open record request from the Authority Having Jurisdiction (A.K.A. The local Police) investigating officer's:The police report (you probably have that)All field notes (they may contain personal opinion in your favor)Any audio from the police unit (people often confess to the law but not their insurance company)Any video if the dash cam was working (Shows real life positioning of damaged vehicles)Most agencies hold all related audio and video for 30 days until recycled. Some hold longer depending on local records retention laws. Get everything possible, keep copies, then submit to the file of YOUR insurance company. Make your guys work for you.The only way you get on the right side of 0$, and get a car to replace your loss is to be aggressive. I watch this stuff happen all the time. Don't give up on what you think is fair, but be realistic.Just my thoughts on helping you move forward and get your new ride in a timely manner.

Thank you for your comments! It is really helpful to get input from others, especially because i have no idea what is going on.i always thought that if you were in an accident you were to leave the vehicles where they were until the police got to the scene (as long as traffic wasnt blocked) then they would ask you to move once they saw where the vehicles were then everyone would move out of the way. I honestly dont think that i could have moved my car because the tires were touching the metal. I just had my cousin turn the car off and we got out, it was a 4 lane road so there was plenty of room for other vehicles to get around us. The woman that was in front of us pulled way forward, I didnt understand why she needed to pull forward so far. But after we called 911 i immediately had my cousin take pictures with her digital camera of all the vehicles involved.I am making a lot of phone calls Tuesday morning to try and get further with everyone. I just have hospital bills that need paid by the end of the month so i've got to figure out who is paying those.ugh... this really does suck!!

The women in front of you pulled way far for one of several reasons:1. To show she was not at fault (establishes she was stationary and then thrown forward after hard impact)2. Panic (thought it might help her car)3. Safety (in case the last car was hit post-accident, it would not add additional damage to her or her car)4. Claim ("look how far I was thrown" - moot point because she had a single or double impact point. Win/win for her regardless)Bottom line is to get all the info. Most Law Enforcement mic their officers to protect them from a malicious claim. That is why they are always polite. They know they have the advantage. NEVER confess to any traffic infraction. They carry either a remote mic for relay to the dvr in the patrol unit or else they carry a pocket recorder. Either way they can review it post-accident for admissions and missed notes. If the party from behind did make a statement and it was caught on tape, 90% of the way to a final claim. They can always say they were unaware of the full extent of the damage. That holds less water with Judge or Jury. Ask what the policy to is for recording traffic scenes. If the Officer says he thinks you are right, that is admissible in court as an expert witness. Good luck and keep us informed to how the process worked.

One more thing....The hospital bills can wait. They are used to these types of things. Talk to a finance rep and ask for a 30, 60, or 90 day extension prior to billing. If it comes in, give written notice (date and time stamped or return receipt) to the Hospital that it is an insurance issue then Give the bill to your insurance rep immediately. They can't throw you into collections in the first 90 days. Even if they did, it won't stand up. You have shown due dilligence with the notification.It will all work out.

Ya, i bet she was just like look how far i was thrown, but i know that she wasnt hit that hard, there was hardly any damage to her vehicle..... I will have to get the pics it was incredible how little damage she had and how much I had. Unless I totally blocked it out. I was thinking, if we hit her then got hit and hit her again there would have been two impact marks and there werent. I will have to get the pics. Plus, there was no sound that horrible crunching metal sound, it didnt happen. They are just trying to blame us for part of it and I know that we didnt hit her before we got hit.Oh, and I know it wasnt her fault but we were asked a bunch of questions and one of them was 'was there anything you could have done to avoid the accident' well, if they asked her that question, when we were at the scene she kept saying to me 'I saw you coming full speed way back there and you werent slowing down.' she could have hit the gas! uh duh! she wasnt at a stop light, stop sign, there was no one in her way.... I know she cant be to blame, but it was like she was waiting to get hit, more concerned with what was going on behind her than in front of her.Thanks for your help!!

did she have a reason for being at a complete stop in the middle of the Road? Sorry if it was explained above, I must have missed it. Good luck with the insurance company, glad you were ok, and yeah cars can be replaced.

she said that she was turning- i swear she wasnt using a signal- and she said that someone was in the way, turning out of where she wanted to turn into. I remember seeing them there when we were at the top of the hill, I remember thinking why is she just letting them pull out, like i thought she was just holding up traffic so that they could go, but there wasnt really any traffic to hold up. Anyway, I am pretty sure that the people she was waiting on pulled out way before we ever got there. like it seemed that she was just paying attention to us, especially after we all got out of the cars and were talking on the sidewalk.I kinda wish that I had been driving, I dont know - i mean it was my car and who knows if I would have done anything different to avoid being in the accident. Ugh, stupid cold medicine!!

hey amanda.the important thing is everyone's ok. hope everything works out.

I'm very sorry to hear about your misfortune, I hope all are gonna be okay. Here's a shopping list from Studebaker Pontiac , Richmond, IN 17 mi from you. I searched autotrader.com for new Vibes within 25 mi. radius. Hopefully this helps out? 2008 Pontiac Vibe Type: 5 door WagonColor: SalsaEngine: 1.8L L4Stock Number: 10864 / VIN: 5Y2SL65828Z417502 / Model Code: 2SL26 Select this vehicle to compare: 2008 Pontiac Vibe Type: 5 door WagonColor: MoonstoneEngine: 1.8L L4Stock Number: 10886 / VIN: 5Y2SL65878Z420461 / Model Code: 2SL26 Select this vehicle to compare: 2008 Pontiac Vibe Type: 5 door WagonColor: MoonstoneEngine: 1.8L L4Stock Number: 10849 / VIN: 5Y2SL65838Z401261 / Model Code: 2SL26 Sale Price $ 19,496 Select this vehicle to compare:

Thank you for doing a search for me! I will probably go over and look at them once I find out how much money I will be getting from the insurance company. I'm calling about that in the morning.Thanks again!

This is a quote from GenVibe member Jake75:Just got an e-mail from GM announcing a $1,000 GM loyalty rebate through 1-31-08 that is good on the Vibe.As I calculate -Expected discount of $1,000Vibe Loyaty Rebate $1,000 through 1-31-08GM Card Rebate Offer $2,000 through 1-31-08GM Rebate $1,250That adds to $5,250 off MSRP,

I'm so sorry to hear that. I'm glad nobody was seriously hurt. I hope all of this gets settled quickly so that you can get another safe Vibe!