collision - repair or write-off?
 

Hello,

First time posting here...last night my dad had an accident - the car in front of him for some unknown reason slammed on the breaks and my dad could not stop in time, but he managed to slow the speed down such that the impact was minimized.

Here's a picture he took after the collision:

https://imgur.com/a/G0sZ0

Car is 2003 Camry. It has been regularly maintained in a good condition, mileage is around 250,000 km.

Is this a write-off or a 1-2k repair? No air bags were popped, but it seems like the coolant is leaking. The other guy's rear bumper was damaged but that seems about it from what my dad described.

I'm not a car guy nor is my dad, so I had been googling to see what this type of damage would cost to repair, in case ICBC throws a curveball at us and we know how to handle it.

Also, in the situation where the car in front slammed on the break and the car behind could not stop in time, whose fault would it be? I have a bad feeling that it'll be 100% my dad's...

Any input is appreciated.

Thanks!

Tim

ICBC will usually rule most rear Enders 100% at fault, no matter what the circumstance is, unless you have video proof they stopped for no reason.

What he said^^

And fairly certain that's a write off.

Pretty sure it's a write off too. There's at least a couple thousand dollars in damage which is over the value of the car. I was in a similar accident a couple weeks ago and had frame damage. I was quoted north of 7k at an ICBC shop.

Your dad is OK though right? No whiplash or what not?

The car is worth between $3K - $5K, just eyeballing the body damage, never mind any hidden damage, I’d say they’ll write the car off.Body repair work adds up quickly.

Yeah he's ok for now. But I'm told sometimes it takes some time to see if there is whiplash or what not so we're just waiting I guess?

And damn...looks like gotta start hunting a new car...just didn't want to start looking and have ICBC tell us they can repair it...

Just to parrot what everyone else is saying, this would be a write off.

For reference, a car rear ended me at low speeds 5 years ago, rear bumper (that doesn't have any sensors or electronics on it) was merely scuffed. GrandCity quoted $900 if it was through ICBC

While on this topic, would an aggressive driver who cuts someone off and intentionally slam on the brakes be at fault for a collision? Or would the fault all lie with the drive that got cut-off?

Without video proof, it's his word against yours, so my guess is ICBC is going to assign blame to the car in the back. At most, it'll be 50-50, which means the car in the back is still fxxked.

This is why a dashcam makes so much sense. Regardless of whose fault it is, it just records the details as it happened. At $100 a pop for a basic and decent quality dash cam, it really is a no brainer.

From what I know how ICBC would respond, the onus would still fall upon the one who couldn't stop in time as its its your word vs their word on the situation.

Of course, if you have a dashcam, it might work in your favor as evidence that you couldn't stop in time. Even so, maybe it might end up 50/50 or 75/25. Really depends how the adjuster at that time looks into it.

My sister rear ended someone on the highway years ago, he was stopped on an off ramp that was backed up and decided he didn't want to wait pulling back on to the highway. He pulled in front of her and she couldn't stop, rear ended him the car behind her rear ended her. No dash cams but a witness, all three vehicles written off and she was the only one not at fault in the accident.

The only reason I mention it is because sometimes you can rear end someone and not be at fault but it's not likely and you'll most likely need witnesses or footage. Generally speaking if drive into the back of someone because they slammed the brakes on you were driving to close or wern't paying attention.

$15,000+ car i would say repair. maybe even $20k+ actually idk

but for $5,000 or less, it's a write off, labour and parts too expensive compared to cost of the car

I guess for an update, my dad got a call saying it is a write off. Haven't heard anything with regards to other party's claim though.

My dad is at -20 on the CRS scale. Since this one happened before the policy change, I am guessing it's best to just let ICBC pay the other driver then? As moving up 4 steps is still 43% discount...

Also, my dad has already gone to the broker and canceled the insurance and at the same time got a new insurance for his new car, but it seemed like he is still at -20. When will his CRS scale go from -20 to -16?

Will ICBC notify us about anything? Like the other party has claimed X amount of damage and what not, or will we only find out during next insurance renewal?

Don't want to thread jack, but I can anyone shed light on a similar situation? I am sure others are on the same boat as well.

Long story short, I was involved in a multi-vehicle accident, and was the last person in the pile which fcukedd (:troll: :okay:) up my front end.

Car looks to have at least 8k in repairs and labour, however the frame does not appear bent (just a guesstimate).

If the car is deemed fixable, is there an option with ICBC where you can request for money (the repair costs for example), then have them write the car off instead?

I have gap insurance from a secondary insurance source, so I would prefer the car as a total loss.

Wow, the circumstances sure reflect your username here. :rofl:

ya you can request for the repair cost instead, but let your repair shop know before they start working on your car