Please Help! My first accident!!!

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I don't know where else to turn. I need some advice. The accident was absolutely not my fault. Just going straight in city roads. Other driver decides to turn left right into me! I couldn't believe it!!! My airbags went off. I got bruised and bled, but I feel ok. My car was a 1999 Toyota Solara. Police showed up, made a report, a witness verified that the incident was not my fault.

So I am in Michigan, a no fault state. I don't get any reimbursement. My insurance company said I can get reimbursed $1,000 max since I was not at fault, at the other driver's expense. I am going to pursue that, called a tort(?) claim.

But what do I do financially? Really guys, I don't have a ton of money. This state is totally screwing me with this no fault bullpoop. The car still runs and moves. Should I repair it? It has 213k miles on it. But that looks like extensive damage. Should I sell it for parts and get a replacement? I put so much money into this car!!! I put like 3 grand worth of parts into it!!!! I am soooooo disappointed. This car could have lasted me another 50k miles easily!!!! And it had no rust as a Michigan car!!!!

How hard is it to replace airbags? Uhg.


Only good news is my health, and that I have a camper van I can drive until I figure out a solution. What do you guys think I should do?

I only have minimum liability, no collision coverage.
 
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Please post some pictures and we'll go from there. Glad you're ok physically! Please be grateful for this.

I remember a guy in Arizona had his 00 or 01 Camry hit while parked in the street. And he got a check for $2500-3k or so. It was totaled and he bought the car back. Made out like a bandit.
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Not sure if AZ is a no fault state or not.

When I go into MI from OH the drivers there sure seem much more aggressive for some reason. PA and IN seem fine. But MI, whew!
 
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You could put a claim with the insurance company, but you'll likely have to pay the deductible up front, then the insurance company will fight with the other insurance company to get it back for you.

This is what I did in NJ, another no-fault state.

You have the police report which is part of the documentation for the claim.

THen the insurance company can choose to repair it or not, and you may get screwed if it gets totaled because the resale value of the car isn't much.
 
With airbags deployed it's going to be expensive with that alone. Both bags, RCM, clockspring and crash sensors plus any wiring that's was damaged will easily exceed 1500-2000$ in just air bag parts.
 
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I'm glad you didn't get hurt badly! It could have been a lot worse. Airbags deployed in a 1999 car with 213K miles on it, with what "looks like extensive damage." Sorry to say the car is junk. See what the law allows and pursue that, not much more you can do. No fault insurance sucks!!
 
What do you mean by "What am I going to do financially?"

How is the state of Michigan screwing you?

File a claim with your insurance company to determine is they opt to total it out or repair it and then take it from there. How high is your deductible?
 
Originally Posted by demarpaint
I'm glad you didn't get hurt badly! It could have been a lot worse. Airbags deployed in a 1999 car with 213K miles on it, with what "looks like extensive damage." Sorry to say the car is junk. See what the law allows and pursue that, not much more you can do. No fault insurance sucks!!


What does NF insurance suck?
 
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Sorry about the mess.

Your car has a value of around $2000+ at that age and mileage. It does not matter how much you decided to spend on it in parts etc.

I was curious about the $1000 bit and googled this: https://www.michigan.gov/documents/cis_ofis_ip202_25083_7.pdf

I presume you unfortunately lack collision insurance which normally would cover the replacement cost of your vehicle and your insurance company would be far more interested in pursuing the other party for the amount you would get under colllision. A vehicle that old and value typically you self insure but it seems you lack the money maybe to cover the loss?
 
After reviewing the document madRiver linked to, in a no fault state, it looks like it is prudent to have additional (limited, standard, broad form) collision coverage -- that would cover the vehicle. Like others said, be thankful you weren't hurt.
 
Yep, looks like you can get a max of $1,000 from the other guy's insurance. Airbags are easy to replace, but can be expensive. I'd look for another Solara to buy as a parts car and fix yours. Find one that's rotted out (shouldn't be hard in Michigan) or one with a blown engine or trans for less than $500. It should have everything you need to fix your car, and you should have money left over for your troubles.
 
About Michigan No-Fault:
Quote
NO-FAULT INSURANCE is required by law in Michigan. Every owner of a car must buy certain basic coverages in order to get license plates. It is against the law to drive or let your car be driven without no-fault insurance.
If you have an auto accident, no-fault insurance pays for your medical expenses, wage loss benefits, replacement services, and the damage you do to other people's property. It does not matter who caused the accident. Your basic no-fault insurance does NOT pay for
repairs to your car. For an explanation of insurance coverages providing protection for your car, see the next page of this sheet.


You chose not to have collision insurance in a no-fault state. Reasonable with a $2000 car but a guy's gotta have a back-up plan for something like this.

Glad you're not hurt.
 
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Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
Originally Posted by demarpaint
I'm glad you didn't get hurt badly! It could have been a lot worse. Airbags deployed in a 1999 car with 213K miles on it, with what "looks like extensive damage." Sorry to say the car is junk. See what the law allows and pursue that, not much more you can do. No fault insurance sucks!!


What does NF insurance suck?

In NY it contributes to higher insurance premiums, and in NY it drove up insurance fraud. We end up paying for that. Maybe I should have said no fault insurance in NY sucks.
 
Originally Posted by demarpaint
Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
Originally Posted by demarpaint
I'm glad you didn't get hurt badly! It could have been a lot worse. Airbags deployed in a 1999 car with 213K miles on it, with what "looks like extensive damage." Sorry to say the car is junk. See what the law allows and pursue that, not much more you can do. No fault insurance sucks!!


What does NF insurance suck?

In NY it contributes to higher insurance premiums, and in NY it drove up insurance fraud. We end up paying for that. Maybe I should have said no fault insurance in NY sucks.

thumbsup2.gif
 
OP- If you did not have collision insurance, looks like $1000 is probably the best you will get however If I were you, I would contact a personal injury attorney since you stated that you got banged up and bled. Plus since you are not at fault (despite the no-fault state status), that will at least cover you health wise.
After that, go after the person for full value of your car. If you take the $1000 payout now, you may be giving up your rights to sue to full compensation down the line.
 
Oh man I feel your pain so bad. You risked this scenario to save a couple hundred bucks. That wouldn't really have gained you much more than 2000 even then. You'll be lucky to get 300$ for that car. If you're working ,float a loan.
 
Originally Posted by demarpaint
In NY it contributes to higher insurance premiums, and in NY it drove up insurance fraud. We end up paying for that. Maybe I should have said no fault insurance in NY sucks.

It's similar in Michigan - some of the highest insurance rates in the country.
 
Looks like it's a write off - ie not practical to repair at regular body shop rates. But if you spent $3,000 on it, it likely still has some good parts. And Solaras are very good cars. I had a 2000 V6 5MT SE model. I liked it a lot.

So why not look for a Southern or Western car with a rust free body and a blown engine or transmission (which you should be able to get for very little) and swap your good parts into it.

Or swap its body parts onto yours. But the airbag situation is tricky. You'd have to do some research to figure out how to swap those. And don't hurt yourself doing it. You may even have liability issues if you don't do it right and a passenger is ever injured, so be very careful.

The other alternative is to part yours out. Unfortunately that may be the most practical option.
 
He may have turned left, but YOU ran into him (going by the photo).
Now you have to prove that it was his fault.
On no Fault (at least in Ontario) your insurance will pay for your repair and then go after the guilty party's insurance to recover or if uninsured sue him in court. You may have to pay the deductible only.
 
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