Jeep Accident !! Safety Features did work and I am alive, Now What ?

[DarceyJean]

Hi there,

It has been almost three years with my new JLUR and jl forums and sadly i got hit by a truck . I was about 65 mph and out of nowhere came a truck and pushed me out of highway into trees. Airbags (front and side) deployed as expected and saved me - got some minor cuts and bruises and broadly speaking doing ok. I am glad to be alive . What ever safety tests say - the thing is built like a tank and i wouldn't have been alive or walking out of the car - if it was some other SUV. So no question - I am going to stick with jeep for a long time.

Here is my dashcam video Video . It was a custom factory ordered just like you all do and came after months of waiting .. It has been towed to body shop and waiting on evaluation if it is going to be repair or totall loss.





There is frame damage (one side bent other side twisted) and the steel bumper also got bent. Apart from that there is some body damage to fenders, front axle and sway bar etc... Here are some of the pics (below).

1. The rest of the body looks okay -(eg.Grill. windshield, doors), but i think frame and front axle and sway bar, winch etc.. are not working properly or heavy squeaking. Should this be considered a total loss?

2. If insurance lowballs or says it is going to be repaired - Is there a safety issue driving this jeep? How can i push back and what kind of documentation should I be creating ? How reliable are frame replacement and what else could be hiding here as an issue?

3. How is the fair market value calculated in this market ?

4. Will I be better off ordering a new one i.e. 2022 or get some from used market ? (Any experiences with quality of 2021 or 2022 models.. ).

Pretty sure you're getting a new Jeep. The 22's aren't even out yet so there is no way for that comparison or for pros and cons....but you can order one! Glad to see you are ok!

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[Strommen95]

OP, glad you're okay. It's scary to watch that video because it shows how suddenly things can come to chaos in otherwise a normal situation.

Only an asshole watches that video and thinks, “the OP needs some driving criticism here”. 1. We don’t pay for the alpine system to not listen to it 2. Scanning your mirrors every 3-8 seconds won’t do shit for you when someone sudden swerves into your vehicle at freeway speed 3. Had the OP swerved to avoid the other driver, hit someone else, or rolled his Jeep off the side of the road, he would be liable for his unsafe lane change. I’m all for defensive driving, but there comes a point where there’s likely nothing you can do but take the hit and do your best to maintain control of your vehicle.

I'm glad you pointed this out. It's great advice. While it sounds contradictory, standing on was driving defensively in this instance. Unless a driver is 100% certain the lane is clear, and I do mean 100% certain at face value, a driver never, never swerves to avoid an accident. Even if the lane's clear, if you swerve out of control, hit a guardrail or a tree, I guarantee the asshole is just gonna drive away. You'll be at fault for a solo accident and the aggressor will be scotch free.

 

[FloridaLarry]

The airbags deployed, the OP walked away. This doesn't change the fact that body on frame vehicles are inherently less safe than collapsible body (unibody) designs like regular SUV's when hitting an immovable object like a tree. Sorry, its simple physics. The steel ladder frame of a Wrangler doesn't collapse nearly as much (or at all) so the humans inside decelerate quicker against the seatbelt... meaning your internal organs experience much more force against the inside of your crushed sternum vs a vehicle that gets its entire front end smooshed up against the firewall like a crushed beer can. You want the body to collapse around you to absorb the deceleration, otherwise its just your sternum vs the seatbelt (hint: seatbelt wins).

Also, since the Wrangler is getting totaled anyways (for economic reasons), it doesn't really matter that the crushed beer can of a unibody vehicle would also be totaled in a similar accident.

So for those soccer moms who are overly nutso about any risk for their kids, Wranger is a poor choice. If you got to choose which Jeep you wanted to crash in, I would choose the best of both worlds; Collapsible body and a heavy one, like the new Grand Cherokee L.

Of course in a no-contest collision of say a 6000lb Ford F350 hitting a Kia Soul its different story since the Soul becomes the crushed unibody protecting the F350 driver. The Soul driver on the other hand will not fare as well since all of his unibody collapse when into decelerating the F350 not leaving enough passenger compartment to protect Soul's driver; An unfair fight.

 

[wranglernoob2019]

The airbags deployed, the OP walked away. This doesn't change the fact that body on frame vehicles are inherently less safe than collapsible body (unibody) designs like regular SUV's when hitting an immovable object like a tree. Sorry, its simple physics. The steel ladder frame of a Wrangler doesn't collapse nearly as much (or at all) so the humans inside decelerate quicker against the seatbelt... meaning your internal organs experience much more force against the inside of your crushed sternum vs a vehicle that gets its entire front end smooshed up against the firewall like a crushed beer can. You want the body to collapse around you to absorb the deceleration, otherwise its just your sternum vs the seatbelt (hint: seatbelt wins).

Also, since the Wrangler is getting totaled anyways (for economic reasons), it doesn't really matter that the crushed beer can of a unibody vehicle would also be totaled in a similar accident.

So for those soccer moms who are overly nutso about any risk for their kids, Wranger is a poor choice. If you got to choose which Jeep you wanted to crash in, I would choose the best of both worlds; Collapsible body and a heavy one, like the new Grand Cherokee L.

Of course in a no-contest collision of say a 6000lb Ford F350 hitting a Kia Soul its different story since the Soul becomes the crushed unibody protecting the F350 driver. The Soul driver on the other hand will not fare as well since all of his unibody collapse when into decelerating the F350 not leaving enough passenger compartment to protect Soul's driver; An unfair fight.

Simple Physics - When you are in wrangler with a steel bumper - the crumple zone is whatever you hit (except when you hit concrete or steel).

 

[nsfw_andy]

OP, glad you're okay. It's scary to watch that video because it shows how suddenly things can come to chaos in otherwise a normal situation.


I'm glad you pointed this out. It's great advice. While it sounds contradictory, standing on was driving defensively in this instance. Unless a driver is 100% certain the lane is clear, and I do mean 100% certain at face value, a driver never, never swerves to avoid an accident. Even if the lane's clear, if you swerve out of control, hit a guardrail or a tree, I guarantee the asshole is just gonna drive away. You'll be at fault for a solo accident and the aggressor will be scotch free.

A similar situation to what you described happened to me for my first car accident. A tow truck parked on the shoulder decided to bust a U-Turn in front of me without checking his mirrors, I instinctively swerved out of the way and hit a pole head on because the car couldn't stop in time.

My insurance rates went up because I didn't hit him and I had to pay my deductible out of pocket...

 

[DKayGing]

Hi there,

It has been almost three years with my new JLUR and jl forums and sadly i got hit by a truck . I was about 65 mph and out of nowhere came a truck and pushed me out of highway into trees. Airbags (front and side) deployed as expected and saved me - got some minor cuts and bruises and broadly speaking doing ok. I am glad to be alive . What ever safety tests say - the thing is built like a tank and i wouldn't have been alive or walking out of the car - if it was some other SUV. So no question - I am going to stick with jeep for a long time.

Here is my dashcam video Video . It was a custom factory ordered just like you all do and came after months of waiting .. It has been towed to body shop and waiting on evaluation if it is going to be repair or totall loss.





There is frame damage (one side bent other side twisted) and the steel bumper also got bent. Apart from that there is some body damage to fenders, front axle and sway bar etc... Here are some of the pics (below).

1. The rest of the body looks okay -(eg.Grill. windshield, doors), but i think frame and front axle and sway bar, winch etc.. are not working properly or heavy squeaking. Should this be considered a total loss?

2. If insurance lowballs or says it is going to be repaired - Is there a safety issue driving this jeep? How can i push back and what kind of documentation should I be creating ? How reliable are frame replacement and what else could be hiding here as an issue?

3. How is the fair market value calculated in this market ?

4. Will I be better off ordering a new one i.e. 2022 or get some from used market ? (Any experiences with quality of 2021 or 2022 models.. ).

What year is your Jeep?

 

[Mtenna99]

Simple Physics - When you are in wrangler with a steel bumper - the crumple zone is whatever you hit (except when you hit concrete or steel).

I’ve thought about how all the steel reduces my crumple zone which in my mind would also make it less safe…you make a great point I had never thought about!!

 

[Heimkehr]

The airbags deployed, the OP walked away. This doesn't change the fact that body on frame vehicles are inherently less safe than collapsible body (unibody) designs like regular SUV's when hitting an immovable object like a tree. Sorry, its simple physics. The steel ladder frame of a Wrangler doesn't collapse nearly as much (or at all) so the humans inside decelerate quicker against the seatbelt... meaning your internal organs experience much more force against the inside of your crushed sternum vs a vehicle that gets its entire front end smooshed up against the firewall like a crushed beer can. You want the body to collapse around you to absorb the deceleration, otherwise its just your sternum vs the seatbelt (hint: seatbelt wins).

Also, since the Wrangler is getting totaled anyways (for economic reasons), it doesn't really matter that the crushed beer can of a unibody vehicle would also be totaled in a similar accident.

So for those soccer moms who are overly nutso about any risk for their kids, Wranger is a poor choice. If you got to choose which Jeep you wanted to crash in, I would choose the best of both worlds; Collapsible body and a heavy one, like the new Grand Cherokee L.

Of course in a no-contest collision of say a 6000lb Ford F350 hitting a Kia Soul its different story since the Soul becomes the crushed unibody protecting the F350 driver. The Soul driver on the other hand will not fare as well since all of his unibody collapse when into decelerating the F350 not leaving enough passenger compartment to protect Soul's driver; An unfair fight.

TL/DR: The vehicle with more lug nuts usually wins.

 

[benny_rt2]

Frame shops are pretty amazing nowadays. They straightened the twisted frame of my old TJ. But if my jeep had been new I definitely would want a fresh one, not a patched up one.

I had a VERY hard rollover in my TJ while on a tall rock waterfall obstacle. Totally bent the frame in multiple places so that it sat cockeyed on flat ground. Also bent the front axle houseing and all body mounts and motor mounts. Not to mention the body damage, but it was just used for rockcrawling so body wasn't concern. Had to replace grill and a BeCool radiator . Used a CJ grill. The custom fabricated cage by Hunter wasn't affected at all except for couple dents in the tubes at a few places.

After getting the jeep back from frame shop Hunter cut out the body mounts, fabed new ones that gave better clearance and new motor mounts, etc. Also added few extra tubes in engine. Work was all done by Hunter Offroad in Phx (incase anyone looking for custom fab work). Axles and suspension work was from Joe Daro's shop in phoenix (can find Joe on facebook I think "on point" is his new shop's name).

glorified photos of Hunters fab work and Joe's suspesion work they did after the frame was fixed :


"body mounts"

 

[wranglernoob2019]

Update : Insurance came back with a total loss. Now comes the fun part of back and forth . Thank you all for the advice here.

 

[wranglernoob2019]

Frame shops are pretty amazing nowadays. They straightened the twisted frame of my old TJ. But if my jeep had been new I definitely would want a fresh one, not a patched up one.

I had a VERY hard rollover in my TJ while on a tall rock waterfall obstacle. Totally bent the frame in multiple places so that it sat cockeyed on flat ground. Also bent the front axle houseing and all body mounts and motor mounts. Not to mention the body damage, but it was just used for rockcrawling so body wasn't concern. Had to replace grill and a BeCool radiator . Used a CJ grill. The custom fabricated cage by Hunter wasn't affected at all except for couple dents in the tubes at a few places.

After getting the jeep back from frame shop Hunter cut out the body mounts, fabed new ones that gave better clearance and new motor mounts, etc. Also added few extra tubes in engine. Work was all done by Hunter Offroad in Phx (incase anyone looking for custom fab work). Axles and suspension work was from Joe Daro's shop in phoenix (can find Joe on facebook I think "on point" is his new shop's name).

glorified photos of Hunters fab work and Joe's suspesion work they did after the frame was fixed :


"body mounts"

Thats an awesome ride !!

 

[Murphydog]

Update : Insurance came back with a total loss. Now comes the fun part of back and forth . Thank you all for the advice here.

Well, I suppose one good thing is you can still order red if that is your favorite color. I ordered June 10th and got mine in early September, so not quite 90 days for delivery

 

[wranglernoob2019]

Well, I suppose one good thing is you can still order red if that is your favorite color. I ordered June 10th and got mine in early September, so not quite 90 days for delivery

lol !! kids want the exact same jeep back. Not a thing different - After looking at engine options, I am thinking the same too. Neither 4XE nor Diesel have the XR package - 392 is overkill for 50 mile daily driving. so its pretty much the same jeep with XR.

 

[Murphydog]

lol !! kids want the exact same jeep back. Not a thing different - After looking at engine options, I am thinking the same too. Neither 4XE nor Diesel have the XR package - 392 is overkill for 50 mile daily driving. so its pretty much the same jeep with XR.

I know the feeling, my son really wanted Mojito which of course is no longer around, thankfully he was just as happy with Hydro Blue.

And your post just reaffirms why I have a dash camera as well - now I need a second for my wife's car

 

[wranglernoob2019]

What year is your Jeep?

2019

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