Hit in driveway by drunkass

inkedrose

washed up superhero
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Arvada, Colorado
Had some drunk old lady go head on into traffic outside my house. She hit one car head on, swerved and sideswiped another car before rolling up my driveway and hitting my Jeep.
I have steel bumpers, she had a minivan and was moving pretty slow by time she hit me. I hate dealing with insurance, debating if it’s worth a claim? Bumpers got some new scratches? She did hit my winch which concerns me. Low speed what are chances of twisted frame or steering damage? Anything major I should be looking for?

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Had some drunk old lady go head on into traffic outside my house. She hit one car head on, swerved and sideswiped another car before rolling up my driveway and hitting my Jeep.
I have steel bumpers, she had a minivan and was moving pretty slow by time she hit me. I hate dealing with insurance, debating if it’s worth a claim? Bumpers got some new scratches? She did hit my winch which concerns me. Low speed what are chances of twisted frame or steering damage? Anything major I should be looking for?

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That Sux!!! Funny looking TJ
 
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First I'd take it for a ride and see if it drives like it did before the wreck. Then I'd take a look at all those little holes on the top(?) edge(s) of the frame near the front on both sides to check if the holes on the passenger side are somewhat crushed. I bet even if they are somewhat crushed it would only effect how the bumper lines up.

If all that seems ok, which it probably will because minivans are pretty soft up front, I'd go off roading and forget about the whole thing.
 
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First I'd take it for a ride and see if it drives like it did before the wreck. Then I'd take a look at all those little holes on the top(?) edge(s) of the frame near the front on both sides to check if the holes on the passenger side are somewhat crushed. I bet even if they are somewhat crushed it would only effect how the bumper lines up.

If all that seems ok, which it probably will because minivans are pretty soft up front, I'd go off roading and forget about the whole thing.

That’s what I was looking for thanks. Just want to be able to eyeball anything major. Had ankle surgery couple days ago and can’t drive a manual for a gew weeks. Trying to spot check it on crutches has been a bitch
 
hate that for you. id test drive and visually inspect every inch of the front end. if her insurance is good they’ll probably offer something to stop a law suit.

Walked it best I could (on crutches right now). Didn’t see anything major. Wanted to make sure nothing I’m missing that I should be looking for. Some specific tell. If I could drive it myself right now would be way easier
 
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If all that seems ok, which it probably will because minivans are pretty soft up front, I'd go off roading and forget about the whole thing.
That's not a minivan, that's a '04- '06 Durango. They are pretty hefty. They have enough weight to do some damage. And TAKE some too.
My wife has one. several years ago, some jackass hit it in front of our house so hard that it moved the thing 6 or 7 feet. Took some body damage, but no frame damage. She still drives it today.
The only reason I mention it is so that you don't dismiss the possibility of some serious damage. Good Luck.
 
Got a friend that drives stick? Have them come over and drive it and ride along.

Yeah did that with my girlfriend. Not the same as driving it myself. Overall seems ok. Think I'm just going to have a shop look at it. To many questions, hate to find something major after its to late
 
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That's not a minivan, that's a '04- '06 Durango. They are pretty hefty. They have enough weight to do some damage. And TAKE some too.
My wife has one. several years ago, some jackass hit it in front of our house so hard that it moved the thing 6 or 7 feet. Took some body damage, but no frame damage. She still drives it today.
The only reason I mention it is so that you don't dismiss the possibility of some serious damage. Good Luck.

I appreciate that response. I was thinking the "soft" thing too. Tow truck had to yank it off pretty hard to free it up
 
Worried about my winch. Thats an important safety item I use a lot. I'm not familiar with the inner workings. It got hit, seems to still work. Is it a "if it works it works and if it doesn't it doesn't" type thing? Is it possible to lose power or integrity from being hit?
 
Post some pics of the winch and the mount when you can. Look for signs of impact and make very sure the mount is not distorted in any way.
 
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On the bright side, if Colorado is anything like Virginia, She gets mandatory jail time (if legally over the limit), loses her license until she ever even goes to court, gets a breathalyzer installed for a year and has to go to alcohol rehab classes.
 
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Without turning it into a nitpicking complication, you have a good case to get compensated for a bumper and winch. If she didn't cause damage to others before hitting your car, i guarantee her insurance would pay you for it no questions asked just so you would not escalate it. Now im sure her insurance is looking for excuses, so you may have to state that it is a safety issue.
5 minutes on the phone and send email with a pic.

..ohh and a free alignment