Oh man! I sorry to here this. I'm sure Hagerty will make it right. I wouldn't count on a drunks insurance to be in effect. I've missed the last few cars shows here just because of the crazy people. No on respects other peoples stuff anymore. This guy is in a league of his own. Driving thru cones probably just missing pedestrians. Could have run over someones kid. They need to give him a new job, pushing up daisies.
being that I'm a 64 owner also I am very sorry to here what happen. johnny 64 skylark 69 gs400 69 CA GS
Being that he went around traffic cone and was going fast enough in a closed pedestrian area to move your car into another and do quite a bit of damage to the Chevy. he must have been really flying. It could have been much worse someone could have been injured or killed. glad he was caught, and hopefully prosecuted. Tim
Will the fact of DUI increase the chance his insurance will cover the damage? (I can imagine there's a policy / condition of his insurance company not to pay in case of DUI... leaving the offender to pay .. who has no money)
Then I believe your insurance has an "uninsured motorist" provision that could kick in. He needs to get a public adjuster involved IMMEDIATELY because they know all the inner workings of the insurance companies and can get answers and action. If it were me, I'd use the insurance check to buy a clean California car, strip it, have it painted, then transfer my interior and drivetrain into it. Repairing his car could be a nightmare.
UM only covers Bodily Injury or Property Damage (which is optional only if you do not carry physical damage on your car ie: comp & collision) from a known wrongdoer that is uninsured. Every public adjuster I ever had dealings with has been a joke. They are just there to take their 1/3 of the damages and leave him to pay that himself to the body shop. Insurance will not pay for a public adjuster for a claimant. There is no need for a public adjuster if he would just turn in his damages to his carrier, which is a known insurance carrier with an excellent reputation.
This really sucks, but the car can be fixed. Would you guys be this upset if it had been a 1984 Ford LTD II that was creamed?
Sorry if I came off strong, Jeff. I am sure your friend is good, its just that those are far and few between.
Don't sweat it, Brad. I understand. We've all met people who are only "in it" for the money. I've tried to surround myself with those who aren't. I'm a member of LeTip. As far as business organizations go, if you aren't rightious, LeTip throws you out pronto. So whoever you deal with, if they've been in LeTip for years (like me) you are guaranteed to have a good experience with them. You should look into joining a local LeTip chapter. "Puts dollars in your pocket."
I'm sorry to hear about this. One piece of advice I can offer is make sure the police report is thorough, and make sure it states the guy was drunk, that it was a hit and run, and that he caused damage to two cars while endangering pedestrians. It seems obvious now, but in a couple months when his insurance company (due to this economic depression we're in) starts to claim the damage was not that great, the car's bluebook value is more than the parts that were damaged, etc. etc., you'll regret not documenting this accident more. The reason I'm saying this is....the guy may admit complete guilt now, but in a month or so, some ambulance chaser lawyer will examine all the paperwork, then claim his client was not drunk, his client was avoiding another accident (like hitting a child), that your car and the Chevy were illegally parked, your car was not within the designated parking lines, the car show had cones were in the wrong place, that this was on private property and the damage must be split 50/50, etc. The guy's lawyer will attempt to turn every piece of paperwork (or missing documentation) to their advantage, and the next thing you know, it will be YOUR fault for parking there. Just be thorough, and document everything NOW, not later. Again, really sorry to hear this. Looks like a really cool car, and I'm you'll bring her back to her former glory. :TU:
Been reading about this horrible chain of events that's resulted in a sad situation from an even "Sadder Sack". :rant: Your Buick is truely a Beauty. Our cars in most instances are like a family member you love, or a close friend you're very fond of. I know the repairs and resolve can't happen fast enough, but it seems like you're getting good support and advice already to get quickly over to the right path to recovery. What's up tho with the culprit? Is any restitution from "Sad Sack" even available? (ie: insurance, etc?) Please try to keep us posted as best you can on each step as this twisted mess get's unraveled..... :Comp:
I know absolutely nothing about insurance...but if it were me, I would not be concerned about the other guys insurance or lack of it. Thats why you have insurance, let them deal with all that hassle. As far as running all over town documenting crap and getting statements and pictures, dont bother. Try not to worry about it. It also seems to be like the idea of a personal lawsuit is ludicrous, if anyone sues anyone it should be the insurance company. Hagerty will either get your car fixed or pay you the agreed value. If you have already contacted them(hopefully immediately after the accident) I would imagine they will be inspecting the car tomorrow or very soon thereafter. How about the 57 Chevy owner, what kind of insurance does he have? Bert
Ed, I just read every post here, and I am speechless at this situation. I was in Fargo later on that same night. Every time I go though there, I actually watch for your car. :grin: It boggles my mind to think that someone could allow themselves to operate any vehicle around such an event while under the influence.:af: I don't think I have any good 64 parts left, but if I did, they'd be yours for the asking. Too bad I wont likely be here when you're in town. Where exactly in West Fargo did this happen? I sometimes go from Directs yard over to Conways yard , and the 13th street underpass construction sometimes creates a mess on 9th at Main street.
Man, that stinks. It's too bad we have to share this world with folks who don't have any consideration for others. Make sure that guy has a true "learning experience" in making things right again. And keep your head up! Your Buick is certainly worth repairing and the V8BUICK board is the place to be!
Tom the car show was on Cheyenne street which is off Main Ave between Sandy's donuts and the Cenex station. I have a friend that works for Direct. He is one of the dispatcher managers. His name is Brent. They had 7 blocks coned off with a north and south bound lane. The 2 west lanes were for cars to park and people to walk on the sidewalk or on the street in front of the cars. The local news called me the next morning and wanted to get pictures of the car and ask me some questions. They put on the local news with the headline carshow spectators (sp?) help catch drunk driver. I called Hagerty and they said they will take care of the repairs and go after him and they do not hold the claim against me. They told me to take the car to the people that painted the car. I knew how much money I had into the car so I had an agreed value of 35k on the car. I have not had an insurance claim in 14 years and that was for a deer and thought I would never need it but decided I dont want to be short if something happened. Hagerty is sending somebody next week to look at the car. Thanks to Ryan I have a lead on a donor car. I still cant believe it happened but if the insurance is good it wont take long to fix. I just now is a good time to pull the T400 and get the 200R4 in there!
Sounds like Haggerty is gonna treat you right. I just signed up with them last month, so am interested to know how they respond to your unfortunate situation.
Hey Ed...that really sucks. I know how much time you put into that one Insurance hopefuly will be quick and complete for youray:
Absolutely terrible situation...makes public exucutions look better everyday. You're in good hands with Hagerty,have no doubts there...you'll be made whole once again.They will pay to your agreed value. Again...so sorry...your car looked pristine...and will be again I'm sure.:TU:
