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swengl

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This hits close to home. We just finished settling a claim where the other person was at fault and the timeline was ridiculous. The accident happened on the last day of August last year, our Tesla (Model Y) was drivable afterwards: the only damage was to the back bumper and bent the lift gate a little bit. It's a good thing it was drivable....it took us until January to get it into the shop (the delay was a combination of the other driver and their insurance severely dragging their feet. I had to start a claim with my insurance in November to get things moving). The repair took about a month and we had to drive 2.5 hours to get to the shop. They did a great job on the repair and that's where the fun began. Since I had created the claim through my insurance, I had to pay my deductible up front for the repair. The Y was only 9 months old when it was hit, so there was definitely going to be diminished value. I cannot stress this enough: hire a firm that handles solely diminished value claims. I paid $600 for the service and it was worth every penny. The other insurance company initially offered me about $550 for diminished value, which was an insult. My guy estimated DV at around $9,000. I had to send a certified letter to the other party to jolt their insurance company into action. While this was going on, I was working with a lady from my insurance company who handles subrogation to work to get my deductible paid by the other insurance company. I also had to to threaten to go to the local media and spill the entire story if they didn't play ball. Short story long, I received the deductible payment and am waiting for a $7,000 check from the other insurance company for the DV claim. My advice: be persistent as Hell, don't give up, and be creative in how you threaten to out the other insurance company if they drag their feet, don't respond to requests, or give you an absurd low ball estimate on the DV. Good luck!
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mhaze

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When the insurance claim dust settles, I'll be happy to show it. It really is remarkable and I'm glad I'm rolling with the "DashCam" activated. Like I said, it cuts both ways. Could show you're the at-fault driver? The police officer was very impressed with how clear and high resolution the video is.
Please do post it post-legalities. Fascinating incident in terms of tekkie stuff applied to problem solving.
 

fritter63

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I'm a personal injury lawyer by occupation and today I got to experience the "DashCam" technology in operation in real time.
See... THIS is why you shouldn't tailgate those ambulances you're chasing! :cool: :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 
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BengalBoy

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Sorry to hear about the accident, glad everyone is ok!

We ordered a front frunk facia panel for training and we had it in 4 days, so I think you will find parts come out quickly.
That is awesome to hear! That is really what the primary damage is. The front at point of impact has popped off and flaps around. Secured with duct tape. The frunk opens and closes with no issues, but, front driver's side frunk facia panel and the backing behind it pulled out at impact. Pushed front fender under window frame panel and pushed back into driver's door, though, not enough to affect opening and closing. The frunk stainless facia is glued/bonded to the metal frame behind it. I was suprised to see that!

So, my ProtectaClear project will focus on the tailgate this weekend! :p
 
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BengalBoy

BengalBoy

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You may want to look at something besides Duct tape, the glue in that stuff dries hard and can be very painful to remove.
Currently, the frunk facia and fender panels the tape is stuck too I hope to be replaced. The front fender at point of impact looks scratched at edge and is pushed back into fender guard and under windshield/window frame. Honestly, I want everything replaced considering it only has 900 miles. If it has a scratch, I want it new. A buddy of mine who represented Allstate for decades say's $7500. I say $5000. Wheel, tire and suspension don't appear to have been damaged. Inside wheel well plastic at edge is damaged and I want it replaced. It is going to be another adventure in CyberTruck ownership and the Tesla experience.
 


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BengalBoy

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Not a Tesla story, but it reminds me.
A very short version.
  • Back in the early 2000's.
  • There had been a rash of robbers and I think murders of tourists picking up rental cars at the Miami airport where they were rear-ending the cars.
  • While not a tourist, I picked up a rental car.
  • Driving just south of the airport I stop at light.
  • Wham! I get rear-ended.
  • Holly Crap, I'm about to be killed!!!!!!


Look in the rear view mirror.
My thoughts, either I'm safe or have been rear ended by the STUPIDEST criminal in the world.

I had been rear ended by a 90+ year old preacher driving a 1970s Rolls Royce Silver Arrow!
Haha!! The Lord works in Mysterious Ways!
 
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BengalBoy

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Sorry this happened to you, but glad you're OK, counselor. I'm curious--does the video include a timestamp, compass orientation and/or speed? I'm a safe driver, but any speed recording might become an issue . . . especially in the Cyberbeast when it arrives. ;)
Yes and No. Yes, the video is "time stamped" at file location. No, there are no other vehicle overlays on the video such as speed, direction, or GPS data. Your driver's license can feel safe for law enforcement review. (The Beast will definitely tempt you daily!) Beautiful video in high resolution with a distortion of the scene from inside the CyberTruck. In the video it looks like I should have seen the car making a U-Turn because the field of view is so wide and coming from the B-Pillar. The reality is that inside the car that area of your vision is blocked by the B-Pillar and the road way is not as wide as it appears on screen. I'm not sure what the field of view is for that camera but from the front and side it creates the illusion of a very vast scene. The reality was she made a very tight U-Turn into the outside right lane of a two lane street where the front end of my CyberTruck already was.

That creates this technology "Catch 22?" The camera sees everything going on around the vehicle. If Full Self Driving was enabled, I'm sure it would have tried to move the CyberTruck to the far right, but, that's a high curb. Would I have sustained more damage from beneath the truck it it had tried to drive into and over the curb and possibly a sign or would it have just stopped the CyberTruck and waited for impact? I'm assuming the FSD would prioritize avoiding wrecks with occupied vehicles over stationary objects as human safety is more important than property. This was definitely a "learning" experience for random, illegal acts of driving that everyone has done once or twice in their life. Teenage driver, inexperienced, performs random, illegal U-Turn at lunchtime busy intersection. Perfect video for Tesla to show its Ai while developing FSD for CyberTruck.
 
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BengalBoy

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Please do post it post-legalities. Fascinating incident in terms of tekkie stuff applied to problem solving.
Exactly! This is the kind of data that the AI has to account for in FSD. Random, human, actions that defy logic but happen all the time. How do you program that avoidance behavior into CyberTruck's FSD?
 
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BengalBoy

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See... THIS is why you shouldn't tailgate those ambulances you're chasing! :cool: :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
Unfortunately, I got to chase even more Ambulances now!! (hopefully this incident will settle quickly and easily but I do intend to maximize my dimunition in value claim. In CyberTruck's case, it is very real)
 
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This hits close to home. We just finished settling a claim where the other person was at fault and the timeline was ridiculous. The accident happened on the last day of August last year, our Tesla (Model Y) was drivable afterwards: the only damage was to the back bumper and bent the lift gate a little bit. It's a good thing it was drivable....it took us until January to get it into the shop (the delay was a combination of the other driver and their insurance severely dragging their feet. I had to start a claim with my insurance in November to get things moving). The repair took about a month and we had to drive 2.5 hours to get to the shop. They did a great job on the repair and that's where the fun began. Since I had created the claim through my insurance, I had to pay my deductible up front for the repair. The Y was only 9 months old when it was hit, so there was definitely going to be diminished value. I cannot stress this enough: hire a firm that handles solely diminished value claims. I paid $600 for the service and it was worth every penny. The other insurance company initially offered me about $550 for diminished value, which was an insult. My guy estimated DV at around $9,000. I had to send a certified letter to the other party to jolt their insurance company into action. While this was going on, I was working with a lady from my insurance company who handles subrogation to work to get my deductible paid by the other insurance company. I also had to to threaten to go to the local media and spill the entire story if they didn't play ball. Short story long, I received the deductible payment and am waiting for a $7,000 check from the other insurance company for the DV claim. My advice: be persistent as Hell, don't give up, and be creative in how you threaten to out the other insurance company if they drag their feet, don't respond to requests, or give you an absurd low ball estimate on the DV. Good luck!
Sadly, I fully understand your experience. I've been doing car wrecks for over 35 years. Some insurance companies are a pleasure to work with and very reasonable. They take the position that avoiding litigation costs and time is the best business. Other insurance companies are of an opposite business practice. Make it uncomfortable and drag it out in the hopes that the claimant gives up, gets tired of walking, and accepts the low-ball figure. Sorry you had to go through that. I'm happy you stayed committed to your claim and the lawyer you hired got the results you desired.
 


RandyS

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Awesome?. Love to hear the CT takes blows like iron Mike. Maybe it’s a reasonable enough fix she gives you cash and keep it off the record and carfax…
OP is an attorney, so he knows this, but whatever anyone else does, BE VERY CAREFUL of making a deal where the at-fault person offers to pay to fix the damaged vehicle. This happened to me, and the short version of the story is that they are all agreeable until they see what the repair bill will be ($2700 for a minor bump into my Model 3 bumper that damaged my headlight and foglight). Then they aren't as agreeable. I did get the money from the other party, but it took some time. I wouldn't do it again. Learned my lesson...
 
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BengalBoy

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OP is an attorney, so he knows this, but whatever anyone else does, BE VERY CAREFUL of making a deal where the at-fault person offers to pay to fix the damaged vehicle. This happened to me, and the short version of the story is that they are all agreeable until they see what the repair bill will be ($2700 for a minor bump into my Model 3 bumper that damaged my headlight and foglight). Then they aren't as agreeable. I did get the money from the other party, but it took some time. I wouldn't do it again. Learned my lesson...
Great advice! I've represented many a person who trusted a driver to make a fender bender good if allowed to leave a scene. My best story involved a client who convinced a guy to let him leave a fender bender scene and possibly avoid a DUI backing out from a bar if he agreed to pay him $5000. Client gives the other driver the check and leaves. Next day, other driver tries to cash the check only to discover a "stop payment" has been placed on the check and my client's name is not, "Bill Clinton."
 

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20240510_171359.webp


So, after over 10 years without a car wreck, fender bender, or incident of any kind driving a car, all it took was two weeks with my new CyberTruck to hear that "sickening crunch" and feel the "what the fuck is that" sinking feeling in my stomach. Today was the day I crashed "OO7" and officially went from a New CyberTruck to a Wrecked CyberTruck. On the good side of things, no one was hurt. On the bad side of things, well, I'm very frustrated that I now own a wrecked CyberTruck and my emotional "Space Car" high has been brought back down to Earth.

20240510_171407.webp


Things I've learned? Tesla's are the Shit and Dashcam is the BomB! I'm a personal injury lawyer by occupation and today I got to experience the "DashCam" technology in operation in real time. Driving to lunch to meet a friend I'm merging off one four lane at a red light onto another four lane when I hear the *crunch* and feel the *sinking feeling* in my stomach. A black cross-over is dancing in front of me now and I know there has been a significant impact. Pullling over to a nearby parking lot I park and wait for the driver of the other vehicle to exit. A young teenage girl immediately starts trying to blame me for the wreck claiming I did not yeidl the right-of-way? What?? I'm obviously irritated and pissed off because my brand new CyberTruck is wrecked. Traffic was stopped in the direction I was traveling through that intersection by traffic light control. I tell her I don't want to hear her complaints, my CyberTruck has recorded the incident and I'll soon know what happened. At the moment, I'm completely confused as to how it happened and where she came from? Her mother shows up. The girl suddenly begins to apologize while mother still tries to find a way to blame me for the wreck. As my friend comes over from the nearby restaurant, the young girl confide's to him she made a U-Turn and apologizes again. Hmmm, that's the first mention of a U-Turn and I'm still not sure how I could not see her in front of my CyberTruck.

20240510_171413.webp


And that is when the Police Officer asks me if I have recorded the wreck? I know I have *Sentry and DashCam* mode activated as I find it really remarkable technology for securing my CyberTruck and protecting myself in case of wrecks like this one. Didn't think I'd be using it so soon in my CyberTruck experience, but, here it goes and I don't really know what it is going to show. I even have to Google how to view the clips while the Police Officer waits. Going through the menus I find my *DashCam* clips and sure enough, there it is. As the Police Officer and I begin to view the video I'm realizing how powerful this tech is in the field. Right now the officer is going to prepare his Crash Report and opinion of fault based on the video as recorded by "OO7" and I'm unsure of exactly what it will show. At the moment of truth, you see me waiting at a stop behind merging traffic for my turn to enter the intersection roadway. Traffic traveling in my direction on that roadway is stopped by redlight while traffic traveling in the opposite direction is getting to turn left onto the other road by left turn signal only. As I enter on to the roadway the side camera captures the other driver making an illegal U-Turn, quickly, crossing two lanes of traffic into the front driver's side bumper area of "OO7" causing the wreck. And that explains why I didn't see her. I was not expecting such a manuever by traffic traveling in the opposite direction and had already begun to look straight ahead as I merged into my traffic lane.

20240510_171424.webp


So, sadly, I now own a wrecked CyberTruck and will have to go through the process of getting it repaired. Photos and notifications have already been sent to Tesla through the app. Insurance coverage and acceptance of liability still undetermined. However, in Alabama the record created by my CyberTruck proves to be invaluable when it comes to determining fault. It is no longer a "he said" vs. "she said", instead, a recorded memorandum of the event was created in real time.

20240510_171501.webp


Some quick observations:

a. DashCam mode is the Bomb!! It cuts both ways, but, if you are not at fault having this feature enabled is incredibly valuable to protect yourself.

b. Full Self Driving may have prevented my wreck? I can't say for sure if it would react quickly enough to avoid this wreck, but, seeing how the side mounted camera sees things happening in real-time that the driver can't, my wreck might possibly have been avoided. I'm looking straight ahead as I merge on to the roadway. I'm not looking to my left and behind me as the car makes a U-Turn and whips over into my lane. But, the CyberTruck sees it. And these are the kinds of scenerios where FSD might possibly have prevented contact by moving back to the far right lane or off the roadway.

20240510_171515.webp


So, I'm disappointed and bummed out for my new CyberTruck and the inconvenience I'm going to have to endure getting it repaired. I'm happy it was a low impact kind of wreck, no one is hurt, and the property damage on both sides isn't too significant. But the Geek side of me is actually pretty impressed with the safety features of the CyberTruck and how easy it is to reconcile stories about "who's at fault" when *DashCam* is activated. Now I get to experience the Tesla body shop repair first hand.
I'm Cyberbummed, what a Cybershame. This is fucked up. Now you have to stop enjoying the CT, and concentrate on fixing a truck no one knows how to fix yet. ?
Cyber
 

65SoYoLO

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glad no one was hurt and THIS is why I run the cameras 24/7.
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