just totaled my 69 and almost totaled me

[berencam]

Originally Posted by ksjh1316

Man itr sounds like his insurance company isn't stepping up to the plate they should atleast have you a new rental car to use till they pay you for your truck so you dont have to worry about getting a new one out of pocket so fast.

he didnt have insurance and i only had liability.

[xtreme80]

Originally Posted by berencam

he didnt have insurance and i only had liability.

If I was in your situation right now the kid would probably be staying in the hospital alot longer after finding this out...

Not only does he total your truck, but he puts you in the hospital, puts you through all this pain and suffering, and doesn't even have insurance to cover it?! What kind of stupid moron is he? Sorry but people that drive without insurance, especially hopped up on liquor and pain pills, really piss me off.

[BB72CHEVKT]

Originally Posted by berencam

he didnt have insurance and i only had liability.

I am glad he lived but that is just a bunch of b.s. You need to find out who the car was registered to and get a judgement against that person. Hopefully it was titled to his parents or atleast co-titled making their assets available to you.

[Mooosman]

I would definately track down the registered owners of the car. They can be held accountable for the damages through the court.

Thank God you were driving something made of STEEL instead of a newer plastic car! I don't want to think about what would have happened if you would have been in a Toyota, etc.

Get well soon

Nick

[berencam]

its registered to him and only him. and even if i get a judgment against him he if he survives the next couple weeks, he is going to have severe brain issues. he isn't gonna be able to pay anything, he has nothing. its one of those situations where the good guy is gonna get screwed and theres nothing i can do about it. but we are working with the hospital to get the bill knocked down and at least i have 25k uninsured motorist insurance, so that will pay SOME of the bil

[Boog]

Originally Posted by berencam

its registered to him and only him. and even if i get a judgment against him he if he survives the next couple weeks, he is going to have severe brain issues. he isn't gonna be able to pay anything, he has nothing. its one of those situations where the good guy is gonna get screwed and theres nothing i can do about it. but we are working with the hospital to get the bill knocked down and at least i have 25k uninsured motorist insurance, so that will pay SOME of the bil

Dang son. I hate to hear this. It doesn't leave you with much if any recourse. Your uninsured motorist coverage will help some but not enough. I wouldn't completely give up just yet but be prepared. Glad to hear you are progressing so well.
Well since he doesn't have insurance I guess the truck will still belong to you. If you want anything out of that truck, like the engine/trans and rear end, tailgate, you need to have it towed to your home and not leave it at the tow yard. The storage bill will eat you alive, quick. I know you don't want to just give that new engine to a salvage yard.

[Bowtie001]

I don't know how much it would help but I know that uninsured people can barter with hospitals when it's all said and done, sometime people end up paying like 20% of the original bill. When you go to settle the bill you have to talk gently about "any possible way to reduce this" and all that jazz like you don't know you can do this, and they end up passing you from person to person on up the food chain until you get the guy that actually can do it. Most insurance companies don't pay the full bills either, so you're really not cheating anyone. I wish I could remember where I read about this, but if all else fails, try it on the way out.

Good luck either way... maybe the mods can set up a collection for you. Someone should at least call Overhaulin to fix your truck. Too bad they don't have a show like that for goodguy-screwed-by-a-drunk-uninsured-asswipe types like yourself.

Remember, everyone that has/will have/is a party type, don't let this happen any more. The sober people are the only ones that will be able to stop this kind of things from ruining lives or potentially ending them.

-Brian

[berencam]

Unfortunately there is nothing left of the truck. Now when i talked to the salvage guy and he told me this i didnt believe him. But when i got there and checked it out myself i found it to be true....

The engine has had the oil pan ripped off it, from the impact im sure the crank and the mains are bent or broke (the differential was totally exposed and the engine was pushed back at least 3 feet) the tranny has broken off the engine and is in multiple pieces, the cab is totally destroyed, the frame is bent beyond repair, the bedside and tailgate are damaged due to him spinning around and clipping my back end too, the drive shaft exploded, the rear axles and pumpkin are bent due to the engine hitting the tranny hitting the drive shaft.

so there is no fixing this vehicle and no point in getting it out of the yard.

[Tynee]

that sucks. I'd get something like the licsence plate to hang on my garage wall or something.

[BB72CHEVKT]

If you have uninsured motorist coverage there should be coverage for your property damage as well. If you were in Texas you would have had to reject this coverage in writing.

[ChaseDale3and8]

I just don't understand how people get away without having insurance. We all have to pay higher premiums because of boneheads that drive around without insurance.

Even when you have insurance and have a situation like this happen, you are right when you say that you will get screwed in the end. Not much that you can do about it either because you can't get blood out of a turnip. Even if he makes it, and you get him as far as going to court and get a judgement against him, good luck trying to collect on your damages.

If he makes a full recovery, paying you for the damage he did to you and your truck will be the last thing on his mind. He will be seeing some jail time. He has a drunk driving charge, no insurance, open container in the vehicle, and most likely a careless and imprudent driving charge to contend with as well as a speeding ticket, and not wearing a seatbelt. He's going to spend some time in court. I just hope that if he makes a full recovery he has learned a very valuable lesson here and never does a boneheaded thing like this again

[berencam]

got my full cast on and my staples taken out, had 20 staples in me(i dont remember leaving the stapler in the truck...) this is gonna leave a narly scar(chicks dig em tho right?)

[68C15]

your cast matches you truck and your employer's color!! LOL

your boss, WHAT A GUY!!!!!!! its great to hear those type still exist. I know mine is top notch as well.

[berencam]

[QUOTE=68C15;2431645your boss, WHAT A GUY!!!!!!! [/QUOTE]

its a she

[CCCC]

Hello berencam:
Painful as it can be, thanks for sharing this because, as others have noted, it is quite a reminder about what can happen to any of us in a split-second due to the carelessness and poor judgement rampant out there. I hope that you are healing well and feeling better each day and, although it is tough to lose a nice truck, there will be another in your future as you wish.

We have and drive several of these old Chevs and GMCs, and know that they are strong, but I can't help wonder what hit you and what speeds were involved. Just yesterday we returned from a trip of several thousand miles jere in the West in a 1972 Chev C30 chassis-mount motorhome. Although we felt very secure driving that classic, I often worried about what could happen on those 2-lane roads if someone coming from the other direction were to be drunk or careless. Again, I am reminded, and am grateful that we arrived home safe.

I feel sure that many on the forum would be glad to help you in some way if they can. I am among them.

CCCC

[berencam's parents]

Originally Posted by berencam

got my full cast on and my staples taken out, had 20 staples in me(i dont remember leaving the stapler in the truck...) this is gonna leave a narly scar(chicks dig em tho right?)

Looking Gooood. We are learning a good lesson also. We took the opportunity to update our own auto insurance. We were surprised how many options there are available which could help in a similar case with an uninsured motorist. (Uninsured-medical and vehicle, under insured, and loss of wages.) Check with your agent, there is alot more available than we were aware of. And remember, use those seat belts, you to berencam.

[texanidiot25]

Originally Posted by berencam's parents

you to berencam.

Oh you dont have to use his user-name, you can all ways pull a childhood nick name to embarrass him with


And yes, chicks dig scars. Just the words "I was nearly killed by a drunk driver" brings them in, then you tell the tale.

Ive had a similar experience, cept I was on a bike when I was hit by car... Thats another story.

Good to see ya gettin better man

[berencam]

Originally Posted by CCCC

Hello berencam:
Painful as it can be, thanks for sharing this because, as others have noted, it is quite a reminder about what can happen to any of us in a split-second due to the carelessness and poor judgement rampant out there. I hope that you are healing well and feeling better each day and, although it is tough to lose a nice truck, there will be another in your future as you wish.

We have and drive several of these old Chevs and GMCs, and know that they are strong, but I can't help wonder what hit you and what speeds were involved. Just yesterday we returned from a trip of several thousand miles jere in the West in a 1972 Chev C30 chassis-mount motorhome. Although we felt very secure driving that classic, I often worried about what could happen on those 2-lane roads if someone coming from the other direction were to be drunk or careless. Again, I am reminded, and am grateful that we arrived home safe.

I feel sure that many on the forum would be glad to help you in some way if they can. I am among them.

CCCC

theres pics on page 8 i believe of the other car if youd like to check em out, my truck did his car in good.

[68K20 x Drill]

Originally Posted by CCCC

it is quite a reminder about what can happen to any of us in a split-second due to the carelessness and poor judgement rampant out there.

So true, I was hit in traffic yesterday. Luckily all I got was some paint on my bumper. the kid took off with a big dent in his fender, a broken headlight, and hopefully a lesson learned about watching where you are going.

[impala_631]

Originally Posted by berencam

better pic of the side, picture of how fast i was going, better pic of the total destruction of the cab, and the engine bay

that was a hard hit!!

[ChevLoRay]

First of all, to Berencam....glad you are still with us. I hate that you have been injured and lost your truck. It sucks that the other guy didn't have any insurance and apparently doesn't have any assets to which you can attach a lien. If he survives his injuries but has severe brain trauma, he may never work again, depriving him and you of any monies.

This whole thread is very sobering. We own and drive newer vehicles, in addition to our trucks. We get complacent and rely on the air bags, collapsible steering columns, etc. Our trucks are originally equipped with lap belts, and occasionally with three-point belts. We all have the possibility of adding three-point belts, yet I am sure that there are many, many of these trucks (like mine) still running the original belts....twisted, like mine. We feel good when we buckle up, but do we really know how well our belts will stand up to the test??

I have said I was going to put three-point belts in my truck for several years. I like to think that I was being too vain in what I would put in it...but now I am not going to mince words and just do it.

As for insurance, here in Arkansas, you need insurance to register your vehicle or renew your tags. Lots and lots of folks will let it lapse after that initial registration. I see vehicles everyday that are running on expired tags. I wonder how our law enforcement can allow it to happen, but it does.

As to insurance, I have carried full coverage on my truck ever since I got it. I have had people ask why. This situation is but one reason. It costs very little, compared to what I have invested and am continuing to invest.

But, again, glad you are recovering and I hope you will continue to do so and not have any permanent disabilities as a consequence of the situation. I know your parents are glad you weren't hurt any worse than you were. You know you're one of the lucky ones.

[72GMC2500]

you are very lucky these trucks aren't exactly the safest things on the roads today... those pictures give me the shivers I just hope that never happens to me

[berencam]

Just a little update, i got the full police report and sure enough he was drunk. He had a blood alcohol level of .102 and the maximum amount alowed is .08 he is being charged with a c class felony of assult with a motor vihicle, misdeminor improper use of lanes, driving while intoxicated, and falure to show finacial responciblilty(no insurance).
David is getting out of the hospital tomorrow( 4th) but still has a long road of recovery. I on the other hand, am doing much better and have made almost a full recovery. (with the exeption of a small amount of motion loss in my arm and jaw). Thanks for all the good words and thoughtful replies. I really enjoyed reading all of them when i was stuck in my bed and even after i got better i would still go through them. Thanks again, Corey.

[bent]

Corey glad to her that you are all doing better. I wish you well and ope thing continue getting better for you.

[stonewall618]

man i can not stand drunk drivers...in September a drunk lady ran a stop sign and my sister hit her going 40mph and TOTALED a 94 chevy 3/4 ton... the lady that she hit blew a .12 3 hrs AFTER the wreck...so its bull... my sister is still going through the pain of getting hit and had it not been for her seat belt i dont think that she would still be here....i got pics if any one wants to see.