Curse of the 40th! Are you F-ING KIDDING ME???
 

Well at approximately 4:30p today I was rear-ended by a drunk/intoxicated driver in my MINT 40th.

Not only was I rear ended... I was rear ended while I was driving approximately 30mph.

On top of that the guy seemed to have no idea he hit me (just kept driving, stopped at a traffic light, looked at the ground, looked at the birds, drove on at normal speed (weaving all over of course)).

As if this isn't bad enough HE HAD A ******* KID IN THE CAR!

The kid was no older than 3 or 4 because I could only see the top of their head... they were in the front seat btw.

Luckily I followed him, got his plate, called the cops and they claim to have arrested him (NJ is careful about what they tell you until they finish the investigation).

Looks like I'll be needing a new bumper and passenger tail light. Looks like everything else is straight, it is minor so I am relatively calm about it... won't be any frame or support damage, just the bumper cover and tail light.

I am most pissed that the guy would do something like that with a god damn baby in the car. I hope to god that he is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and does some time. That is tragic. I have pics of the damage but it is really minimal.

Oh and NOT HAPPY that this will be on the carfax report in the event I sell the car... is it minor? of course... but it is still a blemish on the report.

Sorry to hear that happened, but glad that they caught the guy. If he is insured, try to get a 'diminished value' payment due to the accident.

How do they even assess that?

**** man that is shitty :(

Can't believe anyone would endanger a child like that.. glad to hear everyone is alright though

:mad: sorry to hear man! :shakes head:

The diminished value payment shouldn't be a problem you just have to ask the insurance company. You might have to explain how the resale value will be less now. many other members have done this in the past with this type of problem!

that blows sorry dude!

That was the worst part... I hope that he didn't get in another accident... like I said the cop wouldn't give me details he just said "I think we got him".

I made sure that multiple people knew that he had a kid with him in the event that he made it home before they caught him.

I'll be keeping my eye on the local paper tomorrow to see if it makes it (probably won't) and update it anything comes along...

Thanks for the tip on the diminishing value thing... sounds like something I will pursue.

That sucks for the Z - I hope it all works out OK. I am happy they got the guy off the road.

I have two killer shops that I deal with so I'm not worried about the car (besides the carfax) and it is new enough that the paint should blend easily enough.

The downtime sucks... I'm not driving it all cracked up but at least I know the fitment/frame/support wont be an issue because of the light impact. Some of those slight front end collisions never go back together right so in that way I am fortunate.

If you plan to keep your z for a few years the carfax report won't lower your trade in, as long as you don't cave in. I had the same thing happen and I got pretty much what Edmunds suggested trade in price.

I am def keeping it for a while but I might as well try to recover some value if it is available to me.

The investigating officer just called me to give me the lowdown...

Another car was apparently following this guy while on the phone with the police approx a mile or two before they got to me...
After he hit me and I pulled off, the guy exited the GS parkway with the witness still behind him (unknowingly).
He was met by some cops a few miles later and apparently almost hit them.

He did have a child in the car... it was a 12 year old cousin... not as bad as I thought but still a child in danger... he was charged with...

DUI
DUI with a minor
Careless driving (and I believe careless with a minor)
Hit and run
refusing a breathalizer
and a few other tickets...

Officer said most likely he will plead guilty to the one charge of refusing a breathalizer and all the other charges will be merged. This avoids trial and gets him off the road for 6 months... not what I would have hoped for but at least it is solid.

They said the guy appeared to have insurance (had a valid card) so I can get the info when the report is due.

I am going Monday to get estimates and start the process, just want this all behind me.

Dang, man. Hang in there.

My insurance adjuster didn't know anything about the diminished value claim and suggested I try to call his insurance once I have that info (it should be in the police report).

Good news is my shop is contracted by my insurance company so no haggling over claims... it gets repaired back to factory without compromise.

I'm so bummed this is like a month I will be without the car... I won't drive it until it is fixed because it is an eyesore... I'm even thinking about pulling it in the garage face forward so the passenger side doesn't show until it goes... the first thing I see when leaving my house is the big scrape and busted tail light.