jazzphile

Hi all,

Was in an accident on Saturday night. Long story short, I was hit by a 17 year old girl who ran a red light. I was going about 25 thru a green light and she ran a very red light at approximately 45 mph. I saw my life flash before my eyes and thought I was about to die, no time to react, them BOOM!

I spun around 180 degrees and came to a stop...luckily, nobody else hit me or was moving. I had a witness who gave his report to the police corroborating my story. Girl and I were okay.....went to hospital and I checked out okay. Car was AMAZING in how it protected me. ****pit went undamaged....right side airbags deployed based on spin/contact. Front airbags did not deploy.

Car was calling CHP, 911, etc. I was too stunned to figure out what it was doing.....but was happy to be able to get out of the car without a mark other than my knees hitting the dash and my neck hurting. Amazing, I say, again. I am very lucky to be okay and could have been in much worse shape than I am had I been driving many other cars or my truck.

Car proved its mettle and safety to me. I had no time to slow down and she didn't either....she simply ran a red.....her speed limit was 25 and she was WAY over the limit.

Here are some pics....I've been told by the body shop that it's likely to be totaled.

It's an '05 E320 with 9K miles...premium and appearance packages. I wished I had gotten an E350 or E500....I am guessing I'll now have that opportunity.

Regards,
Dan K.

Diesel

Thank God that you and the girl are okay. The car can be replaced. Be greatful that you can afford a car like this. It probably helped save you from injury and death. Despite what issues these cars have, Mercedes cars are still vaults. Your investment paid for itself. Glad to hear you are ok.

D

TREZ63

Wow that looks nasty, glad you're okay. I hope I never have to test the safety of my car.
It looks pretty totalled to me but then thats up to the repair shop and your insurance company to decide. I would take it to a very expensive dealer if I were you. As much as they won't want to lose your business, if you hint at buying a higher model from them I am sure they'll lean towards the totalled.

JRAMGV8

Sorry to hear about what happen and glad that you are alright. For me I would be very angry because working so hard to get what you want and then someone comes along and mess it up. Accidents do happen and it can happen to me. Like they say it can be replace. Its good that you are alright.

superduper

Glad you are okay. More then likely that WILL be totaled.

KosherBenz

glad your Ok, but that car will be totaled by insurance

luxury1

Agreed with the above. Totalled. So after you pay your deductible does the insurance company replace it with an '05 E20 with 9,000 miles or fewer? Or how is the replacement determined?

jazzphile

Thank you all for the kind wishes. I do not yet know how replacement will be figured, or if it will be totaled. I'm assuming a total at this point. It happened on a holiday weekend so I have yet to speak to my adjuster.

I plan to work through the other party's insurance, which is AAA, once fault is established.

And yes, I'm angry, but what can you do?

I can tell you all that the car is amazing in what it can do to protect it's occupants. You can all feel comfortable in that.

DK

jangy

Depending on who your own insurance is, you may want to go through them and have them recoup their loses from her's. That is pretty standard practice. I concur.... we may ***** and moan about gremlins in our rides, but man they really do their #1 job when the crashes come. Glad you and the teen are OK. Take it to a DADDY body shop for the estimates, or the insurance company will attempt to avoid the total loss aspect to save $1.50!!

I say get a used E55!!! My dad had an E320 and now E350 (very nice ride), and I have had an E500 and now an E55. You can't go wrong with any, but the E55 is sooo civil considering the beast beneath!!

Keep us posted and count your blessings!!

jazzphile

The body shop I have taken it to is Cooks Collision in Sacramento, which was the only body shop recommended in Sacramento by both MBUSA and the two local dealers.

They are certified by MBUSA and work closely with the local dealer when frame work is necessary. No shortcuts with this group.

DWP

Looks a lot like the accident in 8/03 that put us in a Mercedes. My wife was driving through the intersection of Marconi and Bell in Sacramento in our E39 BMW when the other driver ran her red light. My wife hit the side of the other car. The E39 did what it was supposed to do and folded up the first two feet of body structure ahead of the front wheels. My wife wasn't injured, except for some seatbelt bruises, but our insurance company totalled our car. Our car looked worse in front than your car, but the side wasn't damaged like yours. One big reason we replaced our BMW with a Mercedes, after that experience, was Mercedes' well-deserved reputation for safety.

The usual insurance drill is for your insurance company to pay you right away, and then subrogate the other party's insurance where, as here, the other party is at fault. Your insurance is likely to be more generous in its settlement with you knowing that they can subrogate. Our insurance company offered us $23K for our car, which wasn't bad at all for a seven-year-old BMW 528i. Insurance companies will usually total a car if the estimated cost of repairs exceeds about 75% of the pre-crash value of the car.

konigstiger

Dan,

Nice to hear everyone walked away fine. It always breaks my heart to see these fine vehicles mangled.

Your car is now worth less because of the accident therefore and if it were me I would pursue collecting a diminished value (DV) settlement from the other company if it’s not totaled.

When someone else hits your car and does substantial damage, you are legally entitled to a diminished value settlement. It’s something you need to ask for because few insurance companies will volunteer it. Insurers have adopted the 17c Formula (10% of the NADA sale value) to settle DV claims however, 17c provides no explanation substantiating why 10% of the NADA value is an appropriate base figure for the decrease in value. You do not have to accept the dollar value resulting from 17c and have the right to contest with a second opinion.

I had a similar type accident where the guy pulled out of a corporate driveway and failed to look. Had my own insurance company foot the repair bill to be subrogated later and collected generous coin for DV within thirty days from the other insurance company.

Lastly, I would recommend seeing your doctor as soon as possible for your knees and neck.

S93

People like to say "see, the Mercedes is safe." I agree somewhat but I don't like the fact that the E class doesn't do too well in rear crashes. They can do better.

If they let you visit the car in the junkyard to retrieve personal items, consider taking a few parts off the car. The insurance company won't let you take off too many things but I took off the hood emblem and side mirror which someone on ebay bought.

blume

imho, it is unethical to take anything from the car. dont do that, you will eventually pay a higher price than it is worth...

glad that you are ok!

BudC

May I ask by who's criteria? Mercede never catch on fire. Mercedes may be the only ones who worry about the front seat tipping over backward in a rear crash. I doubt that any marque would do better in a real world crash despite what some organization may say, especially the US Government.

klenbore

First things first, Glad You Are OKAY.

Secondly, DON'T DO IT. Rest assured the insurance adjuster has already looked at or spoke with the folks who have your car in storage. They know what's salvageable on the car right down to the three pointed star on the hood.

Again glad you and the girl are OK. Don’t get bummed about your wheels, sheet metal can be replaced, lives can’t.

jazzphile

I just want to thank everyone for their good wishes and sharing of experiences. I have been told much of the same. Best to go through my own insurance, Safeco, for a settlement and let them pursue AAA. Bodily injury might be another story....considering that option as well.

I have already gone out looking....drove an E350 tonight. More power and more responsiveness when compared to my E320....engine sounded a different note and was definitely quicker off of the line.

I really want to get both the Appearance and Premium packages again....my car was loaded that way. Only problem is the '06 models don't have the active seats! I LOVED that option. Might have to get a lightly used '05 just for that reason.

Let's hope I can afford it!!!

Regards,
Dan K.

SI67

Glad you and the other "participant" are OK. Pardon my ingnorance, but what are the "active seats" that are not available on the '06 models?

konigstiger

Active Ventilated front seats – circulate air through perforations in the upholstery and include heaters.

DWP

Active ventilated front seats are still available as part of the Premium Package(s). What's gone missing in the E-Class are the Drive Dynamic front seats, that would inflate the seat bolsters to counter cornering forces and also massage. They live on in the S-Class.

MBS430

Sorry about what happened and really glad to hear everyone walked away without major injury.
Also good thing that the impact/collision point was not on any of the doors otherwise the result might have been worse.

MB definitely provides one of the best safety features compare to others.
But between E & M class, which one do you guys think provide better safety?
Particularly since there are more & more SUV on the roads and side impacted by SUV is very dangerous.
My first thought is bigger cars (SUV) are safer than smaller cars. Also, bigger cars tend to be heavier as well. Which means M, G or most big SUV is very likely to be safer than E?

Can you guys share your opinion on this?

DWP

The new M-Class weighs about 800-900 pounds more than the E-Class with the same engine (350 or 500). Beyond that, you're not likely to find any agreement on the SUV vs. car, or heavier-vehicle vs. lighter-vehicle safety debate. Somebody is sure to solemnly intone that the immutable laws of physics dictate that the heavier always has an advantage over the lighter in a collision. Somebody else will point out that a multitude of other variables (e.g., relative speed, body structure, restraint systems, evasive ability) have more bearing upon occupant safety than relative weight. I've heard that a lot of buyers of large SUVs do so expecting that in an accident with a smaller car, the sheer mass of their vehicle will shift the force of the impact (and thus, the risk of injury or death) to the occupants of the smaller car. A "better you than me" attitude like that would be fairly despicable, but then, what do I know? I'm a liberal. Personally, I don't think that the weight difference between an E and an M is significant in terms of occupant safety, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

BudC

Oh no! And a Californian too

jangy

I am no liberal, and do not see the "idea" as "despicable", but I have a new ML500 and an E55. I agree that mass, materials, and equipment are factors; but I would give some added weight to the center of mass and all around evasive ability of the vehicle with respect to the SUV vs sedan debate. SUVs are notorious for their tendency to roll over or lose control on swerves, and the E has MUCH stronger brakes!!

Either way, I feel that both models are extremely safe in an accident. Yes the body takes a beating as compared to other makes, but I'd rather it be the car than my kids.

As for the Ebay idea, don't do it. As somebody already said, you will pay in the long run. It isn't ok to rip anyone off, not even an insurance company. You cheapen yourself, not the car.

I still say get a used E55!! Come on, you can swing it!